Button Collet

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a button collet for use with a mating tack to be mounted on a garment fabric, and has particular reference to such a button collet to which a support shank is adhesively secured.

2. Prior Art

A variety of buttons have been proposed in the art which typically comprise a button collet to be joined together with a tack member across a garment fabric to form a button thereon. The button collet includes a cap or head having either a flat or a domed outer surface on which any suitable indicia is often carried to serve as an ornamental decoration. A shank member or an eyelet is fixedly secured at one end to the button collet with use of an adhesive compound and has the opposite end disposed for engagement through the fabric with a male or female coupling member usually in the form of a tack.

A prior art example of a button collet of the type which includes such a shank member adhesively secured in place is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 58-131707 in which the shank member is bonded in place by an adhesive deposited in a dove-tail groove formed in the button surface of a collet cap.

Another example is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 61-131907 in which a button collet has a cap convexly domed to provide a relatively large cavity in which a shank member is adhesively secured, any excess adhesive or glue being disposed in the cavity.

A problem arises with the above prior art button devices in that if separation of the adhesive compound occurs, the shank member or eyelet being smaller in diameter than the groove or cavity would become disengaged from the cap of the collet, or become rotative relative to the cap resulting in improperly oriented indicia on the cap, or else any excess of the adhesive compound would ooze out to make the whole button quite unsightly.

With the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art in view, the present invention seeks to provide an improved button collet incorporating structural features whereby the shank member can be retained in place with the cap, and the cap can be prevented from becoming rotative in the event of separation of the adhesive compound from the inner surface of the cap.

A button collet according to the invention which comprises a cap having a dove-tail cavity, an insert member adhesively bonded by an adhesive compound in place in said cavity and having a plurality of clamping lugs extending radially inward from its lower peripheral edge and a shank member having a peripheral flange fixedly secured to said clamping lugs, said insert member including a plurality of peripheral notches alternating with said clamping lugs.

The above object and other features of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals refer to like or corresponding structural parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view on enlarged scale of a button collet embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but exclusively showing a shank member and an insert member associated therewith;

FIG. 3 is a bottom end view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of button collet according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another modified form according to the invention;

FIGS. 6A-6D inclusive are plan views of different forms of the insert member;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a further modified form of button collet according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of still another modified form of button collet according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of still further modification of the inventive collet;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of cap member;

FIG. 11 is a bottom end view of a portion of the cap of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a modified form of insert member;

FIG. 13 is a bottom end view of the cap of FIG. 10 shown assembled with the insert of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a further modified form of insert member; and

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line XIV--XIV of FIG. 14.

Referring now to the drawings and FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a button collet 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is adapted to be joined together with a mating tack (not shown) to form a button on a compliant material such as a garment fabric (not shown). The button collet 10 comprises a generally dome-shaped cap 11 having a cavity 12 concentric therewith, an insert member 13 adhesively bonded in place in the cavity 12, and a shank member or eyelet 14 fixedly secured to the insert member 13.

The domed cap 11 is formed from a plastics or metallic material which may be transparent or opaque. The cavity 12 formed generally like a dove-tail groove as shown in FIG. 1-8, is defined by a substantially flat annular bottom wall 12a and a peripheral side wall 12b which is directed inwardly from a marginal edge 12c of the bottom wall 12a to terminate at an outer peripheral edge 12d, providing a dovetail cross-sectional configuration as shown in FIG. 1. The diameter D.sub.1 of the cavity 12 as measured across the outer peripheral edge 12d is smaller than the diameter D.sub.2 as measured across the marginal edge 12c.

The insert member 13 is generally in the form of a disc plate having a plurality of clamping lugs 13a extending radially inward from its lower peripheral edge and adapted to fasten the shank member 14 to the insert member 13. To this end, the shank member 14 has its upper end portion flared to form a peripheral flange 14a over which the clamping lugs 13a of the insert 13 are turned in or crimped to envelop the flange 14a thereby securely affixing the shank 14 to the insert 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The diameter D.sub.3 of the insert member 13 is slightly smaller than the diameter D.sub.1 of the cavity 12. Thus, the relations of the three diameters are D.sub.3 <D.sub.1 <D.sub.2. This applies also to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9.

