Patent Application
20100236028
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a button cover assembly for ornamentally adorning buttons, and method of manufacture for the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art shows a number of button covering devices and the like. Some of the more pertinent prior art disclosures are briefly described hereinafter. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,751,654 ('654 Patent), which issued to Armbruster, discloses a Cuff Button Cover. The '654 Patent describes an ornamental cover for a sewed button plate, an arched top plate extending over said bottom plate, said bottom plate, said bottom plate being spaced at its forward edge from the forward edge of the top plate and having a central recess extending to the forward edge thereof, whereby a sewed button may be received within said housing, said top plate having an opening adjacent its front edge, a lock lever hinged to said top plate and having a tongue adapted to extend through said opening when the lock lever is seated on the top plate, and means for releasably securing the lock lever to the top plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,487 ('487 Patent) which issued to T. R. Ryan, discloses Interchangeable Ornaments for Buttons. The '487 Patent describes an interchangeable ornament for buttons or the like comprising an ornamental member having a substantially flat portion, a V-shaped element having a base resilient curved branch portions extending from said base portion, and means for normally keeping said V-shaped element juxtaposed to said ornamental member, the branch portions of said V-shaped member being constructed and arranged for receiving between them threads fastening a button to a piece of fabric and for engaging said button in such a manner as to fasten thereto said ornamental member.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,009 ('009 Patent) which issued to A. Dritz, discloses a Covered Button. The '009 Patent describes a button comprising connected top and bottom sections; wherein the top section has a pair of bendable fingers extending there-from toward said bottom section, said bottom section having a first aperture through which said fingers pass when said sections are assembled and having second and third apertures on opposite sides of said first aperture through which said fingers are bent to extend into said button when said sections are assembled, said top section comprising a shell, a first member received within said shell, integral portions of said first member extending there-from to define said fingers, and a second member secured within said shell beneath said first member by direct engagement with one of said shell and said first member and having an aperture through which said fingers extend. The top section may be covered by material which extends partially over the lower surface thereof above said second and third apertures in said bottom section, said fingers being of a length such as, when bent through said second and third apertures, to engage said material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,544 ('544 Patent) which issued to A. Dritz, discloses a Hand-Assembled, Fabric-Covered Button. The '544 Patent describes a button shell and a button back for forming a fabric-faced button, said button shell comprising a body provided with a peripheral flange disposed upwardly and inwardly of said body, said button back comprising a body provided with a central opening and with a peripheral flange disposed upwardly and outwardly of said back body, said button back body being disposed upwardly and inwardly of its peripheral flange and being formed between its central opening and its said peripheral flange with a series of circular stepped ribs, said shell and back being dimensioned for the back to be telescoped and pressure-fitted into and to rest within the shell with the peripheral flanges of the shell and back interlocking in engagement with fabric material of a facing covering for the button.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,965 ('965 Patent) which issued to S. Wassell, discloses an Ear Muff. The '965 Patent describes an ear muff having a water-repellent material lined with thin insulation sewn into the form of a pocket which fits around the ear of the wearer to protect the ear against cold, wind, snow, or the like without substantially impairing hearing. The ear muff is kept engaged to the ear by means of an elastic loop residing in the hem of the opening of the pocket which contracts around the base of the ear, and in addition, adjacent to the elastic within the hem, a malleable earlobe clasp which the wearer clamps around the earlobe, so that the ear muff can be used by people with attached earlobes as well as by people with unattached earlobes. The lined water-repellent material comprising the pocket plays no part in keeping the ear muff engaged to the ear, and thus is made of flexible material so that it can conform to various shapes of ears.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,455 ('455 Patent) which issued to D. Joseph, discloses an Ear Cover. The '455 Patent describes an ear cover for protecting the external ear of a wearer. The cover includes a first flexible sheet having an outer layer formed of an absorbent material and an inner layer coextensive therewith formed of an impermeable material. A second flexible sheet is secured to the first flexible sheet adjacent the inner layer to serve as a liner for the cover. An elastic band is secured between the first and second flexible sheets for gathering the respective peripheries thereof around the ear of a wearer.
