The invention concerns a fastener and a method for the production of such a fastener to be used to fasten e. g. a button to a garent. A similar fastener for the fastening of a button to a garment, covering a thread and needles attache to the two opposing ends of the thread, is known from the Dutch patent nr. 1002811. The fastener as known from this patent is made in such a way that the thread and the needles are of a mainly equal thickness, whereby the one changes into the other almost free from variations in thickness. It is made in such a way that one of the needles is made of a synthetic material in which the thread is at least partially embedded. A drawback of this fastener already known, is that the automation of the production is difficult, on account of which the cost price becomes unacceptably high.

A similar fastener is also known from an American patent US-A-4 773 343.

It has been the aim of the present invention to provide a fastener which is easy to make in mass production, so that the cost price per unit can remain low. With a view to this aim the invention is first of all embodied in an operating procedure for the production ouf-té present fastener, characterised by the fact that a thread is fed through a mould made by means of the injection molding method, that next at least two needles are molded around the thread in such a way that after the molding of the needles the thread has been fed through the needles near one end of each needle, and that after the molding of the needles the thread is divided into parts whereby each part is provided with a molded needle at both ends. Using this operating procedure the speed with which the thread is fed through the mould can be very great, so that the high costs of the injection mould can be spread over great numbers of fasteners, resulting in a low cost price per individual fastener.

An avantage of this procedure is that in the injection molding process every time two needles are molded around the thread next to each other, and that the thread is cut between the two needles. After this only a packing need be wrapped around the fastener produced in the way described in this patent and the product is ready for sale.

For an optimal use of the fastener according to the invention it is desirable that each needle attache to the thread is made with a flat coupling at the end of the needle, and that the needle is connecte to this coupling. This has the avantage that in this way needle and thread are allowed to pass smoothly through the garment, also at the spot where the needle is fastened to the thread, without the thread getting stuck in the garent.

Thus any damage to the garment is prevented. Accordingly the invention is also embodied in the fastener which is the result of the method of production in accordance with the present invention, and which is characterised by the fact that when the thread is stretched out the needles are on the whole attache to the thread in a perpendicular position, and that each needle is made thinner in the immediate neighbourhood of the point of attachment.

An avantage in the design of the fastener is characterised by the fact that each needle connecte to the thread comprises a flat coupling at the end of the needle, and that the thread is attache to the coupling.

The invention will now be further illustrated by means of the drawings: fig. 1 shows the fastener according to the invention; figs. 2a and 2b show a needle with a part of the thread attache to it, constituting a detail of the fastener according to the invention, viewed from aside and from above respectively. When the same, the numbers used in the various drawings refer to the same components.

The fastener used to connect e. g. a button to a garment comprises, as shown in all the drawings, a thread (3) and the needles (1 and 2) attache to the opposing ends of the thread (3), as shown in fig. 1. In fig. 1 and fig 2a it is clearly shown that the needles 1 and 2 have been attache to the thread (3) in a mainly perpendicular position, and that each needle (1,2) has been made thinner where it reaches the point of attachment. This thinner end of the needles (1,2) has been realised by means of a flat coupling provided with an eye (4) which is part of the needles (1,2) and which is placed at one end of these needles (1,2). The thread (3) is fed through the eye in the flat coupling (4) in such a way that the thread (3) has been fixed to the coupling (4) of the needles (1,2).

The fastener as shown in the drawings can be realised in accordance with the invention as follows: the thread (3) is fed through an injection mould, after which the needles (1,2) and other needles if any, are molded around the thread (3), in such a way that after the molding of the needles (1,2) the thread (3) has been fed through the needles (1,2) at the ends of the needles (1,2) and that after the molding ofthe needles (1,2) the thread (3) is cut into parts whereby both ends of such a part have been provided with a molded needle (1,2).

Such a part is shown in fig. 1.

Not shown in the drawings but easily comprehensible to the eye of the professional is that the method of production of the fastener in accordance with this invention is preferably carried out in such a way that in the injection molding process two needles are molded close to each other around the thread (3) and that when the thread is cut, the cut will be made between the two needles placed thus closely together. The parts of the thread produced in this way, have thus been provided with the two necessary needles (1,2) at both ends of each piece of thread, so that the fastener produced in this way is at once ready for use.