Brace for Back and Legs. (open access)

Brace for Back and Legs.

Patent for a new and improved back and leg brace. This design consists in "the combination of the belt, the straps secured to the belt, [other] straps secured to the [same] belt and extending downward V-shaped, the links at the lower ends of the straps, the [other] strap, the pads attached to the lower ends of the straps, and the necessary buckles to secure and adjust the device to the body of the wearer" (lines 54-62).
Date: April 9, 1889
Creator: Smith, Joseph Henry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling-Press (open access)

Baling-Press

Patent for improvements in construction of cotton baling-presses.
Date: August 29, 1882
Creator: Robburts, George W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling Press. (open access)

Baling Press.

Patent for a new and improved baling-press. This design consists in "[t]he combination of the frame or support, the lever-arms, the winch and the ropes connecting the said arms thereto, the follower, the toggle-jointed levers connecting the said follower with the frame, and the rods connecting the joints of the said levers to the lever-arms, with the follower and the fulcrumed levers, having their inner ends connected to the follower and their outer ends connected to [a different] follower whereby the said followers move simultaneously when the winch is turned" (lines 83-94).
Date: March 30, 1886
Creator: Robburts, George W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Boot Cleaner. (open access)

Boot Cleaner.

Patent for a new and improved boot cleaner. This design "affords facilities for readily and conveniently scraping all parts of the boot or shoe. The heel is scraped on [a] semicircular portion located at the top of the arch, the sides of the sole by the arms, the upper hollow of the foot by the projections, [and] the toe by the lower side of the arch or bow" (lines 38-45).
Date: May 25, 1886
Creator: Scovel, Purley A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cultivator. (open access)

Cultivator.

Patent for a new and improved cultivator. This design consists in "[t]he combination of the beam, the clamping-bars secured to the under side of the beam and arranged at an angle thereto, the teeth clamped by and between said bars, the hangers having their upper ends provided with a vertical series of openings, the securing-bolts passed through said openings in the ends of the clamping bars, and the scraper having a horizontal series of openings in each end, and the securing-bolts passed through said openings in the lower ends of the hangers" (lines 29-39).
Date: June 4, 1889
Creator: Ruddell, Charles Henry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Carrier. (open access)

Cotton Carrier.

Patent for a new and improved cotton-carrier. This design consists in "the bottom having the ridged portion and the oppositely-inclined portions, said bottom being provided with a hook in front, the upright post in front for holding the lines, the posts upon the sides near the front, to which the mouth of the bag is secured to be held open, and the upright posts on the sides in the rear of the posts for holding the bags when filled" (lines 78-85).
Date: June 11, 1889
Creator: Smith, Robert Toumbleson
System: The Portal to Texas History
Document-File. (open access)

Document-File.

Patent for a simple, inexpensive self-adjusting file mounted on a revoluble base allowing the operator to successively access the several sub-divisions including illustrations.
Date: August 20, 1889
Creator: Rich, Robert S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Brake. (open access)

Car-Brake.

Patent for a new and more effective brake for trains, with illustrations.
Date: November 27, 1887
Creator: Stovall, John D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Chopper. (open access)

Cotton Chopper.

Patent for a new and improved cotton chopper. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the frame and the operating-gearing, of the vertical shaft, supported by the frame and acted on by the operating-gearing, the horizontal plate rigidly secured to the lower end of the shaft and provided with radial grooves, and slots in said grooves, the feet having their upper ends bent at right angles, fitted in said grooves and adjustably secured therein by bolts passing through the radial slots, the lower ends of the feet carrying choppers" (lines 39-49).
Date: October 25, 1887
Creator: Ballard, John J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Seed Dropper. (open access)

Cotton Seed Dropper.

Patent for a new and improved planter. This design consists in "the frame, the roller journaled in the rear side thereof and having the crank, the seed-spout, the supporting bars on opposite sides of the frame, the rigid shaft connecting the said bars, the seed-disk rigidly secured to the said shaft and having the curved fingers or teeth, the hopper journaled on the shaft and adapted to oscillate thereon, the said hopper having the discharge-opening in its lower side, through which the lower edge of the seed-disk connects, and the pitman connecting the crank with the hopper" (lines 26-37).
Date: October 25, 1887
Creator: Ballard, John J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Adjustable Book Support. (open access)

Adjustable Book Support.

Patent for a new and improved book rest. This design consists "of an upright pivoted in a support or base, a sliding lower supporting cross-bar, an upper sliding supporting-bar, both bars having sockets upon their rear sides sliding upon the upright and provided with set-screws, and leaf-clamps consisting of a piece of spring doubled at one end to form slides sliding upon the arms of the upper cross-bar, forming curved yielding portions, forming transverse eyes at the other ends, having flat blocks hinged at the said eyes, and provided with thumb-pieces" (lines 72-83).
Date: November 25, 1884
Creator: Johnson, William Oscar
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for a new and improved churn. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with a suitable frame having a fly-wheel mounted in bearings thereof, and a wrist-pin on said fly-wheel, of the lever pivoted to the frame at one end" (lines 95-98). Further, it consists in "carrying a pivoted dasher at its other end, said lever having a slot or opening to receive the wrist-pin, a crank-arm, a treadle pivoted to the frame at one end, and carrying a handle at its other end, and a rod connecting the treadle and crank-arm" (lines 1-6).
Date: May 5, 1885
Creator: Rogers, William Joseph
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling Press. (open access)

Baling Press.

