Farm Gate. (open access)

Farm Gate.

Patent for a new and improved farm gate. This design consists "[i]n a swinging-gate, the combination of a plate provided with notches upon its upper outer end and connected to the upper end of the inner gate-post, a lever pivoted to the plate and connected with the upper pintle of the gate, a latch pivoted to the lever and extending down through a slot therein to engage with the notches in the plate, and suitable cords and pulleys for operating the latch and lever" (lines 17-26).
Date: July 7, 1885
Creator: Akin, Leonidas T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
File Case. (open access)

File Case.

Patent for a new and improved file case. This design "[t]he combination, with a case, of the pockets constructed in a series of a single piece of material having partitions formed by long folds connected at the bottom by short folds . . . [and t]he combination, with the folded pockets, of the file case having its sides constructed to overlap a part of the ends of the pockets, and an elastic follower with thumb-pieces arranged to bind with the sides of the case by straightening" (lines 9-24).
Date: July 31, 1888
Creator: Altfather, William F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hame Fastener. (open access)

Hame Fastener.

Patent for a new and improved hame-fastener. This design "is to provide a fastener . . . which is of simple construction, which can be readily adjusted, and in which all strain is removed from the pivot of the locking-dog, thus obviating any breakage of the pivot, whatever may be the strain" (lines 17-23).
Date: July 9, 1889
Creator: Anderson, Lee
System: The Portal to Texas History
Baling-Press (open access)

Baling-Press

Patent for "a device of this class which shall be simple in construction, in which considerable power ma be exercised without the use of complicated machinery, and which shall be rapid and effective in operation" (lines 9-14).
Date: July 23, 1889
Creator: Anderson, Zachariah J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bale Tie. (open access)

Bale Tie.

Patent for a new and improved bale tie. This design "consists of a short thin plate of metal having two tongues . . . fronting each other, said plate being pivoted at one end to the bale-hoop . . . the other end of the bale-hoop being passed under the tongues and drawn tightly around the bale, the expansion of the bale on the hoop causes the respective ends to pull on the respective ends of the tie-plate . . . so as to grip the edges of the end passed between the tongues and hold it firmly" (lines 7-19).
Date: July 24, 1883
Creator: Arnold, Abbott
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ventilating and Adjustable Rain Proof. (open access)

Ventilating and Adjustable Rain Proof.

Patent for a new and improved rain-proof cap for chimneys. This design "is to provide a . . . rain-proof or chimney tube for receiving that part of a stove-pipe that projects above the roof, which rain-proof is so constructed that pipes can be held in the same at different inclinations. The invention consists in a rain-proof formed of a conical tube held on the roof, in the upper end of which conical tube the upper end of the stove-pipe is held. A hood is held on the upper end of the stove-pipe" (lines 8-18).
Date: July 22, 1884
Creator: Atkin, Samuel T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Door Check. (open access)

Door Check.

Patent for a new and improved door check. This design consists in "the combination, with a wheel provided with annular offsets and journaled in a movable bearing, the brake, and the spring, of the sheath provided with vertical grooves for the U-shaped bearing" (lines 54-58).
Date: July 3, 1888
Creator: Bachman, Joseph A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
BUCKLE (open access)

BUCKLE

Patent for "a new and improved buckle" (lines4-5)
Date: July 20, 1880
Creator: Bardwell, Henery G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Automatic Printing Device (open access)

Automatic Printing Device

Patent for "improvements in automatic printing devices. . .whereby the printing is effected b the movement of the paper or fabric on which the printing is done" (lines 10-16).
Date: July 23, 1889
Creator: Barradall, Norborne D. & Bradley, Andrew Jackson
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Baling Press. (open access)

Cotton-Baling Press.

Patent for "an improved construction of hydraulic baling-presses, whereby it is designed to provide simple and more durable and reliable presses of this kind than any now in use" (lines 8-12).
Date: July 29, 1884
Creator: Baumgarten, Christian
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination Tool. (open access)

Combination Tool.

Patent for a new and improved multi-tool. This design "consists in a combination-tool embodying in a single implement a nail and staple-puller, pinchers, nail-straightener, and wire-cutters, the device being more particularly designed for use in constructing, taking down, and resetting wire fencing" (lines 7-12).
Date: July 22, 1884
Creator: Beazley, James Harvey
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wood Pavement. (open access)

Wood Pavement.

