Improvements in Button Fasteners for Boots and Shoes, Gloves, and other Articles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Button Fasteners for Boots and Shoes, Gloves,
and other Articles.
I, IRA JAMES SAUNDERS of Union City, County of Michigan, United States of
America 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 has for its object the production of a simple and efficient button
fastener by which to hold in place upon boots and shoes, that class of buttons
having shank eyes projecting from their lower sides.
The invention consists of a metallic staple-like fastener bent to form two prongs
and having a cross-bar or crown curved upwardly from a shoulder or shoulders
adapted to rest upon the surface of the material to which the button is to be
attached, the upwardly curved portion referred to being concave at its upper side
or top and convex at its under side, the said convex portion forming a rest for
contact, against it, of the eye of the shank of the button.
In the manufacture of this improved button fastener, it is preferred to take a
thin flat strip of sheet metal and bend the same into the form described, the prongs
driven through the material being clinched at the underside thereof.
Fig. 1, in side elevation, represents a button fastener embodying this invention.
Fig. 2 a top view thereof.
Fig. 3 a section of Fig. 1 in the dotted line xx.
Fig. 4 represents a button held upon a piece of leather or other material by one
of my improved fasteners, and
Fig. 5 represents a thin flat metal blank from which my fastener is made.
Referring to the drawing, a Fig. 5, represents the blank for the fastener, the
ends of the blank being bevelled as shown to enable the same to more readily enter
the material.
This blank is bent centrally and then at a little distance from its center to leave
the upwardly curved portion c two flat portions d and two prongs e, as represented
in Fig. 1, and during its formation the said fastener bas the top of the upwardly
curved portion bent into the form represented in Figs. 2 and 3, leaving a concave
op part and a convex lower part

page_text: The convexity of the upwardly curved portion is preferably substantially the
same in curvature as the interior of the eye in the shank f, of the button g, the said
upwardly curved portion guiding the button shank and keeping it in place.
The portions which rest upon the surface of the material determine the
distance that the prongs e of the fastener may enter the material.
The button will be applied to the fastener before the prongs e are forced into the
material and thereafter the ends of the prongs will be bent each to clinch into
the material as shown in Fig. 4, said prongs e preferably being of sufficient length
to clamp the entire stock which is between the prongs.
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 The herein described metallic staple-like fastener, bent to form two prongs
and having a cross-bar or crown curved upwardly from a shoulder or shoulders d
adapted to rest upon the material to which the button is to be attached the
upwardly curved portion being concave at its upper side or top, and convex at its
under side, the convex portion forming a rest for contact against it of the eye of.
the shank of the button, substantially as described.
2d The herein described metallic staple-like fastener bent to form two prongs,
and having a cross-bar or crown curved upwardly from a shoulder or shoulders d
adapted to rest upon the material to which the button is to be attached, the said
prongs being of sufficient length to clamp the material between them, as described.
Dated this 4th day of January 1886.