Plunger-Operating Means of Hay-Presses (open access)

Plunger-Operating Means of Hay-Presses

Patent for "new and improved horse-power, which will operate four or less hay-presses by the movement of one operating-lever, and which can be used for a great variety of other purposes" (lines 8-12).
Date: December 24, 1889
Creator: Mayo, William A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hay Press. (open access)

Hay Press.

Patent for a new and improved hay-press. This design consists in "the combination of the frame, the king-bolt at the center of the same, the plunger, the pitman pivoted thereto, the double-armed lever centrally-mounted on the king-bolt and provided with loops or bridles at its ends and acting on the pitman, and the supplemental lever having its end engaging one of said loops or bridles" (lines 24-31).
Date: December 10, 1889
Creator: Brown, Lemuel J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Seed Planter. (open access)

Cotton Seed Planter.

Patent for a new and improved planter. This design consists in "the combination, with the side bars of the main frame, the plow-standard connecting the front ends thereof, and the covering board connecting the rear ends of the side bars, of the handles secured to the side bars near the front end of the machine, the rectangularly-bent brace-bar secured to the side bars and to the handles, and the centrally-bent brace-bar secured to the side bars and the brace-bar" (lines 86-95).
Date: October 15, 1889
Creator: Secrest, Louis Evin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hame Fastener. (open access)

Hame Fastener.

Patent for a new and improved hame-fastener. This design "is to provide a fastener . . . which is of simple construction, which can be readily adjusted, and in which all strain is removed from the pivot of the locking-dog, thus obviating any breakage of the pivot, whatever may be the strain" (lines 17-23).
Date: July 9, 1889
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Adding-Machine (open access)

Adding-Machine

Patent for "an adding-machine which, while being constructed of but comparatively few parts, will be so adjusted as arranged as to allow an operator to make rapid and correct calculations; furthermore, to produce an adding-machine in which the operator will be enabled to detect immediately any mistake which he may have made, and, finally, to produce a simple, efficient, and effective adding-machine" (lines 13-22).
Date: June 25, 1889
Creator: Stinson, James C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cultivator. (open access)

Cultivator.

Patent for a new and improved cultivator. This design consists in "a draft-bar, a connecting rod or bar which connects the two beams together at any suitable distance . . . vertical standards which are secured to the rear ends of the beams, adjustable connecting-bars . . . and a connecting-rod which connects the bars together in a line with the beams . . . to loosely attach two cultivators to a single draft-bar, and then connect these two cultivators together . . . [so] each of the cultivators has a universal movement independently of the other, and yet they are always kept at about the same distance apart" (lines 15-32).
Date: June 11, 1889
Creator: De Witt, Martin V.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Medical Compound (open access)

Medical Compound

Patent for "a compound to be used as a gargle or wash in the treatment of the mouth, throat, &c., when the mucous membrane of the said parts is affected by the use of tobacco, opium, or morphine, alcoholic drinks, &c., and also in cases of indigestion, dyspepsia, malarial, and typhoid fevers, &c. (lines 8-14).
Date: April 2, 1889
Creator: Roberts, Andre
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nail-Box. (open access)

Nail-Box.

Patent for a new nail box designed to "be conveniently handled and pushed under the counter" (lines 17-18) and "readily withdrawn to permit free access" (lines 19-20) including illustrations.
Date: February 26, 1889
Creator: Hendricks, Gay
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling-Press. (open access)

Baling-Press.

Patent for "new and useful Improvements in Baling-Presses" (lines 5-6) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: February 19, 1889
Creator: Bywaters, Joseph K.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Top Prop. (open access)

Top Prop.

Patent for a new and improved top prop. This design consists in "the combination of a block, a supporting-arm mounted thereon, and a strap passing about the arm and bows and secured to the block. . . . [and a] plate provided with tubular hub and lug, [another] plate provided with an opening to fit the hub, an arm provided with a seat and with a circular opening to fit upon the hub, and a bolt or screw" (lines 82-87).
Date: December 18, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hame. (open access)

Hame.

Patent for a new and improved hame. This design "has relation to hames, and more particularly to the means of securing the hames adjustable to each other, and for connecting the usual parts of the harness thereto; and among the objects in view are to provide an easily-manipulated serviceable hame connection that may be adjusted to fit any sized collars, and which may be constructed at a minimum cost" (lines 11-19).
Date: November 13, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Shoe Cabinet. (open access)

Shoe Cabinet.

