Improvements in Tools for Making Cloth Covered Buttons.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1886.
Specification Accepted, 28th Jan., 1887.
of New Jersey, United States of America, Merchant.]
Improvements in Tools for Making Cloth Covered Buttons.
I PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of the Office for Patents 6 Breams Buildings Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a tool or implement for the manufacture of what are known
as covered buttons. These buttons as is well known, are composed of an interior
mould or body formed of some rigid.material which is covered with any suitable fabric
to form the outside of the button the fabric being retained on the mould either by
having its edges brought together at the back and fastened by sewing as in the
cheaper class of buttons or by a metal retaining ring which after the edges of the
fabric are brought together at the back of the mould is pressed onto the edges so as
to hold them and is secured in that position by some suitable means usually by turning
outward the edges of an eyelet extending from the back of the mould. Where these
covered buttons are to be produced in large quantities the operation is not particularly
difficult or expensive but it frequently happens that a person ordering a suit of
clothes or a dress desires to have the buttons therefor covered with the same
material of which the garment is made. When such orders are given it has here-
tofore been necessary for the tailor or dressmaker to send pieces of the goods with
which the buttons were to be covered to a button manufacturer and have a sufficient
number of buttons covered with that material to fill the special order. This of
course occasioned considerable trouble and delay and apart from that made the
buttons comparatively expensive. It is highly desirable therefore to provide a means
by which any tailor or dressmaker can readily produce covered buttons in small
quantities to fill any special orders that may be received without the necessity of
sending to a manufacturer of buttons for that purpose.
The present invention relates to a tool or implement which is especially adapted
for this purpose.
As an understanding of the invention can be best given by an illustration and
description of the construction and operation of the tool or implement in which it is

page_text: embodied such description will now be given reference being had to the accompanying
drawing, in which:
Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive are views showing the several parts of the implement detached
from each other.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view partly in section illustrating the first step in the operation
of producing a covered button by the use of this implement.
Fig. 7 is a similar view illustrating the next step in the operation of producing the
button.
Fig. 8 is a similar view illustrating the third or final step in the operation; and
Fig. 9 is a still more enlarged view of a part of Fig. 8 the button cover and the
retaining ring being shown in section in this view.
Referring to said Figures it will be seen that the tool or implement consists
essentially of five parts namely: an anvil a upon which the button rests during the
covering operation: a tubular guide which folds and holds the covering material
around the edge of the mould; an annular crimper or gatherer c which crimps or
gathers the material inward at the back of the mould; an eyeleting head or punch d
which opens the eyelet so as to hold the retaining ring in position on the back of the
mould and a tubular cap or guide e in which the eyeletting punch works. The
anvil a which is slightly concave at its top so as to conform to the slightly convex
back of the mould is secured to a base 10 of suitable size and shape to be conveniently
grasped by the hand and to support the implement in an upright position when it rests
upon a table or other support. The tubular guide b is of such size as to just slide
freely over the anvil a and is provided near its lower end with interior screw threads
which engage with corresponding threads 2 formed on the outside of the anvil near
its bottom by which means the guide b can be adjusted to different positions so as to
project a greater or less distance above the end of the anvil. The upper end of the
tubular guide is recessed upon the inside so as to provide an annular shoulder 13 the
purpose of which will appear when the manner of using the implement is explained.
The crimper c is of annular form and is provided with a downwardly extending flange 3
which is adapted to just fit over the outside of the top of the guide b. The crimper c
is provided upon its lower edge with an annular groove 14 which when the parts are
assembled receives the upper end of the guide b. The opening through the crimper
is contracted above the flange 3 so as to form an inclined shoulder 4 as clearly shown
the purpose of which will appear when the operation of the implement is described.
The cape is made of sufficient size to fit over the crimper c and extend downwardly
around the upper end of the guide band is provided at its lower edge and upon
opposite sides with bayonet joints 5 which engage with studs 6 projecting from the
upper end of the guide bin such a manner as to lock the cap to the guide. The top
of the cape is tapped to receive the screw threaded shank of the eyeletting punch d.
