Apparatus for Killing Rodents (open access)

Apparatus for Killing Rodents

Patent for an apparatus for killing rodents "that may be used effectively for the destruction of all animals that burrow in the ground; and it consists in a furnace for the generation of sulphurous odors or other suffocating gases and a pump for forcing the gases into the burrows of the animals . . . ."
Date: August 22, 1882
Creator: Palmer, Austin D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Grain Measure and Tally. (open access)

Grain Measure and Tally.

Patent for improving the measurement of grain.
Date: August 7, 1888
Creator: Holland, John Newton
System: The Portal to Texas History
Corn-Planter. (open access)

Corn-Planter.

Patent for a cotton or corn planter with detachable parts.
Date: August 2, 1887
Creator: Yarborough, William O.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Air Compressor for Deep Well Pumps. (open access)

Air Compressor for Deep Well Pumps.

Patent for a new and improved air-compressor. This design "relates to improvements in air-compressing mechanism for the purpose of pumping for forcing from deep wells and performing similar work; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of a larger and smaller air-cylinder, and the combination therewith of mechanism to force the air from the larger into the smaller cylinder to increase the air-pressure in the latter" (lines 22-30).
Date: August 2, 1887
Creator: Adams, John R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Composition To Be Used As A Non-Conductor Of Heat And For Other Purposes. (open access)

Composition To Be Used As A Non-Conductor Of Heat And For Other Purposes.

Patent for a non-conducting material designed to prevent heat loss from radiation, prevent damage from frost, for fire-proofing, and for "the deafening of floors and partitions" (lines 21-22). Ingredients and proportions are listed.
Date: August 30, 1887
Creator: Clayton, Nicholas Joseph.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Satchel and Pillow. (open access)

Combined Satchel and Pillow.

Patent for a new and improved combined satchel and pillow. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with a valise or satchel, of an airbag permanently incorporated in the same to form one of the sides thereof, and having a mouthpiece upon the exterior of the valise, whereby the bag may be inflated without opening the valise" (lines 62-67).
Date: August 19, 1884
Creator: Kiam, Benjamin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bale Tie. (open access)

Bale Tie.

Patent for a new and improved tie for bales. This design calls for one long, flat piece of scrap metal to be folded over on itself twice so that there are four layers of metal as well as a loop (or "rib") on either end. Then, a hole should be cut through all four layers with a tapered opening through the edge; this design is cheaper and more durable than previous bale ties.
Date: August 24, 1880
Creator: Riesel, Henry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Apparatus for Destroying Insects. (open access)

Apparatus for Destroying Insects.

Patent for a new and improved apparatus for killing ants. This design "consist[s] of frame, levers, pivoted arms, piston-rod, piston provided with valves and openings, air-tight iron chamber having opening pipe, furnace provided with double lid, lugs, pipe, clamp, and wedge . . . whereby the flame as well as the poisonous vapors are injected into the insect chambers" (lines 50-58).
Date: August 2, 1881
Creator: Gray, Hiram Balderston
System: The Portal to Texas History
Appliance for Training Horses. (open access)

Appliance for Training Horses.

Patent for a new and improved appliance for training horses. This design "consists, essentially, in a leg-halter composed of chains or ropes connected by a common ring, or otherwise, and connected with gyves or shackles to encircle the pastern of each leg, a yoke or frame placed upon the withers, or forward or back thereof, and provided with a clamp, and a band passing through the clamp and down to one of the shackles, or to the horse's leg, the other end being carried to a convenient point to be passed by the trainer or attendant" (lines 9-20).
Date: August 10, 1886
Creator: Dodge, Israel Alexander
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire Tightener and Splicer (open access)

Wire Tightener and Splicer

Patent for "a device adapted to be used in tightening and splicing the wires of wire fences, which can be manufactured at a very small cost and sold at about five cents each" (lines 12-16).
Date: August 20, 1889
Creator: Taylor, Shapley P. Ross; Sharman, William T. & Jamison, Joseph L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wagon Brake (open access)

Wagon Brake

Patent for an improvement in wagon brakes
Date: August 2, 1887
Creator: Templeton, Absalom
System: The Portal to Texas History
Vehicle Top. (open access)

Vehicle Top.

Patent for a new and improved vehicle roof. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the rabbeted vehicle-top-supporting bows, of strips mounted in said rabbets and provided with overlapping upper ends, curtain-supporting frames, and clips carried by said frames and arranged to engage the overlapping strips" (lines 92-97).
Date: August 2, 1887
Creator: McCurdy, Thomas B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lock. (open access)

Lock.

