Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64B—LIGHTER-THAN AIR AIRCRAFT
  • B64B1/00—Lighter-than-air aircraft
  • B64B1/40—Balloons
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
  • A63H27/00—Toy aircraft; Other flying toys
  • A63H27/10—Balloons
  • A63H2027/1025—Fabrication methods or special materials therefor

Definitions

• This invention relates to inflatable articles and, more particularly, to highly reflective balloon-advertisers including a variety of configurations such as spherical, oval, diamond-shaped, heart-shaped and the like.
• Balloon-advertisers have been known for some time. For example, see U.S. Patent No. 136,930, issued March 18, 1873. Similarly, elastomeric inflatable articles, including balloons of various configurations are well known. See, for example, U.S. Patent No. 2,713,746 to Haugh, U.S. Patent No. 2,027,225 to Gill, U.S. Patent No. 3,230,663, to Shabram and U.S. Patent No. 3,154,050 to Hansom. However, the inflatable articles that have been used as balloon-advertisers have been beset with a number of disadvantages.
• balloon-advertisers have required rather sophisticated structural features to offer a sufficient decorative affect to be useful as an advertising medium.
• special means generally are required to maintain the balloons in an inflated state.
• Yet another object is to prepare a balloon-advertiser from a strong,non-elastomeric, heat sealable plastic film to which has been applied a reflective metal coating.
• Still another object is to provide an inflatable reflective advertiser that can be prepared by heat sealing the peripheral edges of a plastic film which has been folded or otherwise disposed in face-to-face relationship.
• Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an inflatable balloon-advertiser in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the flat configuration thereof when not inflated;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the balloon-advertiser of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the advertiser of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a front elevational view of still another modified form of the invention.
• This invention is concerned with a balloon-advertiser of the type which can be printed with advertising indicia, or used without such indicia, for promotions, grand openings, sales or trade shows, conventions or the like.
• the balloon-advertiser of the invention is light in weight and is provided with a reflective, mirror finish to provide a brilliant, eye-catching appearance, not unlike a many-faceted floating mirror.
• the balloon-advertiser is fabricated from two thin, flexible, strong yet substantially non-elastic thermoplastic sheets of film, such as polyethylene terephthalate (Mylar), polyethylene, nylon, ionic copolymers derived from an alpha-olefin and an alpha-beta ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid (sold under the tradename of Surlyn by DuPont) or the like.
• the sheets of film are comprised of a blend of such materials to maximize the strength and other essential characteristics thereof.
• a sheet may comprise a blend of nylon and an ionic copolymer, such as Surlyn, or a blend of nylon, polyethylene and an ionic copolymer such as Surlyn.
• the plastic sheets would comprise from about 20-30% by weight of unoriented nylon, from about 0-30% by weight polyethylene, and from about 40-80% by weight of an ionic copolymer such as Surlyn.
• the advertiser is fabricated by bonding the two sheets along their peripheral edges, preferably by a conventional heat-sealing technique.
• the two sheets are provided with a plurality of seals to ensure that substantially no leakage will occur during use of the advertiser.
• the two sheets may be provided with a first seal about 1/64 to 3/8 inches wide, preferably about 1/32 inches wide, around the peripheral edges, of the advertiser and a second seal about 1/64 to 3/8 inches wide, preferably about 1/16 inches wide, spaced inwardly therefrom at a distance of from about 1/32 to about 1/2 inches, and preferably at a distance of about 1/4 inches. In this manner, it is rather convenient to seal the film in the desired configuration.
• Each of the plastic sheets preferably is thicker than one-quarter mil, with the ultimate thickness being determined by the strength and permeability characteristics of the plastic sheet, as well as the desired flexibility of the advertiser and the method limitations imposed by the heat-sealing. Generally speaking, the thickness of the sheets is between about one-quarter and three mils.
• the plastic sheets are coated with a mirror-like reflective surface, usually silver in color.
• a mirror-like reflective surface usually silver in color.
• other colored surfaces such as gold, brass, copper, red, blue, and the like may be prepared, depending upon the selected coating material.
• the coating material usually is a metal, such as aluminum, copper, brass, etc. which is applied to the plastic sheet by a conventional vacuum deposition technique.
• Other conventional coating techniques such as spray coating, pyrolytic decompositions and the like, also may be used.
• the thickness of the reflective surface coating is not critical so long as the thickness is sufficient to provide the desired reflective and decorative effects.
• a balloon-advertiser 10 comprised of two flat, generally circular sheets 11, 12 of a heat-sealed thermoplastic composition comprised of a 25/75 blend of nylon and Surlyn.
• the sheets 11 and 12 are coated with a layer of aluminum or tother reflective material to provide a mirror-like finish and are heat-sealed around their peripheral edges at 13 and 14, the seal at 13 being approximately 1/32 inch thick and at 14 being approximately 1/16 inch thick.
• Each of the sheets is provided with a tab-like extension 16, 16' which tapers at an angle of about 5° to about 45°, preferably from about 15° to about 40° from its narrow end 17 nearest the main body of the balloon to its wide end 18, and which is adapted to receive air, helium or other usable light gas for inflating the balloon.
• the length of the tab-like extensions 16, 16' may vary depending upon the desired configuration of a given advertiser. However, it is preferred that the length of the extensions 16, 16' be selected such, that the distance between the outermost end 18 of the extension 16' and the body of the advertiser adjacent the narrow end 17 of the extension is from about 1 to about 2 1/2 inches, with a distance of about 1 1/2 inches being most preferred.
• an opening 19 is provided in the tablike extension by providing an offset of about 1/8 to about 3/8 inches, preferably about 1/4 inches, between the lowermost edges of the extension 16 of sheet 11 and the extension 16' of sheet 12, or by otherwise not completely heat sealing the extensions 16, 16' together.
• the opening 19 thus provides a fluid communicating passage into the balloon 10 for inflation thereof. Inflation may thus be accomplished by inserting a tapered hollow tube or needle into the opening 19 and injecting or blowing helium or other light gas into the balloon.
• the tapered tab is then sealed such as be taping the opening 19, by twisting and tying a knot in the tab or by any other conventional method. Regardless of the means selected for sealing the opening 19, however, it has been found that such sealing is facilitated by the tapered configuration of the tab.
• the tapered configuration also facilitates inflating the balloon.
• the operation of the balloon-advertisers are extremely simple, and because of the various configurations in which the advertisers can be embodied, their use is widespread.
• the advertisers when prepared in the form of a heart ( Figure 3), the advertisers can be used in conjunction with a Valentine's Day display.
• the advertisers when prepared in the form of a football ( Figure 4), the advertisers may be used during the half-time activitites of a football game.
• the advertisers Since the advertisers have a mirror-like reflective surface, they are eye-catching and may be used without any advertising indicia. However, their use can be magnified manyfold simply by printing them with an appropriate slogan, name or the like.
• the advertisers When the advertisers are filled with a gas which is lighter than air, they may be sent aloft, usually under the control of a string or anchor line 21.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)
• Optical Elements Other Than Lenses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=25362276

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (12)

Citations (10)

Family Cites Families (1)

• 1979
  • 1979-01-26 GB GB7931286A patent/GB2035938A/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1979-01-26 JP JP50040179A patent/JPS55500054A/ja active Pending
  • 1979-01-26 WO PCT/US1979/000040 patent/WO1979000569A1/en unknown
  • 1979-07-30 EP EP79900199A patent/EP0011619A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (11)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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