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
Tree-Protector. (open access)

Tree-Protector.

Patent for "wire fenders or protectors for trees, [the] purpose being to provide a simple and inexpensive guard capable of being readily applied to trees of any size and having such construction that it shall be held by its own elasticity at such a distance from the trunk that rabbits or other rodents shall not be able to gnaw the bark, and the fender shall not chafe or wear the tree by continued use." (Lines 8-17) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: April 7, 1896
Creator: Smith, John Dawson
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
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
Driving Mechanism For Gins. (open access)

Driving Mechanism For Gins.

Patent for a new and improved driving mechanism for gins, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 10, 1899
Creator: Brown, Colber W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Seed-Planter. (open access)

Seed-Planter.

Patent for a seed planter which utilizes a dropping-wheel that has pockets. Plungers take in and release a certain number of seeds into the pockets.
Date: May 11, 1897
Creator: Pace, Francis W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sliding Gate. (open access)

Sliding Gate.

Patent for sliding gates "which will open automatically and close in a like manner after a person, team, or the like has passed through it. A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the gate will be prevented from being accidentally opened by stock." (Lines 12-18) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 26, 1896
Creator: Moss, John O.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Telephone-Transmitter. (open access)

Telephone-Transmitter.

Patent for a telephone-transmitter "with a diaphragm and carbon button carried thereby, of a spring-supported flaring conical carbon-cell provided with a flange covered with soft material and resting on the carbon button carried by the diaphragm, the carbon-cell being filled with granulated carbon resting in contact with the carbon button" (lines 13-19). This is meant to optimize the volume of sound being transmitted.
Date: October 20, 1896
Creator: Alexander, Horace C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Telephone-Transmitter. (open access)

Telephone-Transmitter.

Patent for a granulated-electrode phone transmitter that is designed to be simple and "constructed so that the granulated-electrode cannot become displaced from the cell" (lines 10-12).
Date: May 11, 1897
Creator: Alexander, Horace C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Telephone-Transmitter. (open access)

Telephone-Transmitter.

Patent for "a simple transmitter in which the greatest volume of sound may be transmitted without causing grating or rattling." (Lines 8-11) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: June 15, 1897
Creator: Alexander, Horace C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Foldable Crate or Coop. (open access)

Foldable Crate or Coop.

Patent for a new and useful fordable crate or coop, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: December 27, 1898
Creator: Moss, John O.
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
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
Saw Gummer or Sharpener. (open access)

Saw Gummer or Sharpener.

Patent for an apparatus "which may be easily applied to a gang of gin saws, which is arranged in such a manner that the grinder may be quickly and nicely adjusted so as to properly fit the teeth of the saws and to enter between them to any desired distance, also to provide a simple and efficient feed mechanism which moves the saws tooth by tooth as they are ground, to provide a simple means of regulating the pitch of the grinder, and in general to produce a machine which enables the saws to be rapidly and nicely ground so as to leave the teeth their full, original length and openness." (Lines 13-25) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: November 13, 1894
Creator: Oglesby, Jerrold E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Revolving Cabinet. (open access)

Revolving Cabinet.

Patent for a revolving cabinet that "shall constitute a counter or a part of the same, or that may be used as a kitchen-table, and at the same time serve as a convenient receptacle for the safe storage of general articles of merchandise and household supplies, which shall be maintained in a clean and fresh condition and be easy to access" (lines 12-19). There is an opening on the counter to access the trapezoidal trays that can rotate underneath.
Date: September 26, 1896
Creator: Smith, John D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow. (open access)

Plow.

Patent for a new and useful plow, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 31, 1898
Creator: Ward, William H.
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
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
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
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
Quilting-Frame. (open access)

Quilting-Frame.

Patent for a quilting-frame that holds "the quilt in position to be sewed with an ordinary sewing machine" (lines 13-14). The frame has rollers on it.
Date: November 20, 1894
Creator: Broadfoot, Thomas W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Non-Refillable Bottle. (open access)

Non-Refillable Bottle.

Patent for non-refillable bottles "which in order to obtain access to its contents will have to be sufficiently mutilated or altered in appearance so that it cannot be again used as an original package for the fraudulent sale of an imitation liquid." (Line 13-17) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 4, 1897
Creator: Clinton, John S.
System: The Portal to Texas History