KEYRING - Top 4 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About It
The Keyring, as its name suggests, is a ring usually made out of metal that intends to hold your keys together. Today it is very commonly accompanied by a metal, leather, or plastic design that allows you to distinguish your keys from your partners’.
This is Desicons… and today, we’re going to walk you through the top 4 things you should probably know about this circular piece of metal.
#1 - Origins
It all started in 1861... inspired by his father’s pin and tumbler lock inventions, Linus Yale Jr patented a smaller, flat key with serrated edges that would end up changing the landscape of the modern keychain forever.
#2 - Predecessors
With the wide adoption of this type of locks the need to bundle their serrated counterpart keys all together led Herluf Gr. Johnson to patent the first keyring in 1920. His patent covered an invention that was “exceedingly simple to manufacture and absolutely dependable, inasmuch as the keys cannot be unlocked from the ring as long as the same is suspended from a chain or hook.”
#3 - Today’s keyring
Even though we can still see Herluf Gr. Johnson’s keyring around, today’s version of it differs a little bit.
Known as the split ring, today’s keyring version was invented by Samuel Harrison and it tends to be made by a single piece of metal coiled in a 'double loop' form. Its design allows for either end of the loop to be pried open allowing for a key to be inserted and slid along the spiral until it becomes fully engaged onto the ring.
#4 - Sidekicks
However, no keyring is ever completed without a keychain and a key-fob!
Often acting as the bridge between their house keys and their latest traveling memories, keychains allowed people to connect their keys to something more meaningful than just a keyring.
These items and memories are what we call today: key-fobs; and they intend to adorn people’s keys to allow for easy self-identification. Key fobs can vary from product promotions, alarm tokens for homes and vehicles, discount cards, USB flash drives, among others.
Despite being a small overlooked everyday product, keyrings are still sold and omnipresent alongside most of our keys.
From its Origins to its dependable sidekicks, predecessors, and today’s examples; these were the top 4 facts about the Keyring that you were probably not aware of.