Snap Button Die With Spring Leg Straightening for Secure Attachment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing button fastener dies fail to properly attach snap buttons to fabrics when one or more legs of the button fastener are bent radially inward, potentially causing skin irritation due to improper attachment.

Innovation Solution

A button fastener-side die equipped with a holding part, a correcting member, and a pushing member, where the correcting member is pushed through the opening of the button fastener by the pushing member, assisted by a spring, to correct bent legs back to their normal position, ensuring proper attachment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a conventional button fastener die is used, then the attachment process is simple, but bent legs cannot be corrected causing improper attachment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment reliabilityVSAvoiddie structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The die performs preliminary correction of bent legs before the snap button attachment process. The correcting member with correcting protrusions is positioned to contact and straighten bent legs in advance, ensuring all legs are in proper position before attachment begins, thereby preventing attachment failures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A correcting member is introduced as an intermediary component between the die body and the button fastener. This correcting member includes correcting protrusions that specifically target and correct bent legs, acting as a mediator that resolves the leg positioning issue without compromising the overall attachment process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If legs are bent radially inward, then the button fastener structure is damaged, but conventional dies cannot detect or correct this

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveleg position precisionVSAvoidleg bend detection difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The die applies preliminary anti-action to prevent the harmful effect of bent legs. The correcting protrusions are designed to counteract the radially inward bending by applying outward force during the attachment process, straightening the legs before they can cause improper attachment or skin irritation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The correcting member utilizes the existing attachment process forces to self-correct bent legs. As the die applies pressure during the normal attachment operation, the correcting protrusions automatically engage with bent legs and straighten them through the applied force, without requiring separate detection or correction steps

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution effectively corrects bent legs of the button fastener, ensuring secure attachment of snap buttons to fabrics and preventing them from returning to the bent position, thus enhancing safety and attachment reliability.

Implementation Method 1

a first spring disposed between the correcting member and the pushing member, wherein when at least one of the legs of the button fastener is in an abnormal position bent radially inward from a normal position, the correcting member corrects the leg(s) in the abnormal position to be in the normal position as the correcting member is passing through the opening of the button fastener

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpring: Spring

Data Source

PatentEP3527094B1Attachment member-side die for attaching snap button and method for straightening leg part of attachment member
Publication Date: 2022.11.23 YKK CORP
  • EP3527094B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3527094B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3527094B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a button fastener-side die (40), on which a button fastener (20) is to be set when a snap member (10) is attached to a fabric (1) with the button fastener (20). The button fastener (20) comprises an annular base (21) defining an opening (23) and a plurality of legs (22). The button fastener-side die (40) comprises: a holding part (70) for holding the button fastener (20) and a correcting member (61) for passing through the opening (23) of the button fastener (20) held by the holding part (70), a pushing member (63) for pushing the correcting member (61) to move in a passing direction toward passing through the opening (23) of the button fastener (20), and a first spring (62) disposed between the correcting member (61) and the pushing member (63). When at least one of the legs (22) of the button fastener (20) is in an abnormal position, the correcting member (61) corrects the abnormal leg(s) (22b) to be in the normal position as the correcting member (61) is passing through the opening (23). When the pushing member (63) is in its forefront position, the correcting member (61) reaches its forefront position by the first spring (62), where the correcting member (61) can contact the fabric (1).