Car Coupling. (open access)

Car Coupling.

Patent for a new and improved coupling for railroad cars. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the draw-head provided with the hole through its under side and the vertical guide-grooves in its exterior sides, of the stirrup sliding in said grooves and provided with a tongue at its lower and hooks at its upper parts, and a lifting-device—such as a rod or bar—adapted to engage with the upper part of the stirrup for raising it in the said external guide-grooves and causing the said tongue to raise the coupling-link in the draw-head" (lines 4-14).
Date: January 7, 1890
Creator: Mason, James A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Coupling (open access)

Car-Coupling

Patent for "a new and improved car-coupling which is simple and durable in construction and very effective and automatic in operation" (lines 8-11).
Date: February 11, 1890
Creator: Finley, Robert Lee & Harper, Henry Hughes
System: The Portal to Texas History
Horse Detacher. (open access)

Horse Detacher.

Patent for a new and improved horse-detacher. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the axle, of the arms attached to the front face thereof and inclined downward and toward each other, the spring-actuated pins within said arms, and the cord attached to adjacent ends of the said pins and passed beneath the axle over guide-rollers and connected with a lever pivoted upon the under side of the reach, said lever being arranged to be actuated from the vehicle" (lines 43-52).
Date: March 18, 1890
Creator: Harper, Henry Hughes
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hobby Horse. (open access)

Hobby Horse.

Patent for a new and improved hobby horse. This design "consists in providing a 'hobby-horse' or a 'stick-horse' with a pivoted head, to which is preferably connected a spring, so that the swinging of the head will give the appearance of the horse pulling on the reins held by the operator. The invention comprises a head pivoted at one end, a spring secured thereto and to the horse, and a lip on said head to limit the downward movement thereof" (lines 14-24).
Date: June 17, 1890
Creator: Alexander, Horace C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Millstone Dress. (open access)

Millstone Dress.

Patent for a new and improved millstone-dress. This design is "to provide a millstone-dress having angular furrows intersecting the main furrows of the stone and of gradually increasing depth from their outward extremities to the point where they intersect the main furrows, said angular furrows being oppositely inclined upon the upper and lower stones to form a perfect cutting system, to discharge the grain over the face of the stone and throw it toward the skirt or edge thereof, thereby giving a good draft" (lines 30-41).
Date: June 24, 1890
Creator: Snodgrass, George M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Chopper (open access)

Cotton-Chopper

Patent for "a cotton-cultivator which will chop out the superfluous plants and at the same time work up the soil between the rows of plants, the implement being made to straddle the row and produce a fine tilth on both sides thereof" (lines 15-20).
Date: September 2, 1890
Creator: Smith, Thomas H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow. (open access)

Plow.

Patent for a new and improved plow. This design is "to provide a [sweep-]plow . . . [that] is extremely light in draft, may be run deep or shallow, and will plow or cut its entire width at all times and without turning the ground" (lines 9-14). It consists, "with the plow-standard provided at opposite sides with adjustable brackets, of a triangular-shaped convexed sweep bolted to the brackets and having the angles of its base in the same plane with the apex or point and its rear edge disposed at a right angle to the beam, and opposite triangular wings" (lines 3-10).
Date: November 25, 1890
Creator: Marley, James D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow. (open access)

Plow.

Patent for improved “reversible hillside-plows and enable the plowshare to be rapidly changed from one side of the plow to the other and to move in front of the standard and over the foot of the same and obviate the necessity of lifting the entire plow every time it is desired to change the position of the plowshare" (lines 10-17), includes illustration.
Date: March 10, 1891
Creator: Williams, Irvin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bank-Protector. (open access)

Bank-Protector.

Patent for improvements in bank-protectors by “providing doors, windows, and other openings with suitable metallic shields that may be readily placed in position by a slight movement of the hand or foot of the operator” (lines 19-23), illustration is included.
Date: March 17, 1891
Creator: Saxon, James A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hay-Press. (open access)

Hay-Press.

Patent for improvements in baling-presses and is practically adapted to bale hay, in which “the hay may be held at the rear end of the frame against the pressure of the follower and head-blocks or presser-blocks.” (Lines 17-20) Illustration is included.
Date: August 11, 1891
Creator: Cox, Benjamin G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Marker Attachment for Plows. (open access)

Marker Attachment for Plows.

Patent for an “improved device to be used upon plows, and the objects are to provide means whereby the succeeding row to be plowed may be marked, thereby giving a uniform plowing to the field; furthermore, to provide for an adjustment of the marker, whereby the distance between the rows may be adjusted.” (Lines 8-15) Includes illustration.
Date: August 11, 1891
Creator: Marley, James D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow. (open access)

Plow.

