CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF BUTTONS, AND IN THE TOOLS USED TO MANUFACTURE THE SAME
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WELLS INGRAM, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Horn Button
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of May, in the seventh year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Wells Ingram, His especial license, that I, the said Thomas Wells Ingram,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Wells
Ingram, my exors, adññors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF
BUTTONS, AND IN THE TOOLS USED TO MANUFACTURE THE SAME;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Thomas
Wells Ingram, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six months next
and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Wells Ingram, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described and
ascertained as follows, that is to say:-
First, my improvement in the manufacture of buttons is applicable to those
made of the horn or hoof of animals, and which are generally denominated
horn buttons, and consists in the application to such buttons of flexible shanks,
in lieu of the inflexible metallic shanks which have heretofore been applied to
such buttons. The flexible shanks which I so apply are similar to those
applied to what are called and known as Florentine buttons. The kind I
generally use are formed or consist of a small metal cup with a hole through
the centre thereof; within the cup is placed a piece of strong linen or other
cloth of suitable shape, which is made to protrude in part through the hole in
the centre of the cup, the protuberance of cloth forming the flexible part of
the shank, by means of which the buttons may be attached to a garment or
other article; over the piece of cloth and within the small cup is placed
a piece of pasteboard or other protecting substance, and then a piece of metal
to resist the pressure necessarily used in fixing in the shauks and forming and
ornamenting the buttons. I make, by turning or otherwise, a channel in tlie
back of each button blank for the reception of the parts composing a flexible
shank, preparatory to its being fixed thereto, by pressure in the usual manner
of fixing inflexible shanks to such horn buttons. I distinctly state that I do
not hereby lay claim to the Invention of flexible shanks, but to the application
of flexible shauks to buttons of the kind I have mentioned, and which are
known by the general denomination of horn buttons.
Secondly, my improvements in the tools used in the manufacture of horn
buttons consist in the method of making and constructing the, dies or moulds
wherein the formation of the button is completed, and the surface thereof,
ornamented according to the design of the artist or manufacturer. For the
better explanation I state that dies or moulds for the purpose have heretofore
been made by engraving upon plates of steel designs similar to those with
which the surfaces of the buttons have been intended to be impressed, several
dies or engravings being cut on one plate of steel, whereas my improvement
consists in engraving or otherwise ornamenting distinct pieces of metal, (and
I generally use brass, but do not confine myself thereto,) which pieces corre-
spond in size with the intended buttons, and are accurately fitted into cavities
cut into steel or other plates, each plate containing either a convenient number
or only one such piece of metal or distinct and moveable die. In the manu
facture of such buttons with my improvement of. flexible shanks, I prefer the
use of single dies and beds, each having its top or shank die, to beds containing
several cavities and dies, which may advantageously be used in manufacturing

page_text: such buttons with the ordinary inflexible shanks. For facilitating the removal
of such distinct dies from the cavities in the plates, I make a small hole
through the plate in each cavity, and occasionally I place a piece of metal in
the cavity underneath the moveable die, to prevent injury in removing it
therefrom or otherwise. Now, by means of such moveable dies of brass
or other suitable metal, I am enabled to produce patterns or designs upon
buttons which cannot be produced, or, at least, without much cost and diffi-
culty, if at all, by the means heretofore used. I effect this improvement by
engraving, by machine or otherwise, upon the flat distinct dies of metal which
I have described, designs which can readily be executed upon a plane flat-
surface, but which it would be difficult or impossible to execute upon a curved
surface; and the thickness of my dies not being so great as to prevent it,
I afterwards give the required degree of concavity or other desired shape
to my distinct or moveable dies by stamping or pressing them into moulds
of the necessary form. Such dies being placed in their proper cavities in the
steel plates or beds, are ready for giving the desired form and ornament to the
buttons, whether with the ordinary metal shanks or with flexible shanks,
as herein-before described. The completion of the button is effected by the
usual modes adopted in the manufacturing of horn buttons, which it therefore
is not requisite for me here to describe.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas. Wells Ingram, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.