It will be seen from a review of the foregoing that the prior art is silent on a button cover assembly comprising a disk and an elastic cover construction bonded to the disk at a non-uniform or uneven disk-to-cover bond interface, which uneven bond interface functions to increase the bond contact surface area as a means to enhance bond strength. Accordingly, the prior art perceives a need for such and button cover assembly and method for manufacturing the same.
The present invention thus attempts to structurally address the foregoing features in particular and provides a button cover assembly and method of manufacture for the same, which button cover assembly ornamentally adorns a button when outfitted thereupon. The button cover assembly may preferably comprise a circular, embroidered disk and a cover construction. The embroidered disk has an outer disk surface, an inner surface, and a disk diameter. The inner disk surface comprises an uneven embroidered disk landscape having peaks and valleys strewn across the disk landscape, which peaks and valleys are reflective of the embroidery.
The cover construction is preferably formed from a pliable, elastic, polymeric material comprising a bonding portion, an annulus, and a cover diameter. The bonding portion has a cover landscape complementary to the disk landscape since the bonding interface is formed by filling the disk landscape with the polymeric material while in a liquid form. The uneven volumetric space above the disk landscape is thus filled with the liquid material, which when solid, complements the disk landscape and enhances bond strength via increase bond contact surface area. In other words, the disk is bonded to the cover construction at the non-uniform or uneven disk-to-cover interface.
The elastic annulus is integrally formed with the bonding portion and comprises a button-receiving cover aperture defined by the inner annular diameter, which may be reinforced or non-reinforced according the application requirements. The cover aperture has a relaxed aperture or inner annular diameter lesser in magnitude than the cover diameter but greater in magnitude than the diameter of a target button. The pliable, elastic material is elastically stressable for enabling a user to increase the relaxed aperture diameter to a stressed aperture configuration for receiving the button. After the assembly is donned, the annulus retains the button cover assembly adorned upon the received or enveloped button.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated or become apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.
Other features of my invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following brief description of patent drawings:
a) is an enlarged, lateral view of the fragmentary plunger otherwise shown in
a) is an enlarged, lateral view of the fragmentary and generic assembly-forming chamber with parts broken away to show a sectional button cover assembly.
a) is an enlarged sectional view as sectioned from
a) is an enlarged side view of the button cover assembly and button otherwise shown in
Referring now to the drawings with more specificity, the preferred embodiment of the present invention concerns a button cover assembly 10 for adorning a button 11 as attached to an underlying button support structure 19, such as a coat 12, a shoe 13, a handbag 14, a headband 15 or a belt 16. In this last regard, it will be noted that buttons 11 are typically stitched to underlying support structures 19 via thread or some other similar fastening means as at 18.
At the stitch site, a certain space is formed or defined intermediate the button and underlying support structure. In other words, the button-outfitted structure 19 (such as coat 12, shoe 13, handbag 14, headband 15 or belt 16) is attached to the button 11 at a button-to-structure junction, which button-to-structure junction defines an annulus-receiving gap or space as at 17. This space or gap 17 provides opportunity for a device to be inserted therein so as to cover or envelope the button 11.
The present invention or button cover assembly 10 preferably comprises a (circular) embroidered disk 20 and a cover construction 21. It is contemplated that the embroidered disk 20 may be fashioned according to state of the art embroidery construction practices and comprises an outer or lower disk surface 22, an inner or upper disk surface 23, and a disk diameter as at 24. The inner disk surface 23 preferably comprises an uneven or non-uniform embroidered disk landscape 25 as may be generally seen from an inspection of
The (circular) cover construction 21 is preferably being formed from a pliable, elastic, polymeric material (such as rubber) and comprises a bonding surface or portion 26, an annulus 27, and a cover diameter as at 28. The bonding portion 26 has a second profile or cover landscape as at 29, which second profile or cover landscape 29 is complementary to the first profile or disk landscape 25. In other words, the cover landscape, having been formed from a liquid medium poured into the disk landscape and solidified, becomes a negative or a complement to the disk landscape for increasing the surface area of the bond, and enhancing bonding strength.