Patent for a new and improved baling press. This design consists in "the combination of sill having uprights or fulcrums, levers mounted upon the latter, a follow-block connected to the inner ends of said levers by loose joints, a vertically-sliding follower, rods connecting the outer ends of said follower with the outer ends of the levers, and mechanism for operating the follower . . . the follower moving vertically above the sill, levers pivoted to uprights or fulcrums upon the sill, and having inner beveled ends, a follow-block loosely jointed between the inner ends of said levers" (lines 64-77).
Date: February 5, 1884
Creator: Robburts, George W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Horseshoe. (open access)

Horseshoe.

Patent for a new and improved horseshoe. This design "consists in a horseshoe constructed with a base made in two parts, hinged together at their forward ends, and having a cap, also made in two parts, attached to the base, the parts of the cap being provided at their upper forward corners with eyes and a fastening staple, and the hinged parts of the base being locked in place by a screw-rod passing through the hinged end of the base, whereby the shoe can be readily applied and detached, and will be securely held in place" (lines 22-33).
Date: November 21, 1882
Creator: Fenley, George Washington, Sr.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Chopper. (open access)

Cotton Chopper.

Patent for a new and improved cotton chopper. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the hoe, of a standard, fulcrumed to a hinged adjustable bar, and connected by mechanism[s] with the ground-wheel" (lines 77-80).
Date: December 5, 1882
Creator: Collins, Laura Ann & Graham, William G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination-Wrench. (open access)

Combination-Wrench.

Patent for a combination wrench that combines a sliding-jaw wrench with a tallow box, hammer, nail claw, horseshoe-pick, plow-paddle, and screwdriver.
Date: December 1, 1885
Creator: McKenzie, Winfield S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Chopper. (open access)

Cotton Chopper.

Patent for a new and improved cotton chopper. This design has an axle "provided with holes, so that the choppers or cultivators may be adjusted thereon to bring them nearer together or place them farther apart, as may be desired, to change the implement from a chopper to a marker or cultivator" (lines 30-35).
Date: April 26, 1881
Creator: Lindsey, James E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Drawer of Furniture, Store Fixture, &c. (open access)

Drawer of Furniture, Store Fixture, &c.

Patent for a new and improved chest of drawers. This design "consists, first, in a drawer applied upon side cleats or ledges, grooved longitudinally with the movement of the drawer, and having balls placed in such grooves in such a manner that they are kept separated and are free to roll or move longitudinally, and that they serve as bearings for the drawer, while they keep it from frictional contact with the cleats . . . second, in a novel mode of construction of cleats" (para. 1).
Date: June 7, 1881
Creator: Johnson, William H. & Whomes, Joseph
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fertilizer Distributer. (open access)

Fertilizer Distributer.

Patent for an improved fertilizer distributor to be attached to the farm wagon. Accompanied with illustrations.
Date: August 24, 1886
Creator: Hurley, William G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Coupling (open access)

Car-Coupling

Patent for "...certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings..." (lines 4-5) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 12, 1886
Creator: Mitchell, William A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Vehicle. (open access)

Vehicle.

Patent for a new and improved horse carriage. This design calls for "the rider [to] press the treadles so as to hold the wheels in contact with the ground. When sufficient speed has been acquired the treadles are released, and the springs will then raise the wheels from contact with the ground, and the momentum will then be sufficient to keep the wheel erect. Should it be inclined to tilt, it may easily be righted by pressing either treadle so as to throw the wheel on the tilting side in contact with the ground" (lines 61-74).
Date: July 10, 1883
Creator: Smith, James Franklin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Violin Tail Piece. (open access)

Violin Tail Piece.

Patent for a new and improved tail piece for violins. This design "has for its object to raise or lower the pitch of the strings simultaneously, when required" (lines 10-12).
Date: June 10, 1884
Creator: Smith, John J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Water Elevator. (open access)

Water Elevator.

Patent for a new and improved water elevator. This design "relates to improvements in water-elevators in which water is made to perform the operations heretofore performed by steam; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts . . . whereby the rarefaction of heated air is employed to raise or set in motion a continuous stream of water" (lines 14-21).
Date: January 25, 1881
Creator: Smith, William A. & Smith, Robert T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Machine for Cutting Basket Splints. (open access)

Machine for Cutting Basket Splints.

Patent for a new machine for cutting basket splints. This design is for a large ring with grooves of varying depths to receive pieces of timber, whereupon a horse pulls a knife-tipped sweep along the perimeter of the ring, gradually turning the timber into splints for baskets. The machine can be conveniently disassembled and stored when not in use, and it is simple and easy enough for a unskilled laborer to assemble.
Date: March 29, 1881
Creator: Crow, Thomas
System: The Portal to Texas History