Improvement in Cultivators. (open access)

Improvement in Cultivators.

Patent for a new cultivator in the form of a wheel, which includes instructions and an illustration.
Date: September 29, 1868
Creator: Stroud, J. C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Neck-Yokes. (open access)

Improvement in Neck-Yokes.

Patent for "an improvement in the class of neck-yokes having a swivel-joint connection with a carriage or wagon pole; and it consists in providing the neck-yoke with a central enlargement or boss, and connecting the tube which slips on the end of the carriage-pole with the yoke by means of rings having perforated ears to receive the ends of a pivoted bar, to which the pole ring or tube is swiveled." (Lines 11-20) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 31, 1876
Creator: Hannig, Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Neck-Yokes. (open access)

Improvement in Neck-Yokes.

Patent for an improvement on neck-yokes that have a "swivel-joint connection with a carriage or wagon pole" (line 18-19).
Date: September 11, 1877
Creator: Hannig, Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement In Cultivators (open access)

Improvement In Cultivators

Patent for an improved cultivator, with adjustable wheel base, plow height and more (pg 1).
Date: July 23, 1872
Creator: Griffith, William H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Animal Trap. (open access)

Animal Trap.

Patent for a new and improved animal trap. This design consists in "a platform having a rod or bar secured to its upper face, and having the ends of the choke-spring coiled thereon, pins or prongs extending from one edge of the platform for engagement with a side of a box, a box having one of its sides elevated, against which the pronged end of the platform abuts for engagement therewith, and having recesses in its opposite ends for the recession of a loop, which passes thence over the free end of the platform for binding the same to the box" (lines 3-14).
Date: June 12, 1888
Creator: Beach, Philemon Theodore
System: The Portal to Texas History
Animal Trap. (open access)

Animal Trap.

Patent for a new and improved animal trap. This design consists in "the combination of the wire frame having the parallel base-arms, the coiled-springs, the upwardly-extending arms, and the downwardly-extending loop, the loop or ring on the bend and engaged portions of said wire, and the trigger-wire having the frontwardly-projecting point engaging said ring" (lines 80-87).
Date: July 10, 1888
Creator: Beversdorf, Louis, Jr.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Picker's Sack. (open access)

Cotton-Picker's Sack.

Patent for improvements in a cotton-picker's sack, allowing for easy access to deposit and empty picked cotton while remaining nearly closed to hold and protect the cotton.
Date: October 16, 1888
Creator: Cliett, Taylor
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Car and Air-Brake Coupling. (open access)

Combined Car and Air-Brake Coupling.

Patent for the connection between two railway cars.
Date: February 7, 1893
Creator: Smith, Jacob C.; Golfin, John H.; Hardeman, Eammanuel J.; McNeal, Thomas. & Love, W.G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ant Trap. (open access)

Ant Trap.

Patent for a new and improved ant trap. This design consists "[i]n an ant-trap, the combination, with a trough formed with a top [that is] flanged . . . of a box connected thereto by a tube terminating in a disk . . . [and] of the connecting-tubes, box, and fence" (lines 62-68).
Date: November 24, 1885
Creator: Thompson, William Henderson
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 "the combination, with a draw-bar, a sliding box, a movable eccentric secured therein, a coupling-rod, and a pivoted locking-jaw, of a locking-plate secured to said box and adapted to lock the jaw against movement" (lines 84-89).
Date: March 8, 1887
Creator: Zedler, Fridrick
System: The Portal to Texas History
Artificial Fruit, Foliage, and Flowers. (open access)

Artificial Fruit, Foliage, and Flowers.

Patent for a new and improved method of making artificial fruit. This design "consists in cutting out a piece of lace or netting of the desired shape, forming the lace or netting into a bag, stuffing the bag with cotton or wool . . . picking the cotton or wool up through the meshes of the lace or netting, cutting narrow strips of tissue-paper, and applying them in layers until a covering similar to pasteboard is formed, drying the article, painting the article, sinking the article in a bath of wax heated to a point beneath boiling . . . letting it drain off, and finally applying a paint finish" (lines 34-47).
Date: May 24, 1887
Creator: Eve, Emma H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Broom or Mop Holder. (open access)

Broom or Mop Holder.

Patent for a wire folded so that it firmly clamps "broom-corn, corn-shucks, mops, and feathers, or other material for brushes" (lines 10-11).
Date: September 1, 1896
Creator: McIlhany, Joseph W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bale Tile. (open access)

Bale Tile.

