A SHOE BUTTON AND ITS MANNER OF FASTENING WITH A PLATE APPLICABLE ALSO FOR FASTENING OTHER BUTTONS
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1886.
Complete Left, 18th Oct., 1886
Complete Accepted, 7th Jan., 1887
also for Fastening other Buttons.
I, AUGUST EDUARD MÜLLER of Elberfeld Rhenish Prussia, German Empiro,
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for A SHOE BUTTON AND
ITS MANNER OF FASTENING WITH A PLATE APPLICABLE ALSO FOR FASTENING OTHER
BUTTONS to be as follows:-
In order to give the eye of the button a safe hold in the head or plate of the same
and to prevent that the pulling action to which the button or its eye is exposed, be
transmitted to the head of the button direct and so tends to tear the button head off
from the eye, I make the eye, as shown in the figures 1, 2 & 3 of the annexed drawing,
double with a long oval shaped hole or eye at the lower end, that is the end furthest
from the button head. I twist the wire of which the eye is made once or more round
and form an other open-half round-eye beyond the twisted part which stands at right
angle with the oval eye and this half round eye I fasten in the button head.
In order then to be able to fasten the so constructed button easily and without any
other means but the fingers of the hand to the shoe, I use a specially constructed
fastening plate.
In the annexed drawing
Figs. 1, 2 & 3 show the button with the double eye A.
Figs. 4, 5 & 6 show the fastening plate.
"
7, 8, 9 & 10 show how the button is fastened to the shoe, giving the positions
and operations as they follow each other.
The button consists of the head which usually is of ball shape but which may have
any suitable form; to it is attached a double eye made of twisted wire & the lower
opening of which is oval for the purpose stated below.
This button is fastened to the shoe by means of the metal plate shown in fig. 4, 5 & 6.
The plate is of oval shape; about half of its edge-the part III BIV. fig. 4-is
flanged or pressed down in order to stiffen the plate.
Somewhat out of the main diametrical line of the oval, towards the flanged edge
are punched in the plate the oval holes or eyes CC¹ standing in an inclined position to
each other.

page_text: Starting from the points a & of these eyes & running towards the edge at D of
the plate, the wedge shaped tongue E is cut in the plate and the narrowest part of
the tongue, F, between the two eyes CC is depressed as shown by the sectional fig. 5.
Now the form of the tongue FE D x y must answer the following conditions:
Its broadest line x y must be a little shorter than the long opening of the oval eye A
of the button so that the latter can be stripped on the plate when held in the position
shown by fig. 7; but the broadest line y of the tongue must be longer than the short
opening of the oval eye A of the button, and the shortest width of the plate between
the two eyes CC must be just a little narrower than that short opening of the eye A
of the button so that the button after it has been stripped on the finger, then strip it
on the eye up to the depression F and now turn it round by 90° when it will be in the
position shown by fig. 9 & 10 fast on the shoc.
In order to replace a button or in order to take one off from a shoe all what is to be
done, is to bring it back in a slanting position so that the long opening of its eye shall
be in line with the line ay of the tongue F E D when the plate can be taken off &
the button withdrawn.
It will also be observed that by the use of my fastening plates there is no part
projecting beyond the surface of the plate which might injure the foot and also that no
instrument is required to fasten or to replace a button & that all the operations can be
performed by using the hand only.
An ordinary button with an elongated eye the opening of which is long enough to
pass over the tongue at y at its largest place, might be used.
I claim as my invention:
The manner of fastening buttons to the shoes by using a button fig. 1, 2 & 3 with a
specially constructed double eye, the lower opening-that is the one furthest from the
button head of which is oval, or instead of such button an ordinary button with an
elongated eye and by connecting the same to a specially constructed fastening plate
(fig. 4, 5 & 6) having two eyes or holes C C standing at an angle to each other and
a tongue FE of wedge shape with a depression at F as shown in fig. 5, essentially as
shown and described & for the purpose set forth.