Patent for a new and improved wood pavement. This design "is to furnish an improved pavement which shall be strong, durable, and cheap, not being liable to decay nor become uneven, with perfectly water-tight concrete joints laid on a perfectly solid and compact foundation of gravel, which can be easily cut through and readily reunited should it become necessary to cut through it to lay sewer or gas pipes or water-mains, or make connections with same" (lines 10-19).
Date: July 17, 1883
Creator: Bell, Bushrod W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cultivator (open access)

Cultivator

Patent for "a cultivator of simple and durable construction, capable of being adjusted laterally to any width and vertically to any desired height" (lines 9-12).
Date: July 9, 1889
Creator: Benthall, John C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Harrow (open access)

Harrow

Patent for related rotary harrows that consists of improve hereinafter scribed.
Date: July 28, 1885
Creator: Bettreton, Elijah Thomas
System: The Portal to Texas History
Animal Trap. (open access)

Animal Trap.

Patent for a new and improved animal trap. This design consists in "the combination of the wire frame having the parallel base-arms, the coiled-springs, the upwardly-extending arms, and the downwardly-extending loop, the loop or ring on the bend and engaged portions of said wire, and the trigger-wire having the frontwardly-projecting point engaging said ring" (lines 80-87).
Date: July 10, 1888
Creator: Beversdorf, Louis, Jr.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hay-Press (open access)

Hay-Press

Patent for "a simple and effective machine of the character described, which shall possess advantages in point of durability, cheapness of manufacture, and general efficiency" (lines 18-21).
Date: July 31, 1888
Creator: Bigham, Joshua R. & Bigham, Ambrose W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Insect Destroyer. (open access)

Insect Destroyer.

Patent for a new and improved insect trap. This design "relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices for distributing liquid poison on cotton and other plants to destroy insect life thereon; and it consists in the [novel] construction and arrangement of parts" (lines 14-18).
Date: July 18, 1882
Creator: Binkley, James E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Drawers and Pantaloons. (open access)

Drawers and Pantaloons.

Patent for new and improved pants. This design consists in "[a] pair of pantaloons, each leg of which is composed of a single piece, having the two edges and extended from the crotch to the foot of the leg, said extended portions being lapped one upon the other and united by the double lines of stitching, one in front and the other in rear of the usual line of the inside seam, whereby the leg is given a double thickness on the inside, and a smooth unbroken surface, adapting them to be worn in the saddle with comfort" (lines 16-26).
Date: July 7, 1885
Creator: Blake, Samuel Diggs
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting Frame. (open access)

Quilting Frame.

Patent for a new and improved quilting frame. This design "consists of an improved arrangement of apparatus for suspending the quilting-frame from overhead rods, on which it is made to traverse for passing the quilt along the sewing-machine to be quilted, the essential object being to contrive a simple means of shifting the frame with relation to the machine and for placing it diagonally and for turning it around from side to side, so that when the quilt is very heavy one half can be quilted, and then the quilt turned and the other half quilted on the other side" (lines 7-18).
Date: July 17, 1883
Creator: Bledsoe, Robert B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting Frame. (open access)

Quilting Frame.

Patent for a new and improved quilting frame. This design "is to improve the means for suspending a quilting-frame, so that a sewing-machine may be more conveniently used in the quilting operation" (lines 7-10).
Date: July 24, 1883
Creator: Bledsoe, Robert B.
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 the crossed levers, the bail extending over the same, the spring secured to and extending between said levers, and the latches carried by said levers" (lines 3-6).
Date: July 23, 1889
Creator: Bonner, Whitmill J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combined Stalk-Cutter and Rake (open access)

Combined Stalk-Cutter and Rake

Patent for a stalk-cutter and rake design, "such as well enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same" (lines 9-11).
Date: July 2, 1889
Creator: Boykin, Archable T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gate (open access)

Gate

Patent for "a farm-gate that may be opened and closed from either side of the gate by a person mounted on horseback, or by a person in a vehicle, without its being necessary in either instance for the person to dismount or alight" (lines 18-22).
Date: July 23, 1889
Creator: Bradley, William F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hay or Cotton Press. (open access)

Hay or Cotton Press.

Patent for a new and improved baling press. This design consists "[i]n a hay-press, the combination of the box or casing having suitable doors in its top, bottom, and side, and supported on longitudinal base-strips, a main lever having a short toggle-arm, a semi-rotating fulcrum thereof, auxiliary arms pivotally connected with the main lever, reciprocating followers, and a drum and cord" (lines 26-33).
Date: July 28, 1885
Creator: Bragg, Thomas P.
System: The Portal to Texas History