How William Burton Invented Modern Gasoline Refining
A 1913 patent by William Burton that describes a thermal cracking process to turn heavy crude oil into usable gasoline for automobiles.
Original patent title: “Manufacture of gasolene.”
A 1913 patent by William Burton that describes a thermal cracking process to turn heavy crude oil into usable gasoline for automobiles. Granted to Standard Oil Co in 1913 with 2 forward citations, and it is now in the public domain.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent describes a method for increasing the yield of gasoline from crude oil by heating heavy oil fractions under pressure. By applying heat and pressure in a closed vessel, the process breaks down larger, heavier hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, lighter ones suitable for internal combustion engines. This thermal cracking process allowed refiners to extract significantly more fuel from every barrel of oil compared to simple distillation.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover catalytic cracking, which uses chemical catalysts to speed up the reaction.
- Does not cover modern hydrocracking techniques that use hydrogen gas to improve fuel quality.
- Does not cover the extraction of crude oil from the ground.
- Does not cover the design of the internal combustion engines that consume the gasoline.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
Burton realized that by keeping the oil under pressure while heating it, he could prevent the liquid from boiling away too quickly, forcing the heavy molecules to break apart rather than just vaporizing.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Early 20th-century oil refineries
Standard Oil production facilities
Gasoline supply chains for Model T automobiles
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This invention was critical to the growth of the early automotive industry. Before this process, gasoline was a byproduct of kerosene production and was often discarded; Burton's method turned it into a primary, high-value product that fueled the mass adoption of the car.
Filed
July 3, 1912
Granted
January 7, 1913
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Modern global energy companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and BP continue to refine and scale the fundamental principles of hydrocarbon cracking. While the technology has evolved into highly sophisticated catalytic and hydro-processing units, the core objective of maximizing fuel yield from crude remains the same.
Market impact
The patent enabled the rapid expansion of the oil refining industry and provided the fuel necessary to sustain the massive growth of the automotive sector in the 1910s and 1920s. It effectively transformed gasoline from a refinery nuisance into the most economically significant product in the energy market.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes a method for increasing the yield of gasoline from crude oil by heating heavy oil fractions under pressure. By applying heat and pressure in a closed vessel, the process breaks down larger, heavier hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, lighter ones suitable for internal combustion engines. This thermal cracking process allowed refiners to extract significantly more fuel from every barrel of oil compared to simple distillation.
The clever bit
Burton realized that by keeping the oil under pressure while heating it, he could prevent the liquid from boiling away too quickly, forcing the heavy molecules to break apart rather than just vaporizing.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover catalytic cracking, which uses chemical catalysts to speed up the reaction.
- Does not cover modern hydrocracking techniques that use hydrogen gas to improve fuel quality.
- Does not cover the extraction of crude oil from the ground.
- Does not cover the design of the internal combustion engines that consume the gasoline.
Patent Journey
From filing to expiry
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Limited data
Citation count
10/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$7K – $23K
Midpoint $14K · expired or expiring · industry ×2.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Burton, W. M. (1913). How William Burton Invented Modern Gasoline Refining (U.S. Patent No. 1,049,667). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1049667/petroleum-cracking-burton
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How William Burton Invented Modern Gasoline Refining cover?
A 1913 patent by William Burton that describes a thermal cracking process to turn heavy crude oil into usable gasoline for automobiles.
Who owns patent US 1049667?
Standard Oil Co owns this patent, granted in 1913.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 1049667 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This invention was critical to the growth of the early automotive industry. Before this process, gasoline was a byproduct of kerosene production and was often discarded; Burton's method turned it into a primary, high-value product that fueled the mass adoption of the car.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover catalytic cracking, which uses chemical catalysts to speed up the reaction.
Patent monitoring