AN IMPROVED BUTTON FASTENER
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS WILLIAM Taylor of Nº 240 Great King Street, Hockley, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick, Patentec, Designer Die-sinker etc do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED BUTTON FASTENER to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to and consists of Improvements in Button Fasteners, and
has special reference to Buttons that require a strong and secure fastening, and to
Buttons that may require moving (such as Boot Buttons) after a little wear on
account of the stretching of the leather or other material.
My Improvement consists in a Button and fastener that is quickly attached, and
detached, without the aid of pliers or any other tools, and when moved leaves only
a small hole in the material. This Fastener is designed to use with the ordinary
loop shank Button. A piece of wire either brass, iron, or any other suitable
material is stamped in a half round strip, having a small ball on each end, one
of these balls passed through the loop of the Button till the loop reaches the
centre, when the shank is bent, the two balls coming together form a half ball.
This half ball revolves in a round plate or washer on the back of the Boot or other
garment to which it is applied.
This plate or washer is cut out round in iron or other metal, the centre being
sunk, and pierced with a slot running to its outer edge, and wide enough for the
bent wire shank to travel along. This plate or washer is covered with a brass
covering, having its centre sunk also to fit into the under plate or washer, and is
pierced in such a manner that a piece of the metal is raised from between the
centre and the outer edge, at a right angle, thus exposing the slot in the plate
underneath, this is a great advantage, the slot being shown on the top, or outer
side, as it shows distinctly where to guide the half ball of shank when attaching to
the Button.
To attach this Button, the shank is passed through the material, the ball on
the shank is passed along the slot in the plate, the raised piece of brass is pushed
down with the finger nail (thus dispensing with pliers) this raised piece working
like a hinge. When closed down, the half ball on shank falls into the sunk hole in
the centre leaving the top almost flat, and the half ball pressing on the closed piece,
prevents the shank being drawn along the slot, and is perfectly secure.
To take it off the small hinged or raised piece is lifted with the point of a pen-
knife, when the shank can be withdrawn. By this method the fastener can be
used several times, and is almost instantaneously attached, or detached, as desired.
Dated this 11th day of May 1885.

page_text: I THOMAS WILLIAM TAYLOR of Nº 240 Great King St. Hockley, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Patentee Designer, Die-sinker etc. do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON FASTENERS 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 and consists of Improvements in Button Fasteners, and
has special reference to Buttons that require a strong and secure fastening, and to
Buttons that require moveing on account of the stretching of the material after a
little wear (such as Boot Buttons) My improvement consists of a Button and
Fastener that is quickly attached and detached, without the aid of pliers, or other
tools and makes only a small hole in the material. This Fastener is designed to be
used with the ordinary loop shank Button. And to better illustrate the nature
of my said Invention, I herewith append a sheet of explanatory Drawings, which
I will now proceed to describe. Figure 1 "A" is a piece of wire, either brass, or
any other suitable material, stamped between two dies to form a quarter ball on
each end "A" "A" B is the wire bent ready to thread the shank of Button on.
Figure 2. shows the wire threaded on Button shank, & its ends closed together,
the two balls forming a ball "C."
Figure 3. is an iron or brass washer pierced from its outer edge "D" into the
centre, and having the centre sunk, the depth and section of the ball "C"
Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a brass cap, or covering for the iron or brass washer Fig. 3, and has
its centre sunk also, and is pierced in such a manner that a portion of it can be
raised, from its centre, or closed; acting as a hinge, and working from "E." This
brass cap or covering has a shallow edge raised round it, large enough for the
washer Figure 3 to drop within, and deep enough to allow of a little being turned
or closed over, thus binding the two together. The centre pierced piece is then
raised at a right angle, exposing the slot in the washer underneath.
Figure 5, shows the finished washer, with the piece raised, at a right angle, the
shaded portion "F" being part of the under washer, which shows through the
pierced part when raised. "G." "G" is the pierced slot, the half ball shank
travells along, and "H" is the raised piece which is pushed down under the half
ball on shank when it has reached the centre.
To attach the Button pass the shank through the material to which it is to be
attached, the piercing "G" Fig. 5 is then passed over the half ball on the end of
shank, and the shank travelled to its centre "G" when the raised piece H is
pushed down under the half ball, when it falls into the sunk hole in the centre,
thus preventing the shank being withdrawn, the shank revolves in this centre hole,
making it impossible to twist the Button off, being ball action. To detach it, a
stiletto or pen-knife is put under the washer, through the piercing "G" and the
closed piece "H" pushed upwards, when the shank can be withdrawn. It can
be attached and detached almost instantly, and can be used a many times, or
until such time as the hinged piece "H" breaks off, by constantly opening and
closing it.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The use and manufacture of Button shanks, having a half ball on its
extremity which is formed by stamping and bending a wire, as hereinbefore
described, Figures 1 and 2.
Second. The manufacture of washers having a raised or hinged piece, to be
applied as a Button Fastener, as described in Figures 3. 4. 5, or any modification
thereof.