In this case, the plaintiff, Cochrane, alleged that Deener infringed on his patented process for manufacturing purified flour.

The case ultimately reached the Supreme Court, which was tasked with determining whether the process in question was eligible for patent protection.

Justice Bradley, writing for the majority, established the principle that a process could be patentable if it involved a transformation or reduction of an article to a different state or thing.

The Court found that Cochrane's process, which involved the application of mechanical and chemical operations to remove impurities from grain meal and produce purified flour, met this requirement.

The Court's decision in Cochrane v. Deener clarified the scope of patentable subject matter, specifically with regard to processes.