Broom-Rack. (open access)

Broom-Rack.

Patent for a new suspended broom rack design with increased capacity for holding brooms, including illustrations.
Date: February 12, 1889
Creator: Jones, Wesley C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Hedge Trimmer and Mower. (open access)

Combined Hedge Trimmer and Mower.

Patent for a new and improved hedge trimmer and mower. This design "relates to certain new and useful improvements in that class of combined hedge-trimmers and mowers in which the side and top of a hedge are trimmed at the same time; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of the frame-work, the driving mechanism or gearing, and the cutting devices or knives" (lines 10-17).
Date: February 14, 1882
Creator: Lattner, Jacob V.
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 a device for catching ants, the combination, with an open frame, of the end piece or trough, having a concave bottom and overturned edges" (lines 84-87).
Date: March 29, 1887
Creator: Haines, Samuel Alfred
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ant Trap. (open access)

Ant Trap.

Patent for a new and improved ant trap. This design consists in "the combination of a tube having a longitudinal slot in its top at one end and a transverse slot in the bottom near the other end, the top of the tube on each side of the longitudinal slot bent downward, a pen secured to the end of the tube having the longitudinal slot, a portion of one side piece of the pen forming an end for the tube and the other side piece being cut away and secured to the tube, and a receptacle under the end of the tube having the transverse slot, the upper edges of the pen and of the receptacle being bent" (lines 65-77).
Date: February 28, 1888
Creator: Miller, Marshall Crittenden
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 "[t]he combination, with the draw-head, of an upright or standard secured thereto, a lever pivoted to said upright or standard, a coupling-pin pivoted to said lever, a flat spring secured to the underside of the draw-head and extending outwardly beyond the same, and a chain connecting said lever and spring" (lines 16-22).
Date: October 28, 1884
Creator: Pritchett, William Henry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Adjustable Stool. (open access)

Adjustable Stool.

Patent for an adjustable and foldable stool for but not limited to field workers, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: April 6, 1880
Creator: Smith, William Alexander & Smith, Robert Toumbleson
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lever Scraper for Cleaning Plows. (open access)

Lever Scraper for Cleaning Plows.

Patent for a new and improved lever scraper for cleaning plows. This design "relates to improvements in plows, the object being to remove quickly and readily from the mold-board the earth which, in plowing stiff, waxy, or greasy soils, adheres thereto; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of a scraper-blade and of the actuating mechanism therefor" (lines 9-15).
Date: November 8, 1887
Creator: Tucker, Argyle W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Key-Board Attachment for Pianos. (open access)

Key-Board Attachment for Pianos.

Patent for a new keyboard attachment as educational aid for "pianos, organs &c. and has for its object to simplify the reading of music" (lines 9-11) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: February 12, 1889
Creator: Osborn, Enoch L. S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire Stretcher. (open access)

Wire Stretcher.

Patent for a new and improved wire stretcher. This design "consists in the combination of a slotted lever provided with points at one end to catch against the side of the post and a hook over which one end of the chain is fastened, a sliding frame, a reel or drum, pawls, a guiding-pulley, a wire or chain, to which the clamp is secured, and a chain for fastening the stretcher to the post . . . [it] is to provide a slotted handle a sliding frame . . . so that when the strain of the wire being stretched is brought to bear upon the frame it will tighten" (lines 13-26).
Date: July 26, 1887
Creator: Dunbar, William E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Machine for Putting Ties on Bales. (open access)

Machine for Putting Ties on Bales.

Patent for a new and improved machine for putting ties on bales. This design consists in a "frame-work which is to be placed across the bale . . . a shaft journaled in the frame and provided with a reel at each end, and pawls and ratchets with hooked ropes or chains . . . a double rope which is to be passed around the bale . . . and suitable U-shaped hooks . . . to provide a machine whereby cotton and other bales can be compressed at that point where the tie has come off, so as to allow another tie to be placed around the bale, and thus prevent the loss of material" (lines 16-33).
Date: May 1, 1888
Creator: Dunbar, William E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wheel. (open access)

Wheel.

Patent for a new and improved wheel. This design, when "traversing soft and marshy soil[,] the ribs or lugs engage in the surface in the ordinary way; but in passing over hard or stony soil the flange bears on the surface and prevents jarring. The ribs and the flange are flush with each other . . . and this height may be considerably more than that of the ordinary ribs . . . for the reason that the said height does not affect the regularity of motion of the wheel in passing over hard soil. The advantage in tapering the ribs or lugs and the inner side of the flange is to prevent earth from clogging therein" (lines 51-53).
Date: October 16, 1888
Creator: Hatch, Jerome B. & Stroud, Wiley N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wheel. (open access)

Wheel.

Patent for a new and improved wheel. This design consists in "inner spokes [that] are inclined outwardly, and the outer spokes [that] are inclined inwardly toward their remote ends, whereby compression of the rim of the wheel is transformed into lateral thrusts on the hub, and the lateral thrusts counterbalance each other" (lines 45-51).
Date: April 9, 1889
Creator: Stroud, Wiley N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Machine for Packing Cotton. (open access)

Machine for Packing Cotton.

Patent for a new and improved packer. This design consists "[i]n a cotton-packer, the combination of the frame, guides mounted therein, rack-bars moving in the said guides, a press-box and steam-cylinder, and heads secured to the rack-bars and moving in the press-box and cylinder, respectively, cog-wheels of different diameters journaled in the frame and meshing with the rack-bars, and anti-friction rollers pivoted in the guides and bearing against the rack-bars" (lines 4-13).
Date: May 21, 1889
Creator: Brady, Farley
System: The Portal to Texas History
Throat Latch Fastener. (open access)

Throat Latch Fastener.

