Cultivator. (open access)

Cultivator.

Patent for a cultivator that has its frame and attachments are mounted on carrying-wheels, and the plows depend on the wheels. It is operated more easily than other cultivators.
Date: May 28, 1895
Creator: Aubrey, Henry W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Pruning Implement. (open access)

Pruning Implement.

Patent for a simple, inexpensive, and efficient pruning implement meant to prune trees, cutting brush, and trimming hedges. It has a reciprocating knife, an improved hatchet-blade, and an extensible saw-blade "which is seated within a groove or recess in the shank of the implement and capable of being extended and held in operative position by means of a retaining-spring" (lines 16-20).
Date: November 12, 1895
Creator: Baiey, George M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire Tightener. (open access)

Wire Tightener.

Patent for a new and improved wire tightener. This design "has for its object to provide a novel, simple, economical, and efficient implement or tool for tightening wire fences by forming twists or loops in the fence-strands to take up the slack, and to provide a novel implement of this type wherein a rod or bar can be conveniently applied to increase the leverage in turning the implement to form the twists or loops" (lines 8-16).
Date: July 15, 1890
Creator: Bellah, William N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Insecticide. (open access)

Insecticide.

Patent for certain new and useful improvements in insecticides, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: June 14, 1898
Creator: Carmichaelm, Joseph B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Draft Attachment. (open access)

Draft Attachment.

Patent for certain new and useful improvements in shaft stirrups for vehicles, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 11, 1899
Creator: Carter, Jesse M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Return-Envelop. (open access)

Return-Envelop.

Patent for certain new and useful improvements in return envelops, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 31, 1898
Creator: Carter, Jessee M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Safety Attachment for Railway Rolling - Stock. (open access)

Safety Attachment for Railway Rolling - Stock.

Patent for a new and useful safety attachment for railway rolling stock.
Date: March 8, 1898
Creator: Densler, Nat
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stirrup. (open access)

Stirrup.

Patent for certain new and useful improvements in stirrups, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: June 20, 1899
Creator: Dickerman, Daniel Frederick.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire Stretcher and Tightener. (open access)

Wire Stretcher and Tightener.

Patent for a wire stretcher and tightener meant for wire fence rails. It is easy and convenient to use, and consists of a lever with a fixed pulley on one end, a rope or chain passes through the pulley, and the rope or chain has hooks attached to its ends.
Date: November 5, 1895
Creator: Farmer, Francis Marion
System: The Portal to Texas History
Design for Kitchen Cabinet (open access)

Design for Kitchen Cabinet

Design patent for a kitchen cabinet that is useful and ornamental. Leading feature includes rectangular upright position that has a framework of strips provided with a longitudinal beading or ribs.
Date: September 21, 1897
Creator: Ferguson, John F. G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Machine for Sharpening and Gumming Saws. (open access)

Machine for Sharpening and Gumming Saws.

Patent for a machine that sharpens and gums saws for cotton-gins. It does so quickly and does not fatigue the operator. It automatically feeds "the saws so as to bring the teeth successively into position to be operated upon, and which will cut the teeth uniformly, thereby preserving the circular outline of the saws and preserving the teeth of a uniform length and appearance" (lines 15-20).
Date: July 14, 1896
Creator: Hulme, William A. & Hulme, Thomas B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gate. (open access)

Gate.

Patent for a gate that is meant "to facilitate the opening of the gate without the intervention or use of the hands; to strengthen and brace the gate so as to prevent any possible sagging thereof, the braces being extended to form part of the hinge joint; to provide and dispose a latch so that it can be easily actuated by the foot from either approach for the purpose of releasing and opening the gate; lastly, to provide a gate that will close automatically without the use of springs and which will be simple, cheap, light and give satisfactory results" (lines 14-26).
Date: November 14, 1893
Creator: Jester, Andrew Edmond & Alexander, John Gilaspie
System: The Portal to Texas History
Railway Cattle-Guard. (open access)

Railway Cattle-Guard.

Patent for a new and improved railway cattle guard, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: November 8, 1898
Creator: Mathis, Charles H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire - Stretcher. (open access)

Wire - Stretcher.

