A zipper, also called a zip fastener, is a device for binding together two edges of fabric or other flexible material using interlocking teeth drawn together by a sliding tab. The modern device grew out of a fastener patented in 1892 by the American inventor Whitcomb L. Judson, and it later took its familiar name from a 1923 line of rubber boots that could be closed with, in the manufacturer's words, a single zip of the hand, after which the hookless fastener itself became known as the zipper.
Facts
Patent or First-Use Date YearAn earlier, non-functional slide-fastener patent was issued to Elias Howe in 1851; 1893 is Whitcomb Judson's clasp-locker patent, the first design actually manufactured and sold. SignificanceGideon Sundbäck redesigned Judson's clasp-locker into a more durable slide fastener, which went on sale in 1913 and became the modern zipper. 1 FAQs
Who turned Whitcomb Judson's early fastener into the modern zipper?
Gideon Sundbäck redesigned Judson's fastener; it first went on sale in 1913.
Gideon Sundbäck. He redesigned the Judson fastener to create a more durable design, and the zipper first went on sale in 1913.
Connections
In Field
Source Zipper (Wikipedia)
Invented By
Source Zipper (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Zipper (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, Judson clasp-locker sentence
Judson secured a second patent through his 'clasp-locker' design on August 29th of 1893.
History section, Sundback redesign sentence
Sundbäck redesigned the Judson fastener to create a more durable design, and the zipper first went on sale in 1913.
In Field: Mechanical Engineering, Categories
Fasteners
Invented By: Whitcomb L. Judson, Introduction
In 1892, Whitcomb L. Judson, an American inventor from Chicago, patented the original design from which the modern device evolved.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.