Combined Pessary and Womb-Battery. (open access)

Combined Pessary and Womb-Battery.

Patent for a combined pessary and womb-battery. It is inserted into a woman's vagina and is used to deliver medication "and to stimulate the genitals to a healthy and normal action both mechanically and electrically" (lines 11-13). The device is worn without discomfort and can be worn while pregnant.
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Keller, Martha Ellen
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
Knee-Pad. (open access)

Knee-Pad.

Patent for a knee-pad that is meant to protect cotton-pickers as they crawl in uncomfortable areas. The knee-pads are made up of a concave oval made from leather, metal, or another strong material, with cloth attached to the base and edges of the oval. Straps go around the cloth and around the leg to hold it in place.
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Fergusson, William P.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Speed-Indicator. (open access)

Speed-Indicator.

Patent for a speed-indicator to be used on trolly-cars and other vehicles that informs anyone looking behind the trolly-car if that car is speeding or not. An alarm goes off when the car goes above a predetermined speed, which is activated by a governor that is controlled from the wheels. A device keeps the signal normal.
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Bateman, Talbot Owens
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow-Scraper. (open access)

Plow-Scraper.

Patent for an adjustable plow-scraper that attaches to the plow and scrapes soil from the moldboard.
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Jackson, Robert Litel
System: The Portal to Texas History
Design for a Handkerchief, &c. (open access)

Design for a Handkerchief, &c.

Patent for "a new and original design for handkerchiefs, fans, napkins, cards, and similar articles" (lines 8-10).
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Bowen, George R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Design for a Handkerchief, &c. (open access)

Design for a Handkerchief, &c.

Patent for a design for handkerchiefs, cards, napkins, etc., which features an Indian head,, a lion head, unicorns, scrolls, etc. Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Bowen, George R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Cleaning and Bat-Forming Apparatus. (open access)

Cotton-Cleaning and Bat-Forming Apparatus.

Patent for a cotton-cleaning and bat-forming apparatus that prepares cotton for compression into bales. The apparatus is meant to increase the value of the cotton it processes, and do so in an efficient and inexpensive manner. The amount of compression doubles the number of pounds of cotton one can fit into a bale. The chute does not let air out of the apparatus while cotton is being cleaned, and the air-pressure in the cleaner-condenser does not restrict the cotton's movement into the cleaner.
Date: July 7, 1896
Creator: Patterson, Warren A.
System: The Portal to Texas History