Car-Coupling. (open access)

Car-Coupling.

Patent for a new and useful car coupling, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: August 1, 1899
Creator: Adams, William Franklin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination-Tool. (open access)

Combination-Tool.

Patent for a combination tool "specifically adapted for use as a pan or plate lifter or a stove-lid lifter and which may also be used for holding dishes while being washed" (lines 4-7), including illustrations.
Date: May 18, 1897
Creator: Swenson, Charles E. & Swenson, Olive C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Door. (open access)

Car-Door.

Patent for "sliding doors for freight cars, stock cars, &c., in which the car door is suspended at its upper end by means of suitable hangers engaging a track or guide rail extended above and to one side of the door-way in such manner that the door, when unfastened, may be made to slide sidewise to give access to the interior of the car." (Lines 8-16) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: June 12, 1894
Creator: Mooney, Patrick T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Clothes-Pounder. (open access)

Clothes-Pounder.

Patent for an improved clothes washer that is made up of a cylinder, a piston that is two disks attached together with notches and flared edges, and a packing strip in the groove of the disk edges.
Date: August 14, 1894
Creator: Lewis, Nathan D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Condenser and Dripper for Coffee or Tea Pots. (open access)

Condenser and Dripper for Coffee or Tea Pots.

Patent for "a combined condenser and dripper for coffee or tea pots, the main object of the invention being the provision of a combined condenser and dripper to be attached to and used in connection with an ordinary coffee or tea pot; second, to construct a condenser readily connected to or disconnected from the lid of coffee or tea pot, and to have the reservoir or body of the condenser a proper distance above the pot to prevent its receiving external heat from the pot; and thereby, to produce such condenser and dripper at a minimum cost; and perfect in its operation" (lines 25-38).
Date: February 20, 1894
Creator: McClellan, John A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Chopper. (open access)

Cotton Chopper.

Patent for a new and improved cotton chopper. This design consists in "the combination, with the axle, of the U-frame having bearings at its ends for the axle and a rearwardly-disposed sleeve, a shaft mounted in the sleeve and projecting beyond the same at each of its ends and provided with choppers at its rear end and a gear at its front end, a master-gear splined upon the axle and having a grooved hub, and a pivoted yoke terminating in the hub and a lever for operating the same to throw the gear into contact with that upon the shaft" (lines 1-12).
Date: April 1, 1890
Creator: Stanford, Jeff Hillon
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for a new and improved churn. This design "ha[s] a curved bottom and rounded ends and consisting of the bottom, the sides, the partitions . . . similar to the sides and arranged adjacent to the latter" (lines 101-104). Said partitions "[form] water compartments, the transverse partition providing a communication between the water compartments and being formed by a plate bent longitudinally at an angle and having its apex extending across the body of the churn, and the dasher arranged above the partition and suitably secured in place" (lines 1-8).
Date: August 26, 1890
Creator: Day, William Howel
System: The Portal to Texas History
Banker's Daily-Balance Index. (open access)

Banker's Daily-Balance Index.

Patent for a banker's daily-balance index meant to "promote the speed and accuracy of book-keepers in keeping the personal daily balance ledger in banking and other like business" (lines 9-12). The patent is for a piece of paper divided with ink into strips on the front and back.
Date: April 30, 1895
Creator: Thomas, Thomas Parry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Halter and Weaning-Muzzle. (open access)

Combined Halter and Weaning-Muzzle.

Patent for a combined halter and weaning muzzle, "the halter being adapted for use independently of the muzzle and the latter being detachably connected to the halter" (lines 17-19). The halter is "the combination of a chin-strap and nose-band made in one piece and a weaning nose-band" (lines 18-20).
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Schow, Ottinus E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Windlass. (open access)

Windlass.

Patent for a new and improved windlass. This design consists in "[t]he combination of a frame having the cross-bars near its lower and upper ends, the windlass-shaft journaled in the side pieces of the frame and having the balance-wheels and the pinion, the operating-gears mounted in one side of the frame and one of said gears meshing with said pinion, an upright mounted upon the lower front cross-piece of the frame and having a guide-pulley at its upper end, arms extending laterally from said upright, and a guide-roller journaled in said arms" (lines 11-21).
Date: April 1, 1890
Creator: Bridges, Thomas H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Grain-Binder (open access)

Grain-Binder

Patent for "a platform-binder in which the needle or cord-carrying arm is placed below the deck of the platform and the cord-tying mechanism is placed above the deck of the platform, and the needle being so arranged as to pass beneath the upper plate of an ordinary platform five or six inches in depth and to receive the grain and to compress the same without the assistance of any packers or specially-operated packing mechanism" (lines 8-18).
Date: September 6, 1892
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Grain-Binder (open access)

Grain-Binder

Patent for a grain-binder that will "first, to construct a needle in sections, and to construct mechanism to curve said needle in position to a proper curvature to conform to the sheaf to be bound at the beginning of the binding operation, and to again straighten out said needle at the end of the binding operation, so as to pass beneath the upper deck of the platform, so that the grain can be shifted direct from the grain-receiving platform on the needle by a suitable conveyer invented by myself and patented February 17,1891, No. 446,473, thus dispensing with all packing and elevating and receiving mechanism, thus promoting simplicity and cheapness of the construction of such grain-binders; second, to construct a simple, light, and durable clutching mechanism to connect and disconnect the binding mechanism with the harvester or conveyor gearing; third, to construct a simple gear-shifting mechanism to impart reciprocating movement to the conveyer, and, fourth, to construct a light and simple locking mechanism to lock the gear-shifting mechanism in position after being shifted to the desired position" (lines 15-40).
Date: September 20, 1892
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Compressor and Discharging Mechanism for Grain-Binders (open access)

