IMPROVE- MENTS IN STUDS AND BUTTONS
Year: 1848

page_text: HOBDELL'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I HENRY
BASHARD HOBDELL, of the City of Oxford, Goldsmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of March, in the
eleventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Bashard Hobdell, my exors, admors, and
assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Henry Bashard Hobdell, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry Bashard Hobdell, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STUDS AND BUTTONS" within that part of Her said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Colonies and
Plantations abroad; in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
requiring, that I, the said Henry Bashard Hobdell, shall particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, by an instrument in, writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next, and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Bashard Hobdell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
particularly described and ascertained in and by the present Specification or
Instrument in writing, reference being had to the several views or Figures
represented in the accompanying Drawings hereunto belonging, which are
marked with certain letters or characters for the purpose of such reference.
Firstly, with reference to studs, it is well known that, as commonly
manufactured for shirts and other similar articles of dress, they have
the front and back thereof connected by means of a fixed pin or peg,
which, for the sake of security, it is advisable should be as short as
is convenient, to afford sufficient facility for the studs being readily inserted
into the holes or openings in the shirt or other article in which they are used,
but that in order to this end the pin or peg is commonly made considerably
longer than the thickness of the material or folds of material to be included
between the front and back of the stud, and consequently, the stud not being
fixed to.or closely clipping the shirt or material very frequently falls out, and
is lost. Now my Invention has for its object (as far as relates to studs) the
lessening of these defects in studs as commonly manufactured, and consists in:
the application of springs to studs, so as that the distance between the front
and back portions thereof may be varied, in accordance with the object before
mentioned. And in order to explain this portion of my Invention as com-
pletely as possible, I will proceed to describe the mode or modes, according to
which I consider it may be best carried into practical effect, and for this
-purpose will now refer to the several views or figures of studs shewn in the
Drawing, such mode or modes aforesaid being as represented therein. The
views or figures marked from 1 to 18 are drawn to a scale of about three
times (linear dimensions) the ordinary size of such articles, and those
'numbered from 19 to 24 to a scale of about twice such ordinary size.
a is the front,
Figure 1 is a front view of a hollow metal stud constructed according to my
Invention, Figures 2 and 3 an edge view and section respectively when the
stud is in a contracted state, and Figures 4 and 5 similar views respectively
when the stud is in an expanded state; Figure 6 is a plan view, with the
exterior of the front and other parts represented as removed.
b the back, and c the pin or peg of the stud, the latter of which is represented
as fixed to the back b; d is a metal helical spring, the two ends of which
take their abutment, the one against the bottom plate of the front. of
.the stud, and the other against a plate attached to a rivet head formed
It is evident that the face or top plate of the
on the pin or peg c.

page_text: front of the stud which is fixed to the bottom plate of the front of the stud
must not be so attached until after that the arrangement of the spring is
completed. The effect of this spring is to hold the front and back as close
towards each other as the pin will allow them to come, and when the stud is
required to be inserted into the shirt or other article the spring yields, and
allows the stud to expand so that its front and back may be separated further
apart from each other, and it may readily be inserted as required, and when
again the stud is so inserted the spring causes the stud to contract, and adjust
itself to the thickness of the material between its front and back portions;
thus giving great security to the stud.against the chances of its falling out of
the shirt or other article, and being lost.
Figures 7 to 11 are views (corresponding respectively to the Figures 1 to 5)
of an improved stone stud with metal mountings, &c. Figure 12 is a plan
view, with certain parts removed. In addition to the parts described in the
former Figures (the corresponding parts in these Figures being marked with
similar letters of reference), this stud is furnished with a small cylinder e
within which and around the pin or peg c the spring d works, the said
cylinder being rivetted, as shewn, or otherwise connected to the stone front of
the stud.
Figures 13 to 17 are views (corresponding respectively to the Figures 7
to 11) of a stud similar to the one last described, except in these particulars,
viz, that the pin or peg is fixed to the front of the stud, and the spring d is
arranged in the back portion thereof, the several parts being modified to suit
this arrangement. f is a screw, which is screwed into the pin or. peg c, and
between the head of which and the upper plate of the back 6 the two ends
of the spring take their abutment. Figure 18 is a back plan view of
the stud.
Figures 19 to 23 are views (corresponding respectively to the Figures 1 to 5)
of a wristband stud, constructed according to my improvements. Figure 24
is a front plan view, with the face of the front a removed, in order to shew the
spring. The spring in this instance is of a different form from those before
described, being made out of flat strips of metal, such as watch or clock
springs. The top of the pin or peg c is, of course, rivetted to the spring
before the face of the part a of the stud is soldered or secured to the bottom
plate thereof.
In all the studs represented severally at the Figures 7 to 12, 13 to 18, and
.19 to 24, the action of the springs is similar to that already described with
reference to the stud represented at the Figures 1 to 6. I would here remark,
that springs composed of vulcanized india rubber, or other suitable elastic

