Automatic Air-Brake Coupling. (open access)

Automatic Air-Brake Coupling.

Patent for "a new and useful improvements in automatic air-brake couplers to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, the invention also relates to improvements in automatic air-brake couplings in cars". (lines 5-10) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1900
Creator: Cary, Lewis C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Coin-Holder (open access)

Coin-Holder

Patent for " a new coin holder that holds coins of different denominations in given amounts for circulating purposes," (lines 8-9) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1900
Creator: Sledge, Clarence Linden
System: The Portal to Texas History
Corn-Cropping Tool. (open access)

Corn-Cropping Tool.

Patent for a manual corn harvesting tool in which a curved cutting knife is secured to a metal plate which fits into the hand(s) of the operator and is secured to the hand(s) by a strap and buckle. Use of this apparatus would replace the two separate actions of grasping the corn with one hand and cutting it with the other.
Date: July 17, 1906
Creator: Gordon, Frederick William
System: The Portal to Texas History
Beef Tenderer. (open access)

Beef Tenderer.

Patent for a new and improved meat tenderizer. This design consists in "the combination, with the triangular end plates having the bearing-notches, the detachable connecting-bar provided with the threaded ends and shoulders, the thumb-nuts, the smooth rollers, and the coiled springs, of the crank-handle and the [other] roller provided with the teeth having square flat faces and flat sides at right angles to said faces and arranged in aligned longitudinal series and spirally arranged circumferentially, the areas of the teeth being one-fourth of an inch" (lines 7-18).
Date: July 17, 1888
Creator: Welch, Lee L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bridle Rod (open access)

Bridle Rod

Patent for a bridle rod that will be longitudinally adjustable for taking up the space that would be likely to occur between the switch points and the rails so that both of the switch points will, when the switch is operated, move to the proper position for presenting a smooth and even surface for the wheel flange of the railway rolling stock when the same pass over the switch.
Date: July 17, 1917
Creator: Mc Robertson
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire Stretcher (open access)

Wire Stretcher

Patent for a wire stretcher. Illustration included.
Date: July 17, 1906
Creator: Wright, Jessie T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wood Pavement. (open access)

Wood Pavement.

Patent for a new and improved wood pavement. This design "is to furnish an improved pavement which shall be strong, durable, and cheap, not being liable to decay nor become uneven, with perfectly water-tight concrete joints laid on a perfectly solid and compact foundation of gravel, which can be easily cut through and readily reunited should it become necessary to cut through it to lay sewer or gas pipes or water-mains, or make connections with same" (lines 10-19).
Date: July 17, 1883
Creator: Bell, Bushrod W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Vehicle-Wheel. (open access)

Vehicle-Wheel.

Patent for a vehicle-wheel that has cushioned, pneumatic, or elastic tires, shoulders, inwardly extending parallel branches, a felly that holds the branches in place and curves around the body of the tire, bolts that go through the felly and the branches, and spokes inside the felly.
Date: July 17, 1894
Creator: Penoyer, Newton D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lawn-Rocker. (open access)

Lawn-Rocker.

Patent for a lawn rocker improvement that provides swing and is durable and inexpensive.
Date: July 17, 1906
Creator: Coffy, Ida May
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Riding-Plows. (open access)

Improvement in Riding-Plows.

Patent for "an improved riding or sulky plow which shall be so constructed that the plow may be readily lowered into, raised from, and adjusted to run at any desired depth in the ground, and which may be adjusted to take or leave land, and to hold the carriage level when both wheels are running upon unplowed land, and when one wheel is running in a furrow." (Lines 14-22) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1877
Creator: Florance, James L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Door-Checks. (open access)

Improvement in Door-Checks.

Patent for "a device for holding the doors in open position, which is readily applied to the door and worked without noise or jamming; and the invention consists of a holder or knob, with recessed front end, attached to the base-board, and of a counter-sunk door plate or case provided with a rubber block, that binds on the recessed part of the holder to retain the door in open position." (Lines 10-18) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1877
Creator: Francis, John
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Sand-Conveyers. (open access)

Improvement in Sand-Conveyers.

Patent for a machine for "taking up and conveying sand into a suitable receptacle". Patent for breaking up sand and transferring it into a receptacle by means of circular cutters, conducting apron, inclined plate.
Date: July 17, 1877
Creator: Garcia, Rufino C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Washboard (open access)

Washboard

Patent for an improved washboard, that will be "simple, inexpensive, and efficient" while allowing water to fully drain from it after washing is finished, including illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1900
Creator: Bailey, Robert E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Water Cooler. (open access)

Water Cooler.