Compressor and Discharging Mechanism for Grain-Binders

Patent for "improvements in compressing and discharging mechanism and a starting mechanism for grain-binders constructed on an ordinary harvester-platform, so as to adapt the well-known Appleby type of binders to be used on an ordinary harvester-platform, the sheaf to be formed direct on the platform, thus adapting the above mentioned cord-tying mechanism to be used in connection with the conveyer invented by myself and patented February 17, 1891, No. 446,473" (lines 12-23).
Date: April 19, 1892
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Conveyer-Gearing for Harvesters (open access)

Conveyer-Gearing for Harvesters

Patent for "... a new and useful Gearing for Harvester-Conveyers..." (lines 4-5) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: November 29, 1892
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Flour Bin and Sifter. (open access)

Flour Bin and Sifter.

Patent for a flour bin and sifter that improves on a patent that was previously granted to the inventor (No. 411,671). The improvements improve "in an adjustable attachment to the bin whereby said bin may be easily and adjustable attached to a wall; a cut-off inserted near the base of the bin to regulate the flow of material into the sifter; a scraper adapted to scrape the upper side of the cut-off so that no material can be drawn out with said cut-off; in having the sifter connected to the base of the bin by single instead of double pins, and in a single door hinged to the front face of the sifter, and so closely hinged that when the same is open no dust can fly out in the face of the operator" (lines 20-33).
Date: March 21, 1893
Creator: McCellan, John A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gear-Shifting Mechanism for Conveyers for Harvesters. (open access)

Gear-Shifting Mechanism for Conveyers for Harvesters.

Patent for the combination of parts in gear-shifting mechanisms in harvesters and binders, making construction cheaper and simpler. Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 15, 1891
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gear-Shifting Mechanism for Harvester-Conveyers. (open access)

Gear-Shifting Mechanism for Harvester-Conveyers.

Patent for a locking-lever for the gear-shifting mechanism for harvester-conveyers. Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: February 27, 1891
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gear Shifting Mechanism for Harvesters. (open access)

Gear Shifting Mechanism for Harvesters.

Patent for a new and improved gear-shifting mechanism for harvesters. This design "has reference more especially to a gear-shifting mechanism for a reciprocating conveyer in which a gear is engaged and automatically disengaged as the conveyer nears the end of its stubbleward movement" (lines 10-15). It consists, "with a bar provided with a guide having a slot and a depression in said slot, an antifriction roller on said guide, a block or track having a recess, a movable bearing pivoted to the harvester-frame with one end and extending with its other end to the guide" (lines 106-112).
Date: August 23, 1892
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling-Press. (open access)

Baling-Press.

Patent for an improved quarter circular press with a rebounding plunger. The "improvements are in the arrangements and securing of the plates to receive the king-bolt; and braces to guide and support the lever; and, the links linking the plunger-bar direct to the king-bolt, and suitable tripping mechanism" (lines 20-26).
Date: September 5, 1893
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Butt Board for Grain Binders. (open access)

Butt Board for Grain Binders.

Patent for a new and improved butt board for grain binders. This design "relates to improvements in butt-boards for grain-binders to even the butts of the gavel of grain to be bound and to also adjust said gavel in regard to length so that short grain will be bound near the center as well as long grain . . . [i]t has reference more especially to the construction of the butt-board and operating parts, so as to even the butts of the grain and adjust the same to proper position to the binder at one single movement of the butt-board" (lines 12-27).
Date: April 26, 1892
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling-Press. (open access)

Baling-Press.

Patent for a baling press that has a rebounding plunger and is meant to have "an effective and substantial tripping and catching mechanism, simple in construction, low of production, and durable and easy to trip" (lines 22-25).
Date: May 23, 1893
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling-Press. (open access)

Baling-Press.

Patent for an improved quarter circular baling press that forms "a catching and tripping mechanism simple in construction and low of production; and second, to retain the plunger-bar within its proper limits to again come in proper position on the other catch or set block after being tripped, independent of any vertical or horizontal guides as hereinafter fully described" (lines 19-26).
Date: August 8, 1893
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Feeding-Chamber and Door for Baling-Presses. (open access)

Feeding-Chamber and Door for Baling-Presses.

Patent for a feeding chamber and door for baling presses that vertically extends so that "the feed material need not be tucked down by hand or foot to a level of the baling chamber, as this is accomplished by the door being closed down, a lever and weight can be attached to the door to properly depress the material to allow the door to latch, and as the door prevents the material from bulging up the compressing can be accomplished direct in the feeding chamber, the plunger need not pass but a short distance beyond the feeding chamber thus requiring less movement of the plunger and thus gaining more power" (lines 23-35).
Date: May 9, 1893
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bale or Bundle Wiring Tool. (open access)

Bale or Bundle Wiring Tool.

Patent for a tool that tightly twists wire around a bale in a bale press. It works quickly and works better than other wiring tools. "This tool is so constructed that two or more wires can be grasped at two different times independent of each with one movement of the hand, not loosening the grip on the first wire while the second wire is grasped and cut off" (lines 35-40).
Date: August 1, 1893
Creator: Schubert, George
System: The Portal to Texas History