Improvement in Oscillating Steam-Engine (open access)

Improvement in Oscillating Steam-Engine

Patent for improvements to steam-engines that employ oscillating cylinders for the drive-shaft.
Date: July 6, 1869
Creator: Richer, F. C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Plows (open access)

Improvement in Plows

Patent for improvements in the construction of plow-beams to be attached to the front axles of a wagon.
Date: July 6, 1869
Creator: Cummins, A. G. & Cummins, J. R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Car-Brakes. (open access)

Improvement in Car-Brakes.

Patent for improved railway car-brakes, including illustrations.
Date: July 6, 1875
Creator: O'Hara, Richard C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
BIRD-CAGE (open access)

BIRD-CAGE

Patent for a new and improved combined Bird-Cages and Fly-Traps. The improvements include the use of netting or wire gauze, making holes at the bottom of the cage to insert feed-cups or let flies in when the cage is used to catch flies, and placing a ring over the seed-cups in order to prevent insects or flies from getting into the cage when it is used as a bird-cage.
Date: July 6, 1880
Creator: Pinter, Francis T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
BOOK-RACK (open access)

BOOK-RACK

Patent for a book rack that can be used as book-rest.
Date: July 6, 1880
Creator: Murphy, James
System: The Portal to Texas History
Valve-Gear for Engines. (open access)

Valve-Gear for Engines.

Patent for "a new and useful improvement in Steam-Engine Valve-Gears." The invention consists in "combining with a crank-shaft and a valve-shaft a lever, shaft, and two friction-wheels" (lines 4-9)
Date: July 6, 1880
Creator: Josserand, Peter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for a new and improved churn. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the driving devices and the pivoted dasher-operating lever, of the fly-wheel provided with a series of holes each of square contour throughout the greater part of its length, the wrist-pin shaped to fit in any one of said holes, the cap pivoted on the rear side of the fly-wheel and adapted to cover any one of the holes in which the pin may be placed, and the pitman attached to the wrist-pin and connecting the same with the pivoted lever" (lines 70-80).
Date: July 6, 1886
Creator: Jones, Caleb
System: The Portal to Texas History
Leaf Turner. (open access)

Leaf Turner.

Patent for a new and improved leaf-turner for sheet music. This design consists "of a rack having attached guides, the horizontally-slidable rods arranged in said guides, one above the other, the leaf-turning fingers carried by one end of said rods, the elastic cords connected with the other ends of said rods for retracting the fingers, devices for holding the rods against the tension of the cords, and a finger-piece for successively disengaging said holding devices" (lines 56-64).
Date: July 6, 1886
Creator: Richards, Augustus, Sr.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Riding Saddle. (open access)

Riding Saddle.

Patent for a new and improved saddle. This design "provide[s] a flexible or elastic seat, consisting of a number of thicknesses of tanned sheepskin, with the wool on, between the saddle-tree covering and the ordinary external rawhide or other covering, thus preventing the said covering from resting on the inner edges of the saddle-tree side bars, which forms a comfortable and easy saddle; and, in addition to this, [the] invention relates to the opening rearwardly and laterally in the saddle-tree for attaching the girth-rigging thereto, in place of the ordinary rings" (lines 30-41).
Date: July 6, 1886
Creator: Hake, Francis A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cutting Attachment For Plows. (open access)

Cutting Attachment For Plows.

Patent for cutting attachment for a plow, including illustrations.
Date: July 6, 1897
Creator: Stone, Umphry M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Design for Insect Guard for Furniture (open access)

Design for Insect Guard for Furniture

Design patent for an insect-guard for furniture that is both useful and ornamental.
Date: July 6, 1897
Creator: Collier, John Charlis
System: The Portal to Texas History
Electric-Arc Lamp. (open access)

Electric-Arc Lamp.

Patent for improvements to electric-arc lamps to regulate the feed of the carbon-carrying rod, with illustrations.
Date: July 6, 1897
Creator: Walsh, James J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hitching Device. (open access)

Hitching Device.

Patent for "a hitching device which can be applied to a strap between its ends and which is freely adjustable back and forth upon the strap without wearing or injuring the strap in any manner and to form a hitching device which consists of two entirely separate and distinct pieces, thus doing away with all joints, pivots, or other connections, and the necessity for forming holes or perforations of any kind in the strap." (Lines 22-31) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 6, 1897
Creator: King, Sandy & Myers, Marshall
System: The Portal to Texas History
Pneumatic Conveyer (open access)

Pneumatic Conveyer

Patent for an invention that "relates to a pneumatic conveyer, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with cotton-seed and other material for the purpose of elevating and conveying the material to a room or compartment where it may be deposited and for transferring the contents of one of said compartments to another whenever desired" (lines 10-17). Illustrations are included.
Date: July 6, 1901
Creator: Seifert, John, W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Automatic Railway-Switch (open access)

Automatic Railway-Switch

Patent for a railway switch that can be opened by a car or engine. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1907
Creator: McGee, Richmond M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Coupling (open access)

Car-Coupling

Patent for a car coupling that separately joins two train cars together. illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Dobbs, Charles
System: The Portal to Texas History
Road-Repairing Machine (open access)

Road-Repairing Machine

Patent for a road repairing machine which repairs roads by leveling them. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Herring, Windsor G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sad-Iron-Edging Machine (open access)

Sad-Iron-Edging Machine

Patent for edging machine for removing rough edges from sad irons. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Dorsey, Royal H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sanitary Flooring (open access)

Sanitary Flooring

Patent for sanitary flooring to be used in toilet rooms to protect from unsanitary floors and odors. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Clayton, Nicholas J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Shaving-Cup (open access)

Shaving-Cup

Patent for a shaving cup with two compartments for soap and water and a drain. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Cook, Howard Price
System: The Portal to Texas History
Trough-Valve (open access)

Trough-Valve

Patent for an automatic float valve used in water troughs. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Mauldin, Blake I.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Valve (open access)

Valve

Patent for a water pipe valve. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Chalk, Russell H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire-Stretcher (open access)

Wire-Stretcher

Patent for a wire stretcher for barbed wire or woven wire fences. Illustrations included.
Date: July 6, 1909
Creator: Graham, Bruno
System: The Portal to Texas History
Paint (open access)

Paint

Patent for application to introduce an invention of useful paint. The purpose of the paint was to treat woods and prevent them from their enemies, such as worms. This paint can preserve the woods from fire which can render the name fireproof. The further development on this can safe woods from being cracked, peeled or run.
Date: July 6, 1912
Creator: Mott, Theodore
System: The Portal to Texas History