Cotton Chopper. (open access)

Cotton Chopper.

Patent for a new and improved cotton chopper. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with the frame and the operating-gearing, of the vertical shaft, supported by the frame and acted on by the operating-gearing, the horizontal plate rigidly secured to the lower end of the shaft and provided with radial grooves, and slots in said grooves, the feet having their upper ends bent at right angles, fitted in said grooves and adjustably secured therein by bolts passing through the radial slots, the lower ends of the feet carrying choppers" (lines 39-49).
Date: October 25, 1887
Creator: Ballard, John J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Seed Dropper. (open access)

Cotton Seed Dropper.

Patent for a new and improved planter. This design consists in "the frame, the roller journaled in the rear side thereof and having the crank, the seed-spout, the supporting bars on opposite sides of the frame, the rigid shaft connecting the said bars, the seed-disk rigidly secured to the said shaft and having the curved fingers or teeth, the hopper journaled on the shaft and adapted to oscillate thereon, the said hopper having the discharge-opening in its lower side, through which the lower edge of the seed-disk connects, and the pitman connecting the crank with the hopper" (lines 26-37).
Date: October 25, 1887
Creator: Ballard, John J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Brake for Vehicles (open access)

Brake for Vehicles

Patent for "a brake which shall be easy in operation, cheap in construction, and not liable to get out of order" (lines 13-17).
Date: October 25, 1887
Creator: Bacon, Edward Hamlin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling Press. (open access)

Baling Press.

Patent for a new and improved baling-press. This design consists in "the ordinary framing, shell, or case for containing the material and stationary lower platen or bed are used, the upper platen being the movable one to effect the compression. This upper platen is brought down upon the material for its compression by the lowering of screw-threaded rods to which it is attached, such lowering being effected by the rotation of rotating nuts in fixed bearings taking on such screw-threaded rods" (lines 25-35).
Date: January 25, 1887
Creator: Brown, Maurice T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fare Box. (open access)

Fare Box.

Patent for a new and improved fare-box. This design consists in "three resting-places for the fares before they enter the final receptacle or drawer provided at the bottom of the case, and the windows in front are so arranged that the fares may be observed at each change until they enter their final receptacle. All lights of glass employed are held in grooves in the upright sides of the case or in a frame secured in grooves of the said sides, so that by no possibility can they be displaced unless the entire box is taken to pieces" (lines 25-35).
Date: January 25, 1887
Creator: Greer, John William
System: The Portal to Texas History
Truss. (open access)

Truss.

Patent for a new and improved truss. This design consists in "the body-band consisting of a front piece adapted to fit around the abdomen, and a wire attached to each end of said front piece, shaped to conform to the body and spread apart to receive and rest upon the hip-bone, and straps secured to the opposite ends of said wires for fastening the band in place" (lines 43-50).
Date: October 25, 1887
Creator: Davis, Andrew P.
System: The Portal to Texas History