In other words, the disk 20 is preferably bonded to the cover construction 21 at the first and second profiles at a disk-to-cover interface, at which interface the cover landscape 29 is the complement of the disk landscape 25 for enhancing bond strength. This bond is formed by filling the disk landscape 25 with the polymeric material while in liquid form, the fluid material having no independent shape, but a definite volume for filling volumetric space. The liquid medium thereafter solidifies and effectively bonds the cover construction 21 to the disk 20.
The annulus 27 is preferably integrally formed with the bonding portion 26 and defines a button-receiving cover aperture as at 30. The inner annular diameter or cover aperture 30 has a relaxed aperture diameter as generally depicted in
The annulus 27 is preferably formed so as to be substantially parallel to the bonding portion 26. In this regard, it is noted that the button 11, as received within the cavity defined by the annulus 27 and bonding portion 26, comprises a maximal button thickness. The annulus 27 and bonding portion 26 preferably comprise a substantially uniform distance therebetween when in a relaxed state for receiving the maximal button thickness.
The pliable, elastic material is thus elastically stressable for enabling a user to increase the relaxed aperture diameter 30 to a stressed aperture configuration for receiving a button 11 as generally demonstrated in
The disk diameter 24 is preferably greater in magnitude than the cover diameter 28 for masking the cover construction 21 from an anterior viewpoint as generally depicted in
It is contemplated that the material used to construct the cover construction 21 may be either opaque or translucent depending on the desired application. It is contemplated that an opaque cover construction 21 may well function to visually conceal the received button 11 or similar other structure, and that a translucent cover construction 21 may well function to visually reveal the received button 11 or similar other structure as otherwise seen from a lateral viewpoint. The opacity or translucence of cover construction 21 may be further altered according to whether the disk diameter as at 55 is greater or lesser in magnitude relative to the cover construction diameter as at 56 for effecting an ornamental button cover assembly according to a desired effect.
It is contemplated that the button cover assembly 10 may thus be manufactured by first fashioning an embroidered disk as at 20, which embroidered disk has a lower or outer disk surface as at 22, an upper or inner disk surface as at 23, a disk diameter as at 24, and a certain disk thickness 39. It will be recalled that the upper disk surface 23 preferably comprises an uneven embroidered disk landscape as at 25.
The disk 20 may then be positioned at the first end of a disk-receiving walled cylinder 50 or chamber 52 orthogonally to its axis. It is contemplated that the disk-receiving cylinder 50 may preferably be closed with a support structure 51, which structure 51 functions to support the disk 20 as received within the chamber 52 defined by cylinder 50 and structure 51. The cylinder 50 (or chamber 52) preferably comprises a certain walled height and first and second diameters (55 and 56, respectively), such that disk thickness is lesser in magnitude the cylinder-walled height and the disk diameter 24 is substantially equal to the first cylinder/chamber diameter as at 55 and generally depicted in
After the disk 20 is positioned at the end of the cylinder 50 or chamber 52, a piston-shaped plunger 60 is positioned in superior adjacency to the upper disk surface or inner disk surface 23 intermediate the cylinder height as at 53. The plunger 60 comprises a plunger head 61 and a plunger rod 62. The plunger head 61 has a head thickness 63 and a head diameter 64. The plunger rod 62 has a rod diameter 65. The head diameter 64 is preferably lesser in magnitude than the cylinder diameter 56, and the rod diameter 65 is preferably lesser in magnitude than the head diameter 64.
