Flat-Bottomed Gusseted Bag Made From Multi-Layer Sheet

A flat-bottomed bag, comprising:

• a blank comprising a flexible sheet, the sheet comprising a laminate of a first web and at least a second web, a face of the first web being affixed to an opposing face of the second web by an adhesive layer disposed between the first and second webs, the blank defining:
• a front panel;
• a left side panel joined to a left side edge of the front panel;
• a right side panel joined to a right side edge of the front panel;
• either a single rear panel joined to one of the left or right side panels, or a pair of partial rear panels respectively joined to each of the left and right side panels;
• a plurality of bottom panels respectively joined to lower edges of the front, left side, right side, and rear panels;
• and
• fold lines respectively formed at each juncture between said panels;
• the blank forming a bag with each joined pair of panels disposed generally perpendicular to each other, a leftmost edge of the blank being attached to a rightmost edge of the blank along a longitudinal seam therebetween, the bottom panels being attached together to form a bottom wall of the bag;
• wherein the adhesive layer is in a partial-coverage pattern that includes adhesive-free regions located along each fold line between each bottom panel and the respective front, left side, right side, or rear panel joined therewith, such that areas of the blank in the adhesive-free regions have a lower stiffness than areas of the blank in which the first and second webs are affixed together by the adhesive.