In 1845, Stephen Perry, of the rubber manufacturing company Messers Perry and Co., invented the rubber band to hold papers or envelopes together. On March 17, 1845, Perry patented the rubber band. These first rubber bands were made of vulcanized rubber. The first dishwasher was patented by Joel Houghton in 1850. The first chewing gum was patented by William Finley Semple in 1869. The first cash register was patented by James Ritty in 1879.