IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE BUTTONS AND ATTACHMENTS FOR GARMENTS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Sperring Wathen, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE BUTTONS AND
ATTACHMENTS FOR GARMENTS."
Sealed the 25th October 1878, and dated the 24th May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Sperring Wathen
"IM-
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1878.
THOMAS SPERRING WATHEN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick.
PROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE BUTTONS AND ATTACHMENTS FOR GARMENTS.
My Invention relates to improvements in buttons and button fastenings, and it
consists, first, in uniting the disc or head of the button to the shank or stem or its
equivalent on the principle of the ball-and-socket joint, so that the disc or head
will be at liberty to swivel freely on the stein or shank, or its equivalent, in the act
of buttoning, whereby to facilitate said act, whereas buttons as usually fastened are
stiff or have but a limited motion.
According to this part of the Invention the button consists of a disc, cupped at
the centre with a cavity of semi-spherical form, and having a centre aperture for
the passage of the stem or shank or its equivalent.
The stem or shank when of metal is formed with or has fixed to it at its front
end, a ball or segment of a sphere corresponding to and fitting in the cup of the
disc, so that the latter can swivel freely on the former to a certain extent, so as to
avoid the unpleasant stiffness above referred to, the aperture through which the
stem or shank passes being of sufficient size to admit of this. This so-called ball or
segment of a sphere may be merely a cupped disc rivetted or soldered to the stem
or shank.
The opposite end of the stem or shank may have a smaller head and be fastened
to the garment by a disc of india-rubber (or other flexible material, such as leather
paper, parchment, or any firm textile material) with a small hole in it, which is
forced over the small head after it has been passed through the fabric of the gar-
Drine 31

page_text: ment. Or the ball or knob or its equivalent, may be received in a cupped disc like
the front disc of the button, the ball-and-socket principle being thus similarly
applied both to the back and front of the button. Or instead of a cupped disc the
ball or knob may snap into a spring catch disc, being a disc with a button-hole
shaped slot through which the knob passes, and in the narrow part of which it is
locked or retained by a spring catch or any modification of this fastening; or instead
of a knob at the back end of the stem it may be a disc or plate to be attached to a
garment like a stud, or any other form of fastening plate may be adopted, or the
shank may be an ordinary looped wire shank.
When a metal stem or shank is not employed and the button is to be attached
to the garment by sewing, holes are made for the passage of the thread in the ball
or segment of a sphore above-mentioned, as fitting in a hemispherical cavity in the
centre of the disc of the button. In this case the button merely consists of a disc
cupped at the centre and with a central aperture as above described, and a per-
forated ball or segment of a sphere fitting in the cavity of the disc and on which
the latter swivels as before.
The button head or disc may be made of metal, horn, bone, or vegetable material,
and may be covered with florentine fabrics and made of small or large size for
gloves and other articles of raiment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Sperring Wathen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd November 1878.
THOMAS SPERRING WATHEN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE BUTTONS AND ATTACHMENTS FOR GARMENTS."
My Invention relates chiefly to improvements in buttons and button fastenings
in which the disc or head of the bntton is united to the shank or stem, or its
equivalent, on the principle of the ball-and-socket joint, in order that the disc or
héad shall be at liberty to swivel freely and so facilitate the act of buttoning.
The button head consists of a disc having at the centre a cavity of semi-spherical
form, with a central aperture at the bottom of the cavity for the passage of the
shank or its equivalent. In this cavity is received a ball or seginent of a sphere of
corresponding size, which when a shank is used is formed or fixed on the front end
thereof, the shank passing through the central aperture which is of considerably
larger diameter than the shank, so that the disc or head can swivel freely on the
shank to a certain extent, and so avoid any unpleasant stiffness in buttoning. This
segment of a sphere may be merely a cupped disc rivetted or soldered to the shank.
The opposite end of the shank would generally have a smaller head and be
fastened to the garment by a disc of india-rubber with a small hole in it of the size
of the shank, which is forced over the small head after the latter has been passod
through the fabric of the garment.

page_text: When a stem or shank is not employed and the button is to be attached to the
garment by sewing, the button head or disc is made with a cavity and central
aperture as before, and holes are made for the passage of the thread in the ball or
segment of a sphere.
The button lead or disc and also the shank may be made of metal, horn, bone, or
vegetable material, and the disc may be covered with florentine fabrics and made of
small or large size for gloves and other articles of raiment.
In all the following Figures the same letters of reference indicate similar parts
wherever they occur, so that it will be unnecessary to repeat their description for
each Figure.
Figure 1 is a central section of a trouser button on the ball-and-socket principle,
and secured to the garment by a disc of india-rubber.
Figure 2 shows the india-rubber disc separately.
a is the button bead or disc stamped up in dies in the usual way, with a central
cavity or "socket" b of hemispherical form, and an apperture c at bottom thereof.
d is the shank passing through c, and e is the ball on the front end of d and re-
ceived in the "socket" b. The diameter of aperture c is rather less than that of the
ball e and about twice that of the shank d, so that the disc a is quite loose and free
to swivel in any direction. f is a small head on the other end of the shank which
is passed through c, and the latter then slightly "closed" around the shank to pre-
vent it being afterwards wholly detached from a. g is a disc of india-rubber; it
has a central hole h (smaller than fand of about the same diameter as d) which is
sprung over the head f after it has been passed through a hole made in the fabric
i of the garment.
In Figure 3 e is merely a cupped disc soldered to d in lieu of the ball, the other
parts being the same as before.
In Figure 4 the button head or disc a is of horn, bone, or other animal or vege-
table material usually employed for the purpose, and the shank d is screwed into it
in the usual way, the india-rubber disc being the same as before.
Figure 5 shows the ball-and-socket principle applied to a button secured to the
garment by sewing instead of a shank.
Figure 6 shows the cupped disc separately.
a is the cupped button head or disc with an aperture cas before; e is a small
cupped disc, rather larger than aperture c, and having holes in it for the passage of
the needle and thread.
The whole of the Figures are drawn on an enlarged scale.
I would observe that it has been before proposed to apply the ball-and-socket
principle to connect the backs and heads of collar studs, solitaires, sleeve links, and
other like dress fastenings to their shanks, but in that case the socket was made of
a separate cup-shaped piece of metal fixed to and projecting from the back of the
disc.
It has also been proposed to make the head or disc of a button with a hemi-
spherical cavity and aperture at the centre to connect the shank thereto, which was
however done by rivetting the shank in the aperture, and in this case the button
head or disc did not have the necessary freedom to swivel, which is my object in
employing ball-and-socket method of uniting the two parts.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The combination of a button head or disc having a central hemispherical
cavity or socket sunk in its face and an aperture at bottom, and of a shank passing
through said aperture and having a ball or segment of a sphere on its end which
corresponds to, and is received in said socket, the aperture through which the shank

page_text: passes being considerably larger than the shank but smaller than the said ball or
segment of a sphere, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. The employment in combination with a button head or disc having a socket
and aperture as above specified, of a cupped disc perforated in order to be sewn to the
garment.
3rd. The employment in combination with a button shank having a head on its
rear end (whether said shank be connected to the front disc or head of the button
by a ball-and-socket joint or otherwise), of a disc of india-rubber having a hole in
it to be sprung over the head of the shank after it is passed through the garment,
as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Sperring Watham, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.