Resource Type

Wind Engine. (open access)

Wind Engine.

Patent for a new and improved wind engine. This design "relates to an improvement in wind-engines, in which a vertical circular frame having a wind-wheel is covered to the half by a hemispherical roof supported by posts" (lines 8-12).
Date: February 2, 1886
Creator: Serdinko, John
System: The Portal to Texas History
Funnel for Forcing Molasses, &c. (open access)

Funnel for Forcing Molasses, &c.

Patent for a new and improved funnel. This design "relates to improvements in funnels for transferring molasses and other thick liquid and substances from one receptacle into bottles, jars, and other vessels; and the objects of [the] improvements are to provide a funnel with means for securing it to a table, counter, &c.; to provide said funnel with means for forcing a liquid therethrough and the forcing apparatus with a detachable spout thereunder" (lines 10-19).
Date: February 2, 1886
Creator: Henke, Henry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cane Mill. (open access)

Cane Mill.

Patent for a new and improved sugarcane mill. This design "consist[s] of the frame composed of [a] bed-piece, vertical standards, and horizontal pieces, [one] piece having [a] trough, the vertical shaft, horizontally movable . . . and provided with the gear, the roller having stationary shaft provided with pinion, the [other] roller having stationary shaft provided with pinion, boxes, and screw-threaded rods" (lines 81-89).
Date: February 9, 1886
Creator: Webb, John T.
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 "the combination of two sliding draw-heads, each provided with a shank having coiled around it a spring and a nut secured thereto, an upper sliding supporting-plate for the pin, having a tripping device, a lower sliding supporting-plate for the link, having a catch, a latch with a trip-arm for holding and releasing said plate, and a spring for drawing it back to its normal position" (lines 11-20).
Date: February 9, 1886
Creator: Ballentine, John C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Band Stretcher. (open access)

Band Stretcher.

Patent for a new and improved band stretcher. This design "relates to improvements in band-stretchers in which a windlass, crank, and ratchets operate in conjunction with a sliding clamp; and the object of [the] improvement is to provide a device with which the ends of a band may be drawn together and held for the purpose of lacing" (lines 15-21).
Date: February 23, 1886
Creator: Lawrence, Joseph A.
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 coupling-box or draw-head and spring-pin, of the block, spring, and plate, united together as described, the plate being of suitable size to enter the bore of the draw-head" (lines 4-8).
Date: March 2, 1886
Creator: Veteto, George M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling-Press (open access)

Baling-Press

Patent for a new baling press design with description of parts and their functions, with illustrations.
Date: March 2, 1886
Creator: Bryan, Walter S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car Seat Recorder. (open access)

Car Seat Recorder.

Patent for a new and improved car-seat recorder. This design consists in "[t]he combination of the following elements: a car-axle, the depressible car-seat, and the recording apparatus arranged alongside the seat and consisting of friction feed-wheels, a paper strip, meshing spur-gears, and a puncturing device arranged vertically, a lever which operatively connects said seat and apparatus, and gearing which connects the latter with the axle, whereby movement of the car operates said apparatus and enables the record to be made by slitting the strip when the seat is depressed" (lines 22-33).
Date: March 2, 1886
Creator: Bywaters, Joseph K. & Burke, John Y.
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-heads provided with projections . . . each having at its inner-portion a horizontally-elongated slot, and at its outer portion a vertically-elongated slot, of the horizontally-slidable coupling-pins, for respectively engaging the said slots" (lines 82-88).
Date: March 16, 1886
Creator: Sessions, Egbert G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination-Lock for Money-Drawers, &c. (open access)

Combination-Lock for Money-Drawers, &c.

Patent for improvement to a combination lock for money drawers to make it more secure.
Date: March 16, 1886
Creator: Sturgis, Herbert M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Apparatus for Use in Dry Out-Houses (open access)

Apparatus for Use in Dry Out-Houses

Patent for the construction of an improved odorless apparatus for dry out-houses, including explications and illustrations.
Date: March 23, 1886
Creator: Carrico, Thomas W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling Press. (open access)

Baling Press.

Patent for a new and improved baling-press. This design consists in "[t]he combination of the frame or support, the lever-arms, the winch and the ropes connecting the said arms thereto, the follower, the toggle-jointed levers connecting the said follower with the frame, and the rods connecting the joints of the said levers to the lever-arms, with the follower and the fulcrumed levers, having their inner ends connected to the follower and their outer ends connected to [a different] follower whereby the said followers move simultaneously when the winch is turned" (lines 83-94).
Date: March 30, 1886
Creator: Robburts, George W.
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 of a draw-head, the laterally-movable pin-retaining arms supported therein, and a pivoted wing normally held in the path of an approaching link, and arranged to distend the arms to drop the pin when acted on by the links" (lines 30-35).
Date: April 6, 1886
Creator: Thomason, John W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Axle Lubricator. (open access)

Axle Lubricator.

