In- PROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS."-A communication from abroad by George
J. Capewell, of West Cheshire, Connecticut, Olark M. Platt, of
Waterbury, Connecticut, and Samuel M. Porter, of New York,
all in the United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 3rd December 1870, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton Buildings,
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BUTTONS,” and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for

page_text: the same, and have made solemn Declaration that the same has been
communicated to me from abroad by George J. Capewell, of West
Cheshire, Connecticut, Clark M. Platt, of Waterbury, Connecticut, and
Samuel M. Porter, of New York, all in the United States of America.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Hascltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming
part of this Specification :—
The nature of this Invention consists, first, in constructing buttons
in such a manner that without sewing or stitching they can be readily
attached to textile or other fabrics, leather, or other material suitable
to receive them; secondly, in constructing buttons of a single piece of
metal, with the edge' turned over and with one central hole as a new:
article of manufacture, and finally, in covering the base, head, or cap
of the cyclets or rivets of the said buttons with linen or other textile
fabric as specified.
By the first part of the said Invention a button is made in two parts,
the one the button proper, and the other the shank which is the fastening
device, or the button proper and shank may be in one piece, the other
forming setening device separate, or so constructed that such parts
when placed the one upon the other in a proper manner, and power is
applied will become firmly, strongly, and rigidly secured or fastened
together. When the button is applied to cloth, leather and the like, it
extends entirely through it from one side to the other; and when fastened
or secured as before stated, confines the cloth between the outer and
inner ends of the.button and its fastenings.
By the second part of this Invention buttons are produced which are
a new article of manufacture, being made of one piece of metal, the edge
of which is thickened by being folded over on itself, and the centre is
perforated with one hole for the reception of a rivet or eyelet passing
through the garment and buttons, and riveted up to fasten the button
to the garment.
By the third part of this Invention I cover the base or cap of the
eyelet or rivet of the said buttons with linen or other suitable material,
so that the metallic surface will not be exposed and soil the clothing,

page_text: while at the same time it presents a surface of uniform color and texture
with the garment to which it is attached.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a central section through a button, showing its two parts
fastened together in a piece of cloth with a washer upon one side of the
cloth; Figure 2 is a similar sectional view, showing the button with
the hub and without the washer; Figures 3 and 4 are similar sectional
views, showing a modification in the construction and application of the
button to be herein-after particularly described, the one without and the
other with a washer; Figure 5 is a similar sectional view of a button,
shewing a modification in the construction of the same; Figure 6 is a
plan view of the button upon its inner or rear end; Figure 7 is a
sectional view of the two parts of a button constructed according to the
said Invention before being attached or secured together; Figure 8 is
a section of the sheet metal blank used for making buttons; Figure 9
is a section of the button and rivet; Figure 10 is a face view of the
button; Figure 11 is a side view of an eyelet and button according to
this Invention; Figure 12 is a section of the same; Figure 13 is a plan
shewing a number of buttons in a piece of cloth; Figure 14 shews
detailed views of the button.
A represents the front plate of a button or the button proper, which
in the present instance is shewn hollow, and upon its rear side open at
the centre Bat which point the front plate A of the button upon its
inner face is shewn as made or provided with a conical shaped pro-
tuberance C. D is the shank or fastening part of the button, which
shank is of the form of an eyelet with a flange E at one end. To
attach the two parts A and D of the button together, the open end F,
Figure 7, of the eyelet shank D is placed within the opening B of the
button proper A resting on its end against the conical part C thereof,
when by applying pressure in any desired manner to the outer or flanged
end E of the eyelet shank D the end of the eyelet within the button
proper is by the cone C made to spread out within the button proper
beyond the edges of its opening B thus effecting the fastening and
securing of the two parts together in a rigid, firm, and durable
manner.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, this fastening together of the two parts
of the button is shewn in connection with a piece of cloth through

page_text: which the eyelet shank is first passed before the button proper is fastened.
to it as above described. If increased protection from injury to the
cloth is desirable or necessary, a washer may be used upon the eyelet
shank under its flange end, between it and the cloth as shewn in Figures
1, 4 and 5, by pressing or forcing the eyelet into the button proper
with
a greater or lesser amount of force it is obvious that less or more space
between the back of the button and the cloth will be left, and this can.
be regulated according to the circumstances of each particular case where
the buttons are applied and are to be employed.
In the buttons, shewn in Figures 2 and 4 two eyelets the one within
the other are shewn as employed, the object being to give firmness and
stiffness to the shank. By using an inner eyelet of a greater length than
the outer one with the cloth between their flanged ends sufficient space
is secured for the buttoning cloth to be buttoned over the buttons.
!.!
. In Figure 5 the form shewn is suitable for being covered with cloth
the front of the button proper being made of two thicknesses of sheet
metal with the outer one plain and the inner one provided with a cone or
protuberance as shewn for producing the swaging or spreading of the
eyelet shank within the button proper.
;
-In Figure 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 the buttons shown are made of sheet
metal, but in lieu of sheet metal other materials such as horn, ivory,
vulcanized india-rubber or gutta percha, cast metal, or any other
substance or substances, either simple or compound, may be used or may
be employed and at the centre of such button material the conical piece
or protuberance is made for producing the spreading of the shank within
it when the two are attached together. Or instead of having the shank
independent of the button proper as has been 'herein-above described the
shank and button proper may form one part while over the end of the
shank a plate or disc may be fastened (in the same manner as that
described for fastening the button proper to the shank) by means of a
similar interior construction of the said disk or plate, so that when force.
is applied to the eyelet the said eyelet will be spread out or swaged.
around within the said disc and beyond the edges of its opening made
to receive the end of the eyelet shank. The operation, effect, and
principle are the same in this instance as in the construction of the
button proper when the shank is fastened in it, the only difference being