The lower end of the punch d is countersunk and it is tapered at its point as shown
at 7 so as to spread the end of the eyelet in the usual manner when it is forced into
the same.
The operation of the implement thus constructed is as follows:-The guide 6 having
been placed over the anvil a and screwed onto the threads 2 until its upper end is
adjusted to the proper height above the end of the anvil as indicated in Fig. 6, a piece
of fabric 8 of suitable size to cover the button will be placed above the upper end of
the anvil so that its edges will rest upon the shoulder 13. The upper end of the
tubular guide thus serves to centre and hold the fabric 8 in exactly the proper
position above the anvil. The button mould 11 of the ordinary form which can be
found in the market and which is provided at its back with a tubular eyelet 9 through
which projects the flexible tuft 1 is then placed on the fabric 8 and forced downward
into the end of the guide band onto the top of the anvil as shown in Fig. 6. During
this operation the edges of the fabric 8 will be turned upward around the edges of the
mould and be brought into position to be gathered or crimped inward onto the back
of the mould preparatory to being secured in position by the metal retaining ring.
The crimper c will then be placed over the end of the guide b as shown in Fig. 7 the
upper end of the guide entering the groove 14 and the guide 6 will be run downward
C

page_text: on the threads 2. During this operation the crimper c will be carried downward past
the upwardly projecting edges of the fabric 8 and the edges of the fabric coming into
contact with the inclined shoulder 4 of the crimper will be turned inward as shown.
The metal retaining ring 12 of the ordinary form will then be inserted into the
opening in the crimper c so as to overlie the edges of the fabric 8. The cape will
then be placed over the crimper and secured to the upper end of the guide 6 by means
of the bayonet joints 5 and lugs 6 and the eyletting punch d will be screwed down-
ward until its tapered end 7 enters the end of the eyelet 9, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9,
and this movement of the punch being continued the eyelet will be spread so as to
fasten the retaining ring in position and secure the fabric around the mould as shown
in Fig. 9 thus completing the covered button. The eyeletting punch will then be
turned in the reverse direction so as to back it away from the button and the cap e
and the crimper c will be removed, thereby permitting the removal of the completed
button from the implement.
It will be seen that by this means a simple and inexpensive implement is provided
by which tailors and others can readily manufacture such small quantities of covered
buttons as may be required to fill special orders without the necessity of sending such
orders to regular button manufacturers to be executed.
It will of course be seen that the implements may be manufactured in different
sizes so that each shop can be provided with two or three of the implements; one for
example of suitable size for covering vest buttons another of suitable size for covering
coat buttons and another of larger size for covering overcoat buttons and other large
buttons.
Although as shown in the present case the crimper c is arranged to fit loosely on
the upper end of the guide 6 the flange 3 of the crimper can, if desired, be screw
threaded upon its interior and arranged to engage with corresponding threads formed
on the upper end of the guide 6 so that the crimper can be screwed onto the upper
end of the guide instead of fitting loosely thereon and this in some cases may be found
preferable.
b
It is also to be remarked that the eyeletting punch d instead of being screw threaded
and arranged to screw down onto the eyelet, may be arranged to be forced down onto
the eyelet by other means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent I declare that what I claim is :
1. The combination with the anvil a and tubular guide 6 of the crimper c cap e and
eyeletting punch d substantially as described.
2. In an implement for covering button moulds the combination with the anvil a
and tubular guide b movable upon the anvil, of the crimper having the inclined
shoulder 4 substantially as described.
3. In an implement for covering button moulds the combination with devices for
holding the mould and the fabric of the crimper c provided with the inclined
shoulder arranged to crimp or turn the edges of the fabric inward over the back
of the mould into position to be caught by the retaining ring substantially as
described.
4. The combination with the anvil a, of the tubular guide adjustable thereon the
crimper c having the opening for the passage of the retaining ring 12 the cap e
arranged to fit over and be secured to the guide b and the eyeletting punch & passing
through an opening in the top of the cap substantially as described.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.