Tobacco sheet and method of making same

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL CONTAINING ONLY TOBACCO AND COMPOUNDS WHICH ARE USED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF TOBACCO LEAVES, COMPRISING WETGRINDING SAID TOBACCO WITH WATER IN A BALL MILL TO GIVE A CONCENTRATED SLURRY OF FINE PARTICLES OF TOBACCO IN WATER WHICH PARTICLES ARE OF SUCH SIZE THAT AT LEAST 5% BUT NOT MORE THAN 30% BY WEIGHT ARE RETAINED ON A 100 MESH SIEVE WITH SQUARE MESH OPENINGS OF 0.21 MM. AND AT LEAST 99% BY WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLES OF THE SLURRY PASS THROUGH AN 18 MESH SIEVE WITH SQUARE MESH OPENINGS OF 1.02 MM., DILUTING SAID SLURRY WITH AN AQUEOUS LIQUID IN SUCH A QUANTITY THAT THE RATIO BY WEIGHT OF TOBACCO TO WATER IS BETWEEN 1:20 AND 1:50, FORMING A FILM OF THIS SLURRY ON THE SURFACE OF A MOVING CONVEYOR BELT HAVING VERY FINE OPENINGS, WHICH CONVEYOR BELT SUBSTANTIALLY RETAINS ALL OF THE PARTICLES OF THE SLURRY, REMOVING AT LEAST 80% OF THE LIQUID PRESENT IN SAID SLURRY THROUGH SAID OPENINGS IN SAID CONVEYOR BELT, DRYING AND RECOVERING SAID TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL.