Improvements in Upholstering Pins and Buttons.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Feb.. 1897
Improvements in Upholstering Pins and Buttons.
I GEORGE HUMPHREY HOWELL of Sioux City in the County of Woodbury and
State of Iowa, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the-
nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improvement in upholstering pins.
Hitherto it has been the practice in upholstering lounges, and similar articles of
furniture, to employ ordinary shanked buttons and to sew them by means of
needle and cord. This is a slow and laborious method, because after undergoing
the difficulty of sewing the cord through, the ends have to be drawn together and
tied. In doing this the knot is liable to slip and some of the cords are drawn
tighter than others. In consequence of these imperfections which necessarily result
from the old method, the work was unsatisfactory and unduly expensive.
It is the object of my invention to obviate these defects and my invention:
consists in a nail, the shank of which is of considerable length, and furnished with
a head on one end and a point of more or less sharpness on the other end, in
combination with a keeper comprising a thin disk having spring catches formed!
thereon adapted to pass over the nail shank in one direction and lock themselves.
against backward movement. It further consists in certain novel features of
construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and
pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view illustrating my improved
upholstering pin applied. Figures 2 and 3 are detached views of the pin and the
catch respectively.
A represents the pin, the shank of which is pointed at one end and provided with
a head at the opposite end. On this shank are placed a number of upwardly
projecting barbs 1, 1, 1. These do not interfere in the least with the insertion of the
pin for the latter is taken between the operator's fingers with the thumb on the
head of the pin and the latter is inserted into the material to be fastened, where it
is held until the catch is applied.
B represents the catch. It consists in a thin disk of sheet metal having a hole 2-
in the centre to receive the pin and it is cut diagonally to form several spring dogs 3, 3,
which yield readily to allow the barbs to pass and then spring back into place over
the barbs to lock the catch in place. The hole 2 is of a size relative to the shank
of the pin to prevent the dogs from springing back to the plane of the body of the
catch, the shank of the pin acting as the keystone of an arch to key and lock the
dogs against yielding the slightest in the reverse direction, unless of course greater
pressure should be applied, greater than the strength of the metal itself, which would
cause the metal to break or bend and not merely spring aside.
Hence the device is easily and quickly applied, it is a secure and effectual
fastener, it greatly reduces the time usually consumed in upholstering a piece of
furniture, and above all and of the greatest consequence lessens the cost of the
article.
It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrange-
ment of the several parts described and pointed out in the claims without departing
from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence I do not wish to limit myself to
the exact construction herein set forth, but,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st. The combination with a pin having a pointed end adapted to penetrate and
find its way through the material to be fastened, of a plate or disk having a hole
extending therethrough wherein to receive the pin, and also provided with several
slots extending radially from the hole whereby to form spring jaws to engage the
pin, substantially as set forth.
2nd. In upholsterer's buttons, the button, the shank, the notches at 1, 1, and the
head B with its central perforation, and the points between the slits, substantially as
set forth.
3rd. In upholsterer's appliances the button, its elongated shank, in combination
with the head B with its perforation and its spring clutching points, substantially as
set forth.
Dated this 12th day of January 1897.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to the Applicant.