The present invention generally relates to an apparel interaction device. More specifically, the present invention is a button affixing device that improves the user's ability to slide the button of a shirt or pants through the corresponding keyhole slot of the clothing.
The button-up shirt has been available for hundreds of years. Similarly, other clothing, such as jackets, pants, button-down shirts, certain pockets, and more have made extensive use of buttons and button holes as a means of securing clothing in place. Buttons themselves are cheap to manufacture and easy to add to different types of apparel to allow that apparel to tighten and retain shape to an extent during use. The method for attaching a button to a button hole is simple enough in theory: the user pinches the button by the edge, presses the button through the button hole, and pulls the back edge of the button through.
However, such motion is difficult for many people. Elderly or handicapped people often have difficulty managing to perform the steps outlined above. Fine motor control tends to deplete as the human body ages, resulting in difficulty grasping the button and pressing it through the button hole. What was once a simple, even one-handed task is now a struggle that can make it difficult for an elderly person to make appearances in a timely fashion. For handicapped people as well as elderly people, it can be embarrassing asking for help buttoning a shirt. What is needed is a device that can aid an elderly or handicapped person in securing a button through a button hole. Further desirable is a device that is lightweight and easy to use, and that can assist a user in removing buttons when removing clothing.
The present invention addresses these issues. The button affixing device has a handle that is easy for a user to grasp and use. A claw extends away from the handle, and a sliding, spring-loaded claw on the opposite side allows the present invention to grasp a button. The long neck of the present invention is shaped to easily slide through a button hole. The user can then grasp the button by pulling a trigger back towards the handle and releasing when the button is between the two claws. The user then pulls the handle and claws back through the button hole. Once the button is fully through the button hole, the user pulls the trigger again to release the button in its proper, affixed position. When the user is finished wearing the buttoned clothing, the user can grasp the button again between the claws of the present invention and subsequently direct the button back through the hole.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a button affixing device that is used to assist a user in joining clothing buttons to their assigned hole. The present invention is configured to provide a convenient mechanism for grasping and subsequently manipulating the position of a button. The present invention comprises a static arm 1, a dynamic arm 2, a hollow handle 3, a spring 4, a first claw 7, a second claw 9, and a trigger 11, as seen in
The general configuration of the aforementioned components allows the present invention to efficiently and effectively insert clothing buttons into button holes. The spring 4 comprises a first spring end 5 and a second spring end 6. The first spring end 5 and the second spring end 6 allow for appropriate application of spring force to the dynamic arm 2, as seen in
For proper movement of the second claw 9 relative to the first claw 7, the dynamic arm 2 must be properly engaged to the static arm 1. To this end, the present invention comprises a track channel 12 and a guide rail 13, as seen in
The present invention requires a mechanism for accommodating the spring 4 and properly orienting the spring 4 relative to the dynamic arm 2. To this end, the present invention further comprises a carriage 14, a first elongated brace 15, and a second elongated brace 16. The carriage 14 is a rigid segment that allows for proper interaction with the spring 4. The first elongated brace 15 is a rigid unit that positions the spring 4, the carriage 14, and the second elongated brace 16, as seen in
According to the above arrangement of components, the dynamic arm 2 has a degree of freedom along the direction of the static arm 1; however, there is no limit to the distance the dynamic arm 2 can travel. To this end, the present invention comprises a first stop 17 and a second stop 18, as seen in
The first claw 7 and the second claw 9 must be shaped correctly to enable enclosure of a button. To this end, the first claw 7 comprises a first concave surface 8. Further, the second claw 9 comprises a second concave surface 10. The first concave surface 8 and the second concave surface 10 are curved surfaces that respectively improve the ability of the first claw 7 and the second claw 9 to engage with the shape of a button, as seen in
The trigger 11 requires an amount of space to allow the user to slide the dynamic arm 2 towards the spring 4. The trigger 11 is positioned offset from the hollow handle 3, as seen in
The user needs to be able to slide the present invention into and out of a button hole easily. Therefore, the present invention further comprises a blunted end 20. The blunted end 20 is a preferably rounded shape that, in the preferred usage of the present invention, is the first thing to enter into a button hole. The blunted end 20 is terminally integrated into the static arm 1, opposite to the hollow handle 3, as seen in
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of the U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 15/728,030 filed on Oct. 9, 2017. The U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 15/728,030 claims a priority to a U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/506,919 filed on May 16, 2017.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190075953 A1 | Mar 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62506919 | May 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15728030 | Oct 2017 | US |
Child | 16189923 | US |