Supports: racks – Special article
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-06
2004-06-08
Strimbu, Gregory J. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
C211S086010, C211S181100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745904
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to articles for displaying retail merchandise and, more specifically, to display racks for prominently retaining and presenting helium-filled novelty balloons generally at eye level in a neat, untangled, and orderly fashion in retail settings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The increasing popularity of lighter-than-air balloons, such as helium-filled balloons, presents a unique problem for retailers. By their nature, these buoyant balloons are difficult to display in a manner that makes it easy for the consumer to see the graphics on the face of the balloons. One widely-used device for displaying helium balloons consists of a so-called “Balloon Corral®,” such as a confined area delimited by fishline, suspended, for example by chains, at or some distance just below the ceiling of a retail establishment (see FIG.
5
). Such a “Balloon Corral®” keeps the balloons from blowing and moving around the store. Once a consumer selects a balloon, the balloon can be removed from the corral for purchase by pulling down on the tether, i.e., the string or ribbon affixed to the inflation opening in the bottom of the balloon, until the balloon sinks below the outer frame of the corral.
Such a “Balloon Corral®” has many serious shortcomings. First, because the “Balloon Corral®” is mounted at or near the ceiling, the balloons are typically 10 to 12 feet above the floor, which makes it difficult for consumers to see the graphics printed on the faces of the balloons, and to see which tether line belongs to a desired balloon, in order to select one or more desired balloons. Consumers have to strain their necks to look upward toward the ceiling at the balloons in the “Balloon Corral®”, and some consumers have difficulty reaching the balloon tethers. Since most of the graphics of the balloons are printed on the generally flat front and rear faces of the typical mylar-type novelty balloons, the haphazard placement of balloons in the corral may hide the graphics. This requires consumers to pull on the balloon tethers to rearrange the balloons in order to see the graphics of each of the inflated balloons on display. Also, the balloons with graphics for different seasonal themes and sentiments are typically mixed together. Frequently, balloons are accidentally pulled out of the Balloon Corral® by consumers to allow viewing of the graphics. Then, if the consumer does not desire a particular balloon, he or she may simply release the tether, allowing the balloon to rise to blow around on the ceiling of the retail establishment outside the Balloon Corral®.
This can be particularly problematic, for example in drug stores, discount stores, convenience stores, and grocery stores, in which novelty items such as balloons may be in a corral in a floral or greeting card department, while a food aisle is only a few yards away. The high ceilings of the growing number of warehouse-style bulk merchandise club stores also make it difficult to retrieve errant balloons, even by their tethers, once the balloons are released from the corrals. Air conditioning systems also have a tendency to blow balloons out of the corrals. Another drawback to the Balloon Corral® is that sensitive motion detectors in many retail store security systems have a tendency to trigger false intruder alarms due to any movement of the balloons within the corrals, needlessly dispatching security personnel or police officers to the retail location. Yet another drawback to the Balloon Corral® is the difficulty of servicing it, such as when balloon tethers become tangled in the fish line, because of the corral's proximity to the ceiling. A high ladder or automatic lift device is required, which may not be readily available at the retailer's facility.
Another type of rack for displaying balloons is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. D 400,372. That design patent shows a two-tiered rack, both tiers being generally square, and having a downwardly-open clamp below the lower tier, with a threaded bolt, for mounting the rack. The apparent manner of use of the balloon rack shown in that design patent is to tie each balloon tether to one of the outwardly-projecting, upwardly-bent flanges provided on the lower tier only, with the relatively larger and higher second tier being used to separate the balloon tethers from one another to avoid tangling.
While such a balloon rack permits display of buoyant balloons at a generally lower height than that of the “Balloon Corral®”, it requires tying the tether of the balloon to the lower tier for securement. Since most balloon tethers are string or ribbon, the tying for securement and untying by the consumer often undesirably frays the tether, or simply permits them, if not properly re-tied to the rack, to undesirably float up to the store's ceiling.
Recently, balloon weights have become commonplace as the desired devices for securing lighter-than-air balloons against floating to the ceiling of retail establishments, and later, as convenient handles for the ultimate consumer. One such balloon weight has a circular profile and is in the shape of a spool, wherein a lowermost end of the tether is secured to or near the center of the spool, such as the type of balloon weight shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,314. Another spool-type balloon weight is available from Premium Balloon Accessories® of Sharon Center, Ohio under the trade name “Premium Ribbon Weight™”. The balloon weight of Premium Balloon Accessories can be used to selectively release desired lengths of the tether of the balloon and provide a useful handle for consumers, including children, to hold the balloon and prevent it from floating away when they exit the retail building.
The Premium Ribbon weights initially includes a flat plastic balloon coupling member integral with a generally spool-shaped plastic disc. A V-shaped weakened groove is provided along the area of attachment between the balloon coupling member and the spool-shaped disc. The balloon coupling member includes a double-sided adhesive strip on one side thereof, and a ribbon-receiving aperture or slit is provided in the center of the coupling member. One end of a length of ribbon is secured through the ribbon-receiving aperture, looped about the balloon coupling member, and secured to the balloon coupling member by a first side of the double-sided adhesive strip.
Prior to attachment to the inflation valve or opening of a balloon, the balloon coupling member is broken away from the spool-shaped member by snapping the two components apart along the weakened V-shaped groove. The second side of the double-sided adhesive strip is provided with a removable backing, so that the second side can be exposed when the backing is removed for adhesive attachment of the balloon coupling member to a balloon. The remainder of the length of ribbon is tightly wrapped in the spool, and the opposite end of the ribbon extends through the inner-most portion of the spool and provided with a knot to prevent the balloon from floating away from the spool-type weight.
Other spool-type balloon weights having circular, or even other shaped profiles, simply have an extension with an aperture, or eyelet, to receive a lowermost tied end of the tether. It would be desirable for a balloon display rack to accommodate such balloon weights and provide a convenient, easy to use location for retailers to mount balloons in a way that facilitates viewing of the graphics on each balloon's faces. The Premium Ribbon Weight™ device also has such an eyelet integral with the spool-shaped disc, which could be used for tying additional balloons to the weight, or to hook the balloon weight onto certain conventional balloon racks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The display rack of the present invention provides an elongated, upwardly-open balloon weight retention slot that accommodates several balloon weights, for example spool-type balloon weights of many sizes, types and designs, in a side-by-side fashion. Although it is understood that the retention slot of the balloon disp
Frank Steven B.
Komar Samuel B.
CTI Industries Corporation
Marshall & Gerstein & Borun LLP
Strimbu Gregory J.
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