The disk thickness 39 and the head thickness are lesser in magnitude than the cylinder depth or height 53 such that a volumetric space is defined above the embroidered disk 20 within the cylinder 50 via the positioned plunger 60. This volumetric space is then filled a liquid polymeric material 70 as generally depicted in
The otherwise liquid polymeric material 70 is then solidified, thereby becoming elastic and forming the cover construction 21 as bonded to the embroidered disk 20 at the uneven embroidered disk landscape 25. The polymeric material 70, as solidified into cover construction 21, and as bonded to the disk 21 thereby forms button cover assembly 10. In other words, the disk-to-cover bonded interface is formed by first filling the disk landscape 25 with the pliable, polymeric material 70 while in a liquid state and thereafter solidifying the pliable, polymeric material 70 thereby bonding the disk 20 to the cover construction 21 such that the disk and cover landscapes 25 and 29 complement each other.
The cover construction 21 thereafter comprises bonded portion 26, annulus 27, and a cover diameter substantially equal in magnitude to the cylinder diameter 56. The annulus 27 has cover aperture 30, which cover aperture 30 comprises a relaxed diameter defined or formed by the rod diameter 65. After solidifying the material 70, the head 61 is removed from the cover construction 21 by elastically stressing the annulus 27 and increasing the aperture opening or diameter as generally depicted in
While the foregoing specifications and drawings are set forth in some detail, the specific embodiments described and illustrated thereby, and methodology supported thereby are to be considered as exemplifications of the principles of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention(s) to the specific embodiments illustrated and methods supported. For example, it is contemplated that the present invention essentially discloses a button cover assembly and method for making same.
The button cover assembly essentially comprises a disk and a cover construction. The disk has an outer disk surface, an inner surface, and a disk diameter. The inner disk surface has an uneven or non-uniform disk landscape. The cover construction is formed from an elastic material and comprises a bonding portion, an annulus, and a cover diameter. The bonding portion has a cover landscape complementary to the disk landscape at a disk-to-cover bonded interface.
The annulus is integrally formed with the bonding portion and comprises or defines a button-receiving cover aperture. The cover aperture has a relaxed aperture diameter that is lesser in magnitude than the cover diameter. The elastic material of the cover construction is elastically stressable for enabling a user to increase the relaxed aperture diameter to a stressed aperture configuration for receiving a button. The received or cover-enveloped button has a diameter lesser in magnitude than the cover diameter, but greater in magnitude than the relaxed aperture diameter such that the annulus retains the button cover assembly adorned upon the button.
As earlier stated, it is further contemplated that the foregoing specifications support certain button cover assembly manufacturing methodology. In other words, the cover assembly supports a method of manufacture comprising the steps of: forming a first structure such as the embroidered disk, which first structure has opposed or first and second structural surfaces, and a structural width. The first structural surface has a non-uniform, uneven, or non-flat landscape.
The first structure is then positioned at a first end of opposed walls as may be preferably defined by a cylindrical structure. The opposed walls have a certain wall height and thereby define a wall-to-wall space. A second structure such as a piston shaped plunger is then positioned above the first structure intermediate the opposed walls. The second structure comprises a head and a post. The head has a head thickness and the post has a post width or diameter. An open volumetric space is thus defined above the first structure via the positioned second structure.
The otherwise open volumetric space is then filled with a liquid material, which liquid material complements the non-uniform or uneven structural landscape and covers the head in adjacency to the post. The liquid material is then solidified thereby becoming elastic and effectively forms a cover construction bonded to the first structure at the non-uniform structural landscape to form a button cover assembly. The second structure is then removed from the cover construction after solidifying the elastic material, and the button cover assembly is removed from the button-receiving chamber after removing the second structure.
The structural width of the first structure may preferably extend intermediate the wall-to-wall dimension of the opposed walls so as to fill space intermediate the opposed walls at the first end thereof. For example, given a disk-like first structure, and a cylindrically defined wall-to-wall space, the disk-like first structure may preferably have a diameter substantially equal in magnitude to a cylinder diameter of the cylindrical wall-to-wall space. Preferably, the first structure is supported by a third structure, whereby the third structure and opposed walls defining a structure-receiving chamber.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications of the underlying assembly may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, certain manufacturing methodology is supported by the basic understanding of the inventive assembly. Thus, it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific assembly and/or methodology illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