Patent for a new and improved water cooler. This design consists in "the combination, with an outer casing, a central ice-receptacle having a perforated bottom, a water reservoir surrounding the ice-receptacle, provided with a packing of filtering material in the bottom, of an auxiliary reserve held beneath the ice-receptacle and main reservoir and connected with the latter by a series of tubes, and a tank in the bottom of the casing surrounding said auxiliary reserve adapted to receive the drip from the ice" (lines 85-95).
Date: July 17, 1888
Creator: Glück, Solomon
System: The Portal to Texas History
Well Drill. (open access)

Well Drill.

Patent for a new and improved well drill. This design "consists in a novel construction of a tool for boring or drilling wells, which tool has the drill-bit and the reamer so united as to operate simultaneously, and thus serve the functions of the so-called "Z-bit" and effectually prevent the tool from being thrown laterally out of the line of cutting when striking bowlders; and the invention also consists in an improved construction of the coupling of the tool to the sinker-bar or drill-bar" (lines 9-18).
Date: July 17, 1888
Creator: Titus, Silas W. & Clark, Chester C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Plows. (open access)

Improvement in Plows.

Patent for "a plow which will effect a clean severance of the sod on the land side when operating in heavy, tenacious soil, and which will prevent the accumulation of rubbish against the edge of the mold-board or standard." (Lines 6-11) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1877
Creator: Wood, John W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Hoe-Handles. (open access)

Improvement in Hoe-Handles.

Patent for the improvement of hoe-handle tightening devices, including illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1877
Creator: Littleton, W. R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stalk Cutter. (open access)

Stalk Cutter.

Patent for a new and improved stalk cutter. This design consists in "a stalk and weed cutter, the combination, with the oblique side knives, of the transverse slotted bars, springs, and the guide and pressure bars having vertical arms passing through the slots of the transverse bars, and connected to said springs . . . [and] the runner-frame, having oblique wings and front and side knives, the standards and bar, cross-bars, cross-springs, and adjustable pressure and guide bars" (lines 80-92).
Date: July 17, 1883
Creator: Cook, Emmanuel Thomas
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stalk Cutter. (open access)

Stalk Cutter.

Patent for a new and improved stalk cutter. This design consists "[i]n a stalk-cutter, the combination of the frame, having the central longitudinal parallel bars, slotted laterally and having the space between them, the sliding block, pivoted slotted knives, pivoted arms, and recessed side sills, and the pivoted lever and rack" (lines 77-83).
Date: July 17, 1883
Creator: Duncan, Garnett & Evens, John Richard
System: The Portal to Texas History
Speed-Controlling Mechanism for Motor-Vehicles. (open access)

Speed-Controlling Mechanism for Motor-Vehicles.

Patent for a device that automatically closes the throttle to slow the speed of a motor vehicle when necessary. The device is designed to respond to vehicle load, road surface, and a predetermined speed limit.
Date: July 17, 1917
Creator: Carpenter, John C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Underscoring Attachment for Type-Writers. (open access)

Underscoring Attachment for Type-Writers.

Patent for an improvement on an underscoring attachment for type writers that allows the user to use the functions of underscoring, correcting, and cancelling characters as they type, allowing some functions to occur simultaneously, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1917
Creator: Aiton, Fred
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stock-Weaner. (open access)

Stock-Weaner.

Patent for improvements in stock weaners. The invention is used for weaning cattle and "may be applied to either the parent or the offspring to prevent abstraction of the lacteal fluid from the udder by either. The purpose of the invention is to devise a device of the character and for the purpose aforesaid which will be simple, effective, light, not interfere with grazing or feeding, and which can be easily and quickly placed in position without the use of tools and adapted to be readily removed and applied to another animal" (lines 12-22). Includes specifications and illustrations.
Date: July 17, 1900
Creator: Looby, Hiram R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Mail Box Signal (open access)

Mail Box Signal

Patent for a mail box signal. Illustration included.
Date: July 17, 1906
Creator: Forwood, Reginald
System: The Portal to Texas History
Trolley (open access)

Trolley

Patent for "a peculiar construction" (lines 11-12) that will reduce the liability of a trolley running off of the trolley-wire. This construction "involves a trolley-wheel carried on an axis fixed on the trolley pole or harp and an auxiliary wheel yieldingly mounted on the pole and pressed against the under side of the wire, so that should the pole drop slightly the auxiliary wheel will move relatively to the pole and reduce this contact with the wire." (lines 12-19)
Date: July 17, 1906
Creator: Ward, Gurney Enoch
System: The Portal to Texas History