EP0721636A1

EP0721636A1 - Columnar advertisement support or similar information carrier

Info

Publication number: EP0721636A1
Application number: EP94915062A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Benny Dalgaard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-05-04
Filing date: 1994-05-04
Publication date: 1996-07-17
Also published as: WO1994025952A1; AU6645794A

Abstract

Small advertising balloons are not very visible at a distance. Tethered balloons or blimps are heavy and expensive. The invention provides an information carrier in the shape of a cylindrical body made of unstretchable plastics which is inflated to be self-supporting. The base of the body is fixed to a platform which may yield when the wind force on the inflated carrier exceeds a given value. The whole assembly then deflects away from the wind.

Description

Columnar advertisement support or similar information carrier .

The invention concerns a columnar advertisement support or similar information carrier in the form of a balloon.

Small advertizing balloons are known which usually consist of rubber with advertising prin . The balloons are either filled with a gas and are retained by a string or are filled with air and are retained on a rod.

These balloons are small and cannot be seen at a large distance. Advertising balloons are also known in very large sizes, such as airships or blimps, but they are made of reinforced rubber cloth, PVC or other expensive and heavy materials, and their maintenance is expensive because it is necessary to ensure that they are gas impermeable, since the buoyancy medium, ϊ&.g. helium, escapes easily. Furthermore helium is an expensive gas. The advantage of the blimp type is that it is visible at a long distance. However the ability of large balloons to withstand strong wind or gusts of wind is limited, and it is necessary to tether them securely. It is the purpose of the invention to provide an information carrier in the form of a balloon which does not display these disadvantages. This is obtained in an information carrier according to the invention which is particular in that the balloon consists of a cylindrical or prismatic tube of a light and strong foil and that it is inflated so hard that it becomes a stiff body. Thus the balloon body becomes self-supporting and it may on its outside carry any suitable drawing or text. The foil may be a pre-stretched foil. A preferred embodiment terminates the body at the lower end with a frame which may be mounted with a certain flexibility. Thus the advantage is obtained that the oblong balloon may follow the wind and bend similarly to a rush stalk, in that the balloon by bending more or less presents a reduced cross section to the wind.

A further preferred embodiment utilizes a tilting plate at the lower end which by means of a spring is pulled against a supporting surface which ensures that the balloon remains vertical when there is no wind force. Thus it is automatically ensured that the balloon will straighten itself when the wind force disappears. The spring force must be adjusted to the wind force which would exceed the forces tolerable by the balloon, in order that the balloon deflects downward before it is destroyed. In an advantageous embodiment there is in conjunction with the tilting plate provided a further plate as the lower termination of the balloon. Hence it is obtained that the foil of the balloon may be drawn into a groove at the circumference of the bottom plate which in a simple way provides a very stiff connection between bottom plate and the balloon when it it inflated.

In a further preferred embodiment a supply of air under pressure is fed through the bottom plate. Hereby it is obtained that the balloon may be kept at the correct pressure, even if the temperature or the barometric pressure changes.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention prevents downwards deflection in certain directions. When mounting on a roof there may be e.g. TV aerials which with a wind direction from the balloon to the TV aerial would cause the balloon either to be damaged itself or itself damaged the aerial, and therefore there is according to the invention fitted one or several vertical deflector rods on the frame which ensure that the balloon in the downwards deflected condition will have a certain small angle with respect to the wind direction, but this angle will be sufficient to avoid collission with e.g. an aerial. A further advantageous embodiment is used in those cases where downwards deflection cannot be tolerated but where because of the other advantages of the construction it is desired to make use of a self- supporting balloon. In this embodiment the balloon is shaped with an inner, preferably centrally fitted foil tube, through which an iron rod leads from the foundation to a collecting point for a number, typically three, tethering wires. In this way a stiff construction is obtained which will better withstand a wind pressure. In this case there is a pressure free downwards directd channel throughout the lenght of the balloon. An advantageous embodiment utilizes partial metallization of the plastic foil, since it will then be possible to obtain luminous figures in the dark, provided there is a source of light inside the balloon, and provided the metallization has been removed in a pattern corresponding to the figures. Similarly by only metallizing the figures it is possible to make the figures stand as black contours on a luminous background which is constituted by the remainder of the balloon. A further advangeous embodiment of the invention uses fluorescent paint to apply figures or letters on the outside or the inside the foil layer of the balloon. It is furthermore possible to apply such paint on a metallized foil.

