Apparatus for Bleaching Seed-Cotton (open access)

Apparatus for Bleaching Seed-Cotton

Patent for a machine for bleaching seed cotton before it ginned.
Date: April 14, 1908
Creator: Brennan, John B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Compound Railway-Rail (open access)

Compound Railway-Rail

Patent for a compound railway-rail. This invention is a solid open jointed rail whereby two longitudinal section may be brought together without creating open joints. Illustration included.
Date: April 23, 1907
Creator: Stephens, George B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Chopper. (open access)

Cotton-Chopper.

Patent for a cotton chopper with an adjustable swinging arm.
Date: April 12, 1910
Creator: Lang, Leo Albert
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ant-Trap (open access)

Ant-Trap

Patent for "a simple device of this kind which will excel the former traps in depositing the ants within the annular pan and in efficiency for convenient discharge of the trapped insects" (lines 18-22).
Date: April 2, 1901
Creator: Inman, Joseph
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination Device (open access)

Combination Device

Patent for a combination device. "This invention relates to devices for operating upon metal in various shapes" (line 8-9). Illustration included.
Date: April 16, 1907
Creator: Royse, John
System: The Portal to Texas History
Chopper and Cultivator. (open access)

Chopper and Cultivator.

Patent for a chopper and cultivator with a rod with moveable blades attached that allows for the blades to be changed between different types for planting or cultivating.
Date: April 30, 1907
Creator: Odom, Elbert T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Conductor's Train-Book (open access)

Conductor's Train-Book

Patent for a conductor's train-book. This invention if for a conductor to log train movements. Illustration included.
Date: April 12, 1910
Creator: Crane, James C. A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Automatic Grain-Measuring Machine. (open access)

Automatic Grain-Measuring Machine.

Patent for automatic grain-measuring machine, with illustrations. The purpose of this automatic grain-measuring machine is to be an improvement to already existing machines.
Date: April 10, 1888
Creator: Grissom, Abram Jackson.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Cigar-Tip Cutter and Match-Safe. (open access)

Combined Cigar-Tip Cutter and Match-Safe.

Patent for a combined cigar tip cutter and match-safe that consists of a shaft, an operating lever, a match box under the lever, a link that attaches the match box to the lever, a coiled spring that is attached to the lever, a curved lever that is lined up to the other lever, a spring connecting the two levers, and a picker.
Date: April 4, 1893
Creator: Briggs, William J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Conduit Electric Railway. (open access)

Conduit Electric Railway.

Patent for a surface trolley for electric railways that operates "upon the surface of the pavement or ground between the tracks of the road, for connecting the car with the motor power, in place of the trolley and over head wires now suspended upon the unsightly poles in the center or at the sides of the street, which are found to be very objectionable on account of their obstructing the passageway in the streets and upon the side walks, and the wires preventing the free movement of fire companies in extending their ladders in gaining access to buildings, and also because of the great danger attending persons and animals moving about in the street, on account of the charged or live wires frequently being thrown down upon the ground, and coming in contact with and destroying the life of persons, and also on account of the frequent fatal accidents to persons having charge of the repair of the wires and other apparatus in connection with them, often coming in contact with live wires while elevated on the poles and engaged in repairing them" (lines 16-38).
Date: April 11, 1893
Creator: Voe, William R. de
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for a new and improved churn. This design consists in "[t]he combination of the standards, the longitudinal bars connecting the same, the driving-shaft journaled on the upper bars, the counter-shaft journaled on the lower bars and provided with a crank-disk at one end, gearing between the driving-shaft and the counter-shaft, the balance-wheel on the counter-shaft, the rock-shaft journaled on the upper bars and provided with the oppositely-extending crank-arms between the said bars, the crank arm depending from the end of the rock-shaft, [and] the pitman" (lines 88-99).
Date: April 29, 1890
Creator: Anderson, Henry C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Boltless Rail-Joint. (open access)

Boltless Rail-Joint.

Patent for improvements in connecting rails without the use of bolts and nuts but instead using two fish-plates.
Date: April 20, 1915
Creator: Richardson, Charles I. & Hall, William D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination Battery Vault, Cistern, and Semaphore Foundation (open access)

Combination Battery Vault, Cistern, and Semaphore Foundation

Patent for an improvement to combination battery vaults, cisterns and semaphore foundations used in railway signal systems, including illustrations and descriptions.
Date: April 1, 1913
Creator: Johnson, John A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Arc-Lamp Attachment (open access)

Arc-Lamp Attachment

Patent for improving arc lamp attachments. The attachment allows an arc lamp to be able to use an incandescent lamp in place of the electrodes in an arc lamp. The attachment increases the efficiency and durability of the arc lamp.
Date: April 2, 1918
Creator: Pratt, James R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Automobile-Windlass (open access)

Automobile-Windlass

Patent for improved windlass for an automobile that attaches to both rear wheels to prevent idling
Date: April 20, 1920
Creator: Davis, Marion A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Washing-Machine (open access)

Washing-Machine

Patent for improvements to cylinder washing machines.
Date: April 29, 1890
Creator: Anderson, Henry C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire-Fence Shield. (open access)

Wire-Fence Shield.

Patent for a tool to cover a portion of barbed wire fence allowing one to cross over or through without harm, composed of three or more telescoping metal tubes.
Date: April 6, 1920
Creator: Davis, Marion L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire Stretcher. (open access)

Wire Stretcher.

Patent for a new and improved wire stretcher. This design "relates to that class of wire stretchers or tighteners which are adapted to be applied upon the strands of wire forming a fence, and are used to tighten or stretch the same by winding the strand about one end of the device and engaging the other end of the latter with the strand" ( lines 11-17).
Date: April 21, 1885
Creator: Irvine, John B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Leather-Cutting Gages (open access)

Improvement in Leather-Cutting Gages

Patent for improvement in leather cutting-gages in order to negate the need for the set-screw at the end of the gage handle that is needed to hold the rule. The document contains instructions and illustrations of the device.
Date: April 17, 1877
Creator: Lindsay, George F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Trolley-Wheel (open access)

Trolley-Wheel

Patent for a trolley wheel. Illustrations included.
Date: April 28, 1908
Creator: Neighbour, William W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Medicinal Compound. (open access)

Medicinal Compound.

Patent for an anti-inflammatory compound intended for use on both humans and animals.
Date: April 10, 1883
Creator: Bright, Harvey S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Protective Carpet-Lining (open access)

Protective Carpet-Lining

Patent for a lining to protect carpets from wear and maintain sanitation. Illustrations included.
Date: April 13, 1909
Creator: Koll, Louis H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nut Lock (open access)

Nut Lock

Patent for a nut lock. Illustration included.
Date: April 19, 1910
Creator: Bradshaw, Richard A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Syringe. (open access)

Syringe.

Patent for a new and improved syringe. This design consists in "[a] syringe provided with a reservoir at the end of the piston-rod outside of the syringe-barrel, said reservoir communicating through the piston-rod with a fibrous piston-head and adapted to contain a suitable liquid, whereby said piston-head is kept continually moistened" (lines 62-68).
Date: April 9, 1889
Creator: Glasscock, James H.
System: The Portal to Texas History