Patent for a new and improved wire-stretcher to "attached to the wires direct or have bearing against the post, as stated, but wherein when the device is placed in engagement with the post it need not be secured thereto" (line 22 - 26).
Date: December 28, 1897
Creator: McNeill, William T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Mowing-Machine. (open access)

Mowing-Machine.

Patent for improvements in mowing-machines by “providing a simplified means of applying the power direct to the cutter-bar by means of levers and connections,” (lines 16-18) in which will result in an easily run and quieter machine. Illustration is included.
Date: September 8, 1891
Creator: Rich, Benjaman F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Reaping-Machine. (open access)

Reaping-Machine.

Patent for a reaping-machine that has grooved rollers spread throughout a recess in the base, slides where the rollers are mounted, horizontal movable shafts with pinions, racks on the slides that engage the pinions, a ring-driver wheel that surrounds the rollers and fits in the rollers with interior flanges, cutters, a belt extending from the rollers to the mechanism that operates the cutters, and a belt that connects the rolls. The cutter is a series of knives on a bar and springs that prevents the cutter from moving independently.
Date: April 7, 1896
Creator: Rich, Benjamin F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Musical Notation (open access)

Musical Notation

Patent for a notation which provides "a sheet in which the tones in their successive order of degrees by septenaries comprising the limit of the human voice from low to high pitch or from base to treble will be graphically indicated, and also to furnish a means whereby mechanical transposition of the notated characters may be effected" (lines 14-20).
Date: September 13, 1892
Creator: Robberson, John W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Apparatus for Elevating and Cleaning Seed-Cotton. (open access)

Apparatus for Elevating and Cleaning Seed-Cotton.

Patent for a steam-powered device for cleaning seed-cotton. Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 10, 1891
Creator: Robinson, Albert S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Dental - Chair. (open access)

Dental - Chair.

Patent for a new and useful dental chair to "easily adjust to various positions and be folded into very compact form for transportation or storage" (line 13-14).
Date: January 4, 1898
Creator: Rose, Nicholas M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Coupling. (open access)

Car-Coupling.

Patent for a new and improved car coupler, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 25, 1899
Creator: Smith, Thomas Henry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-coupling. (open access)

Car-coupling.

Patent for a new and improved car coupling of the Janney type that increases "efficiency in service and enable[s] an operator at the side of the train to readily and with safety set the improved car-coupling to disconnect it from another of the same style" (lines 11-14), including instructions and illustrations.
Date: September 21, 1897
Creator: Smith, Thomas Henry.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Pneumatic Conveyer for Unloading Cotton. (open access)

Pneumatic Conveyer for Unloading Cotton.

Patent for a new and improved pneumatic conveyer. This design "relates to improvements in pneumatic conveyers of that class or style adapted for unloading cotton from a wagon and depositing it on the gin-stand or other place; and the object is to provide a machine whereby cotton may be readily, conveniently, and expeditiously taken from the wagon or other vehicle or dumping-platform and carried or conveyed through a pneumatic tube and deposited on the gin-stand or similar floor for ginning" (lines 9-19).
Date: August 23, 1892
Creator: Stafford, George A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting Mechanism for Sewing-Machines. (open access)

Quilting Mechanism for Sewing-Machines.

Patent for a quilting mechanism for sewing machines that attaches to a sewing table that extends "over and above and parallel with the overhanging arm of the machine" (lines 20-22), the arm is adjustable and detachable, a track-rail is attached to the end of the arm, and a quilting-frame hangs from the sheaves.
Date: September 25, 1894
Creator: Stafford, George A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire Twister and Tightener. (open access)

Wire Twister and Tightener.

Patent for a wire twister and tightener for wire fences. With this invention, "the fence-wire is caused to be contracted, twisted, and made taut" (lines 17-18). It is a set of toothed ratchet wheels that have v-shaped slots for the wire. Pawls act on the teeth, and springs and levers move the pawls.
Date: March 17, 1896
Creator: Stafford, George A.
System: The Portal to Texas History