Flexible packaging for polymer electrolytic cell and method of forming same

A method of packaging a battery, comprising the steps of:

• forming a sleeve from a flat, rectangular sheet of a flexible laminate material by overlapping opposite edges of said sheet, said laminate comprised of a layer of a polymeric material, a layer of metal foil, and outer layers of an adhesive-like, thermoplastic polymer material;
• applying sufficient heat to said overlapped edges to melt said adhesive-like polymer layers and form a continuous hermetically sealed axial seam extending the length of said sleeve;
• inserting a battery into one end of said sleeve, said battery having two electronic leads extending from one side thereof and said battery being positioned within said sleeve wherein a portion of said leads is within said sleeve and a portion of said leads is outside said sleeve;
• applying sufficient heat and pressure to the ends of said sleeve to melt said adhesive-like polymer layers to form sealed seams along the ends of said sleeve hermetically sealing the interior of said sleeve, one end of said sleeve forming a first sealed lateral seam about said electrical leads and the other end of said sleeve forming a second sealed lateral seam defining a cavity within said sleeve adjacent said battery;
• evacuating the interior of said sleeve;
• applying sufficient heat to said sleeve at a location immediately adjacent to the end of said battery to melt said adhesive layer to form a hermetically sealed third lateral seam along the end of said battery;
• and
• severing the portion of said sleeve beyond said third lateral seam seal.