Button Cover

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the jewelry art and specifically to an improved interchangable ornamental cover for sewed buttons. The present invention relates to a novel construction for an ornamental and removal cover for sewed buttons.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The usual men's dress shirt has cuffs with button holes to receive detachable metal cuff-links, but many men prefer to use cuffs with sewed buttons, and such cuffs are standard for women's shirt waists. The sewed button of cuffs, pockets with flaps, shirt fronts, as well as the uniform shoulder buttons, are readily made ornamental by detachably mounting a cover thereon.

U. S. Pat. No. 581,111; No. 2,751,654 and No. 3,316,601 disclose sewed button covers of the type with which this invention is concerned. The device of the present invention includes guide means and a new type of spring means for the button plate.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an ornamental housing into which a button is removably received.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel cover for a cuff button or the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an ornamental cover for detachable mounting on a button.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in part and be pointed out in part in the following specification and claims.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts in the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing bottom plate pivotally connected to the cap, and in open position.

FIG. 5 is a face view of a button of ordinary construction.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the button plate attached to the button of FIG. 5, with the cap in open position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, with the cap in closed position;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a modified form of construction;

FIG. 9 is a medial cross sectional view taken through the modified form of construction shown in FIG. 8, with the cap in closed position;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the modified form of construction shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken on line 11--11 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 11 indicates a hollow shell or cap, the face 12 of which may be of any desired form suitably ornamented or lettered. Cap 11 is provided with a depending wall 13 so as to provide a chamber 14 in cooperation with the back of face 12. A hinge recess 15 is formed in wall 13 to provide a hinge pin 16. Wall 13 may be circular in shape.

A button plate 20 is provided with a slot 21 formed between two preferable tapering sides 22, 23 which terminate in an annular recess 24. The front edges 25, 26 of sides 22, 23, respectively, are flared upwardly to provide finger nail pressure surfaces. Two spring prongs 27, 28 project from opposite sides of button plate 20. Two guide fingers 30, 31 located on opposite sides of hinge recess 15 depend from the edge of button plate 20. A leg 32 located between guide fingers 30, 31 is provided on button plate 20 so that leg 32 can be wrapped around hinge pin 16 to form a hinge connection between button plate 20 and cap 11. Two perforations 33 and 34 are provided in button plate 20 with slits 35 and 36 leading, respectively, from perforations 33, 34 to annular recess 24. These slits 35, 36 permit the two spring prongs 27, 28 to resiliently move the sides of the plate toward each other and change the shape of annular recess 24 when said springs 27, 28 frictionally engage wall 13. In this manner the tension of the spring prongs 27, 28 is controlled. The friction of spring prongs 27, 28 against wall 13 can never exceed a predetermined amount, the upper limit of which will never exceed finger release pressure. The outside contour of button plate 20 is complementary to the shape of wall 13.

In operation, FIGS. 4 and 6 show the button cover in open position. Slot 21 is slid around the threads holding button 40 to cloth 41 (see FIG. 5) until annular recess 24 underlies button 40. Spring prongs 27, 28 will be located upon opposite sides of the button 40. Cap 11 is loosely hinged to button plate 20. Cap 11 is pivotally swung over button 40 and button plate 20. Guide fingers 30, 31 will engage wall 13 to center cap 11 over button plate 20 and at the same time apply frictional resistance to the engagement of the cap 11 with the guide fingers 30, 31. Further pivotal movement causes spring prongs 27, 28 to frictionally engage wall 13 (see FIG. 7). Should the friction of the prongs 27, 28 against wall 13 exceed a pre-determined amount, the areas "A" and "B" of button plate 20 will resiliently move toward each other to relieve the friction of prongs 27, 28 on wall 13. Once hinged closed cap 11 can be swung open by applying finger nail pressure upon front edges 25, 26 will gripping the outside surface of wall 13 with the fingers of the other hand.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate the button plate 20 pivotally hinged to a ring or cap 50. Said ring 50 may be inserted into chamber 14 where fastening means, such as spot welding, secures ring 50 to wall 13. In this form cap 11 is provided with a cutout 51 to provide clearance for the pivotal movement of the hinge. In this modified form the entire hinge is located within wall 13 and does not project beyond the wall 13 as is the condition shown in the structure illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Having shown and described preferred embodiments of the present invention, by way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. An interchangable ornamented button cover comprising, in combination, a cap having a depending wall, and a face for ornamentation, said wall forming a chamber and provided with a hinge recess whereby a portion of said wall forms a hinge pin, said cap being dimensioned to overlie and eclipse a button, a button plate provided with a slot formed between two tapering sides which terminate in an annular recess, said tapering sides resiliently movable toward one another and having flared front edges to provide finger nail pressure surfaces, said button plate having oppositely located spring prongs thereon adapted to engage said depending wall with a friction grip and resiliently movable with said sides, two guide fingers on said plate engaging said depending wall to centrally locate said button plate within said depending wall, and a leg on said plate located between said guide fingers and wrapped around said hinge pin to form a hinge and pivotally connect said button plate to said cap, whereby said button plate is adapted to slide under a button with the button securing threads passing through said slot into said annular recess with the cap in open position and with the button located in said chamber when said cap is swung about said hinge into closed position.

2. An interchangeable ornamented button cover according to claim 1, in which said wall is circular in shape.

3. An interchangable ornamented button cover according to claim 1, in which two perforations are provided in said button plate, two slits in said button plate located respectively, between said two perforations and said annular recess to yieldingly permit said two spring prongs to move toward each other upon engagement of said two spring prongs with said wall.

4. An interchangable ornamented button cover comprising, in combination, a cap having a depending wall, and a face for ornamentation, said wall forming a chamber and provided with a cut-out, a button plate provided with a slot formed between two sides which terminate in an annular recess, said sides having flared front edges to provide finger nail pressure surfaces, said button plate having oppositely located spring prongs, two guide fingers, two perforations, two slits located respectively, between said two perforations and said annular recess, and a leg, a ring, means pivotally connecting said leg to said ring to form a hinge, said ring located in said chamber with said hinge located in said cut-out, means fastening said ring to said cap, whereby hinged pivotal movement of said cap with said button plate causes said spring prongs and said two guide fingers to frictionally engage said ring to removably fasten said cap to said button plate, said ring being dimensioned to surround a button.