Jay S Derman

Locked Down: How Jay Derman Foiled a Generation of Petty Thieves

Jay S. Derman is the patron saint of making sure your stuff stays exactly where you left it. A relentlessly prolific inventor, Derman spent decades pioneering the physical security mechanisms that tether modern technology to desks worldwide.

His lock-and-key crusade began humbly during the 1970s oil crisis, when the terror of someone siphoning dollar-a-gallon gasoline inspired him to invent custom locking gas caps. Realizing that humans are equally prone to stealing consumer electronics, he spent the subsequent decades patenting elaborate safeguards for car stereos, VCRs, floppy disk drives, and eventual office hardware.

Derman became most famous behind the scenes for designing slot-locking mechanisms foundational to laptop security, famously partnering with industry giants like Kensington and ACCO Brands after pointing out where their blueprints overlapped with his. While opportunistic thieves worldwide likely curse his name, anyone who has ever left a laptop unattended in a coffee shop owes him a quiet debt of gratitude.