Method for manufacturing polymeric polyhydric alcohols

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF RESINOUS COMPOSITIONS WHICH COMPRISES REACTING A MIXTURE CONTAINING A MOLES OF A MONOBASIC FATTY ACID HAVING THE FORMULA RCOOH WHEREIN R IS A HYDROCARBON GROUP HAVING 8 TO 22 CARBON ATOMS INCLUSIVE, B MOLES OF A DIGLYCIDYL ETHER OF A DIHYDRIC PHENOL HAVING X NUMBER OF REPEATING UNITS AND C MOLES OF A DIHYDRIC PHENOL HAVING PHENOLIC HYDROXYL GROUPS AS THE SOLE REACTIVE GROUPS UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE REACTION, THE RELATIONSHIP OF SAID MOLES OF REACTANTS BEING AS FOLLOWS: A+2C=2B, AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES TO OBTAIN A POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL OF ZERO EPOXY VALUE AND HAVING N NUMBER OF REPEATING UNITS WHEREIN N IS GREATER THAN X AND HAS A VALUE OF ABOUT 3 TO ABOUT 50, THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE REPEATING UNITS TO THE MOLES OF REACTANTS IS AS FOLLOWS: A=2+X, B=(N/2)+1, C=(N/2)-(X/2) AND REACTING SAID POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL WITH ADDITIONAL MONOBASIC FATTY ACID TO EFFECT AT LEAST A PARTIAL ESTERIFICATION OF SAID POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL.