{"id":730719,"date":"2026-05-31T23:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T20:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T23:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T20:10:19","slug":"a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/","title":{"rendered":"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4f073b5d5e6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4f073b5d5e6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/#SHARE\" >SHARE<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-box clearfix entry-content\" style=\"max-width:1050px;\">\n                        <input class=\"jpibfi\" type=\"hidden\"><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-627598\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-01.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Back in 1985, an electrical engineer at Polaroid named Bill Freeman had an idea for a three-sided zipper. Not a novelty item, not a quirky art piece, but a genuinely functional fastener capable of switching objects between soft, floppy states and rigid, load-bearing structures. He submitted it to a design competition. They rejected it. He patented it anyway, then tucked the prototype away in his garage, where it sat for nearly four decades. That detail alone should give us pause. How many brilliant ideas are sitting in someone\u2019s garage right now, waiting years for the tools and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> to finally catch up?<\/p>\n<p>Freeman is now an MIT professor, and the researchers at MIT\u2019s Computer <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) finally did what his 1985 judges couldn\u2019t: they took his concept seriously. The result is the Y-Zipper, a 3D-printed, three-sided fastener that can snap a floppy, flexible structure into a rigid, load-bearing beam with one smooth pull. Lead researcher Jiaji Li and the CSAIL team didn\u2019t just rebuild Freeman\u2019s prototype. They built an entire automated design system around it, making the whole process accessible, repeatable, and surprisingly intuitive.<\/p>\n<p>Designer: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.mit.edu\/2026\/three-sided-y-zipper-design-0504\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-627599\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-627599\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-02.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 4px; margin: 18px auto 20px; text-align:center;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7222236028814181\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" type=\"d10e1afa2268266dcaeb0f98-text\/javascript\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- In-Content-Ad-1 --><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"d10e1afa2268266dcaeb0f98-text\/javascript\">\n<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The way it works is genuinely fascinating. The Y-Zipper joins three independent flexible s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s into a triangular, load-bearing rod the moment it\u2019s zipped. Unzip it, and you\u2019re back to soft and pliable. The process is fully reversible, and that matters more than it might initially sound. Prior attempts to create structures with so-called \u201ctunable stiffness\u201d were either difficult to reverse or required a frustrating amount of manual assembly. The Y-Zipper solves both problems at once.<\/p>\n<p>Users can customize their zipper through CSAIL\u2019s software before sending it to a 3D printer. You choose the strip length, the bend angle, and one of four motion configurations: straight, bent like an arch, coiled like a spring, or twisted like a screw. The printer builds the rest entirely on its own. That level of design control, combined with how simple the final action is (just zipping), is the kind of elegant engineering that deserves more attention than it typically gets.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-627601\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-03.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-627601\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-03.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The range of potential <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications is broad enough that it\u2019s hard to pick a favorite. The team has already demonstrated uses in camping gear, medical equipment, robotic limbs, and art installations. But the possibilities they hint at are where it gets genuinely exciting. Imagine a spacecraft with Y-Zipper-equipped tentacles that can flex and lock into position to grab rock samples, or disaster relief workers assembling rigid medical tents in seconds from structures that were flat and portable just moments before. These aren\u2019t far-fetched scenarios; they\u2019re on the CSAIL team\u2019s own radar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-627603\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-04.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-627603\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-04.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 4px; margin: 18px auto 20px; text-align:center;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7222236028814181\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" type=\"d10e1afa2268266dcaeb0f98-text\/javascript\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- In-Content-Ads-2 --><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"d10e1afa2268266dcaeb0f98-text\/javascript\">\n<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It also raises an interesting design question. We tend to think of rigidity and flexibility as fixed properties of a material. You pick one or the other at the manufacturing stage, and that\u2019s what you get. The Y-Zipper challenges that assumption at a very basic level. An object doesn\u2019t have to commit to a single state. It can be soft when you need to fold it, transport it, or store it, and rigid when it needs to perform. That\u2019s not a minor tweak to existing materials science. That\u2019s a fundamentally different way of thinking about how we build things.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-627604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-07.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-627604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-07.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>For now, the Y-Zipper is limited to plastic filaments, and the team openly acknowledges that future versions using metal could unlock even more durability and strength. Scaling up to larger structures is also something they\u2019re working toward. But the fact that a fully functional, customizable version already exists and works is the more significant milestone. The foundation is there.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-627605\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-05.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-627605\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-05.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Credit where it\u2019s due: Freeman deserves the recognition. He saw the potential of a three-sided fastener forty years before anyone had the tools to build it properly. That kind of ahead-of-its-time thinking tends to get dismissed precisely because it can\u2019t be proven yet. The Y-Zipper\u2019s story is, among other things, a quiet argument for why we should be much slower to reject ideas that simply need more time to find their moment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-627606\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-06.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-627606\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It\u2019s Real.\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-06.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"yanko-preferred-source\" style=\"margin: 24px 0 16px; text-align: center;\">\n        <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=yankodesign.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"background:#000;color:#fff;border:none;border-radius:0;padding:12px 20px;font-size:11px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:600;display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;text-decoration:none;cursor:pointer;letter-spacing:0.08em;text-transform:uppercase;transition:background 0.2s\" onmouseover=\"if (!window.__cfRLUnblockHandlers) return false; this.style.background='#1a73e8'\" onmouseout=\"if (!window.__cfRLUnblockHandlers) return false; this.style.background='#000'\" data-cf-modified-d10e1afa2268266dcaeb0f98-=\"\"><br 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none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-telegram\">\n\t\t\t\t<span id=\"sharing-telegram-627597\" hidden>Share on Telegram (Opens in new window)<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Telegram<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"share-threads\">\n\t\t\t\t<span id=\"sharing-threads-627597\" hidden>Share on Threads (Opens in new window)<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Threads<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"share-jetpack-whatsapp\">\n\t\t\t\t<span id=\"sharing-whatsapp-627597\" hidden>Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>WhatsApp<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"share-mastodon\">\n\t\t\t\t<span id=\"sharing-mastodon-627597\" hidden>Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window)<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Mastodon<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"share-bluesky\">\n\t\t\t\t<span id=\"sharing-bluesky-627597\" hidden>Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window)<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Bluesky<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"share-nextdoor\">\n\t\t\t\t<span id=\"sharing-nextdoor-627597\" hidden>Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window)<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span>Nextdoor<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"share-end\"><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 --><\/p>\n<div>\n                                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"vcard author\"><br \/>\n                            <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                                <span>Ida Torres<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/31\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 1985, an electrical engineer at Polaroid named Bill Freeman had an idea for a three-sided zipper. Not a novelty item, not a quirky art piece, but a genuinely functional fastener capable of switching objects between soft, floppy states and rigid, load-bearing structures. He submitted it to a design competition. They rejected it. He&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":730720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/a-zipper-patent-sat-in-a-garage-for-40-years-now-its-real\/y-zipper-01.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[79526,162537],"class_list":["post-730719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-patent","tag-zipper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/730720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}