Tilghman v. Mitchell

23 F. Cas. 1224, 9 Blatchf. 1

This text of 23 F. Cas. 1224 (Tilghman v. Mitchell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Southern New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tilghman v. Mitchell, 23 F. Cas. 1224, 9 Blatchf. 1 (circtsdny 1871).

Opinion

BLATCHFORD, District Judge.

This case comes up on exceptions taken by the plaintiff to the report of the master, filed February 7th, 1870. On the 1st of December, 18G4, an interlocutory decree was made in the cause, on final hearing, by which it was referred to the master to state and report to the court an account of the gains and profits which the defendant had received, or which had arisen or accrued to him, from infringing the exclusive rights of the plaintiff by the manufacture, use. and sale of the improvements patented in the letters patent upon which the suit was brought The bill was filed in 1802. It was founded on letters patent granted to the plaintiff October 3d, 1854. for an “improvement in processes for purifying fatty bodies.” The term of the patent was for 14 years from the 9th of January, 1854.

In his specification the patentee says: “My invention consists of a process for producing free fat acids and solution of glycerine from those fatty and oily bodies of animal and vegetable origin which contain glycerine as their base. For this purpose, I subject these fatty or oily bodies to the action of water at a high temperature and pressure, so as to cause the elements of those bodies to combine with water, and thereby obtain at the same time free fat acids and solution of glycerine. I mix the fatty body to be operated upon with from a third to a half of its bulk of water, and the mixture may be placed in any con venient vessel in which it can be heated to the melting point of lead, until the operation is •complete. The vessel must be closed, and of great strength, so that the requisite amount of pressure may be applied to prevent the conversion of the water into steam. The process may be performed more rapidly, and also continuously, by causing the mixture of fatty matter and water to pass through a tube or continuous channel, heated to the temperature already mentioned, the requisite pressure for preventing the conversion of water into steam being applied during the process; and this, I believe, is the best mode of carrying my invention into effect. In the drawing hereunto annexed are shown figures of an apparatus for performing this process speedily and continuously, but which apparatus I do not intend to claim as any part of my invention.” He then describes the construction of the apparatus shown by the figures in the drawing. The fat or oil, in a fluid state, is placed in a vessel with from one-third to one-half its bulk of warm water, a disc or piston, in the vessel, perforated with numerous small holes, being kept in rapid motion, up and down, in the vessel, to cause the fat or oil and water to form an emulsion or intimate mechanical mixture. A force pump, like those in common use for hydraulic presses, then drives the mixture through a long coil of very strong iron tube, which, being placed in a furnace, is heated by a fire to about the temperature of melting lead. From the exit end of the heating tubes, the mixture, which has then become converted into free fat acids, and solution of glycerine, passes on, through another coiled iron tube, immersed in water, by which it is cooled down from its high temperature to below 212° Fahrenheit, after which it makes its escape through an exit valve into a receiving vessel. The specification says: “The iron tubes I have employed and found to be convenient for this purpose, are about one inch external diameter, and about half an inch internal diameter, being such as are in common use for Perkins' hot water apparatus. The ends of the tubes are joined together by welding to make the requisite length, but, where welding is not practicable, I employ the kind of joints used for Perkins’ hot water apparatus, which are now well known.” The heating tube is coiled several times backwards and forwards, so as to arrange a considerable length of tube in a moderate space. Th'e different coils of the tube are kept about a quarter of an inch apart- from each other, and the interval between them is filled up solid with cast iron, which also covers the outer coils or rows of tubes, to the thickness of one-half or three-quarters of an inch. This casing of metal insures a considerable uniformity of tempera[1226]*1226■ture in the different parts of the coil, adding, also, to its strength, and protecting it from injury by the fire. The exit valve is so loaded, that, when the heating tubes are at the desired working temperature, and the force ■pump is not in action, such valve will not be opened by the internal pressure produced by the application .of heat to the mixture; and, therefore, when the force pump is not in action, nothing escapes from the exit valve, if the temperature be not too high. But. when the pump forces fresh mixture into one end of the heating tubes, the exit valve is thereby forced open, to allow an equal amount of the mixture, which has been operated upon, to escape out of the cooling tubes at the other end of the apparatus. The specification adds: “No steam or air should be allowed to accumulate in the tubes, which should be kept entirely full of the mixture, hor this purpose, whenever it may be required, the speed of the pump should be increased, so that the current through the tubes may be made sufficiently rapid to carry out with it any air remaining; in them.. Although the decomposition of the neutral fats by water takes place with great quickness at the proper heat, yet I prefer that the pump should be worked at such a rate, in proportion to the length or capacity of the heating tubes, that the mixture, while flowing through them, should be maintained at the desired temperature for ten minutes before it passes into the refrigerator or cooling parts of the apparatus. The melting point of lead has been mentioned as the proper heat to be used in this operation, because it has been found to give good results. But the change of fatty matters into fat acid and glycerine takes place with some materials (such as palm oil) at or below the melting point of bismuth. Yet the heat has been carried considerably above the melting point of lead without any apparent injury; and the decomposing action of the water becomes more powerful as the heat is increased. By starting .the apparatus at a low heat and gradually increasing it, the temperature giving products most suitable to the intended application of the fatty body employed, can easily be determined. To indicate the temperature of the tubes,” (the heating tubes,) “I have found the successive melting of metals, and other substances of different and known degrees of fusibility, to be convenient in practice. Several holes, half an inch in diameter and two or three inches deep, are bored into the solid parts of the castings surrounding the tubes, each hole being charged with a different substance. The series 1 have used consists of tin, melting at about 440° F.; bismuth, at about 510° F.; lead, at about 610° F.; and nitrate of potash, at about 660° F. A straight piece of iron wire, passing through the side of the furnace to the bottom of each of the holes, enables the workman to feel which of the substances are melted, and to regulate the fire accordingly. It is important, for the quickness and perfection of the decomposition, that the oil and water, during their entire passage through the heating tubes, should remain in the same state of intimate mixture in which they enter them. I therefore prefer to place the series of heating tubes in a vertical position, so that any partial separation which may take place while the liquids pass up one tube, may be counteracted as they pass down the next. I believe that it will be found useful to fix, at intervals, in the heating tubes, diaphragms pierced with numerous small holes, so that the liquids, being forced through these obstructions with great velocity, may be thoroughly mixed together.

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Bluebook (online)
23 F. Cas. 1224, 9 Blatchf. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tilghman-v-mitchell-circtsdny-1871.