Patent for improvements in plows by using “a double-mold-board plow comprising a plow-point provided with a shank, whose reverse inclines are slightly convex from the upper end of the shank to the plow-point, in combination with two mold-boards that are concavo-convex in cross-section as well as in longitudinal or vertical section” (p. 2, lines 44-50). The described construction of plow would enable the plow to thoroughly broken up the soil. Illustration is included.
Date: September 15, 1891
Creator: Rutherford, John W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Rail-Joint. (open access)

Rail-Joint.

Patent for improvements in rail-joint fastenings by providing “curved fish-plates with bearing-surfaces adapted to receive rubber washers, and the bolt has a slot through which the tapered split key is passed and the thin portion thereof turned up against the bolt to prevent displacement.” (Lines 20-25) Thus it will “securely retain in position, easily removed when desired, and [will] prevent rattling sounds as the cars pass over the rails.” (Lines 16-19) Illustration is included.
Date: October 13, 1891
Creator: Wiley, John Martin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Extension-Ladder. (open access)

Extension-Ladder.

Patent for improvements in extension ladder by using two sliding ladder sections, "these two sections can be secured by a windlass and a hook detachably bolted to the upper rung of the upper section." (Lines 38-40, p.3) Illustration is included.
Date: November 3, 1891
Creator: Crews, Dayton H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bank-Protector. (open access)

Bank-Protector.

Patent for a bank-protector that consists of vertically moving shields arranged just within the cashier's and teller's windows and the outer door of the bank, and a mechanism that allows the cashier to drop the shields and sound an alarm. Illustrations included.
Date: November 17, 1891
Creator: Saxon, James A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ant Trap. (open access)

Ant Trap.

Patent for a new and improved ant trap. This design "compris[es] the sides adapted to encompass an anthill and composed of a bottom, inclined walls, and horizontal top portions, having depending inclined flanges, one of the sides having an opening in its bottom and provided with ways arranged on opposite sides of the opening, a removable receptacle provided with flanges arranged in said ways and having inwardly-inclined walls, and a discharge-tube arranged at one corner of the trap" (lines 77-87).
Date: May 3, 1892
Creator: Royse, John
System: The Portal to Texas History
Extension-Ladder. (open access)

Extension-Ladder.

Patent for a new extension ladder, including illustrations.
Date: May 31, 1892
Creator: Crews, Dayton H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Coupling (open access)

Car-Coupling

Patent for improvements to railroad car couplings granted to Conrad H. Carpenter. Improvements simplify the coupling construction and allow the cars to be couples automatically.
Date: December 27, 1892
Creator: Carpenter, Conrad H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for an improved and simple churn that works easily and quickly. It "is adapted to permit of the simultaneous securing and retention of the cream vessel or receptacle in position in its journaling or carrying frame, as well as the cover upon said vessel, and to provide for the ready removal of said vessel or receptacle and its said cover preparatory to removing the contents of the vessel or the cleaning thereof" (lines 18-25).
Date: February 14, 1893
Creator: Alexander, Horace C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for a simple and inexpensive churn that works efficiently and does not take up much space. It consists of a solid upper portion, a lower portion, a horizontal bar that connects the two, a bracing frame, a shaft, bearings, a band wheel attached to the shaft, an adjustable drive wheel, a crank wheel, and a dasher.
Date: March 21, 1893
Creator: Gibson, Wyatt
System: The Portal to Texas History
Coffee-Pot. (open access)

Coffee-Pot.

Patent for a coffee pot that has "a movable handle whereby the same may be placed on the opposite side of the pot from the spout or to one side thereof as may be preferred" (lines 18-21). It also has an acting slide or valve that keeps the spout closed when liquids are not being poured out of it.
Date: April 18, 1893
Creator: Cummings, James K.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Copy-Holder. (open access)

Copy-Holder.

Patent for a copy-holder that is "especially designed for type-writing machines, of any of the prevalent forms, and it has for its object to facilitate the holding of the copy; also to aid the reader or operator to readily retain his "place," in reading the copy line by line, in the usual way, to insure accuracy in copying the same; also to provide for its adaptation to the machine, irrespective of the size of the latter" (lines 16-24).
Date: November 14, 1893
Creator: Bramlette, William A. & Evans, William H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting-Frame. (open access)

Quilting-Frame.

Patent for a quilting frame that has "a novel means of supporting and tilting the track, and also other features" (lines 15-16). The frame is suspended in a track, and the track can be tilted so the frame can run in bot directions on the track.
Date: March 13, 1894
Creator: Banker, John P.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Design for a Fire-Screen (open access)

Design for a Fire-Screen

Design patent for a fire-screen that has vertical bars decorated with balls or spherical ornaments.
Date: June 5, 1894
Creator: Gist, John A. L.
System: The Portal to Texas History