Wite-Out
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Wite-Out is a trademark for a line of correction fluid and related products well-known in the United States—so well-known, in fact, that it has evolved into a generic word, white-out or whiteout, synonymous with any make of correction fluid.
Wite-Out dates back to 1966, when George Kloosterhouse, an insurance company clerk, sought to address a problem he observed in correction fluid available at the time: a tendency to smudge ink on photostatic copies when it was applied. Kloosterhouse enlisted the help of his associate Edwin Johanknecht, a basement waterproofer experienced with chemicals, and together they developed their own correction fluid, introduced as "Wite-Out WO-1 Erasing Liquid".
In 1971, they incorporated as Wite-Out Products, Inc. The trademark "Wite-Out" was registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 5, 1974. (The application listed the date of "first use in commerce" as January 27, 1966.)
Early forms of Wite-Out sold through 1981 were water-based, and hence water-soluble. While this made for simple clean-up, it also had the problem of long drying times. The formula also did not work well on non-photostatic media such as typewritten copy.
After the company was bought in 1981 by Archibald Douglas, he led the company as chairman to move to solvent-based formulas that had faster drying times. There were also three different formulas optimized for different media. But there were new problems: a separate bottle of thinner was required, and the solvent used was known to contribute to ozone depletion. The company finally addressed these problems in July 1990 with the introduction of a reformulated "For Everything®" correction fluid.
In June 1992, Wite-Out Products was bought out by the BIC Corporation. BIC released a number of new products under its newly-acquired brand, including a Wite-Out ballpoint pen (November 1996) and dry correction tape (1998).
See also
References
- BIC Corporation. "The History of Wite-Out Brand Correction Products" (2001). http://www.wite-out.com/about/history.html (accessed 7 Mar. 2004).
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Trademark registration number 0978134. http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=login&p_lang=english&p_d=trmk link to "New User Form Search (Basic)", Search Term "wite-out", Submit Query, link to Reg. Number 0978134 (accessed 7 Mar. 2004).