Rolodex

A Rolodex file used in the 1970s.

A Rolodex is a rotating file device used to store business contact information (the name is a portmanteau word of rolling and index) currently manufactured by Newell Rubbermaid. The Rolodex holds specially shaped index cards; the user writes the contact information for one person or company on each card. Many users avoid the effort of writing by taping the contact's business card directly to the Rolodex index card. Some companies have produced business cards in the shape of Rolodex cards, as a marketing idea.

The Rolodex, invented in 1956 ^[1] and marketed in 1958 ^[2], was an improvement to an earlier design called Wheeldex. Arnold Neustadter's business Zephyr American invented, manufactured and sold Autodex, a phone directory book that automatically opened to the right letter, Swivodex, an inkwell that did not spill, Punchodex, a paper hole puncher, and Clipodex, a stenographer's aid that attached to the knee ^[3]. Memex, a sort of conceptual precursor to hypertext, borrowed the ex suffix.

Rolodexes are still common, despite many computer applications that perform the same function.

The name rolodex has become somewhat genericized for any personal organizer performing this function.

Gallery

An electronic portable generic Rolodex that uses keys instead of a turnable mechanism

See also

• Address book
• Contact list
• Microsoft Cardfile

References

External links

• Official site

This product article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e