page_text: also for Fastening other Buttons.
I, AUGUST EDUARD MÜLLER of Elberfeld, Rhenish Prussia, German Empire,
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for A SHOE BUTTON AND ITS
MANNER OF FASTENING WITH A PLATE APPLICABLE ALSO FOR FASTENING OTHER BUTTONS,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
In order to give the eye of the button a safe hold in the head or plate of the same
& to prevent that the pulling action to which the button or its eye is exposed be trans-
mitted to the head of the button direct and so tends to tear the button head off from
the eye, I make the eye as shown in the figures 1, 2 & 3 of the drawing, that is to say
I provide the button with a double eye made of twisted wire. The lower eye, the one
furthest from the head, is of oval shape; the other one stands at right angle to this
and is fastened into the material of the button head. In order to be able to fasten the
button easily to the shoe, without any other means but the fingers I use fastening
plates of special construction.
The figures 1, 2 & 3 show the button with the double eye A.
"
"
4, 5 & 6; 7, 8 & 9; 10, 11; 12, 13; 14, 15, 16 & 17 show various
forms of the fastening plate.
The figures 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 show how the button is fastened to the plate and the
shoe, giving the positions and operations as they follow each other.
The button consists of the head which usually is of ball shape but which may have
any suitable form. To it is fastened a double eye A made of twisted wire; the lower
opening of the eye is oval for the purpose described below.
This button is fastened to a shoe by means of a metal plate with a specially
constructed hook, whereas the shape of the plate may be of any convenient form, oval,
round or polygonal.
Figures 4, 5 & 6 show an oval plate with an open hook. The edge "abc" of
the plate is flanged or pressed down in order to be more rigid. Somewhat out of the
middle line of the plate, towards the flanged side are punched the oval holes CC
which stand in an inclined position to each other. From two points x y of the
circumference of the holes CC, situated at such a distance from each other that
the line y is shorter than the long side of the oval eye of the button, but longer than
the short opening of the same, the plate is cut through in the lines x D & y D¹ running
to the unflanged edge of the same so that the harpoon shaped tongue or hook E is
formed.
It is still to be observed that the narrowest place F of the tongue between the two
holes C & C must be narrower than the short opening of the eye A of the button..
This part F is also depressed a little as shown by fig. 5.
It will thus be seen that a button can be slipped on the hook or tongue of the plate,
if it is held in the position shown by fig. 18 and that after it has been slipped in that

page_text: position beyond the line x y it may be turned so as to take the position shown by
figs. 19-22. The position shown by fig. 19 however also demonstrates that it is
impossible now to strip off the button from the plate and a secure hold for both is
thus gained.
In order to fix the button to a shoe by means of the fastening plate described, it is
only necessary to make a small hole in the leather, to push the eye of the button
through this hole, bring the button with respect to the plate in a slanting position,
depress the tongue of the plate a little with the finger and then strip the plate on the
eye as deep as the holes C, turn the button round that it takes the position shown by
fig. 22 and it will be fixed absolutely safe to the shoe. The fastening plate shown by
the figures 7, 8 & 9 differs from the one described only so far that here the tongue is
not cut through to the edge of the plate, but that its point D is kept within the
circumference of the plate.
This has the advantage that the plate is stronger and not so easily deformed as an
open plate without requiring the flanging of the edge.
In other respects the tongue is proportioned exactly as the one described above.
The distance x y is larger than the short opening of the eye of the button, but shorter
than the long opening and at F the tongue is narrower than the short opening of
the eye.
The 4 plates shown by the figures 10-17, have a harpoon shaped tongue on the same
principle & of similar proportions. Instead of the inclined oval holes C these holes
are placed parallel to each other & partly cut out in straight lines as shown.
The main form of the plates 10, 12 & 16 is polygonal and the sharp corners H are
bent over, the plates therefore will take a grip on the stuff to which they are fastened,
which in many cases is desirable.
It will be seen that by the use of my fastening plates there is no part which might
injure the foot & that no instrument is required to fix the plate with the button to a
shoe; but that all the operations can be done by hand except the piercing a hole
through the leather.
I do not limit myself to the use of the fastening plates for fixing shoe buttons only;
the same may be employed for fastening other buttons.
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 :
1.) A shoe button (fig. 1, 2 & 3) having a double eye made of twisted wire and of
peculiar form, the lower opening of the eye being oval, the upper one standing at right
angles to the other and being partly fast in the material of the ball or plate of the
button.
2.) The combination of such a button or an other button with a fastening plate
(figs 4-17)-(or the use of the latter alone) of any convenient main form with a
harpoon shaped hook or tongue of such proportions that the eye of the button can be
slipped over its widest party with the long opening parallel to y, but preventing
the taring off the button from the hook when the narrow opening of the eye is parallel
to the line y.
KARL T. MAYER,
Agent for Mr. A. E. Müller.