Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – Flexible or collapsible receiver
Utility Patent
2000-05-11
2001-01-02
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
Flexible or collapsible receiver
C141S114000, C141S197000, C141S250000, C141S267000, C141S268000, C141S383000, C141S386000, C053S079000, C446S220000
Utility Patent
active
06167924
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to balloons such as are used in display advertising, and more particularly to blower-inflated balloons that are typically at least several feet in diameter and tethered close to the ground or other supporting structure.
Large balloons are often used for advertising, especially outdoor advertising, to attract attention to a business itself, or a product being sold, being commonly referred to as “advertising inflatables.” In one commonly used form, a blower is connected by a flexible duct to a bottom neck inlet of a balloon envelope of thin sheet material, and the balloon is tethered by a plurality of tie-downs. In some cases, the outside of the balloon is brightly colored for attracting the attention of potential customers that will be induced thereby to identify nearby signage or other indicia of products and/or services being advertised. In other cases, the balloon is provided with such indicia, often together with content-neutral bright coloring. These balloons can have various shapes that are usually circularly symmetrical, but can also be simulative of product shapes and/or cartoon characters.
There is a trade-off between the size (and cost) of providing and maintaining the balloon and the effectiveness of the advertizing, the trade-off being complicated by competing needs of attracting attention and conveying information. Similarly, balloons that are merely used for decoration are subject to a corresponding trade-off between size (and cost) and the effectiveness or impact of the decoration.
Also, large balloons that are used outdoors are subject to being blown away or harmfully damaging nearby structures when subjected to high winds.
Thus there is a need for a balloon apparatus that has improved effectiveness for decoration, attention-getting and information display and that is pleasing in appearance, effectively anchored against high winds, inexpensive to provide and easy to erect.
SUMMARY
The present invention meets this need by providing a large inflatable balloon that rotates for more effectively attracting attention and for exposing a particularly large display surface area for a given size of the balloon. In one aspect of the invention, a balloon rotation apparatus includes a base; a rotator plate rotatably located relative to the base on a main axis and having an air passage opening therein; means for sealingly fastening an inlet extremity of a balloon envelope to the rotator plate with the air passage opening in fluid communication with an inflatable cavity of the balloon envelope; a motor drive for rotating the rotator plate relative to the main axis; and means for coupling gas under pressure to the air passage opening for inflating the balloon and maintaining the inflation while the rotator plate is being rotated.
The apparatus can further include an arbor member extending on the main axis, the rotator plate engaging the arbor member and being located thereby. The main axis can be vertical. The motor drive can include a powered drive wheel engaging the rotator plate. The drive wheel can be on a drive axis being inclined relative to the main axis, the drive wheel frictionally contacting a downwardly facing surface of the rotator plate. The drive wheel can be one of a plurality of support wheels being rotatably mounted relative to the base. The support wheels can rotate on respective horizontal support axes that intersect the main axis. Each of the support wheels can have a resilient tire member.
The apparatus can further include a locating plate having means for connecting the balloon envelope opposite the inlet extremity; and a coupling for connecting a plurality of tethering lines in outwardly projecting relation to the balloon envelope for stabilizing same in alignment with the rotator plate. Preferably the locating plate includes respective upper and lower locating plate members and means for sealingly clamping flexible sheet material between the locating plate members. The apparatus can further include an elongate mast structure; and means for connecting the mast structure upwardly projecting from the base proximately concentric with the main axis, the locating plate being rotatively and slidably supported on the mast structure, the coupling being mounted proximate an upper extremity of the mast structure.
Preferably the means for sealingly fastening includes the rotator plate having respective upper and lower rotator plate members, and means for sealingly clamping flexible sheet material between the plate members. The means for sealingly fastening can include a flexible sheet material neck ring sealingly clamped between the rotator plate members and projecting outwardly therefrom, the neck ring being adapted for being sealingly joined to the balloon envelope.
The means for coupling can include a duct connected to the base and having a duct inlet for connection to a source of the pressure gas, and a duct outlet fixably located proximate rotator plate for feeding the pressure gas into the inlet passage. The apparatus can further include a blower unit sealingly connected to the duct inlet for providing the pressure gas as pressurized air. The duct can include a flexible sheet member enclosing at least a portion of the base, the base having a ring member rigidly supported proximate the rotator plate and having a portion of the sheet member of the duct fastened thereto for forming the duct outlet.
The apparatus can have a plurality of leg supports rigidly connected to the base and projecting outwardly from the sheet member of the duct. Each of the leg supports can be formed having a leg attachment, the apparatus further including a plurality of leg members for removably engaging a respective leg attachment, and means for rigidly holding the leg members in outwardly projecting relation to the leg supports for stabilizing the base. Preferably each of the leg members is adapted for connecting an anchor line to external structure for anchoring the base in a fixed location.
The balloon rotator apparatus can be in combination with the balloon envelope.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3616823 (1971-11-01), Iacono
patent: 4088161 (1978-05-01), Ikemoto
patent: 5067301 (1991-11-01), Shore
patent: 5370161 (1994-12-01), Shater
Buckley Gary S.
Buckley Linda G.
Douglas Steven O.
Maust Timothy L.
Sheldon & Mak
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