Button retainer

Claim 1

A button assembly adapted to secure a button to a fabric material comprising: a. a button member for abutting one side of the fabric; b. a fabric piercing member integrally formed with the button member and extending from said button member; c. said fabric piercing member comprising: i. a relatively rigid portion having a free and pointed end for piercing the fabric; ii. a relatively resilient portion between the button member and said rigid portion; iii. said rigid portion being recessed to form a frangible web connecting with said resilient portion to facilitate the breaking off of the rigid portion upon completion of the fabric piercing operation; iv. a plurality of flexible barbs extending obliquely from said relatively resilient postion towards said button member, the free ends of said flexible barbs which face the button member being a spaced distance from the button member which is less than the thickness of the fabric, said barbs being adapted to flex towards each other during the fabric piercing operation and to flex away from each other to abut against the opposite side of the fabric when the resilient portion is seated in the fabric to thereby anchor the button in the fabric; d. said button member comprising a widened head portion and a narrow shank portion resting against the fabric and spacing the head from the fabric, said shank portion being dimensioned to form a backing surface for fabric being pressed thereagainst by the barbs; e. the rigidity of said rigid portion increasing progressively in stiffness from its point of connection to said web toward its point.