As better shown in FIG. 3, the insert member 13 has a plurality of peripheral notches 13b alternating with adjacent clamping lug 13a and each defined by end walls 13c.

When joining the insert member 13 carrying the shank 14 with the cap 11, this is done by the use of a suitable adhesive such as an epoxy resin compound C which is applied conveniently to the bottom wall 12a of the cap 11. The upper surface of the insert member 13 is inserted in the cavity 12 with its upper surface abutting against the adhesive compound C deposited on the bottom wall 12a of the cap 11. As the insert member 13 is forced against the cap 11, the adhesive compound C spreads over with excess of it moving toward the peripheral side wall 12b and filling the notches 13b. As the compound C becomes hardened in this manner with part of it embedded in the notches 13b, the insert member 13 is firmly bonded in place with respect to the cap 11. If the adhesive compound layer C should for some reason separate from the cap 11, that portion of the compound which is embedded in each of the notches 13b would still retain the insert member 13 in place against separation from the cap 11 per se. Furthermore, the notches 13b being alternate in position with the lugs 13a would also prevent the tendency of the insert member 13 to rotate relative to the cap 11.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of button collet according to the invention which is identical with the collet of FIG. 1 except that there are provided an anchoring plug member 13d extending upwardly centrally from the insert member 13 and a complimentary socket member 11a formed centrally in the bottom wall 12a of the cap 11 and adapted to receive the plug member 13d. This plug and socket arrangement ensures centering of the insert member 13 or shank 14 with respect to the cap 11.

Another modification is shown in FIG. 5 which is characterized by the provision of an insert member 13 having a convex upper surface 13e whereby air or air bubbles in the adhesive compound C can be forced to disperse toward the peripheral areas of the cavity 12 and dismissed from view through the cap 11 should the latter be transparent.

FIGS. 6A-6D inclusive show different insert members 13 each having different forms of groove 13f in their convex upper surfaces, the arrangement being intended to expel air bubbles from sight at once and provide increased surface area, hence increased bonding strength of the adhesive. FIG. 6A shows a plurality of radially extending grooves 13f; FIG. 6B a plurality of parallel grooves 13f; FIG. 6C a combination of radial and annular grooves 13f; and FIG. 6D a criss-cross groove 13f.

A modification shown in FIG. 7 is similar to the collet of FIG. 1 except that there is formed centrally in the insert member 13 a vertically extending through aperture (or apertures) 13g which serves the three fold purposes; viz., to provide escape of air bubbles, increased bond strength and accommodation of excess adhesive C which would otherwise ooze out to present unsightly appearance of the button.

A modification in FIG. 8 is characterized by the provision of a plurality of through apertures 13h spaced apart around the periphery of the insert member 13 whereby the bond strength of the adhesive compound is increased manifold.

FIG. 9 shows a slightly different modification having a peripheral side wall 12b which is cross-sectionally somewhat arcuate and an outer peripheral edge 12d which is somewhat outwardly flared. This modification also features an insert member 13 having part of its upper surface 13e slightly convexed to provide benefits similar to the embodiment of FIG. 5.

A further modification is illustrated in FIGS. 10 through 13 inclusive, which is devised to further enhance attachment of the insert member 13 with the cap 11. The insert member 13 as more clearly shown in FIG. 12 has a plurality of clamping lugs 15 projecting radially outward in a criss-cross fashion. The cap member 11 as better shown in FIG. 11 has a corresponding number of peripheral recesses 16 for receiving the clamping lugs 15 on the insert member 13. The cap 11 and the insert 13 are connected in locking relation to each other by first registering the lugs 15 with the recesses 16 and are bonded together by the adhesive C in the cavity 12 after they are slightly rotated as indicated by dotted line away from the original positions indicated by solid line as shown in FIG. 13.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show another modification which is similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 10-13 except that the clamping lugs 15 each have a lateral protuberance 17 adapted to restrict excessive rotation of the insert member 13 when coupled with the cap 11.

Obviously, various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teaching. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.