The History of Pocket Protectors

Credit for the pocket protector is generally given to Hurley Smith, who came up with his design while working in Buffalo and patented it in 1947. Fountain pens and ballpoint pens were both known for leaking at the time, so the pocket protector solved a common problem. Smith designed it to protect the shirts not only of engineers, with whom it later became closely associated, but also the garments of factory workers, who frequently had grease on their hands. However, Smith was not the first to have designed a product of this type, but rather, his design was one of the first to closely resemble the modern pocket protector. Smith himself never claimed to have designed the very first pocket protector, but rather “an improved pocket shield, guard, or protector.” In fact, he cited several prior patents in his application, the oldest of which was issued to Allison M. Roscoe of Pennsylvania in 1887 for an improvement in a “pencil-pocket” that was made of rubber and meant not so much to protect garments but to hold pencils securely in place. There was also a 1901 patent belonging to Frank John Atkins for a “pencil holder” as well as a 1903 patent issued to Himan C. Dexter of New York City for a “pocket-protector” that closely resembled modern designs. Additionally, Loren Z. Coolidge of Washington earned a patent in 1914 for his “pocket” designed for carpenters, bridge builders, and mechanics that incorporated metal springs, and Peter Burtchaell of California earned a patent in 1927 for a “garment attachment.” Still, Smith’s design was instrumental in the creation of the pocket protector we are familiar with today. He created prototypes using plastic heated by his wife’s iron and quit his engineering job to open his own plastics business for manufacturing pocket protectors. He soon switched the base material to vinyl and introduced heat-sealed edges. He frequently printed logos onto white pocket protectors, which became particularly popular among engineers in the 1950s and 1960s. Competing manufacturers also contributed to the proliferation of pocket protectors, most notably Gerson Strassberg, an engineer who opened a factory (now known as Erell Manufacturing) for making plastic pocket protectors the same year that Smith’s patent was issued. Over time, the pocket protector evolved and companies began to offer many custom colors in addition to the classic white option, including a clear option. Designs also evolved to include space for an ID or security badge. While pocket protectors are most often associated with engineers and “nerds” of all types, they remain in use today, particularly in STEM fields.