Carbureter. (open access)

Carbureter.

Patent for a new and improved carburetor. This design calls for "the apparatus [to be] submerged in water for the purpose of equalizing the temperature of the carbureting-liquid, and thereby imparting a more uniform illuminating quality to the gas; also obviating the danger of explosion from access of flame to the exterior of the apparatus" (para. 2).
Date: July 18, 1876
Creator: Pollard, James M. & Barton, Wallace R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in the Methods of Baling and Packing Cotton (open access)

Improvement in the Methods of Baling and Packing Cotton

Patent for improvement in the methods of baling and packing cotton specifically optimizations in the packing and baling of cotton by avoiding all the mechanical appliances used in forming and securing bales of cotton, such as the press, canvas bagging, band, buckles, and bale-ties.
Date: July 18, 1876
Creator: Drake, James A. & Singer, Edgar C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Plaiting-Irons. (open access)

Improvement in Plaiting-Irons.

Patent for an improvement to plaiting-irons: "a plaiting-iron composed of a peculiarly-constructed iron or metal plate used in connection with a correspondingly-constructed board" (lines 23-25), with illustrations.
Date: August 14, 1877
Creator: Gingras, Joseph E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Conduit Electric Railway. (open access)

Conduit Electric Railway.

Patent for an underground conduit electric railway meant to propel cars. The conduit can be drained and kept dry, and a trolley attachment protects the conduit from dirt and water as well.
Date: December 5, 1893
Creator: de Voe, William R.
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
Combination-Plow. (open access)

Combination-Plow.

Patent for a combination-plow that "may be combined with facility to form a variety of plows designed for work of different kinds, the present invention being an improvement upon that shown and described in Patent No. 492,462, granted to [the inventor] February 28, 1893" (lines 10-15).
Date: July 14, 1896
Creator: Dean, John Rowe
System: The Portal to Texas History
Method of and Apparatus for Treating Mineral Pitch. (open access)

Method of and Apparatus for Treating Mineral Pitch.

Patent for an "improved method of and apparatus for treating mineral pitch and similar material to readily separate the asphalt and asphalt-oils from sand, bituminous rock, and other impurities contained in the mined material and removing the sand and impurities" (lines 12-17). The method circulates the material in hot water to separate the asphalt and asphalt-oils from the sand and impurities. The asphalt and oil rise to the top of the water and the impurities sink.
Date: November 5, 1895
Creator: Sellers, Harvey Lee; Conyngton, Hugh Ronald & Conyngton, Thomas
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow. (open access)

Plow.

Patent for improvements in reversible plows: "The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction of reversible plows and enable them to be adjusted to any desired depth" (lines 9-12).
Date: August 18, 1891
Creator: McKay, Robert B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Electric Belt (open access)

Electric Belt

Patent for improvements in electric belts.
Date: July 5, 1887
Creator: Williams, Robert E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Coupling. (open access)

Car-Coupling.

Patent for an invention for train cars which "relates to car couplings, and especially to that class of the same which effect an automatic coupling by means of a gravity-hook," (lines 12-15) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 13, 1884
Creator: Washburn, Andrew Lynch & Journeay, Abram L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Cupper (open access)

Cotton-Cupper

Patent for improvements in the type of equipment known as cotton cupers.
Date: October 1, 1889
Creator: Wilder, Theodore C. & Wilder, Atwood, E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Pencil Holder and Sharpener. (open access)

Combined Pencil Holder and Sharpener.

Patent for a combined pencil holder and sharpener, which uses the sharpener as a pencil cap.
Date: November 30, 1909
Creator: Haase, Conrad H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Valve for Engines. (open access)

Valve for Engines.

Patent for certain new and useful improvements in valves for steam engines, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: November 8, 1898
Creator: Allen, Walter J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oxygen-Generator (open access)

Oxygen-Generator

Patent for an oxygen generator that refills as it is emptied.
Date: February 7, 1911
Creator: Bradley, Richard Clinton
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sampling Device for Artesian Wells (open access)

Sampling Device for Artesian Wells

Patent for a sampling device for artesian wells to detect when oil has been reached.
Date: April 23, 1912
Creator: Bettis, William I.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Railway-Ticket, &c. (open access)

Railway-Ticket, &c.

Patent "to furnish for railway-companies a form of excursion-ticket whose return portion or stop-over portion, as the case may be, is not capable of successful use by scalpers" (lines 11-15).
Date: July 9, 1901
Creator: Smith, Lowndes G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Illuminated Sign and Operating Means Therefor (open access)

Illuminated Sign and Operating Means Therefor

Patent for an illuminated sign and how to operating means. Illustration included.
Date: October 30, 1906
Creator: Dunkle, George Harvey
System: The Portal to Texas History
Process of Making Artificial Fuel (open access)

Process of Making Artificial Fuel

Patent for process of creating artificial fuel and the resulting product.
Date: March 11, 1902
Creator: Steiner, Robert
System: The Portal to Texas History
Rail-Bond. (open access)

Rail-Bond.

Patent for a rail bond that allows an electric current to travel through the rails.
Date: March 14, 1911
Creator: Humason, Granville A. & Odell, Edward F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Domestic Boiler. (open access)

Domestic Boiler.

Patent for a boiler for boiling milk and other liquids prone to boiling over, which prevents the overflow of liquid from the boiler.
Date: October 8, 1907
Creator: Rahm, Phillip
System: The Portal to Texas History
Device for Dipping Lumber. (open access)

Device for Dipping Lumber.

Patent for a device for dipping lumber in a "soda" bath for preventing mildewing that allows the operator of the sawmill to determine which logs go through the bath.
Date: August 9, 1910
Creator: Baten, William Lucian
System: The Portal to Texas History
Liquid Dispensing Apparatus. (open access)

Liquid Dispensing Apparatus.

Patent for "certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid Dispensing Apparatus" (lines 5-7) describing new improvements, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: November 28, 1916
Creator: Bradley, Richard C.; Kinnebrew, Lee; Eastham, J. Malley & Ireland, C. Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History
Locking Mechanism (open access)

Locking Mechanism

Patent for locking mechanism, particulalry used in locking liquid dispensing machines.
Date: January 30, 1917
Creator: Bradley, Richard C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Pipe-Wrench. (open access)

Pipe-Wrench.

Patent for improvements to pipe wrenches to a more simple design.
Date: February 16, 1915
Creator: Lewis, Guy V.
System: The Portal to Texas History