Opinion ID: 1568047
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Bodman Patent.

Text: The patent was both a process patent and a product patent. There were 20 claims, the first 10 for the process, the last 10 for the product. Lever, in its brief (page 1) states: As the product claims are closely interwoven with the process, it is enough for the purposes of this appeal to discuss the process. We proceed on this theory. The important claims are numbers 5, 7, 13 and 20. These claims read: 5. The process of producing a floating soap having a continuous aerated mass with a uniform dispersion of fine voids throughout, and a characteristic texture and firmness similar to milled soaps and shape-stability, comprising introducing a soap mass containing about 5 to 25% moisture into a closed mixing chamber, working said mass in the presence of air while heating at a temperature of from about 160 degrees F. to about 225 degrees F. to uniformly distribute air throughout said heated mass, maintaining sufficient pressure on said mass to retain the air therein, releasing said mass to cause it to solidify in a continuous and aerated state. 7. The process of producing a floating soap having a continuous aerated mass with a uniform dispersion of fine voids throughout and a characteristic texture and firmness similar to milled soap and shape-stability, comprising introducing a soap mass containing less than about 25% moisture into a closed mixing chamber, working said mass under pressure in the presence of air and while in a plastic or semi-fluid condition to uniformly distribute air throughout said mass, and forming the mass into bars or cakes. 13. A floating soap, having a characteristic texture and firmness similar to milled soaps and shape-stability, said floating soap having a moisture content of less than about 25% and having a compatible gas finely disseminated through it in sufficient quantity to make it float, said floating soap resulting from the cooling of a plastic or semi-fluid soap mass containing less than about 25% of moisture subjected, in the presence of the gas, and under pressure to mechanical agitation to disseminate under pressure the gas through the mass at a temperature sufficiently high to render it at least plastic or semi-fluid. 20. A floating soap having a uniform dispersion of fine voids throughout its mass, and a characteristic texture and firmness similar to milled soaps and shapestability, with a moisture content of less than about twenty-five per cent, said floating soap resulting from working in a closed mixing chamber a continuous soap mass containing about 5 to 25% moisture in the presence of a compatible gas under pressure, while the mass is heated to a temperature of from about 160 degrees F. to about 225 degrees F., and then releasing the mass to cause it to solidify in a continuous and aerated state. The essential elements of the Bodman process may be briefly summarized as involving the following steps and conditions: 1. The preparation of a soap mass with a low moisture content (less than about 25%); and 2. While this soap mass is in a plastic or partially melted condition, as the result of a temperature ranging from about 160° F. to about 225° 3. The intense agitation and working of the soap mass; 4. In the presence of air; 5. Under pressure; and 6. In a chamber that is closed to the atmosphere. We might note that the wording of Claims 5 and 7 is almost identical, with the single exception that while Claim 5 precisely points out in degrees the temperatures at which the soap mass is to be heated, Claim 7 omits any specification of temperature in terms of definite degrees. In like manner, Claim 20 thus specifies the temperature, while this is omitted in Claim 13.