Animal Trap. (open access)

Animal Trap.

Patent for a new and improved animal trap. This design consists in "a platform having a rod or bar secured to its upper face, and having the ends of the choke-spring coiled thereon, pins or prongs extending from one edge of the platform for engagement with a side of a box, a box having one of its sides elevated, against which the pronged end of the platform abuts for engagement therewith, and having recesses in its opposite ends for the recession of a loop, which passes thence over the free end of the platform for binding the same to the box" (lines 3-14).
Date: June 12, 1888
Creator: Beach, Philemon Theodore
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car Coupling. (open access)

Car Coupling.

Patent for a new and improved coupling for railroad cars. This design "relates to an improvement in car-couplings, and has for its object to provide a coupling by means of which the link will be held up and guided into the draw-head, and the coupling-pin held in position to be coupled and automatically thrown into engagement with the link" (lines 7-13).
Date: June 5, 1888
Creator: Rutledge, William O.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Churn. (open access)

Churn.

Patent for a new and improved churn. This design consists "[i]n combination with the base, the frame having the cross-bars, churn provided with a dasher-shaft, a second shaft passing through cross-bars and connected with the dasher-shaft, pinions . . . secured to the shaft and adapted to rest upon the cross-bars . . . a[nother] shaft journaled in [one of] the cross-bar[s], and a mutilated gear engaging the pinions" (lines 16-24).
Date: June 5, 1888
Creator: Crawford, William H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Dental Tool (open access)

Dental Tool

Patent for a dental tool that is to "prevent the loss of amalgam" (p. 2).
Date: June 19, 1888
Creator: Morris, James P., of Paris, Texas
System: The Portal to Texas History
Drill. (open access)

Drill.

Patent for a new and improved drill. This design consists in "the combination, with the main shaft carrying two bevel gear-wheels, of a shaft carrying a bevel gear-wheel adapted to be connected alternately with the two bevel gear-wheels on said main shaft, a pinion secured on the said shaft, and a disk provided with a bevel gear-wheel meshing in the said pinion, said disk being connected with the drilling-tool, so that the latter can move freely up and down, but is turned by the said disk" (lines 111-120).
Date: June 26, 1888
Creator: Godwin, John Calhoon.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nut Lock. (open access)

Nut Lock.

Patent for a new and improved nut-lock. This design consists in "the plate having the outstanding lugs, the retaining arms pivoted to one of said lugs, the detent between said lugs, and the locking-bolts having the head portion and the corrugated shank" (lines 64-68).
Date: June 19, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting Frame. (open access)

Quilting Frame.

Patent for a new and improved quilting-frame. This design consists in "the combination, with a suspended track-beam, of a block carrying at the upper end journaled wheels which travel on said beam, a quilting-frame swiveled to said block and having inside loops at the lower end, and the quilting-roll end plates movable through said loops, as shown, whereby the quilt may be balanced, turned in a horizontal plane to a greater or less degree, and fed to the sewing machine" (lines 52-61).
Date: June 26, 1888
Creator: Vestal, Charles A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sheep-Shearing Machine (open access)

Sheep-Shearing Machine

Patent for an invention "to prevent these great losses to the sheep-owners of the country by producing a shearing-machine which will shear the sheep rapidly and evenly, and at the same time avoid cutting the sheep, thus preventing the injury to and loss of thousands of sheep yearly, and also increasing the market value of the wool" (lines 44-51).
Date: June 12, 1888
Creator: Richardson, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Trace Lock for Harness. (open access)

Trace Lock for Harness.

Patent for a new and improved trace-lock for harnesses. This design consists in "the combination of the bolt, the metal strap secured to the trace, provided with the recess, the projection, and the slot having the enlarged opening, the locking-plate pivoted on the recess having the opening, and the spring" (lines 72-77).
Date: June 26, 1888
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Well-Drilling Machine (open access)

Well-Drilling Machine

Patent for improvements in the construction and design of well-drilling machines.
Date: June 26, 1888
Creator: Moore, John F.
System: The Portal to Texas History