IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Sproston, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Surgeon, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Sproston at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd August 1880.
WILLIAM HENRY SPROSTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Surgeon. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING BUTTONS TO ARTICLES OF DRESS AND
OTHER ARTICLES."
My Invention consists of the improvements, herein after described, in attaching
buttons to articles of dress and other articles, by which improvements the attachment
of buttons is rapidly and securely effected.
In attaching buttons according to my Invention I take a narrow strip of sheet
metal and form at each end of the strip a nearly semi-circular flat hook, the open
side of the hook at one end of the strip being turned in a direction opposite to that
of the open side of the hook at the other end of the strip. The said strip of metal
is bent into a form somewhat resembling the letter T, the middle part of the strip
being folded so as to form the head of the said letter T, and the ends brought
parallel and close to one another to form the body of the said letter T.
The open sides of the hooks being turned in opposite directions the hooks, when
brought close together as described, form virtually a closed ring or loop, but when
separated by pressure a short distance from one another the looped shank of a
button can be introduced between them and engaged first in one hook and then in
the other. The two hooks, when the loop of the button has been thus engaged
with them and the pressure is removed by which they were separated, spring
together by the elasticity of the metal and again form a virtually closed ring with
which the shank of the button is linked. The removal of the button may be
effected by separating by pressure the two hooks and passing the looped shank first
from off one and then off the other of the hooks.
In using my Invention a hole is made in the article of dress or other article at
the place where a button is to be attached. The hooked ends of the fastener are

page_text: passed through the said hole from the back of the article and the looped shank of
the button engaged with the said hooked ends in the manner herein before
described.
Instead of making the fastener from sheet metal it may be made from metallic
wire.
My Invention is not only applicable to the attaching of buttons to articles of
dress, but is also applicablo to the attaching of buttons to other articles, such for
example as belts, bands, reticules, and satchels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Henry Sproston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th February 1881.
WILLIAM HENRY SPROSTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Surgeon. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING BUTTONS TO ARTICLES OF DRESS AND
OTHER ARTICLES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in attaching
buttons to articles of dress and other articles, by which improvements the
áttachment of buttons is rapidly and securely effected.
In attaching buttons according to my Invention I take a narrow strip of sheet
metal and form at each end of the strip a nearly semi-circular flat hook, the open
side of the hook at one end of the strip being turned in a direction opposite to that
of the open side of the hook at the other end of the strip. The said strip of metal
is bent into a form somewhat resembling the letter T, the middle part of the strip
being folded so as to form the head of the said letter T, and the ends brought
parallel and close to one another to form the body of the said letter T. The open
sides of the hooks being turned in opposite directions, the hooks, when brought
close together as described, form virtually a closed ring or loop, but when separated
by pressure a short distance from one another the looped shank of a button can be
introduced between them and engaged first in one hook and then in the other.
The two hooks, when the loop of the button has been thus engaged with them and
the pressure is removed by which they were separated, spring together by the
elasticity of the metal and again form a virtually closed ring with which the shank
of the button is linked. The removal of the button may be effected by separating
by pressure the two hooks and passing the looped shank first from off one and
then off the other of the hooks. In using my Invention a hole is made in the
article of dress or other article at the place where a button is to be attached. The
hooked ends of the fastener are passed through the said hole from the back of the
article and the looped shank of the button engaged with the said hooked ends in
the manner herein before described.
Instead of making the fastener from sheet metal it may be made from metallic
wire.

page_text: My Invention is not only applicable to the attaching of buttons to articles of
dress but is also applicable to the attaching of buttons to other articles, such for
example as belts, bands, reticules, and satchels.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent elevations taken at right angles to one another of a
shanked button attached to an article of dress or other article according to my
Invention; Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the button is connected with
or disconnected from the fastener; Figure 4 represents the blank or strip of sheet
metal from which the fastener is made; Figure 5 represents elevations and a plan
of the partly made fastener, and Figure 6 represents elevations of the finished
fastener.
The Figures of the Drawing are drawn to a scale about four times the full
size for the purpose of better exhibiting the construction and action of my
Invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
The blank or strip, Figure 4, from which the fastener is made, is cut from sheet
metal. The said blank or strip consists of two arms a, b, situated on opposite sides
of the middle disc like part c. At the outer ends of the arms a, b, nearly
semi-circular flat hooks d, e, are made, the open side of the hook & being turned in
a direction opposite to that of the open side of the hook e, as represented. By
means of dies and pressure the arms a, b, are folded or bent inwards at right angles
to the middle disc like part c and made partly to cross the said disc part, as
represented in Figure 5, the hooks d, e, of the said arms a, b, being brought parallel
to one another (see the plan of Figure 5). By a further operation the lower halves
of the arms a, b, are bent or closed upon the disc part c, and the upper halves of
the arms on which the hooks d, e, are made are brought close together, as illustrated
in Figure 6. The fastener is thereby completed and is ready for use. The
fastener thus made somewhat resembles the letter T inverted, the middle part c
forming the head of the letter T, and the closed arms a, b, having the hooks at
their ends, forming the body of the letter T.
As the open sides of the hooks d, e, are turned in opposite directions the said
hooks, when closed upon one another, as represented in Figure 6, form virtually a
closed ring or loop. The hooked ends d, e, of the said arms of the fastener are
capable of being opened or separated from one another, as represented in Figure 3,
for engaging the looped shank of the button with the fastener and afterwards closed
for securing the button.
In attaching a button to any required article by the use of the fastener
constituting my Invention a hole is made in the article of dress or other article
marked, Figures 1, 2, and 3, at the place where the button is to be attached. The
hooked ends of the fastener, Figure 6, being passed through the hole in the said
article from the back thereof, the hooked ends d, e, of the fastener are opened a short
distance from one another in the manner illustrated in Figure 3. The looped shank g
of the button h can now be introduced between the opened hooks and the looped
shank g, engaged first with the hook d, and afterwards with the other hook e. The
shank of the button having been thus engaged with the two hooks d, e, the said
hooks are closed upon one another or allowed to spring together by the elasticity
of the metal, and again form a virtually closed ring or loop with which the shank y
of the button h is linked, as represented in Figures 1 and 2.
The removal of the button is effected by separating the two hooks d, e, as
represented in Figure 3, and passing the looped shank g first from off one of the
hooks and then from off the other of the hooks.
4
The hooks d, e, of the fastener are preferably so passed through the hole in the
article to which the said fastener is to be attached that the flat faces or sides of the
hooks are situated parallel to the edges of the parts of the article to be fastened
together, that is, in the position represented in Figure 1. When the buttons are
'

page_text: engaged with the button holes the looped shanks cross the hooks d, e, at right
angles, and the liability of the said shanks by the pull or pressure upon the buttons
passing under the pointed end of one or other of the hooks and separating the
said hooks is obviated.
My improved fastener may be made from wire instead of from sheet metal.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention of "Improvements in Attaching Buttons to Articles of Dress and other
Articles,"-
Attaching buttons having looped shanks to articles of dress and other articles by
means of a fastener constructed as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, a fastener having the general figure of the
letter T, the ends of the body of the said T shaped fastener having hooks, the
open sides of which are turned in opposite directions, the said hooks when brought
together virtually constituting a closed ring or loop, the looped shank of the button
being engaged with and disengaged from the hooks of the fastener, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Sproston, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM HENRY SPROSTON. (L.S.)