Sheet material and products utilizing same

Claim 1

SHEET MATERIAL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF: A PAPER BASE CHARACTERIZED BY: (A) A DRY STRENGTH EFFECTIVE TO PERMIT THE SAME TO RETAINED ITS INTEGRITY WHEN SUBJECTED TO TENSION OF THE ORDER OF ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 80 POUNDS PER INCH AVERAGE TENSILE STRENGTH MEASURED IN THE LONG AND IN THE SHORT DIRECTIONS, (B) A FLEXIBILITY AND SUPPLENESS TO ENABLE IT TO BE CONFORMED BY RELATIVELY LIGHT HAND PRESSURE INTO IRREGULAR THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE WITHOUT TEARING, (C) READY WETTABILITY BY WATER, AND (D) A WET STRENGTH EFFECTIVE TO PERMIT READY DISINTEGRATION THEREOF WHEN IMMERSED IN WATER AND SUBJECTED TO TURBULENT ACTION THEREIN, SAID EFFECTIVE WET STRENGTH BEING OF THE ORDER OF ZERO TO ABOUT 1.5 POUNDS PER INCH AVERAGE TENSILE STRENGTH MEASURED AS ABOVE SET FORTH, ONE SURFACE ONLY OF SAID PAPER BASE BEING PROVIDED WITH A LAYER OF MATERIAL POSSESSING: (A) RELATIVELY HIGH RESISTANCE TO PASSAGE OF WATER AND WATER VAPOR INTO SAID BASE DURING A PERIOD OF CONTACT OF AT LEAST SEVERAL HOURS, AND (B) SUFFICIENTLY LOW WET STRENGTH TO ENABLE SAID LAYER TO BECOME READILY DISINTEGRATED ALONG WITH SAID PAPER BASE WHEN SAID SHEET MATERIAL IS IMMERSED IN A BODY OF WATER AND SUBJECTED TO TURBULENT ACTION THEREIN.