Patent ID: 8579507

Claim:
A composite bag having an interior space for receiving contents, the composite bag comprising: opposite ends that are spaced apart from one another in a longitudinal direction, wherein the interior space is positioned between the opposite ends, and the opposite ends are each closed; a plurality of plies comprising a reinforcement ply positioned between inner and outer plies, the plurality of plies being configured to define a plurality of walls that extends around the interior space, the plurality of walls comprising opposite side walls and opposite major walls, and the major walls being larger than the side walls, wherein each of the major walls includes opposite longitudinal edges that extend in the longitudinal direction, and are spaced apart from one another in a lateral direction that extends crosswise to the longitudinal direction; the reinforcement ply being a portion of a first wall of the major walls, wherein the reinforcement ply extends within the first wall in the longitudinal direction from proximate one of the opposite ends of the composite bag to proximate the other of the opposite ends of the composite bag, so that at least a portion of the reinforcement ply is positioned midway between the opposite ends of the composite bag, the reinforcement ply extends substantially into one of the closed ends, and is substantially absent from the other of the closed ends, and the reinforcement ply extends in the lateral direction from proximate a first of the longitudinal edges of the first wall to proximate a second of the longitudinal edges of the first wall; and the side walls not including the reinforcement ply.