United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

New Process Fermentation Co. v. Maus, 122 U.S. 413 (1887)

New Process Fermentation Company v. Maus

Argued May 9-10, 1887

Decided May 27, 1887

122 U.S. 413

Syllabus

Claim 3 of letters patent No. 215,679, granted to George Bartholomae, as assignee of Leonard Meller and Edmund Hofmann, as inventors, May 20, 1819, for an "improvement in processes for making beer," namely,

"3. The process of preparing and preserving beer for the market, which consists in holding it under controllable pressure of carbonic acid gas from the beginning of the kraeusen stage until such time as it is transferred to kegs and bunged, substantially as described,"

is a valid claim to the process it purports to cover.

The state of the art of brewing beer, so far as it concerns the invention of the patentees, explained.

In equity. Decree dismissing the bill. The plaintiff appealed.

The case is stated in the opinion of the court.