Patent for a new and improved axle-lubricator. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the tube having the threaded outer end, of the cap threaded to close said end, and the shank or stem carrying the conical plug at its lower or inner end, and screw-threaded to work through a threaded perforation of the cap, a shoulder being provided on the stem or shank at the base of the threads, operating to cause the unscrewing of the cap by the continued turning of the shank or stem" (lines 80-89).
Date: April 13, 1886
Creator: Hawkins, Andrew Jackson & Allen, Sam Henry
System: The Portal to Texas History
Balanced Pump. (open access)

Balanced Pump.

Patent for a new and improved balanced pump. This design "relates to improvements in balanced pumps having two vertical receiving-cylinders provided with vertically-reciprocating plungers, and two vertical delivery-cylinders provided with plunging-barrels, all being provided with suitable valves operating automatically in conjunction therewith; and the objects of [the] invention are, first, to provide a pump by means of which water or other fluids may be conducted or raised with but little propelling power, and . . . to afford facilities for readily attaching it to be driven by any steam-engine" (lines 15-27).
Date: April 20, 1886
Creator: Ramsey, Haley S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Box for Washing Material for Concrete. (open access)

Box for Washing Material for Concrete.

Patent for "a new and useful improvement in boxes for washing aggregate or rough material for making concrete" (lines 5-7), including instructions and illustrations.
Date: April 20, 1886
Creator: Carrico, Thomas W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination Wrench. (open access)

Combination Wrench.

Patent for a new and improved multi-tool. This design consists in "[t]he bar having the nut-wrench and the hammer-head formed at one end, the pipe-wrench formed at the opposite end, and the slot made in one side, the spring located in the bottom of the slot or opening, and the blade pivoted in one end of the slot or opening and bearing on the free end of the spring, the said blade forming a screw-driver" (lines 52-59).
Date: May 4, 1886
Creator: Wright, Augustus Washington
System: The Portal to Texas History
Blind Slat Adjuster. (open access)

Blind Slat Adjuster.

Patent for a new and improved blind adjuster. This design consists in "[a] shutter-stop consisting of a slotted bar linked to the end of the slat-actuating rod of a shutter, in combination with a plate having a spur on one side and a screw-threaded stud on the other, a washer, and a thumb-nut" (lines 93-97).
Date: May 4, 1886
Creator: Lewis, Paulinus Aloysius
System: The Portal to Texas History
Billiard Table Leveler. (open access)

Billiard Table Leveler.

Patent for a new and improved billiard-table leveler. This design consists in "the vertical case having the closed bottom, the open upper end, and provided with the removable plate, the vertical guide-rods extending through openings in the plate, the follower in the upper end of the case and having openings to receive the guide-rods, and provided with an interiorly-threaded opening, the vertical shaft having its lower end stepped in the bottom of the case and journaled in the plate, the said shaft having the miter-pinion and the threaded upper end working in the threaded opening of the follower" (lines 58-70).
Date: May 11, 1886
Creator: Himes, Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History
Boot Cleaner. (open access)

Boot Cleaner.

Patent for a new and improved boot cleaner. This design "affords facilities for readily and conveniently scraping all parts of the boot or shoe. The heel is scraped on [a] semicircular portion located at the top of the arch, the sides of the sole by the arms, the upper hollow of the foot by the projections, [and] the toe by the lower side of the arch or bow" (lines 38-45).
Date: May 25, 1886
Creator: Scovel, Purley A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Cotton Chopper and Cultivator (open access)

Combined Cotton Chopper and Cultivator

Patent for an improvement for the Combined Cotton Chopper and Cultivator by removing dirt, weeds, and grass from the sides of the row. Included with this are detailed illustrations.
Date: May 25, 1886
Creator: Flewellen, Anthony, Sr.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churning Device. (open access)

Churning Device.

Patent for a new and improved churn. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the base having uprights forming guides for the vertically-movable rod, of the rod movable in said guides and adapted to be connected with a rod or dasher, the treadle, a link connecting the treadle with said rod, the shaft having a platform adapted to support the churn-body and provided with a crank, and a pitman connecting said crank with the treadle" (lines 72-80).
Date: June 1, 1886
Creator: Dickey, John S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Animal Shears. (open access)

Animal Shears.

Patent for new and improved animal shears. This design is "of a platinum or other wire or conductor heated to a high temperature, sufficient to burn through the fibers of the wool or hair, and [is] passed over the surface of the body as close as may be deemed desirable to the roots. No injurious effects are produced upon the animal or upon the wool or hair removed, while at the same time the same may be removed with great uniformity and expedition" (lines 28-36).
Date: June 8, 1886
Creator: Harrell, Joseph J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Coupling for Wagon Tires. (open access)

Coupling for Wagon Tires.

Patent for a new and improved tire tightener. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the wheel-fellies, one of which has a longitudinal socket, of the overlapping sections secured to the contiguous ends of the tire, and having projecting lugs, an adjusting-bolt carried by one of the lugs and bearing against the other lug, and a protecting-plate having a threaded opening for the passage of the bolt and interposed between the end of the felly in which [a] socket is formed, and the lug adjacent thereto" (lines 80-90).
Date: June 15, 1886
Creator: Simon, Henry Joseph
System: The Portal to Texas History