IMPROVEMENTS IN GLOVE FASTENERS
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 29th Apr., 1887.
I, STEPHEN PORTER, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, State of Mass., United
States of America, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN GLOVE FASTENERS and in what manner the same to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to "Metallic Glove Fasteners," so called, particularly that
class composed of a ball and socket member.
In the present instance my improvements pertain to the socket member of the
fastener and consist in the peculiar shape and construction of said socket.
This part of the fastener in lieu of being a spherical cup or of globular shape, as
heretofore constructed and further provided with yielding sides, is in my invention
composed of a tubular socket which is longitudinally corrugated. By means of such
corrugations, slight elasticity is imparted to the metal composing this socket member,
so that the latter will permit of the stud or ball portion of the fastener being thrust
within it.
Furthermore as these corrugations extend but a short distance from the orifice or
mouth of the socket, the bore of the latter is contracted by the interiorly disposed.
corrugations, and is of less diameter than the upper and non-corrugated portion of
the tubular socket. By this means the neck of the stud or ball portion of the fastener,
when inserted is firmly grasped and retained.
The drawings represent in Fig. 1 a central vertical section of the socket member
embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the device secured to a fabric.
Fig. 3 is a transverse action on line in Fig. 1, while Fig. 4, is a sectional
elevation of a modified forin of the same, and Fig. 5 represents said modification secured
to a piece of material. In Fig. 6 the socket member is engaged with the stud or ball
portion of the fastening, in Fig. 7 the button-cap is provided with a central shank by
which the socket member is secured to it.
Hitherto in glove fasteners, of the class above premised, it has generally been the
practice to form a spherical cup, as the socket meniber, and various expedients have

page_text: been adopted to enable said socket to yield in the act of engaging the stud or ball,
which forms the other portion of the fastener, and then to close upon and hold it.
In the present instance I have endeavored to render the socket member of the
fastener, not only yielding, but for economy in manufacture to reduce the component
parts thereof to the fewest number possible.
To accomplish this I strike up from sheet metal an eyelet, represented at "A";
this article does not differ essentially from an ordinary eyelet, that it is provided with
an imperforate tubular shank "6" and an overturned lip "a," the latter somewhat
broader than usual.
To render the tubular shank or socket slightly flexible, sufficient to yick, when the
stud or ball member is inserted in it, and also to enable it to grasp and retain the
stud. I have formed in said shank a series of corrugations cc," which are
longitudinally disposed. It is obvious that the number, as well as the depths of said
corrugations may be varied and thus provide any suitable degree of flexibility to
this socket member.
Furthermore it will be perceived that these corrugations extend only a short
distance from the mouth of the socket-member, by this construction the corrugated
portion of the shank-bore is contracted by the inwardly disposed corrugations and is
of less diameter than the upper smooth and non-corrugated part. Hence corrugating
the shank "" serves two purposes, it renders the mouth slightly yielding or flexible
to admit the stud member, while it contracts the bore of the shank by the inwardly
projecting corrugations and enables the latter to grasp the stud when inserted in the
socket member.
"
To attach the latter "A to the flap of a glove or other article adapted to receive
it, a common fastening eyelet "d" is employed, of a diameter large enough to receive
and enclose the tubular corrugated shank "6.". The socket-member A is now
placed upon the upper surface of a piece of material "C," previously provided with
a circular hole, and the socket passed through it and inserted in the fastening
eyelet "d" oppositely disposed upon the under side of said flap. The two parts are
now subjected to proper pressure, when the shank of the eyelet "d" is forced up
over the tubular corrugated shank "b" and is interlocked with the extreme outer
edge of the lip "a" of the socket-member "A" which is turned down, thus securely
attaching the latter to the glove or other article of wear.
«
The lip or flange ' "of the eyelet"A" is slightly crowned or convex, in order to
present the appearance of a button, and it may be exteriorly ornamented, as taste may
dictate.
There are several obvious modifications of this corrugated tubular eyelet or socket-
member of a glove fastener, one of which is shown in Fig. 4, as composed of a
section of a cylinder "D," corrugated, at "cc" with its upper end closed in upon
itself to form a central orifice or bore "e" by which it is secured to the fabric "C"
A button-head or cap "E," also centrally perforated is employed in conjunction.
with this tubular socket-member "D," the latter being disposed beneath the
fabric "C, while the button or cap is placed above it. The two are now united by
an eyelet "" or by a rivet of some malleable metal, as shown in Fig. 5 of the
drawings. In lieu of employing a separate fastening eyelet "the button-head "E"
may be provided with a tubular inwardly projecting shank f, struck integrally
therefrom, as shown in Fig. 7 and by this means only the button-head is required
to secure the socket-member to the article of wear.
In Fig. 4 the socket-member embodying my invention is shown in engagement.
with the ball or stud member "F" of a glove fastener: the said ball here projects
slightly above the upper surface of the socket-member, and thus more completely fills
the bore of the latter, and gives the fastening a neat and, button-like shape. One
prominent feature in this socket-member is its simplicity of form, while but one other
piece the fastening eyelet, or button-head is required to secure it to the material;
thus only two pieces are ordinarily employed and the expense of manufacture is but
a trifle compared with socket-members of similar fasteners, which are composed of
several parts.

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
1st. A member of a fastening device for gloves or other articles, consisting of an
eyelet, the shank of which is imperforate and without division or seam being
longitudinally corrugated or fluted in part, to contract its mouth and render it
yielding, substantially and for purposes herein specified.
2nd. The socket-member "A" provided with the flange "a" and shank "" with
its corrugations "ec," in combination with the eyelet "," whereby it is secured to
an article of wear, substantially as stated.
?
3rd. In a fastening device, the socket-member having the tubular shank ","
corrugated in its lower portion and lip "a "united with the fastening eyelet “d,” in
combination with the ball-member F" adapted to engage within the yielding
socket-member by which it is grasped, substantially as herein described.
4th. A socket-member of a fastening device composed of a hollow cup, the closed
end of which is pierced; while its open or mouth end is corrugated longitudinally and
thus rendered yielding substantially as set forth..
5th. A socket-member of a fastening device as described, composed of socket or
cup "A," with its longitudinal corrugations "cc," and the button cap "E," provided
with a boss" struck therefrom and by means of which the socket and button
cap are united together and secured to the fabric, as an entirety, substantially as
described.
Dated Boston Macs TIS A Marah 7th 1987