Car Coupling. (open access)

Car Coupling.

Patent for a new and improved coupling for railroad cars. This design "relates to an improvement in car-couplings, and has for its object to provide a coupling by means of which the link will be held up and guided into the draw-head, and the coupling-pin held in position to be coupled and automatically thrown into engagement with the link" (lines 7-13).
Date: June 5, 1888
Creator: Rutledge, William O.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Marking Brush. (open access)

Cotton Marking Brush.

Patent for a new and improved cotton-marking brush. This design has for one of its objects "is to construct a brush that will permit the trimming down of the bristles at an angle without injuring or damaging the brush. . . . In marking cotton-bales and the like a brush with an inclined edge is desirable" (lines 16-21).
Date: February 5, 1884
Creator: Pfeifer, Gustav
System: The Portal to Texas History
Whiffletree. (open access)

Whiffletree.

Patent for a new and improved whiffletree. This design utilizes a removable eye and removable rings, so "when [they have] become worn [they] may be removed and [others] substituted, thus prolonging the usefulness of the single tree for years" (lines 48-51).
Date: October 5, 1880
Creator: Miller, Rudolph A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car Window Lock. (open access)

Car Window Lock.

Patent for a new and improved car-window lock. This design consists in "the sliding crank-shaped spring-actuated bolt for locking the window, in combination with the oscillating cam acting upon the bolt to unlock it, said cam having a lateral arm with a spring-guide hinged thereto, a spring surrounding the guide, and means for swinging the cam and thus retracting the bolt" (lines 21-27).
Date: October 5, 1886
Creator: Cutter, Martin A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Refrigerating Machine. (open access)

Refrigerating Machine.

Patent for improvement of refrigerating machines with detachable top and hinged sides with refrigerant pipes extending longitudinally. Accompanied by illustrations.
Date: February 5, 1884
Creator: Lee, Charles B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Poultry Coop. (open access)

Poultry Coop.

Patent for a new and improved poultry coop. This design's "interior . . . has a vertical central partition between which and the ends of the coop are vertical transverse partitions and vertical longitudinal partitions, which preferably consist of strips . . . forming compartments, each of a sufficient size to contain a given number of a given kind of poultry . . . as the coop is divided off into compartments the poultry can with great ease be examined as to condition, and not being in large mass, but being separated into small numbers, they are kept in a better state of preservation and health" (lines 25-44).
Date: February 5, 1884
Creator: Bleike, William T., Jr.
System: The Portal to Texas History