Patent ID: 7476428

Claim:
A gas barrier packaging laminate having durability to stress crack formation and yet a bending stiffness and good integrity between laminate layers, comprising: outside layers of heat-sealable olefin polymer; a first gas barrier layer of SiOx coated onto a first polymer carrier layer, the first gas barrier layer of SiOx and the first polymer carrier layer being positioned between the outside layers of heat-sealable olefin polymer; a second gas barrier layer of SiOx coated onto a second polymer carrier layer, the second gas barrier layer of SiOx and the second polymer carrier layer being positioned between the outside layers of heat-sealable olefin polymer; and an intermediate polymer layer laminated between the first and the second gas barrier coated polymer carrier layers, wherein the intermediate polymer layer includes at least first and second part-layers, whereof said first part-layer has a higher stiffness than said second part-layer and said second part-layer has higher elastomeric properties than said first part-layer and wherein a stiffness of each of the first and second polymer carrier layers interacts with a thickness of the intermediate polymer layer as a shock absorbing, distancing layer in a structural sandwich construction, to provide the durability to stress-cracking, bending stiffness and good integrity between the layers.