Patent ID: 7384992

Claim:
A rosin-fatty acid ester vinylic polymer composition comprising the reaction product produced by reacting in a resin addition polymerization reaction: (1) about 15.0% to about 60.0% by total weight of the reactants of a fatty acid ester rosin mixture comprising: (a) about 10.0% to about 90.0% by total weight of the fatty acid ester rosin mixture of at least one alkyl ester of unsaturated fatty acid, and (b) about 10.0% to about 90.0% by total weight of the fatty acid ester rosin mixture of rosin, and (2) about 40.0% to about 85.0% by total weight of the reactants of a monomer mixture comprising: (a) about 15.0% to about 55.0% by total weight of the monomer mixture of a member selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic anhydride, and combinations thereof, (b) about 45.0% to about 85.0% by total weight of the monomer mixture of a member selected from the group consisting of non-carboxylic acid containing vinylic monomers and combinations thereof, (c) a catalytic amount of polymerization initiator, (d) up to about 4.0% by total weight of the monomer mixture of chain transfer agent, and (e) up to about 30.0% by total weight of the monomer mixture of hydrocarbon solvent, at a temperature in the range of about 135° C. to about 200° C. to produce a rosin-fatty acid ester vinylic polymer composition having a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 4,000 to about 12,000.