Amusement devices: toys – Inflatable – Having check valve
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-07
2001-10-09
Ackun, Jr., Jacob K. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Inflatable
Having check valve
C446S475000, C446S183000, C446S491000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299502
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a device used on social and amusement occasions for scattering a multitude of objects and, more particularly, to a device for, and a method of, scattering confetti with an accompanying popping sound, as well as to a method of making the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Upon social occasions, such as weddings or birthdays, or for purely amusement purposes, such as at carnivals, it is known to scatter confetti upwardly and forwardly into the air, over floors and tables, and over people, particularly the participants of the occasion being celebrated. Representative patents in this art include: U.S. Pat. No. 825,843 discloses a confetti cannon in which confetti and an explosive are mounted within a tube. Upon pulling a detonation string, the confetti is forcefully ejected. U.S. Pat. No. 1,560,326 discloses a confetti gun including a bag formed of two sheets of material sealed about their peripheries.
Confetti is placed within the bag. A discharge tube or neck extends to the bag. By forcefully squeezing and expanding the bag, the confetti is ejected. U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,915 discloses a balloon envelope into which confetti and other items are contained. After inflation, the balloon envelope is punctured, thereby causing the contents thereof to be ejected.
To more reliably scatter the confetti with an accompanying popping sound, I have previously disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,242 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,643 confetti-scattering devices which, although highly satisfactory in operation, were not always effective in practice. My patented devices employed an inflatable envelope having a gas inlet and a confetti-filled pocket at opposite ends of the envelope. In the case where a user exhaled air into the inlet to inflate the envelope, the user held the envelope so that the inlet was at the top of the envelope for placement in one's mouth. This meant that the confetti-filled pocket was located at the bottom of the envelope.
After inflation, the user was instructed to tightly clench his or her fist around the inflated envelope to cause the air to expel the confetti from the pocket. The user was, of course, instructed to invert the envelope prior to clenching his or her fist. Failure to invert the envelope would cause the confetti to be expelled toward the floor or toward the user's body. Nevertheless, many users did not read or follow such instructions with the result that the confetti was not scattered upwardly and forwardly into the air as desired, but instead, was ejected rearwardly and downwardly in the opposite direction to that desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Objects of the Invention
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide a novel device for reliably upwardly and forwardly scattering multiple objects, e.g., confetti, into the air with an accompanying popping sound.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the inversion of the device prior to scattering the confetti.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a reliable, durable, yet inexpensive, device for forcefully ejecting confetti while reducing user error.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel method of making and using such an object-scattering device.
Features of the Invention
In keeping with the above objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a device for scattering objects, e.g, confetti, comprising an inflatable envelope having walls bounding an interior, and a gas inlet for admitting a pressurized gas, e.g., air, into the interior. The envelope extends between lower and upper end regions in an upright position of inflation in which the upper end region is elevated relative to the lower end region. The walls have inverted portions extending from the upper end region into the interior and bounding a pocket having an open end at the upper end region of the envelope. The gas inlet is provided at this upper end region.
A multitude of objects constituting the confetti is contained in the pocket. Break-away means are provided and extend across the open end. The break-away means is a closure operative for frangibly closing the pocket, and for rupturing upon compression of the inflated envelope in the upright position of inflation with a force sufficient to cause the gas to tear the closure, reverse the inverted portions, and expel the objects in an explosive manner with an accompanying popping sound.
Hence, in contrast with known devices where the gas inlet and the confetti-filled pocket are located at opposite ends of the envelope, the gas inlet and the confetti-filled pocket of the present invention are provided at the same end, that is, at the upper end region of the envelope. A user may now hold the envelope in the upright position, place his or her mouth on the gas inlet, and exhale air into the envelope to inflate the same. The user may next clench his or her hand tightly around the inflated envelope to rupture the envelope and expel the confetti without inverting the envelope as was required with my earlier patented devices. No longer need the user be compelled to follow directions instructing such inversion of the envelope. No longer will the confetti be inadvertently expelled toward the floor or back toward the user's body, but instead, the confetti will be reliably scattered upwardly and forwardly into the air away from the user's body.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, the envelope includes a pair of sheets sealed together about their peripheries. The sheets may be constituted of a synthetic plastic material, paper, or a laminate. Preferably, the plastic sheets are heat-sealed together along their peripheries.
The envelope has side edge regions that linearly diverge as considered in a direction from the lower end region to the upper end region. The upper end region extends for a longer distance between the side edge regions as compared to the distance over which the lower end region extends between the side edge regions.
In the uninflated state, the upper, lower and side regions of the flattened envelope resemble a trapezoid. In the inflated state, the envelope assumes a frusto-conically shaped configuration resembling an ice cream cone. The inflated envelope thus easily fits in one's hand.
The confetti may include bits of colored paper, ribbon, rice, balls, toys, mini-figurines, candy, and, in short, virtually any toy or thing can be contained in the pocket.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the break-away means is an adhesive closure, preferably having score lines. Alternatively, the break-away means may be a low tensile strength paper or plastic strip adhered over the open end of the pocket.
The gas inlet includes a mouth tube or straw extending from the exterior of the envelope through the upper end region, and a chamber located within the pocket and in gaseous communication with the tube and with the interior of the envelope. Air exhaled into the tube by the user passes through the chamber into the envelope to inflate the same. Although the chamber and the tube are physically present in the pocket, no exhaled air enters the pocket. The air in the envelope cannot escape therefrom, because the walls of the chamber collapse and flatten against each other after air has passed therethrough and thereby prevent air from flowing back through the tube.
Another aspect of this invention relates to a method of making the aforementioned device. The method includes the following steps:
Initially, an inverted pocket having an open end is formed from an inflatable envelope. A gas inlet is positioned at the open end and is in gaseous communication with an interior of the envelope. Thereupon, the pocket is filled with the multitude of objects. Next, the pocket is frangibly closed by placing a break-away closure across the open end of the pocket.
In use, the envelope is held in on
Ackun Jr. Jacob K.
Carlson Jeffery D.
Kirschstein et al.
LandOfFree
Device for scattering confetti and method of making and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for scattering confetti and method of making and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for scattering confetti and method of making and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2567589