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Zipper

By: Joshua Ospina

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Background of the Zipper

The zipper’s origins can be dated back to 1851 when an inventor by the name of Elias

Howe receive a patent for an “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure”. Elias Howe is mostly

known for creating the modern lockstitch sewing machine. Growing up in Massachusetts and

moving a lot within the state, Elias Howe spend his childhood and early adult years learning at

textile factories and would then learn to be experienced in carding machinery.e This patent

closely resembles a zipper but it’s really not, it looks more as a drawstring. The drawstring does

not include it’s main essentials that future zippers would have, some of the things that’s

missing are the sliders and when you pull up on the zipper, it closes a bit differently. It wouldn’t

be until 1893 when Whitcomb Judson, marketed a “Clasp Locker”. The device is seen as a more

complicated version of a hook-and-eye shoe fastener, which helps fastening garments together.

Whitcomb L. Judson was born in Chicago, Illinois and first served in the Union army in 1861. He

started making efforts in making inventions around 1888 to 1889. He’s best known for

influencing the concept of a street railway. Whitcomb had a second patent known as “C-curity”,

in which short metal extensions were manually laced into the boot and shoe. This patent will be

important for much later because the idea will be innovated by a future engineer . Around

1890, he invented a chain-lock fastener, this would eventually make him the true inventor of

the zipper. Initially, the metal zipper fastener zipper was called “clasp-locker”. Judson invented

this device as a way to “relieve the tedium of fastening high button boots that were fashionable

in those days” In May 1893, his patent for the product was approved. Judson exhibited his

invention at the Chicago’s World Fair and would start a company with Harry L. Earle and Lewis

Walker. Judson’s invention was at first met with little success. An improved version was created

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in 1896 and he created it to “save people the trouble of buttoning and unbuttoning their shoes

every day”. Then in 1923, the B. F Goodrich company installed the fasteners to their rubber

shoes and would be at this time where they name their new design “Zippers”. This name would

ultimately stay and be used in current day objects. It seems that at first the “clasp locker” was

used mainly for shoes, and overtime it would be appiled to many other objects to create a

wider use of it. Gideon Sundback is seen as another important inventor when associated with

the origins of the zipper. Sundback was born in April 24,1880 and was a Swedish-American

electrical engineer. He started working for Universal Fastener Company in 1906 and throughout

1906-1914, he would make several advances in the development of the zipper. In 1913, he

created an invention in which it would have two facing rows of teeth that pulled into a single

piece by the slider, and increased the opening for the teeth guided by the slider. It’s thanks to

Whitcomb that allowed Sundback to come up with this innovation as Sundback was improving

Whitcomb’s device, “C-curity” to be more effective.. This would be called “Separable Fastener”

and would be issued a patent in 1917. In 1914, Sundback’s version it interlocking teeth, the

“Hookless No. 2” was created and this would be known as the modern metal zipper we use

today. During World War I, the zipper was heavily used in many military products, which helped

boost the reputation of the zipper.

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Description of the Zipper

1. The slider is connected to the elements or the teeths and allows the teeth to either join

or separate. To join, the zipper goes up and to separate, it goes down. The slider is

usually made out of a steel or zinc material. The slider does have a chance to get stuck if

it’s caught in some other form of material.

2. The teeth are the parts that are on each side of a zipper and they can either connect or

disconnect. When they are both connected, it’s called a chain. The material can vary but

is usually created with brass, aluminum and nickel.

3. The tape is what holds the teeth and zipper together, but this can vary. The tape doesn’t

have to be present. The teeth and zipper can be on a piece of clothing, a bag and more.

1. Slider

2. Elements (teeth)

3. Tape (can vary)

4. Top Stop

5. Bottom Stop

6. Insert Pin

7. Box Pin

8. Retaining Box https://www.ykkfastening.com/products/zipper/s_zipper.html

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In a way, the material the zipper and teeth is attached to is the tape. The tape material

can vary as it can be attached to many objects.

