Appeal No. 2005-0806 Page 15
Application No. 10/179,812
The high modulus ionomer taught by Sullivan has a flexural modulus of from
about 30,000 to 55,000 psi and a hardness of from about 60 to 66 on the Shore D
scale. The hard Surlyn® resins used in this invention are ionic copolymers which are the
sodium or zinc salts of the reaction product of an olefin having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms
and an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid having from 3 to 8 carbon atoms. The low
modulus ionomer taught by Sullivan has a modulus of from about 3,000 to about 7,000
psi and a hardness of from about 25 to about 40 as measured on the Shore D scale.
The low modulus ionomer may be a sodium or zinc salt of a terpolymer of an olefin
having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid having from 3 to
8 carbon atoms and an unsaturated monomer of the acrylate ester class having from 2
to 22 carbon atoms.
In applying the above-noted test for obviousness, we reach the conclusion that it
would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person of ordinary
skill in the art to have modified (1) the resinous material used for the inner cover of
Nesbitt's golf ball to be an ionomer resin containing about 20% alpha, beta-ethylenic
unsaturated carboxylic acid as suggested by the teachings of Horiuchi to improve the
impact resilience of the inner cover and thus increase the coefficient of restitution of the
inner cover and the golf ball for the reasons set forth above with respect to claims 1, 9
and 10; and (2) the resinous material used for the outer cover of Nesbitt's golf ball to be
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