Bench Clamp. (open access)

Bench Clamp.

Patent for a new and improved bench clamp. This design, "[b]eing made of iron or other suitable material . . . is strong, durable, and inexpensive. It requires no bolts or screws to secure it to the work-bench or other object where its use may be required, and can be put in position and removed easily and quickly. It occupies but little room on account of its compactness, and can be applied to any piece of work without marring it" (lines 72-80).
Date: January 25, 1881
Creator: Murphy, James
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bale Tie Buckle. (open access)

Bale Tie Buckle.

Patent for a new and improved bale tie buckle. This design is for "bale-tie buckles so constructed that the bale can be easily and quickly tied, that will hold the tie securely, and at the same time can be made lighter and neater than ordinary buckles, while having the necessary strength" (lines 11-16).
Date: January 25, 1881
Creator: Starr, Henry Daniel
System: The Portal to Texas History
Vehicle Axle Lubricator. (open access)

Vehicle Axle Lubricator.

Patent for a new and improved axle lubricator. This design utilizes threads to allow for removal and reattachment, as well as easy cleaning.
Date: January 25, 1881
Creator: Rochelle, John Rugeley
System: The Portal to Texas History
Liquid Cooler. (open access)

Liquid Cooler.

Patent for a new and improved liquid cooler. This design "provide[s] an apparatus by means of which a variety of liquids may be simultaneously cooled as required for use as beverages, and by which the glasses or drinking vessels may be at the same time cooled and protected from dust and insects" (lines 14-20).
Date: January 25, 1881
Creator: Capps, Matterson F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lap Ring. (open access)

Lap Ring.

Patent for a new and improved lap ring (or link). This design utilizes a hinge to allow for half of the ring to part from the other half, which creates a larger opening and allows for connection with a wider range of things (e.g., larger clevises).
Date: October 25, 1881
Creator: Matthews, James Levi
System: The Portal to Texas History
Water Elevator. (open access)

Water Elevator.

Patent for a new and improved water elevator. This design "relates to improvements in water-elevators in which water is made to perform the operations heretofore performed by steam; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts . . . whereby the rarefaction of heated air is employed to raise or set in motion a continuous stream of water" (lines 14-21).
Date: January 25, 1881
Creator: Smith, William A. & Smith, Robert T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stalk Cutter. (open access)

Stalk Cutter.

Patent for a new and improved stalk cutter. This design "consists in certain improvements in the construction of [devices for cutting corn and cotton stalks] . . . [and] [t]he object of the invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction and arrangement of means for adjusting the pitch of the sides without affecting the usefulness or efficiency of the device; and to that end such means consist, essentially, in a single-rack bar, an operating-lever, and two links connecting said lever with the side bars" (lines 15-28).
Date: October 25, 1881
Creator: Horn, John W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gate. (open access)

Gate.

Patent for a new and improved gate. This design "consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the posts, the latch-bar pivoted to the main rail by inclined braces and operated by a rock-shaft and push-arms inclined in a direction opposite to that of the inclined braces, weight-box, and cranks for operating the rock-shaft to open and close the gate" (lines 19-25).
Date: October 25, 1881
Creator: Smith, Robert B. & Curry, William
System: The Portal to Texas History
Evaporator. (open access)

Evaporator.

Patent for a new and improved evaporator. This design "consists in certain improvements in the construction of . . . sugar boilers or evaporators" (lines 19-21). This design utilizes "[t]he combination, with an evaporating-pan mounted upon wheels or rollers, of a furnace provided with inclined holes adjoining its sides to accommodate the wheels of the evaporator" to make said improvements (lines 57-61).
Date: January 25, 1881
Creator: Harman, Franklin S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Seed Planter. (open access)

Seed Planter.

Patent for a new and improved seed planter. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the seed-hopper and seed-slide, of the stationary catch and elastic spring-catch, both secured to the hopper and arranged to grasp the head of the brush" (lines 60-64).
Date: October 25, 1881
Creator: Brooks, James Madison
System: The Portal to Texas History