page_text: that in lieu of the button proper or plate being thus fastened a plate or
disc at the back of the button or cloth is used.
In the manufacture of the button proper or head or plate A any of the
modes now in general use or practice may be employed, the present'
Invention relating simply to the construction of a button relatively
to a fastening device for securing it to cloth or other material without
stitching.
Figures 8, 9, and 10, are larger than an ordinary button, to represent
the improvements more clearly.
The second feature of the said Invention refers to buttons that have
heretofore been made with a hole in their centre to receive a rivet that is
passed through the garment; such buttons have been made by uniting
two thicknesses of metal at the edges with a piece of paper between them;
this mode of manufacture is costly. Buttons have also heretofore been
made of one piece of sheet metal, but the edge of the button formed by
the thin sheet metal has been single or sharp and rendered the button
objectionable, but the present Invention fully obviates this difficulty, as
will be seen.
In Figure 8 a is the disc or button blank, the edges of which are first
turned back as seen at 1, 1, in this Figure, and then folded down upon
the button itself as seen at 2, 2, Figure 9. The centre of the button is
perforated as at 3 for the reception of the rivet b, and the surface of the
button is struck down, as seen in Figures 9 and 10, to increase its orna-
mental appearance. The edges of the hole 3 may be raised or pressed
forward or backward as shown, so that there is a burr raised which will
This
cause the metal of the button to set tightly around the rivet.
button may however have a plain central hole adapted to a rivet, eyelet,
or other fastening. The edge of the button may be turned forward
instead of back in either case, making the edge of the button sufficiently
thick and smooth for use, in consequence of the double thickness and
fold at said edge.
The third feature of this Invention, as before stated, relates to covering
the head cap or end a¹ of the eyelet or rivet 6' with linen or other
suitable material, which will then present a surface of the same texture
and color as that of the garment to which it is attached, fully obviating

page_text: any liability or tendency of soiling the clothes by abrading the head of
the rivet or eyelet, besides causing the head of the eyelet to present a
uniform appearance with the garments. In order to thus cover the head
or end of the eyelet or rivet by means of a suitable punch, I cut out a
small disc of linen c³, place thereon the cap or disc d' of zinc or other
material which is of less diameter than the linen disc c¹, so that the edges
of the linen will extend around it. The edges of the cap or disc d'are
. then turned up in a suitable press bringing the edges of the linen disc c¹
around the said turned up edges, at the same time the lower end of the
eyelet or rivet 6' (which had previously been placed on the cap or disc d³) 1
is spread or flared out under the turned up edges of the disc or cap d³,
tightly forcing or jamming the edges of the linen disc c', between the
turned up edges and the spread of the cyclet or rivet 6', and thus tightly
stretching the linen over the cap and securing it in said position. Instead
of covering the cap of an eyelet with linen, it may be covered with 1
any other suitable material. The shanks or eyelets that are used for
fastening the buttons to the cloth or other material, may have their outer
end or base covered with a cap of zinc or other material as shown in
Figure 12.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, I wish it understood that I claim,-!
2
First. A button or button head, having a recess of inverted conc form
in its inner side to receive an eyelet or hollow shank or tube, which when
pressed into the said conical recess will expand radially and be firmly
connected to the button, and at the same time secure the button to the 2
garment or fabric, substantially as described.
Second. The combination of an eyelet or hollow shank, capped or
otherwise, with a cone C, or equivalent contrivance, either with or
without a washer, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Third. The combination of two or more eyelets, with the cone O, or 3
equivalent contrivance of a button, and either with or without a washer,
when arranged and combined for action and for fastening the cloth or
other material between their two ends, substantially as specified.
Fourth. A button formed of a single piece of metal with the edge
turned over and with one central hole, substantially as specified.
3

page_text: Fifth. The combination of a button with an eyelet or rivet, the base
head or cap of which is covered with linen or other textile fabric,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy..
wiitness,
w. J. LowE.
GEORGE HASEUTTINE. (L.S.)