The U.S. patent number for Davis and Strauss's riveted pants was 139,121.
Tailor Jacob W. Davis developed the idea of reinforcing vulnerable pocket openings and seams with copper rivets after customers complained that their work trousers tore easily. He bought fabric from Levi Strauss & Co., whose founder supplied the financial backing and business partnership Davis needed.
The U.S. patent, titled “Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings,” was issued on May 20, 1873. It covered the rivet-reinforcement method, not every feature of modern jeans. The invention helped create the durable work trousers that later became associated with Levi’s.
A common mix-up is confusing the patent number with 501, which was a product lot number assigned by Levi Strauss & Co. in 1890. The original rivet patent eventually entered the public domain, while the 501 name became one of the company’s best-known products.