Many people believe that Levi Strauss invented the first jeans, but that is not true. The real inventor jeans was Jacob Davis, who was listed as the single inventor in the Levi Strauss’s patent.
Invention
Jacob Davis (born as Jacob Youphes) was a Latvian-Jewish born American tailor, who had not enough money to file a patent application for his invention, riveted pants (jeans). Therefore, he had been searching for an investor and business partner. Fortunately, Levi Strauss agreed to be Davis’s business partner, and Davis filed his patent application for “Improvement in fastening pocket-openings” on 09.08.1872. The patent application was initially rejected. However, after several amendments, the patent was granted as US Patent № 139,121 on 20.05.1873. Davis assigned his patent rights to himself and to Levi Strauss’s company, Levi Strauss & Co. Later in 1875, the patent was reissued with a broader claim as US Reissue Patent № 6,335, entitled “Improvement in pantaloons”. Moreover, the Davis’s invention was also patented as Canadian Patent № 3,361.
Patent Documents
Pocket Fastening
| Country | Kind | № | Published | Filed | Priority | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | Patent | 139121 | 20.05.1873 | 09.08.1872 | ||
| US | Reissue Patent | RE6335 | 16.03.1875 | 27.02.1875 | 09.08.1872 USb | |
| CA | Patent | 3361 | 27.04.1874 | 06.04.1874 |
Endnotes
- Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration (US). National Archives Identifier: 5928292.
- The filing dade of the related US patent.