AN IMPROVED FASTENER FOR BUTTONS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hick, of West Field, Huddersfield, in
the County of York, Teazle Merchant, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED FASTENER FOR BUTTONS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hick at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th May 1871.
I, WILLIAM HICK, of West Field, Huddersfield, in the County of
York, Teazle Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED FASTENER FOR BUTTONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the securing or fastening buttons to
'coats, waistcoats, shirts, shoes, and other articles of wearing apparel
without sewing, and to admit the ready removal of such buttons when
necessary. The shank of the button nearest the garment is grooved
around its circumference, the extreme end of the shank forming a bead

page_text: or head. The head is passed through a hole and along a slot cut in a
small disc of brass or other metal. A semi-disc or segment of metal
is secured by rivet or pin to the one first mentioned. On turning the
segment on its pin over or along the face of the disc the shank and head
are securely held by the combined discs, and a projection on the under
side of the segment or upper semi-disc entering the hole through which
the head of the shank is passed before being moved along the slot
to the centre of the disc the fabric or material to which the button is
secured is between the head of the button and the discs; or a single
disc may be used, a slot being cut to the centre thereof, and a stop
secured to the diso to hold the bead or head of the shank in position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Hick in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HICK, of West Field, Huddersfield, in the County of York, Teazle
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Hick, Her special licence
that I, the said William Hick, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Hick, 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 "AN IMPROVED FASTENER FOR BUTTONS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Hick,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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

page_text: Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hick, 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 and accompanying Sheet of Drawings (that is to
say):
:-
This Invention has for its object the securing or fastening buttons to
coats, waistcoats, shirts, shoes, and other articles of wearing apparel
without sewing, and to admit the ready removal of such buttons when
necessary. The shank of the button is grooved around its circumference,
the extreme end forming a bead or head. The head is passed through
a hole, and the groove along a slot cut in a small disc of brass or other
metal. A semi-disc or segment of metal is secured by rivet or pin to
the disc first mentioned. On turning the semi-disc segment on its
pin over or along the face of the disc it enters the groove in the shank,
and the button is thus securely held by the combined discs.
In order that my Invention may be the better understood, I have
attached a Sheet of Drawings to this my Specification, the Figures being
numbered respectively 1 to 13, and drawn on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 1 represents a disc or thin circular piece of brass or other metal
with a rivet, pin, or pivot marked A, and a slot or an oblong aperture B
radiating from the centre 6 with a circular hole a at the end of a
diameter greater than the width of the slot hole, and a niche cut in the
edge of the said disc of metal marked O; Fig. 2 represents the reverse
or front side of this disc of metal with a semi-disc or segment of spring
steel or other metal marked D, attached to the disc E by the pin or
pivot A, and at the end of which segment is a ledge or projection which
fits into the niche marked C; Fig. 3 shews the back view of this disc E,
with the segment D open or turned outward on the pivot A, and Fig. 4
represents the front side of the said disc E, with the said segment D
hinged thereto by the rivet or pivot A; Fig. 5 represents the edge view
of a button marked F, with its shank marked G, and the groove / which
is made to fit the slot hole in the disc E, and the head H of suitable
size to pass through the hole a; Fig. 6 represents the said button F,
attached to the fastener or to the disc E by means of the segment D,

page_text: which is placed in the groove h, as shewn in Fig. 2, the projecting end
of the segment D being dropped into the niche C; Fig. 7 is an oblique
view of a button and fastener complete; Fig. 8 shews an ordinary loop
shank button J, and Fig. 9 shews the fastener for it, with an aperture
cut in the disc E so as to leave a projecting tongue J', on which the
loop of the button is to be placed, and enclosed by a segment plate D in
the same manner as in the others or grooved shank buttons; Fig. 10
shews the Invention applied as a machinery strap or belt fastener, one
part being in the form of a rivet, with a groove cut in the shank as in
the case of the button shank, and the other part of the fastener is
precisely similar to the button fastener as shewn in Figs. 1 to 7; Fig. 11
represents a disc or plate intended to be used for the "solitaire" fastener,
where K is a raised part of the plate and D the segment plate, as used
in the button fastener; Fig. 12 shews the shank G and plate M of the
solitaire, which is in shape exactly like the strap fastener, having a
groove in the end L in the same manner; Fig. 13 represents the side
view of a "solitaire" complete, the top part N being cemented to the
disc E, and the shank G secured therein by the fastener D previously
described.
The mode of applying this Invention to the several purposes set forth,
or others, will be readily understood, as it is only necessary for the
shank G to be pushed through a hole made in the cloth, leather, or
other material to which it is intended to be applied, and the fastener
or disc then placed on or over the protruding end of the said shank.
and secured by the segment D, being placed in the groove h and niche C
as previously explained.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and
shewn by Drawings in what manner the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I would have it understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction as herein
shewn and described, but I claim,―
Firstly. The construction, application, and use of the disc E, and
pivoted or hinged segment D, for fastening buttons to articles of wearing
apparel.
Secondly. The constructing button shanks with a groove therein for
the reception of a disc or plate fastener.

page_text: Thirdly. The combination of a disc or plate fastener with a grooved
or looped shank button, as herein fully described and shewn in the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hick, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
W*. TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax & Bradford.
WILLIAM HICK. (L.S.)