IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Augustus Huddart, of Brynkir, in the
County of Carnarvon, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUTTONS."
Sealed the 16th June 1863, and dated the 17th December 1862.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th December 1862.
I, GEORGE AUGUSTUS HUDDART, of Brynkir, in the County of Carnarvon,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BUTTONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain novel arrangements for effecting the
attachment of buttons to garments and fabrics, pressure being the means in
all cases whereby I effect the attachment. When the button has a metal
head I form it with a short straight shank, the extremity of which I prefer to
hollow out that it may the more easily spread; this stem I thrust through
the fabric to which it is to be attached, and apply thereto a disc with a counter-
sunk recess to receive the end of the shank. When, therefore, pressure is
applied to the button the shank will spread and hold fast to the disc. In
applying the improvement to covered buttons, I form the metal back with a
similar stem, which in like manner is made to fill a countersunk hole. For
pearl buttons I form the shank with a flange or shoulder, and rely upon
the spreading of both ends for securing the shank to the countersunk head

page_text: and the countersunk dise. For securing cloth buttons I pass the stem or
shank, which has a metal head, through the cloth disc, and insert the end of
the shank in a countersunk metal disc. This shank may, if thought desirable,
be applied to the head of the button, so that the expanding end, instead of
entering a metal disc, will enter a counter sunk hole in the under side of the
button head.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Augustus Huddart in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
AUGUSTUS HUDDART, of Brynkir, in the County of Carnarvon, Gentleman,
send greeting.
of
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Augustus Huddart, Her special license that I, the said
George Augustus Huddart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Augustus Huddart, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Augustus Huddart, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Augustus Huddart, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to certain improvements on a Patent granted to me,
and bearing date December Eighth, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-

page_text: two, the object of which is to effect the attachment of certain kinds of buttons.
to garments and fabrics by means of pressure. By the present improvements:
I am enabled to effect the attachment to fabrics and garments of other kinds
of buttons than those described in the Specification of my first Patent, and
also to simplify to some extent the construction of buttons attached by
pressure, and also to improve the appearance of certain of the buttons when
so attached.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn the means of securing to
garments, by the aid of pressure, buttons with metal heads, also pearl, bone, or
ivory headed buttons, and covered or shell buttons.
Figs. 1 and 2 shew on an enlarged scale and in sectional view the manner
in which I construct metal buttons, the parts forming the button being put
together ready for attachment at Fig. 1, and secured by pressure at Fig. 2.
The metal head a it will be seen is formed with a short straight stem or
shank 6 projecting from its under side, the extremity of the shank being
hollowed out in order that it may the more easily spread. This stem I thrust
through the fabric to which it is to be attached, and apply thereto a disc c,
having a countersunk recess to receive the end of the shank. When therefore
pressure is applied to the button in the line of its axis the extremity of the
shank will spread and hold fast to the disc. Thus the shank, instead of
presenting the appearance of an ill-formed or ragged rivet head, as under the
first Patent, will be hidden from sight by the smooth disc c.
In applying the Invention to covered buttons having a strong metal back,
I form the metal back with a similar stem to that of the metal-headed
button (see the enlarged section, Fig. 3), which stem, when pressure is applied,
will in like manner be caused to spread and fill the countersunk hole of the
disc c.
In the manufacture and attachment of pearl, bone, ivory, or composition
buttons, I form the shank with a flange or shoulder as described in the
Specification of the before-mentioned Patent, and rely upon the spreading of
both ends of the shank on the application of pressure. I thus secure the
shank simultaneously to the countersunk head and to the countersunk disc.
This arrangement is shewn at Figs. 4 and 5. As a simplification of this
construction of button I form the shank with a metal head, and insert the
hollowed expanding end of the shank in a countersunk hole in the under side
of the button head, as shewn at Fig. 6. This arrangement is equally appli-
cable to pearl, bone, composition, or metal buttons. It is preferable to provide
the head with a shoulder (as shewn at Fig. 6), in which the countersunk hole
is made, but this provision is not in all cases necessary.

page_text: The metal-headed shank may also with advantage be used for attaching
cloth or covered buttons to garments by the aid of pressure. This application
is shewn at Fig. 7, wherein it will be seen that the metal shells which are
covered with cloth are pierced in the centre as in the ordinary cloth or linen
button, and the cloth itself is pierced to receive the stem which constitutes the
shank of the button. The hollowed or expanding end of the stem 6 having
been passed through the button and through the fabric d to which the button
is to be attached, is inserted in a countersunk hole in the disc c, and pressure
being applied the button will be held fast to the fabric by the button and
fabric being nipped between the head of the stem and the disc c. In
attaching buttons which are made with a central hole only in the back shell
(through which usually projects a flexible shank), I insert the expanding end
of the metal-headed stem 6 in the central hole in the back of the button,
as shewn at Fig. 8, and then by the application of pressure effect the
Jateral expansion of the inserted end within the button head, as shewn
at Fig. 9, thereby providing the button with a metal instead of a flexible
shank.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Buttons," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it
to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim
constructing buttons in the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Augustus Huddart, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEO. A. HUDDART. (L.8.)