Johan Vaaler
Johan Vaaler | |
---|---|
![]() Johan Vaaler, c. 1887 | |
Born | 15 March 1866 |
Died | 14 March 1910 | (aged 43)
Occupation | Inventor |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Vaaler_clip.svg/220px-Vaaler_clip.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Paper_clip_stamp_1999.jpg/190px-Paper_clip_stamp_1999.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/BI-binders.jpg/220px-BI-binders.jpg)
Johan Vaaler (March 15, 1866 – March 14, 1910) was a
Biography
Johan Vaaler was born at
In 1901, Vaaler designed a kind of binding to hold paper together, consisting of a thread of steel wire. He applied for a German patent on November 12 of that year and it was granted on June 6, 1901.[4][5] He also filed an application for a United States patent on January 9, 1901. The U.S. patent was granted on June 4, 1901.[6]
Unknown to Vaaler, a more functional and practical paper clip was already in production by the British Gem Manufacturing Company Ltd, but not yet marketed in Norway. His design was inferior because it lacked the two full loops of the wire. Vaaler probably succeeded in having his design patented abroad, despite the existence of a better product, because patent authorities at that time were quite liberal and rewarded any marginal modification of earlier inventions.[7]
Several types of paper clips had been patented in the United States since 1867,[8] but the "Gem" type was not then (and has never been) patented. As an employee of Bryns patent office in Kristiania, Vaaler was familiar with patent legislation and procedures in Norway. His reasons for applying abroad are unknown, but it is possible that he had an exaggerated confidence in his invention and saw the need to secure the commercial rights internationally. Also, he may have been aware that Norwegian inventors would meet difficulties on the small home market. Quite soon he must have had the disappointment of his life when he was confronted by the "Gem", which was probably introduced in Norway during his own lifetime.[9] He is not known to have tried to contact potential manufacturers in Norway or abroad, and this lack of initiative seems to confirm that he soon learned that a superior clip already existed. His patent was allowed to expire quietly. Meanwhile, the "Gem" conquered the world, including his own country. The Norwegian fish hook manufacturer O. Mustad & Son AS of Gjøvik has produced "Gem"-type paper clips since 1928.[10]
Vaaler's alleged invention of the paper clip became known in Norway after
References
- ^ Holst, W.: "Johan Vaaler", Studentene fra 1887, Kristiania 1912
- ^ Knut A Rosvold. "Johan Vaaler". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Knut A Rosvold. "Alfred Jørgen Bryn". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ DE 121067C, Vaaler, Johan, "Aus Draht hergestellte, büegelföermige Klammer zum Zusammenhalten von Papierblättern u. dgl. [Iron wire eyelet clip for holding together sheets of paper and the like]", published 1901-06-06
- Patentstyret, Oslo 1961, p. 190
- ^ Petroski, Henry: The Evolution of Useful things, New York 1993, p. 61
- ^ Petroski, Henry: "The Evolution of Artifacts", American Scientist, Volume 80, 1992, pp. 416–20
- ^ Early Office Museum web site, unknown author, History of the Apple. Consulted on July 2, 2008.
- ^ No sources confirming this assumption have yet been found, but the "Gem" was known in Sweden early enough to make that word the generic term for any paper clip, and it is likely to have been known in Norway at about the same time.
- ^ "Mustad har laget binders i snart 80 år" Oppland Arbeiderblad April 24, 2007:. Consulted May 9, 2009
- ^ "Binders" in Aschehougs konversasjonsleksikon, Oslo 1974, Vol. 2, p. 695
- ^ "Moncrieff: When paperclips were used to fight the Nazis". Newstalk. February 19, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ISBN 9780299154431.
Literature
- ISBN 0-679-74039-2(Vintage Books, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)
External links
- A History of the Paperclip (writeonoffice.com)