Garment Button With Removable Screw for Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Buttons on garments, such as denim jeans, are typically fixedly attached using tacks, making them difficult to remove and recycle or biodegrade, which hinders environmental protection.
Innovation Solution
A button assembly with a removable screw, where a button and screw are designed with specific structural features allowing the screw to be engaged with the button without rotation, enabling easy attachment and detachment from the garment fabric.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a button is fixedly attached to a garment using a tack, then the button is securely fastened to the garment, but the garment cannot be easily removed or recycled
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a static, permanent attachment (tack) to a dynamic, reversible attachment (removable screw). The screw can be inserted to secure the button and removed to enable garment recycling, providing adaptability while maintaining attachment security when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment system is divided into separate components: the button, the removable screw, and the garment. This segmentation allows the screw to be independently removed from both the button and the garment, enabling the button to be detached for recycling purposes while maintaining secure attachment during use.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a button is permanently attached to a garment, then the button remains in place during use, but the garment cannot be completely biodegraded
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system transitions from permanent to temporary/dynamic attachment. The removable screw provides stable button positioning during garment use, but can be removed to allow complete biodegradation of the garment, eliminating the harmful environmental factor of permanent non-biodegradable attachments.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw serves as a temporary attachment element that can be discarded (removed) when the garment reaches end-of-life. This allows the garment to be completely biodegraded and recycled, while the screw can be recovered and reused or properly disposed of, reducing environmental impact.
3Reliability
If a screw is rotated during attachment to the button, then the screw threads may engage with the button, but the button material may be damaged or deformed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of rotating the screw to engage threads (conventional approach), the invention inverts the approach by pushing the screw straight into the button cavity without rotation. The screw threads engage with the button through linear insertion force, eliminating the damaging rotational action while achieving reliable engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The conventional rotational screw mechanism is replaced with a linear push-in mechanism. The screw is inserted straight into the button cavity along its longitudinal axis, substituting the rotational mechanical action with a linear pushing action that engages the screw threads without deforming the button material.
Data Source
AI summary
A button assembly that includes a button and a removable screw is provided. A method of attaching a button to a garment is provided. The method includes a step of placing a portion of the garment between the button and a removable screw, a step of penetrating the portion of the garment with the removable screw such that the removable screw is engaged with the garment, and a step of engaging the removable screw with the button.