In the constructions described it is possible to fit one or more sources of light inside the balloon. Embodiments with a bottom plate are particularly suitable as light fixtures may be fitted on it with such a radiation pattern that any desired part of the inner surface of the balloon may be lit with sufficient intensity. Hence it is possible to obtain any kind of sign lit from the inside, with or without colours, dependent on the colour of the foil or print.

The invention will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment of the invention shown on the drawing, in which

Fig. 1 shows the lower part of a balloon according to the invention which is mounted on a frame in its position of rest,

Fig. 2 shows the same balloon with a limited deflection,

Fig. 3 shows a deflected balloon from above, and Fig. 4 shows another balloon according to the invention which is mounted around a rod.

In Fig. 1 is shown a balloon 1 in a light, strong plastic foil material which is strapped on to a bottom plate la. The balloon may be in one piece which is welded at the top or it may be welded from several pieces.

The bottom plate is mounted on a frame or tube 2 which is connected to the tilting plate 2a. This is held towards a ring 5 by means of a spring and a pullrod 4, however provision being made that a sufficiently large sideways deflecting force on the balloon 1 will cause tilting of the plate 2a on the ring 5.

The balloon is supplied with air through a flexible tube which ends in a pipe stub 8. The flexible tube must be so resilient that the balloon may perform the required tilting movements unhampered. The pressure in the balloon changes with in particular temperature, and since the stiffness of the construction is dependent on the presence of sufficient pressure, a pressure regulator and pressurized air supply (not shown) are connected to the pipe stub 8. Obviously any other gas under pressure may be used. In case the inner pressure threatens to exceed the permissible pressure for the foil material or the welding seams an excess pressure valve may be fitted.

With a view to prevent deflection in a particular direction a stiff rod 3 is mounted on the lower part of the frame by means of a screw 6. The height of the rod decides the degree of deflection, but in most cases the cooperation between the tube 2 and the rod 3 will result in a deflection next to the rod 3. The deflection is shown in Fig. 2, and in Fig. 3 it seen from above how a TV aerial 7 avoids being hit. The balloon is deflected past it. The same effect would obviously be obtained by any other obstacle which is ensured against collision by means of a rod 3. In Fig. 4 is shown a construction which is suitable when it is desired to use an information carrier of the balloon type but where there are so many obstacles on a roof that it is not practical to use a tilting system with deflection rods. In this case a balloon is used which is made like a very oblong torus, in that the balloon a close to its centre line is supplied with a foil tube b going through the balloon. A rod c, preferably of iron but in certain cases of glass fibre reinforced plastic, passes from a bottom plate upwards through the tube b through the balloon and is terminated with a fixing device at the upper end. Since the balloon a would not be able to withstand a wind force the rod c is anchored suitably to the roof by means of e.g. three wires d fitted to the top of the rod. Fig. 4a shows a cross section of the balloon, and Fig. 4b shows that the bottom plate f to which the balloon may be directly strapped as described above, carries lighting fixtures g. These lighting fixtures are distributed in such a way that it is not possible to see from the outside that there is a rod c inside the balloon which hence appears just as airy as in the tiltable embodiment.

Claims

P A T E N T C L A I M S

1. Columnar advertisement support or similar information carrier in the form of a balloon, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the balloon consists of a cylindrical or prismatic tube of a light and strong foil and that it is inflated so hard that it becomes a stiff body.

2. Columnar advertisement support according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the body is terminated at the lower end with a frame which may be mounted with a certain flexibility.

3. Columnar advertisement support according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that it is fitted with a tilting plate at the lower end which by means of a spring is pulled against a supporting surface which ensures that the balloon remains vertical when there is no wind force.

4. Columnar advertisement support according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that there is in conjunction with the tilting plate provided a further plate as the lower termination of the balloon.

5. Columnar advertisement support according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that a supply of air under pressure is fed through the bottom plate.

6. Columnar advertisement support according to claim 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that there is fitted one or several vertical deflector rods on the frame which ensure that the balloon in the downwards deflected condition will have a certain small angle with respect to the wind direction.

7. Columnar advertisement support according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the balloon is shaped with an inner, preferably centrally fitted foil tube, through which an iron rod leads from the foundation to a collecting point for a number, typically three, tethering wires.

8. Columnar advertisement support according to any of the foregoing claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the plastic foil is partially metallized.

9. Columnar advertisement support according to any of the foregoing claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that fluorescent paint is used to apply figures or letters on the outside or the inside the foil layer of the balloon.

10. Columnar advertisement support according to any of the claims 4 - 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that light fixtures are fitted to the bottom plate with such a radiation pattern that any desired part of the inner surface of the balloon may be lit with sufficient intensity.