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
Insect Destroyer. (open access)

Insect Destroyer.

Patent for a new and improved ant trap. This design "form[s] a trap or destroyer for ants which can be placed around the top of their hole and then filled with some poisonous compound, so that when the ants attempt to crawl over the ring, frame, or collar they will be poisoned by the compound, and thus destroyed" (lines 23-29). By utilizing a drip to distribute the poison to the ring, frame, or collar, the poison is replenished as it evaporates.
Date: February 14, 1882
Creator: Pinter, Francis T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Lamp Wick. (open access)

Lamp Wick.

Patent for a new and improved wick for oil lamps. This design "consists in forming the lamp-wick of one or more layers of mineral wool inclosed in a textile material, the whole being sewed together by a series of parallel longitudinal stitches" (lines 18-22). Employing textile material represents an improvement in capillarity over previous wicks made with refractory cement.
Date: February 14, 1882
Creator: Bèck, Gebhard
System: The Portal to Texas History
Feeder for Cotton Presses. (open access)

Feeder for Cotton Presses.

Patent for a new and improved feeder for cotton presses. This design "consists in a feeder for cotton-presses, constructed with a box to receive the cotton from the gin, the said receiving-box being provided with a movable top board to force the cotton into the packing-box placed beneath the said receiving-box, and from which the cotton is forced into the baling-press by a follower" (lines 23-30).
Date: February 14, 1882
Creator: Kirkpatrick, Robert Insley
System: The Portal to Texas History
Pocket Hanger for Hats and Coats. (open access)

Pocket Hanger for Hats and Coats.

Patent for a new and improved portable hat- and coat-hanger. This design utilizes two metal hooks, each of which fold into a metal handle, so that one hangs from a surface while the other hangs an article of clothing. One hook should be sharp enough to engage with a wall, while the other need not be sharp to hang an article from the back of a chair or pew.
Date: February 14, 1882
Creator: McDonald, Thomas
System: The Portal to Texas History