Smash-resistant offset printing blanket

Claim 1

A THIN, STRONG PRINTING BLANKET ESPECIALLY SUITABLE FOR USE IN OFFSET LITHOGRAPHY, WHERE IT CAN BE SUBJECTED TO LOCALIZED PRESSURES CAUSED BY MISFEEDS OR ACCIDENTAL DEBRIS, UNDER WHICH CONDITIONS IT COMPRESSES TO AVOID DAMAGING THE BLANKET OR THE PRESS ITSELF BUT UPON THE REMOVAL OF THE COMPRESSIVE FORCE REGAINS SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL THICKNESS, SAID PRINTING BLANKET COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A STRONG THIN TOUGH SYNTHETIC FOUNDATION SHEET SANDWICHED BETWEEN AND FIRMLY ADHERED TO AN OIL-RESISTANT CONTINUOUS RUBBER INK TRANSFER LAYER AND A RESILIENT COMPRESSIBLE SUPPORT LAYER, SAID SUPPORT LAYER BEING FORMED FROM RUBBER, THE RUBBER OF SAID SUPPORT LAYER HAVING A SHORE A-2 HARDNESS OF AT LEAST ABOUT 60, WHEN VOIDFREE SAID SUPPORT LAYER HAVING UP TO 40% UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED VOIDS INTO WHICH THE RUBBER IN SAID SUPPORT LAYER CAN DISTORT WHEN SAID BLANKET IS SUBJECTED TO FORCE NORMAL TO ITS SURFACE, SAID SUPPORT LAYER CONTAINING AT LEAST ABOUT 5 X 10**3 CUBIC INCHES OF VOIDS PER SQUARE INCH OF BLANKET, SAID SUPPORT LAYER WHEN FORMED PER SE COMPRESSING ON THE ORDER OF 1-5 MILS UNDER THE FIRST 100 LBS./SQUARE INCH PRESSURE APPLIED AND AT LEAST AN ADDITIONAL 3 MILS UNDER AN ADDITIONAL 900 LBS. OF PRESSURE, SAID FOUNDATION SHEET HAVING A TENSILE STRENGTH OF AT LEAST 175 LBS. PER INCH OF WIDTH IN THE MACHINE DIRECTION AND AN ELONGATION OF NO MORE THAN ABOUT 2% UNDER A TENSION OF 50 LBS. PER INCH OF WIDTH.