Patent for a new and improved bale-tie. This design "consists, principally, of a bale-tie jaw stamped from sheet metal and formed with an open hook at one end standing in front of a curved edge, with an opening at the other for attachment to the bale-hoop, said opening being shaped to permit the jaw to have a pivotal side motion upon the hoop. The invention also consists of the combination of two of such jaws applied to the bale-hoop to form a complete tie" (lines 7-16).
Date: January 11, 1887
Creator: Rylander, William P.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Trundler For Spooled Wire. (open access)

Trundler For Spooled Wire.

Patent for a trundler for spooled wire that is strong, light, and shapely enough to propel or draw spooled fence-wire, telegraph-wire, or similar material that is coiled upon flanged spools, and distribute the same lines for the manufacture of fences or erection of electric conductors.
Date: April 13, 1891
Creator: Smith, Cullen R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Index. (open access)

Index.

Patent for "an improved method of indexing books of reference, and more especially city and county records, and the means for carrying over from one line to another where several indexes are to be set opposite one name" (lines 9-14).
Date: April 11, 1893
Creator: Heppenstall, James Edward
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ironing-Table. (open access)

Ironing-Table.

Patent for "ironing-tables which are arranged to be capable of folding when not in use and of extending when used." (Lines 8-11) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: April 30, 1895
Creator: Mills, Charles Richmond
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Lever-Powers. (open access)

Improvement in Lever-Powers.

Patent for a lever-power which applies "the power and resistance to the lever, so that they will change positions with relation to the fulcrum as the power end of the lever descends" (para. 2). The relation of the lever with the fulcrum is flexible, and allows for increased leverage.
Date: September 23, 1879
Creator: Franklin, Mathew Calhoun
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement In Fine-Proof Cotton-Lint Rooms. (open access)

Improvement In Fine-Proof Cotton-Lint Rooms.

This patent is a receiver that is portable and provides a unique way of catching the lint that is ejected from a cotton-gin when in use. The portable receiver helps to prevent fires.
Date: April 9, 1878
Creator: Morrell, Zachariah N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Saddle-Tree Forks. (open access)

Improvement in Saddle-Tree Forks.

Patent for an "improved saddle-tree fork, which shall be simple in construction, light, and durable, and which may be readily adjusted as a Texas saddle-tree or a muley saddle-tree"( line 6 )includes instructions and illustration.
Date: May 14, 1878
Creator: Lane, Calvin M. & Franklin, Mathew C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Fire-Extinguishers for Lint-Rooms. (open access)

Improvement in Fire-Extinguishers for Lint-Rooms.

Patent for a fire-extinguisher for lint-rooms with design specifications and instructions on operating procedures and usage, including illustrations.
Date: June 11, 1878
Creator: Morrell, Zachariah N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hose or Pipe Coupling. (open access)

Hose or Pipe Coupling.

Patent for a hose or pipe coupling meant to "provide a coupling of great simplicity of construction forming a tight and efficient connection by which the hose can be connected without turning it, without the screwing together of the sections and without a loose washer within one of the couplings which is readily lost and quickly gets out of order" (lines 12-19).
Date: April 16, 1895
Creator: Conley, Andrew J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nut Lock. (open access)

Nut Lock.

Patent for a new and improved nut lock. This design consists "[i]n a nut-lock, the combination, with a screw-threaded bolt and nut, of a pair of arms pivoted or hinged together, said arms having annular screw-threaded grooves formed therein adapted to register with the threads on the bolt, and means for locking the arms together" (lines 76-81).
Date: April 27, 1886
Creator: Clark, Fred
System: The Portal to Texas History
Painting-Machine. (open access)

Painting-Machine.

Patent for an automatic device that paints large surfaces that has a reservoir for the paint, a brush that sweeps similarly to an expert painter, a mechanism that dips the brush in the paint, and an air pump that is connected to the reservoir to bring the paint to the brush. Multiple brushes and reservoirs can be used with this machine. The pump may be operated by hand or by machine.
Date: September 12, 1893
Creator: Gebhardt, William Charles
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hose or Pipe Coupling. (open access)

Hose or Pipe Coupling.

Patent for a hose or pipe coupling that automatically couples cars, and uncouples one or more pipes are automatically uncoupled by steam, air, or fluid pressure. The "invention consists of a pair of twin couplers through each of which one or more tubes are conducted, the apertures of which in the face of one coupler register with those in the face of the opposite coupler, each coupler being provided with guides or other suitable means for bringing it into alignment with the other and with a bolt or latch which automatically engages the opposite coupler when they are brought together and is released by steam or other pressure through one of the connecting pipes, in order to uncouple; and it further consists in a valve connection with said coupler pipes whereby the connecting pipe or pipes are closed in the act of uncoupling" (lines 13-28).
Date: August 15, 1893
Creator: Gebhardt, William Charles
System: The Portal to Texas History