page_text: material, may be substituted for the metal springs herein-before described, and
represented in the Drawing, in the manner herein-after described and
represented with respect to buttons.
Secondly, with reference to buttons (made with shanks), it is well known
that as ordinarily manufactured for dress or other purposes, such as bags,
reticules, &c., they frequently become either forced from their position on the
material to which they are attached, or such material becomes torn; these
effects resulting in a great measure from an inefficient provision for the thick-
ness of the cloth or other material through the orifice in which the button is
required to pass in the operation of fastening, or, as it is commonly termed,
"buttoning." Now my Invention has for its object (as far as relates to
buttons) the lessening of these defects, and consists in the application of springs
to buttons made with shanks, so as that the distance of the shank from the
body of the button may be varied, in accordance with the object before
mentioned. And, in order to explain this portion of my Invention as com-
pletely as possible, I will proceed to describe the mode or modes according to
which I consider it may be best carried into practical effect, and for this
purpose will now refer to the several views or figures of buttons shewn in the
Drawing, such mode or modes aforesaid being as represented therein. These
said several views or figures are drawn to a scale of about twice (linear
dimensions) the ordinary size of such articles.
Figure 25 is a back plan view of the shank side of a button constructed
according to my Invention; Figures 26 and 27 are an edge view and section
respectively when the button and shank are in a contracted state; Figures 28
and 29, similar views respectively when the button and shank are in an expanded
state; Figure 30, a front plan view, with the face of the button removed in
order to exhibit the spring; m is the face or front plate of the button, and n
the back thereof; o, the shank which passes through the orifice in the back
n, and is rivetted or attached to the metal spring p. Figures 31, 32, and 33
are views of different forms of springs, which may be used in place of the
spring represented at Figure 30. With springs of these forms I consider it
advisable that their ends should rest in channels or grooves formed in lumps
of solder dropped on the inner side of the back of the button, which will
prevent the springs from turning round, which possibly might tend to injure or
break them. The effect of the spring is to pull the shank and body of the
button towards each other, and when the button is attached to a garment or
other article, and is used in the operation of "buttoning," the spring yields,
and allows these parts (the shank and body) to become somewhat further
removed from each other, thus affording sufficient provision for the reception

page_text: of the thickness of material; and when, again, the garment or other article is
unbuttoned, the spring causes the body of the button to lay close up against
the part of the said garment or article to which it is attached by the
shank.
Figures 34 to 39 are views (corresponding respectively to the Figures 25
to 80) of an improved button constructed with a metal helical spring, in
manner similar to the stud represented at Figures 1 to 6.
Figures 40, 41, and 42 are views (corresponding respectively to the Figures
27, 29, and 30) of an improved button formed with a spring of vulcanized
india rubber or other suitable elastic material. The two ends of the wire
which forms the shank in this instance are bent round, so as to lay on the
upper surface of the indian-rubber spring, and form one of the abutments
against which such spring acts, care being taken that this abutment is of such
a size as not to be capable of being pulled through the opening in the back or
under side of the button.
Figure 43 is a view (corresponding to Figure 40) of a button similarly
constructed, except that the shank terminates (in the inside of the button) in a
flat plate, instead of the ends of the wire being bent over, as at Figure 40,
and a washer or ring of vulcanized india rubber is used instead of the roughly-
shaped piece represented at that Figure.
Figure 44 is a view (likewise corresponding to Figure 40) of a button with
vulcanized indian-rubber spring, having a shank formed of a piece of tape or
similar material, which is passed through the indian rubber, and over a piece
of wire, the ends of the said piece of tape being tied into a knot or bunch,
for the purpose of being readily fastened by sewing to the garment or other
article to which it is required to be attached. In all the buttons represented.
severally at the Figures 34 to 39, the Figures 40 to 42, the Figure 43, and
the Figure 44, the action of the springs is similar to that already described
with reference to the buttons represented at the Figures 25 to 30.
I would here remark, that in making the several buttons which I have
represented in the Drawing, the face m of each button is to be connected with
the back n after that the spring has been connected and arranged with respect
to the said back; and also that the spring may be connected with or made to
act upon the shank in any suitable and convenient manner.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details as I have represented them in the
Drawing, and have herein described them, so long as the peculiar character of
my Invention be retained; and I therefore claim,―

page_text: 'Firstly, the application of springs to studs for shirts or other similar articles
of dress, so as to effect the object herein-before firstly mentioned.
Secondly, the application of springs to buttons made with shanks, so as to
effect the object herein-before secondly mentioned.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bashard Hobdell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.