Rubber band

This article is about the common household item. For other uses, see Rubber band (disambiguation).
"Elastic band" redirects here. For the band and orchestra, see The Elastic Band. For the first aid bandage, see Elastic bandage.
Standard amber rubber bands

A rubber band (also known as an elastic, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845, by Stephen Perry.[1][2][3] Most rubber bands are manufactured out of natural rubber as well as for latex free rubber bands or, especially at larger sizes, an elastomer, and are sold in a variety of sizes.

Notable developments in the evolution of rubber bands began in 1923 when William H. Spencer obtained a few Goodyear inner tubes and cut the bands by hand in his basement, where he founded Alliance Rubber Company. Spencer persuaded the Akron Beacon Journal as well as the Tulsa World to try wrapping their newspapers with one of his rubber bands to prevent them from blowing across lawns. He went on to pioneer other new markets for rubber bands such as: agricultural and industrial applications and a myriad of other uses. Spencer obtained a patent on February 19, 1957, for a new "Method for Making Elastic Bands" which produced rubber bands in an Open Ring design.[4]

  1. ^ Loadman, John; James, Francis (2009), The Hancocks of Marlborough: Rubber, Art and the Industrial Revolution – A Family of Inventive Genius, OUP Oxford, p. 89, ISBN 978-0-19-957355-4, archived from the original on 2017-12-12
  2. ^ "March 17 – Today in Science History – Scientists born on March 17th, died, and events". todayinsci.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-28.
  3. ^ British Patent 13880/1845, "Specification of the Patent granted to Stephen Perry, of Woodland's-place, St. John's-wood, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and Thomas Barnabas Daft, of Birmingham, Manufacturer, for Improvements in Springs to be applied to Girths, Belts, and Bandages, and Improvements in the Manufacture of Elastic Bands. — Sealed March 17, 1845", "Elastic Bands - 1845 Patent". Archived from the original on 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  4. ^ "Method for Making Elastic Bands". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved July 13, 2020.