Patent for a new and improved lock that which "provide a lock for doors, safes, drawers, and the like, the bolt of which is adapted to be unlocked from he outsides by means of a combination, and while being release will instantly ring the door-bell by means of connecting wires, and which, when operated from the inside, can be opened without giving the signal on the bell, and in either operation the parts of the lock will automatically return to their position and lock the bot in the striker-plate unless otherwise adjusted" (lines 14-25)
Date: August 30, 1887
Creator: Rau, Louis Carl
System: The Portal to Texas History
Washing Machine. (open access)

Washing Machine.

Patent for a new and improved washing machine. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the supporting stand and the suds-box, of the cleats at the upper end of said box and formed with openings, the blocks pivotally secured to said stand and provided at one end with the thumb-screw, and the springs secured at their lower ends in said blocks and their upper ends working loosely in the openings in the cleats" (lines 24-31).
Date: August 7, 1888
Creator: Neal, Stephen N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Kitchen Table and Cabinet. (open access)

Kitchen Table and Cabinet.

Patent for a combined table and cabinet for use in the kitchen, intended to aid "invalids or weak persons to accomplish considerable work without inconvenience or fatigue" (lines 11-13).
Date: August 14, 1888
Creator: Brack, Mary S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Insecticide (open access)

Insecticide

Patent for "a compound or composition for the extermination of ants, moles, salamanders, prairie-dogs, large rats, &c." (lines 11-13).
Date: August 21, 1888
Creator: Simpson, James Thomas
System: The Portal to Texas History
Valve. (open access)

Valve.

Patent for a new and improved valve. This design consists in "[t]he improved valve comprising the casing, having a horizontal passage reduced at its central point . . . and a vertical bore intersecting said reduced portion above the point of intersection to its lower end and being screw-threaded its entire length, a stem having a tapered lower portion, the entire stem being screw-threaded to engage the threads in the bore, and a plug removably inserted in the lower end of the bore" (lines 1-11).
Date: August 13, 1889
Creator: Forniraseo, Domenico
System: The Portal to Texas History
Insecticide. (open access)

Insecticide.

Patent for a compound to kill insects, formula and instruction on how to mix the ingredients are included. No illustration.
Date: August 27, 1889
Creator: Smith, Byrd
System: The Portal to Texas History
Turbine Wheel. (open access)

Turbine Wheel.

Patent for a new and improved turbine wheel. This design eliminates water friction and alleviates pressure on suspended buckets, causing them to last longer.
Date: August 17, 1880
Creator: Hallenbeck, Matthew L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wagon-Body Lifter (open access)

Wagon-Body Lifter

New and useful improvements in Wagon-Body lifters. Furnish a wagon-body lifter simple in structure, efficient in its operation and durable.
Date: August 24, 1880
Creator: Morris, John P.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Landside for Plows. (open access)

Landside for Plows.

Patent for a new and improved plow landside. This design "consists in a landside for plows made with a slotted flange to rest upon the forward side of the plow-standard, and a flange to rest upon the bottom of the furrow, whereby the plow will be made stronger, more durable, and more effective, and will be made to run steadier . . . The object of this invention is to increase the strength and durability of plow-plates, and obtain the efficiency and steadiness of ordinary turn-plows without their weight" (lines 21-31).
Date: August 21, 1883
Creator: Wherry, William B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Valve Gear. (open access)

Valve Gear.

Patent for a new and improved valve-gear. This design "relates to improvements in mechanical movements adapted especially to the valve-gear of steam-engines, and is designed to produce a device having a reciprocatory movement having intermediate impulses" (lines 9-14).
Date: August 18, 1885
Creator: Pinkham, Delmar D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wagon Brake. (open access)

Wagon Brake.

Patent for a new and improved wagon brake. This design consists "[i]n a wagon-brake, the combination of the lever, provided with a pawl having the heel, the ratchet-wheel, and the catch, having the projecting portion . . . [and] a break-lever provided with a brake-lock, the ratchet-wheel, [and] barrel connected to the cord by a brake-lever (lines 92-100).
Date: August 25, 1885
Creator: Barmore, Albert King
System: The Portal to Texas History
Machine for Filing Gin Saws. (open access)

Machine for Filing Gin Saws.

Patent for a new and improved machine to sharpen the teeth of cotton gin saws. This design utilizes two bevel-faced wheels connected to a block between two arms that clamp the saw blade. The bevel-faced wheels sharpen the teeth of the blade, and the nuts and bolts of the frame allow for movement as well as tightening and loosening.
Date: August 17, 1880
Creator: McAllister, Alexander F.
System: The Portal to Texas History