Adhesive tapes

Claim 1

A PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE TAPE FOR APPLICATION TO SUPPORTING SURFACES COMPRISING AN ELONGATE THIN PLIABLE AND EXTENSIBLE SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUS BACKING ELEMENT IN LONG STRIP FORM, AN ADHESIVE COATING ON ONE SUR- FACE OF SAID BACKING ELEMENT INCLUDING AN OUTER CONTINUOUS SURFACE OF NORMALLY TACKY AND PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE MATERIAL, AND A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY STRONG INDIVIDUAL REINFORCING STRANDS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ELEMENT AND SPACED LATERALLY FROM EACH OTHER TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LAYER, SAID BACKING ELEMENT HAVING A COHESION GREATER THAN THE ADHESION OF SAID OUTER CONTINUOUS SURFACE TO THE BACK OF THE PRECEDING CONVOLUTION WHEN SAID TAPE IS WOUND UPON ITSELF IN ROLL FORM, SAID BACKING ELEMENT BEING SUFFICIENTLY THIN AND PLIABLE TO PERMIT THE TRANSMISSION OF HAND PRESSURE THROUGH SAID TAPE TO SECURE SAID OUTER TACKY SURFACE TO SAID SUPPORTING SURFACES, THE THICKNESS OF SAID BACKING ELEMENT BEING WITHIN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT .005 INCH TO ABOUT .025 INCH, SAID STRANDS BEING EMBEDDED IN SAID BACKING ELEMENT AND RETAINED IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS SOLELY BY SAID BACKING ELEMENT IN SUCH A MANNER THAT SAID STRANDS ARE INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER AND SAID BACKING ELEMENT BEING SUFFICIENTLY PLIABLE AND EXTENSIBLE TO PERMIT INDIVIDUAL LIMITED MOVEMENT OF SAID EXTENSIBLE BACKING ELEMENT WHEREBY A TENSILE TAINED IN SAID EXTENSIBLE BACKING ELEMENT WHEREBY A TENSILE STRESS APPLIED LONGITUDINALLY TO A LENGTH OF SAID TAPE IS DISTRIBUTED AMONG SAID STRANDS.