Combined Horse-Detacher and Brake. (open access)

Combined Horse-Detacher and Brake.

Patent for a simple and durable combined horse-detacher and brake that stops the car after releasing the animal. This patent simplifies a previous patent application (Serial No. 565,581). Both the horse-detacher and brake are activated at the same time by pulling one lever. The brake sits under the car and can hardly be seen.
Date: March 31, 1896
Creator: Friedlander, Joseph
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Coupling. (open access)

Car-Coupling.

Patent for a car-coupling that has a draw-bar attached to the car, a hollow draw-head with a flaring opening that sits horizontally to the draw-bar, a spring that holds the draw-head in the horizontal position, a bar that raises and lowers the forward end of the draw-head against the spring, a coupling-pin that sits in the draw-head, a chain that connects the draw-head to the bell-crank lever, a cam that supports the chain, and a device that turns the cam in either direction in order to tighten the chain.
Date: March 31, 1896
Creator: Epps, Charles
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bracket. (open access)

Bracket.

Patent for improvements in brackets that used to support shelf or for other purposes by using a combination of hinged brackets, a longitudinal wire formed with bends to receive the inclined portions of the brackets, and with hooks at its outer ends; this improved brackets “can be folded in close contact with the shelf, so as to occupy little space for shipment or storage.” (Lines 17-19) Illustration is included.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Porter, Charles
System: The Portal to Texas History
Apparatus for Scouring Water-Ways. (open access)

Apparatus for Scouring Water-Ways.

Patent for an improved apparatus for scouring water-ways by using water-discharge pipes and air-discharge pipes arranged at each side of the vessel. When “vessel is slowly moved forward while the water and air forcing pumps are working,..... direct force of the water-jets and air-jets will agitate and scatter and lift the dislodged particles and float them much higher and longer than would be the case were the water-jet pipes alone used.” (Lines 63-75) Illustration is included.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Holden, Elbridge G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Axle. (open access)

Axle.

Patent for improvement in axles by using a “combination of a bar, two skeins and means for holding the skeins in place upon the bar,” (lines 17-18) includes illustration.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Stewart, John A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Printing-Press. (open access)

Printing-Press.

Patent for a printing, ruling, and cutting press of a simple and durable construction. The printing press can print both sides of a sheet of paper and has adjustable guards so that the operator can print any size paper. The machine also provides a "means for regulating the feed of the machine for adapting it to print short or long sections or a newspaper as well as a small tract" (lines 20-22). The machine has two plates opposite each other, the weight of one counterbalances the other so double printing is possible. Any amount of ink can be supplied to the rollers, and adjustable scrapers remove extra ink from the ink drums. The uncut paper can be wound around a device if necessary. A drying-cylinder provides that the printed material has no blurs.
Date: March 31, 1896
Creator: Hallenbeck, Matthew L. W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Tire-Tightener. (open access)

Tire-Tightener.

Patent for improvements in tire tighteners by using wedges with longitudinal ridges, longitudinal tapering ridges or webs, together “with a wheel-rim, clamps arranged in pairs upon each side of the felly-joint, the clamps consisting of plates have a fluted or corrugated inner surface …., the extension of the registering plates being connected by transverse bolts.” (lines 37-45) Illustration is included.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Reeves, Alexander Marion
System: The Portal to Texas History
Piston for Pneumatic Pumps. (open access)

Piston for Pneumatic Pumps.

Patent for improvements in pistons for pneumatic pumps by using a combination of a tubular shell, a cylindrical valve, a conical aperture and a conical projection to fulfill the conditions required of a piston in pumps. Illustration is included.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Robinson, Charles H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fastener for Fish-Plates for Rails. (open access)

Fastener for Fish-Plates for Rails.

Patent for improvements in fasteners for fish-plates for rails by using a combination of fish-plates, washers placed in between the plates and rail, a slotted bolt, a wedge-shaped key with thin bendable portion and a washer on the bolt between the key and fish-plate to “firmly hold the plates in position but will serve to deaden the noise caused by the fractional contact of the parts,” (lines 18-20) includes illustration.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Gary, John S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Rub-Iron for Wagon-Beds. (open access)

Rub-Iron for Wagon-Beds.

Patent for improvements in rub-irons for wagon-beds by “placing a [rub]-roller at the point of the wagon-bed with which the wheels come in contact when the wagon is turned." (Lines 23-25) Illustration is included.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Nelson, George A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Railroad-Track Lifter. (open access)

Railroad-Track Lifter.

Patent for improvement in railroad-track lifters by using “the combination of a base, a upright, a lever and two pawls engaging notches of the upright” (lines 97-99) and “hand mechanism for operating the pawls,” (lines 1-2, p. 2) for easily raising sections of railway-track. Illustration is included.
Date: March 31, 1891
Creator: Brown, Hiram David
System: The Portal to Texas History