PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16008381
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-06
Publication Date: 2018-10
Patent Classification: ["473", "376000"]

Abstract:
Multi-layered golf balls containing a two or three-layered cover assembly are provided. In one embodiment, the cover assembly includes a relatively hard inner cover and relatively soft outer cover. Alternatively, the cover assembly may include a relatively soft inner cover with a relatively hard outer cover. Three-layered covers comprising an inner cover, intermediate cover, and outer cover layer also may be prepared. Preferably, at least one of the layers is formed from a thermoplastic composition that comprises: a) ethylene acid copolymer, b) plasticizer, and c) cation source. A sulfonamide, alkyl diacid ester, or organophosphate or organosulfur compound is preferably used as the plasticizer. The cover assembly has good impact durability and helps provide the ball with relatively high resiliency at given compressions.

Claim (Index 1):
A golf ball, comprising:\n i) a core having at least one layer; ii) an inner cover layer comprising a thermoplastic material, the inner cover layer being disposed about the core and having a Shore D midpoint hardness in the range of about 55 to about 75, the thermoplastic material comprising:\n a) an acid copolymer of ethylene and an \u03b1,\u03b2-unsaturated carboxylic acid, optionally including a softening monomer selected from the group consisting of alkyl acrylates and methacrylates; \n b) a plasticizer in an amount from about 3 to about 50% by weight; and \n c) a cation source present in an amount sufficient to neutralize from about 0 to about 100% of all acid groups present in the material; and \n iii) an outer cover layer disposed about the inner cover layer and having a Shore D outer surface hardness in the range of about 15 to about 60, wherein the outer surface hardness of the outer cover layer is less than the midpoint hardness of the inner cover layer.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 20.0
- Percentile: 94.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.71084
- Patent Class: 473.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14527857', '15417398', '15903149', '15480727', '14511221']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7288184761398746
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5681778857185574
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7127544170977429
- Mean Citation Score: 463.055252
- Max Citation Score: 466.3972
- Similarity Product: 429.19657394268506

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test