Patent for a new and improved shoe cabinet. This design "is to provide for the convenient arrangement of the stock according to size, style, or make, and so as to enable the salesman or attendant to have ready access to different styles and sizes and to select those desired without the trouble of moving or handling other stock. It consists, essentially, of a case or cabinet furnished with drawers which are arranged in groups or sections and with a door for each group or section. It consists, further, in dividing each drawer into several compartments by movable or 'knockdown' partitions" (lines 12-24).
Date: September 18, 1888
Creator: Settle, Witcha S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Pen or Pencil Holder and Pin. (open access)

Combined Pen or Pencil Holder and Pin.

Patent for a new and improved writing-utensil holder and pin. This design "not only forms a convenient receptacle for a pen or pencil, but . . . it is also adapted for use as an ornamental scarf or breast pin, and to this end the bands may be appropriately shaped to confine a stone or other setting, which can be held from endwise displacement, if necessary, by means of lugs . . . at each end of the bar" (lines 63-71).
Date: July 31, 1888
Creator: Stewart, Samuel F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Trace Lock for Harness. (open access)

Trace Lock for Harness.

Patent for a new and improved trace-lock for harnesses. This design consists in "the combination of the bolt, the metal strap secured to the trace, provided with the recess, the projection, and the slot having the enlarged opening, the locking-plate pivoted on the recess having the opening, and the spring" (lines 72-77).
Date: June 26, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Dental Tool (open access)

Dental Tool

Patent for a dental tool that is to "prevent the loss of amalgam" (p. 2).
Date: June 19, 1888
Creator: Morris, James P., of Paris, Texas
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nut Lock. (open access)

Nut Lock.

Patent for a new and improved nut-lock. This design consists in "the plate having the outstanding lugs, the retaining arms pivoted to one of said lugs, the detent between said lugs, and the locking-bolts having the head portion and the corrugated shank" (lines 64-68).
Date: June 19, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for a new and improved churn. This design consists "[i]n combination with the base, the frame having the cross-bars, churn provided with a dasher-shaft, a second shaft passing through cross-bars and connected with the dasher-shaft, pinions . . . secured to the shaft and adapted to rest upon the cross-bars . . . a[nother] shaft journaled in [one of] the cross-bar[s], and a mutilated gear engaging the pinions" (lines 16-24).
Date: June 5, 1888
Creator: Crawford, William H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting Frame. (open access)

Quilting Frame.

Patent for a new and improved quilting frame. This design consists in "the combination of the vertical standards bent forward at their upper ends and provided with dovetailed projections, the track-bar beveled toward the upper edge and provided with dovetailed notches to receive the projections whereby the said bar may be removed from the standards, the folding braces between the standards, the roller-bar having the rollers to run on the track-bar, and the frame connected to the roller-bar by the suspending-cords" (lines 38-49).
Date: March 20, 1888
Creator: Raines, Burress Wesley
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nut Lock. (open access)

Nut Lock.

Patent for a new and improved nut lock. This design has, "[i]n combination with a bolt having a cylindrical stem and a head beveled on its inner face, a nut tapped to receive the threaded end of the bolt and prevented from turning" (lines 73-77).
Date: January 31, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hopple. (open access)

Hopple.

Patent for a new and improved hopple. This design consists in the combination of the surcingle, the bands connected to the bottom thereof, the supporting straps secured to one of said bands, and the knee-bands constructed of stiff leather in semi-cylindrical form, attached to said straps and having the securing-straps" (lines 37-42).
Date: November 15, 1887
Creator: Burris, John Albert Wilson
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car Coupling. (open access)

Car Coupling.

Patent for a new and improved coupling for railroad cars. This design consists in "a draw-head having a longitudinal slot extending in the upper face into a groove, and formed with notches or recesses in the upper face at the side of the slot, and having a beveled upper corner and a flat face and a downwardly-extending portion at the under side, an anchor-bar pivoted at its inner end in the inner end of the slot, and having an anchor or arrow-head at its outer end formed with rearwardly-hooked flukes or barbs, and a link pivoted with its eyed rear ends upon a transverse bolt in the anchor-bar" (lines 20-32).
Date: September 13, 1887
Creator: Bywaters, Joseph K.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Chopper and Scraper (open access)

Cotton Chopper and Scraper

Patent for new "construction and combination of devices" (lines 10-11) to improve cotton choppers and scrapers, with illustrations.
Date: July 5, 1887
Creator: Rouse, Samuel James
System: The Portal to Texas History
Rail-Joint (open access)

Rail-Joint

Patent for improvements in the construction and design of rail-joints.
Date: May 17, 1887
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Harness-Saddle (open access)

Harness-Saddle

Patent for the "construction and combination of devices" (line 10) that serve as "an improvement in harness-saddles" (lines 8-9) for horses, with illustrations.
Date: April 26, 1887
Creator: Goodman, William Dave & Tuttle, Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History