This Day in Patent History – On January 7, 1913, William Burton was granted a patent for thermal cracking process for extracting gasoline

On January 7, 1913, William Burton was granted a patent for thermal cracking process for extracting gasoline. This patented technology doubled the yield of gasoline that can be extracted from crude oil.

The Burton process is still widely used in petroleum refining.

 

Patent Information
Publication number: US1049667 A
Patent Title: Manufacture of gasolene
Publication type: Grant
Publication date: 7 Jan 1913
Filing date: 3 Jul 1912
Priority date: 3 Jul 1912
Inventors: William M Burton
Original Assignee: Standard Oil Co

US1049667