Patent for a new and improved throat-latch fastener. This design consists in a "connecting-plate for bridles, having the side and end bars, the intermediate transverse bars . . . and the central longitudinal bar, having a stud in one portion thereof" (lines 79-83).
Date: April 17, 1888
Creator: Hopson, Franklin Oliver
System: The Portal to Texas History
Mechanical Motor. (open access)

Mechanical Motor.

Patent for a new and improved motor. This design consists, "with the frame having the side and end slots, of the two drive-wheels and their springs, the movable spring-actuated shaft having the central pinion, the pivoted lever, the catch of the same, the crank-shaft formed with the central crank and having the pinion, the connecting-pitman, the pivoted adjustable fan-rod formed with the series of apertures near its upper end and along its central part, the adjustable weight, and the connecting-rod" (lines 116-126).
Date: May 8, 1888
Creator: Haines, Samuel Alfred
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sulky Plow. (open access)

Sulky Plow.

Patent for a new and improved sulky-plow. This design "has for its objects to provide simple and efficient means whereby the plow may be caused to run level when breaking upon uneven ground, or, when after breaking, when one wheel is run in a furrow previously formed. These objects [the design] attain[s] by . . . the mechanism for lowering or elevating the [plow] for the purpose of leveling it" (lines 10-20).
Date: September 28, 1886
Creator: Brown, Peter C. & Bragg, Thomas P.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nut Lock. (open access)

Nut Lock.

Patent for a new and improved nut lock. This design calls for a grooved nut and bolt to hold a pin between the two while the bolt is screwed onto the nut. Depending on whether or not the pin is in said grooves, the nut may or may not be removed from the bolt, which increases the worker's control over the nut and bolt and prevents unintended loosening.
Date: March 1, 1881
Creator: Bunker, John Williamson
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hame Tug. (open access)

Hame Tug.

Patent for a new and improved hame-tug. This design "relates to a hame and trace attachment, having for its object to provide a simple, strong, and durable device to connect the front end of the trace chain or strap to the hame, whereby the movement of the said chain or strap is prevented from wearing the parts, and thus necessitating frequent repair or replacement" (lines 9-16).
Date: September 18, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Charley N. & McPhaill, Robert
System: The Portal to Texas History
Harvester-Reel. (open access)

Harvester-Reel.

Patent for the placement of a "covering of canvas, cloth, or other suitable material" (lines 16-17) around a harvester-reel for various improvements, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: March 23, 1880
Creator: Moore, Joseph Martial
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hay or Cotton Press. (open access)

Hay or Cotton Press.

Patent for a new and improved baling press. This design consists "[i]n a hay-press, the combination of the box or casing having suitable doors in its top, bottom, and side, and supported on longitudinal base-strips, a main lever having a short toggle-arm, a semi-rotating fulcrum thereof, auxiliary arms pivotally connected with the main lever, reciprocating followers, and a drum and cord" (lines 26-33).
Date: July 28, 1885
Creator: Bragg, Thomas P.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stove Pipe Joint. (open access)

Stove Pipe Joint.

Patent for a new and improved joint for stove pipes. This design has for its object "to secure a firm and safe connection between the sections of pipe, and at the same time to protect the joint so that the pipe is not liable to crack or split at that point. [The] invention consists in combining with the threaded sections of a stove-pipe, a cap or band secured to one of the sections and overlapping the other, so as to inclose and protect the joint" (lines 9-17).
Date: June 2, 1885
Creator: Laughlin, William N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Shoe Upper Blank. (open access)

Shoe Upper Blank.

Patent for a new and improved shoe-upper blank. This design "relates to an improvement in blanks for the uppers of what are known as 'plow-shoes,' wherein a fly is folded over the instep and secured upon the side of the shoe by means of a tongue and buckle. The object of [the] invention is to provide a durable, inexpensive, and comfortable shoe which will be largely free from stitching and will have a neatly fitting and pleasing appearance" (lines 7-16).
Date: October 4, 1887
Creator: Skinner, John Leary
System: The Portal to Texas History
Spring Punch. (open access)

Spring Punch.

Patent for a new and improved spring-punch. This design "is to provide a punch in which the dies may be easily changed and adjusted, thus enabling one punch to serve for various purposes. [The] invention consists in constructing a punch with two or more sets of connected or geared levers, whereby the power of the jaws is greatly increased. It is not necessary, therefore, to apply as much power to the handles to produce the same result. The invention consists, further, in providing one of the jaws with a slot in which a number of dies may be secured" (lines 14-26).
Date: February 28, 1888
Creator: Jones, Wesley Corry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Head Frame for Cattle. (open access)

Head Frame for Cattle.

Patent for a new and improved head-frame for cattle. This design is "to prevent cattle from breaking down or going through fences" (lines 9-10). To this end, it "compris[es] the bar bearing longitudinally on the face of the animal, bent forward at its upper end to form a hook, and provided with a rearwardly-convex bend near its lower end, the rectangular frame integral with the lower end of the bar, having its sides forwardly convexed . . . and provided with the inwardly-extending arms, the adjusting-bolt connecting the sides of the frame, and the transverse bar carried by the [other] bar and provided with rings" (lines 71-82).
Date: October 2, 1888
Creator: Dorris, James Orson
System: The Portal to Texas History