Animal-Poke. (open access)

Animal-Poke.

Patent for "a combined animal poke and halter of simple, inexpensive, and efficient construction whereby stock to which the device is applied are prevented from forcing through or throwing their weight against barbed and other wire fences, and also whereby a halter strap or chain may be readily applied thereto to provide for securing the stock in their stalls when stabled." (Lines 8-16) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 6, 1896
Creator: Parker, William H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lawn-Mower Sharpener. (open access)

Lawn-Mower Sharpener.

Patent for a new device that improves lawn mower sharpeners, including illustrations. It is a detachable device that attaches directly to the lawn mower and sharpens the blades while in use.
Date: October 17, 1922
Creator: Lancaster, Edmund Banning
System: The Portal to Texas History
Window Sash And Curtain Operating Mechanism (open access)

Window Sash And Curtain Operating Mechanism

Patent for a window sash and curtain mechanism that works in tandem with electronic security systems. Sash/Curtains can be moved normally, but an alarm can be set to detect when the window itself is tampered with.
Date: October 25, 1917
Creator: Schwarz, Henry W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lint-Cotton Feeder (open access)

Lint-Cotton Feeder

Patent for the collection of cotton, monitoring the amount of cotton lint being received, creating certain actions when those amounts are reached, including detailed instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 20, 1904
Creator: Hague, James Arthur
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wagon-Body (open access)

Wagon-Body

Patent for wagon body which fits on many different types of running bodies, including illustrations.
Date: October 1, 1901
Creator: Winans, Myron L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Vapor Bath Apparatus (open access)

Vapor Bath Apparatus

Patent for a vapor-bath which improves upon the breathing apparatus.
Date: October 15, 1901
Creator: Garrett, Palmyra O.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Strap-Protector and Buckle (open access)

Improvement in Strap-Protector and Buckle

Patent for improvements in strap-protector and buckle for harness in order for it to not become cracked or bent. Provides instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 21, 1879
Creator: Padgitt, Tom
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Plows (open access)

Improvement in Plows

Patent for improvements in the constuction of plows in order to obtain the "best" (line 50) results of "cleanness in furrow, lightness of draft, and facility afforded in constructin the plow" (line 51-52).
Date: October 23, 1879
Creator: Woodward, Lewis E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Hot-Air, Steam, and Water-Gauge. (open access)

Improvement in Hot-Air, Steam, and Water-Gauge.

Patent for improvements in hot air, harmonic steam, and water gauges: "In this invention several tubes pass through the boiler, some under and some above the water, through which currents of air are induced by the heat of the water or steam surrounding them" (lines 8-9).
Date: October 8, 1867
Creator: Walker, James C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lamp Attachment. (open access)

Lamp Attachment.

Patent for a lamp attachment that will decrease the likelihood of a lamp explosion and allow liquids to be heated over the lamp. The attachment has a top plate which prevents insects or other debris from igniting and falling into the lamp chimney, therefore decreasing the potential for a lamp explosion. The attachment also has a perforated cylinder that rests on top of the lamp chimney and can support a vessel for heating liquids.
Date: October 31, 1911
Creator: Lehmann, Hugo
System: The Portal to Texas History
Process of Mounting Pictures. (open access)

Process of Mounting Pictures.

Patent for the process of producing and mounting pictures at the highest quality and the lowest cost to provide "the appearance of the highest art" (lines 16-17).
Date: October 30, 1900
Creator: Cowan, Mark L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nutcracker (open access)

Nutcracker

Patent for Nutcracker
Date: October 17, 1916
Creator: Fort, Foster W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gasoline separator (open access)

Gasoline separator

Patent for Gasoline separator
Date: October 17, 1916
Creator: Cobb, John Olen
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oil Can. (open access)

Oil Can.

Patent for a new and improved oil can. This design is of an oil-can "in which the nozzle remains closed, except when the bottom of the can is pressed, thereby preventing useless waste of oil. To prevent the oil-outlet from being stopped up; to enable the operator to see how much oil is given to each hole, and to facilitate the removal of dirt and grease from the oil-holes before oiling" (lines 8-15).
Date: October 23, 1883
Creator: Campbell, James A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gin-Saw-Filing Machine. (open access)

Gin-Saw-Filing Machine.

Patent for a mechanism to sharpen the blades of a gin saw. Includes illustrations of the device.
Date: October 19, 1897
Creator: Beavers, John M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hand-Planter. (open access)

Hand-Planter.

Patent for a new and useful hand planter, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 11, 1898
Creator: Perry, Timothy B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sofa or Lounge. (open access)

Sofa or Lounge.

Patent for improvements in sofas and similar articles. The improvements have guide-strips on the ends, with blocks that fit over the guide-strips. The upper side has a double set of ratchet-teeth, and they can be used to tighten a woven-wire fabric that sits below the cushions and is held in place by the blocks.
Date: October 13, 1896
Creator: Baucum, Samuel C. & Ball, Aaron T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Drill-Holder. (open access)

Drill-Holder.

Patent for a drill holder that may be adjusted to automatically drill forward when manually rotated.
Date: October 12, 1915
Creator: Lawson, Harry C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Refrigerating-Machine. (open access)

Refrigerating-Machine.

Patent for a refrigerator that operates connected to an ice-making machine
Date: October 7, 1913
Creator: Schrade, John Jacob
System: The Portal to Texas History
Shuttle Operating Mechanism for Looms. (open access)

Shuttle Operating Mechanism for Looms.

Patent for a new and improved shuttle-operator for looms. This design "has for its objects to provide novel, simple, and efficient mechanism for actuating the picking-sticks which effect the flight of the shuttles; to avoid the use of the ordinary lower picker-shaft; to avoid lateral angles in the picking-levers, which actuate the picking-sticks to throw the shuttles, and to otherwise improve the picking motion of looms for obtaining simplicity, strength, durability, power, and efficiency" (lines 8-18).
Date: October 21, 1890
Creator: Fisher, Finis E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fence-Machine (open access)

Fence-Machine

Patent for "a machine of this character which will effectively do its work,which will be of great capacity, easy to manipulate, and positive in its desired operation" (lines 11-14).
Date: October 29, 1889
Creator: Channell, Emmet W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Cotton-Planters. (open access)

Improvement in Cotton-Planters.

Patent for a cotton-planting machine which "consists in a distributing-drum, having seed-openings through it, and inclined distributing-agitators inside of it, said drum being applied to turn in a frame which is pivoted to the beam of a shovel-plow, whereby the roller will accommodate itself to inequalities of surface passed over, and uniformly discharge the seed in the drill-rows, after which a drag or coverer will cover up the seed." (Lines 18-26) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 13, 1874
Creator: Remsen, Byron & Russell, John E. S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Truck (open access)

Truck

Patent for truck, or dolly, used in movement of packages.
Date: October 17, 1916
Creator: Hall, James T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Mattress-Sewing Machine (open access)

Mattress-Sewing Machine

Patent for providing "means whereby the ticking may be held and properly presented to the stitching-machine, and whereby the latter may be fed along the edge of the filled tick and caused to operate thereon. . . [providing] simple means whereby a binding may be laid upon the united edges of the tick by the advance of the sewing-machine as the latter is fed along the edge, said binding being attached by the same stitching which closes the opening in the ticking. . .[and providing] means whereby the raw edges of the ticking may beheld and stretched, and whereby when properly aligned they may also be clamped along their entire extent and held in proper position for stitching (lines 10-29).
Date: October 28, 1890
Creator: Stephenson, Edwin N.
System: The Portal to Texas History