Patent ID: 8569411

Claim:
A flexible film composite suitable for use as a primary or secondary packaging material for storage of articles, said flexible film composite including a plurality of layers, comprising: at least one mineral-containing layer containing a thermoplastic bonding agent in an amount of about 15-30% by weight and a mineral material that is present in an amount of about 70-85% by weight, said mineral-containing layer being a heat sealable layer of said flexible film composite and an external surface of said mineral-containing layer providing an external, printable surface of said flexible film composite, said mineral material being selected from the group consisting of ground calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, mica, silica, glass, zeolyte, slate, and combinations thereof, said at least one mineral-containing layer having a TAPPI T-525 whiteness percentage of at least 84, a TAPPI T-480 gloss value of at least 6, a TAPPI T-425 opacity percentage of at least 83, and a TAPPI T-555 ROUGHNESS value of 3; and at least one other layer adhered to said at least one mineral containing layer, wherein said mineral-containing layer has a basis weight of from 15 to about 175 lbs/1000 sqft, and from about 30 to about 350 g/m2, a thickness of from about 0.5 mils to about 36 mils, and a tensile strength of from about 40 to about 450 MD and about 30 to about 400 CD.