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Inventions are often
referred to by their patented name. For example, an "ink-dispensing
device" is commonly known as a pen. An "apparatus that reveals the
direction of a traveler" is commonly known as a map, and so on. We
could go through a few more examples, but you get the point.
Whitcomb Judson's invention was known as a clasp locker. When he
co-founded a company to manufacture these clasp lockers, he named it
the Universal Fastener Company. He introduced the device at the 1893
World's Fair in Chicago.
What is a clasp locker?
It had a row of hook-and-eye fasteners that were fastened by a
slide. They were originally designed to make it easier to tie one's
boots or shoes. Back in 1893, regular shoelaces weren't in use yet.
These clasp lockers became known as zippers.
But it wasn't until 16 years after Judson died that they became
known as zippers. In fact, it wasn't even Judson -- the father of
the zipper -- who invented the zipper that we use today.
Judson's version never quite made it off the ground. His clasp
lockers would either jam or come undone.
One of his employees, an engineer named Gideon Sundbach, improved
upon Whitcomb's version. Sundbach used interlocking metal teeth
instead of hooks. They weren't perfect, though, as they would rust
when washed.
The invention didn't really catch on until the army started using
them during World War I, and then B.F. Goodrich ordered a large
quantity for the rubber boots that they manufactured in 1923. It was
another 20 years before zippers were commonly used in clothing.
Who named it the "zipper?"
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Someone at B.F. Goodrich gave it the name. Depending on which story you
want to believe, either an executive was zipping up a pair of boots and
said, "Let's zip 'er up," or it was named after the sound that it made
when it was zipped. Either way, the name "zipper" was born.
Whitcomb Judson died in 1909, so he wasn't around when the clasp
lockers became known as zippers. But that's not the only unusual
event related to him. While Judson never made a whole lot of money
from the zipper, one of his automobile patents produced millions of
dollars in royalties. It wasn't Whitcomb who profited from the
invention, though; it was his son.
If you look on any of your zippers, you will probably see the
letters YKK. These letters are the initials of the Japanese company
that makes nearly all of the zippers in use today.
Who would have thought that the history of such a mundane item as
a zipper could be so interesting? But wait -- there's more.
Just as Gideon Sundbach improved upon Whitcomb Judson's version
of the zipper, Whitcomb Judson had improved upon someone else's
version. His name? Elias Howe, who was granted the first patent for
an "automatic, continuous clothing closure" in 1851.
Elias Howe was the first to patent another item -- the sewing
machine!
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann is the author of Invention Mysteries. He can be
reached at niemann7@aol.com.
© Paul Niemann 2005
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