4. The top stop prevents the slider from detaching when the slider is slid all the way down.

It’s on both side of the zipper. The material it’s made from varies a ton, some of which

are brass, gold, silver and more but usually it matches with the object that the top stop

is attached with.

5. The bottom stop prevents the slider from detaching when the slider is resting at the

bottom of the zipper. The material is the same as mentioned previously with top stop, it

can vary but usually matches with the object that the bottom stop is attached with.

6. The insert pin is a device that allows the two zipper halves to join together (this can

typically be seen in jackets)

7. Similarly to the insert pin, the box pin is a device that helps align the pin so that the two

zipper halves can join. The box pin material varies.

8. The retaining box holds both the insert and box pin together when the zipper is aligned.

It’s also prevents the slider from detaching when it’s at the bottom. The retaining box

material varies.

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Pictures of the Zipper’s Components Individually (In Order from Left to Right)

https://images.app.goo.gl/fm2RzFVN5Z6in3ZQ8

https://images.app.goo.gl/ai1ztf3nLLH6VsHh6 https://images.app.goo.gl/

yQecd6Kgrqz5kb8M8

https://images.app.goo.gl/xJ3yq9f3giVetv3s5

https://images.app.goo.gl/Ntpxy22dvcyLdMETA

https://images.app.goo.gl/U7B1qgDazriT1rNu8

https://images.app.goo.gl/J4Lr46hsBJ243tai9

Note: Box Pin on left

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How can the Zipper be used on other items

The zipper can be used on a wide variety of objects. It can be involved in fashion such as

clothing, jackets, shoes, pants and more. It can be used to prevent things from falling out such

as on a backpack, luggage, suitcase and more. It can pretty much fit on anything but usually the

material it goes with should be flexible. The color of all the components mentioned previously

can match that of the object the zipper is being attached to.

https://images.app.goo.gl/JyU8oBe7nxNmTGiD7

https://images.app.goo.gl/RxeguVmtdxY9bY1E9

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Conclusion

With a growing appearance of the product to this day, the zipper is pretty much an

everyday device used by many. We can pretty much spot a zipper at least once a day.

It’s main thing is that it’s extremely flexible in variety so that it can be attached to many objects.

It started off as a invention aimed mostly for shoes, but as time went on, people found more

uses for it and started to apply it to many objects. As simple as a device may seem, it went

through so many changes to become what it is today. It was at first called a clasp locker, and

with the innovation of an engineer, it would then be called a zipper. Next time you find yourself

using a zipper, look at all of its components and you’ll see that such a simple device had a

fascinating background story.

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References

Image for cover page: https://images.app.goo.gl/Qs4FCZ4ifE2wog8B6

Elias Howe. (2019, April 07). Retrieved from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_Howe

Gideon Sundback. (2019, January 04). Retrieved from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Sundback

Style, B. (n.d.). Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure: The Zipper. Retrieved

from https://www.burdastyle.com/blog/automatic-continuous-clothing-closure-

the-zipper

The History of the Zipper. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/hardware/zipper-history

Whitcomb L. Judson. (2019, February 19). Retrieved from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitcomb_L._Judson

Zipper. (2019, April 12). Retrieved from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipper

https://images.app.goo.gl/f5e3PraYNng244zM6

https://www.ykkfastening.com/products/zipper/s_zipper.html

https://images.app.goo.gl/fm2RzFVN5Z6in3ZQ8

https://images.app.goo.gl/ai1ztf3nLLH6VsHh6

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https://images.app.goo.gl/yQecd6Kgrqz5kb8M8

https://images.app.goo.gl/xJ3yq9f3giVetv3s5

https://images.app.goo.gl/Ntpxy22dvcyLdMETA

https://images.app.goo.gl/U7B1qgDazriT1rNu8

https://images.app.goo.gl/J4Lr46hsBJ243tai9

https://images.app.goo.gl/JyU8oBe7nxNmTGiD7

https://images.app.goo.gl/RxeguVmtdxY9bY1E9