GB2272170A

GB2272170A - One-piece balloon holder.

Info

Publication number: GB2272170A
Application number: GB9322745A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Howard Raymon Hartley
Original assignee: LOONY Ltd B
Current assignee: LOONY Ltd B
Priority date: 1992-11-07
Filing date: 1993-11-04
Publication date: 1994-05-11
Anticipated expiration: 2013-11-04
Also published as: GB9223416D0; GB2272170B; GB9322745D0

Abstract

A balloon holder comprising a balloon receiving portion 15 and an elongate handle 1. The balloon receiving portion and handle are constructed as a single piece, preferably by moulding polypropylene or another plastics material. The point at which the plastic is injected during moulding may be a recess 3 within a reinforced portion 4 of the handle, located approximately at mid length of that handle. The handle may have a cruciform cross-section. <IMAGE>

Description

"Balloon Holder" This invention relates to a balloon holder.

Balloons are frequently sold inflated and attached to holders in the form of sticks for marketing purposes and for ease of handling the balloon. The stick used may be a simple length of wood and the neck of the balloon may simply be tied to one end of the stick.

Some sticks have been developed specifically for the purpose of holding balloons and have cup-shaped balloon-receiving portions fitted to one end for retaining the balloon firmly on the end of the stick and supporting the balloon to maintain it in a desired position.

The cup-shaped balloon-receiving portions are generally of moulded plastic and are manufactured separately of the stick. The balloon-receiving portions and the sticks are then assembled after production.

According to the present invention there is provided a balloon holder having an elongate handle and a balloonreceiving portion, the balloon-receiving portion having means to retain a balloon, wherein the handle and balloon receiving-portion are constructed as a single piece.

The balloon holder is preferably an integral plastics moulding, most preferably produced by conventional injection moulding techniques. The point at which the plastics material is injected is preferably recessed, most preferably into a reinforced portion of the handle. Preferably the handle is of cruciform crosssection, and said reinforced portion is generally cylindrical, having a diameter substantially equal to the width of the cruciform cross-section, and is disposed approximately at the mid length of the handle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a balloon holder, the balloon holder having a balloon-receiving portion and an elongate handle, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a mould for the balloon holder; (b) injecting fluid plastics material into the mould; and (c) inducing or allowing the plastics material to set, wherein the mould comprises a first portion having a lumen which defines the shape of the balloon-receiving portion, and a second portion having a lumen which defines the shape of the handle, and wherein the first and second portions of the mould communicate to allow flow of the plastics material between the first and second portions.

Preferably, the plastics material is injected into the mould at a site on the second portion which site is located approximately at the mid length of the second portion. Most preferably, the site of injection corresponds to a protrusion on the mould into the lumen of the second section.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a balloon holder according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the balloon holder of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view on the arrow "A" of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross-section of a handle of the holder of Fig 1; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view on "A" of the holder of Fig 1; Fig. 6 is an enlarged side view of one end of the holder of Fig 1 and; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a balloon holder in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, a balloon holder according to these embodiments of the invention has an elongate flexible plastics handle 1 having a central portion 8 which has a cruciform cross-section as shown in Fig. 4. The cruciform cross-section may be achieved by moulding or cutting elongate notches 2 in the handle 1 along its axis. One end 5 of the handle 1 has a tip 6. A balloon retaining and support cup 15 extends from the other end 10 of the handle 1.

The balloon retaining and support cup 15 comprises a generally frustoconically shaped plastic wall 20 having a proximal end 20b and a distal end 20a (relative to the handle 1). The wall 20 has two slots 22 extending axially from the distal end 20a for a distance of approximately 1.5 cm towards the proximal end 20b and culminating in oval apertures 23 in the wall 20. The wall 20 includes further apertures 25 of a generally triangular shape extending from the distal end 20b to the proximal end 20a. At the distal end 20a of the wall there is a rim 30 which is perpendicular to the axis of the handle 1 and extends circumferentially around the distal end 20a of the wall (except where interrupted by the slots 22).

The balloon holder is preferably manufactured by conventional injection moulding techniques which are well known. However, rather than the balloon retaining and support cup 15 and the handle 1 being moulded as separate items, the lumen of the mould defining the shape of the cup 15 communicates with the lumen of the mould defining the shape of the handle 1. Thus when a fluid plastics material such as polypropylene is injected into the mould, it flows between the two lumens and, when formed, the cup 15 and the handle 1 of the holder consist of a single piece of plastic. The method of inducing the plastic to flow may comprise the application of heat. Similarly, the fluid plastics material may be induced to set by the addition of chemicals or may simply be allowed to cool to a temperature where the material is a solid.

In use, the balloon, when inflated and preferably tied at the neck, is fixed to the retaining and support cup in a conventional manner using the slots 22 and the apertures 25. The balloon is also displayed through the apertures 25 to provide a decorative appearance.

Conventional two piece balloon holders have inherent disadvantages in that the joint between the stick and the cup provides a weak point which may become disjointed when subjected to stress. Such stress is inevitably encountered when the balloon is waved from side to side as is common when children play with such products. Attempts to alleviate this problem by providing a more robust push-fit joint or a screwthread arrangement only serve to increase the manufacturing and assembly costs of the item. This is undesirable since the toy is essentially a disposable item which is made in very large numbers. Accordingly it should be of minimal cost to produce and replace.

Concern has been expressed about the safety of conventional balloon holders, since, if the cup does become detached from the stick, it can present a choking hazard to small children.

The present embodiments of the invention mitigate the disadvantages of susceptibility to breakage without substantially increasing the cost of the article. This is achieved by moulding the retaining and support cup and the handle as a single piece of material.

Modifications and improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the preferred material of construction of the balloon holder of the present invention is a pliant plastics material such as polypropylene.. When constructed from such a material, the balloon holder is resistant to snapping when the handle 1 is bent, since the polypropylene deforms under the stress without snapping to yield a sharp edge.

In addition, the balloon holder is preferably manufactured without any sharp edges or other damaging features, such as protrusions on external surfaces.

The site of injection for the plastics material is preferably located within a recess 3 on the handle 1 of the holder so that the protrusion which inevitably results from the injection moulding process does not extend proud of the surface of the handle 1. The recess 3 is preferably located on a reinforced portion of the handle 1 as in the modified embodiment shown in Fig 7. The embodiment shown in Fig 7 differs from the first embodiment herein described only in the reinforced portion 4 adjacent to the recess 3 on the handle 1. This modification was developed since it was found that the recess 3 constituted a weak spot in the handle 1, and that, when bent, the handle 1 was prone to excessive deformation or snapping in the area of the recess 3. The addition of the reinforcement at 4 adjacent to the recess on this modified embodiment strengthens the area so that deformation is negligible when the handle 1 is bent.

Claims

1. A balloon holder having an elongate handle and a balloon-receiving portion, the balloon-receiving portion having means to retain a balloon, wherein the handle and balloon-receiving portion are constructed as a single piece.

2. A balloon holder as claimed in Claim 1 which is moulded from plastics material.

3. A balloon holder as claimed in Claim 2, in which the location on the holder at which the plastics material is injected during moulding coincides with a recess into the holder.

4. A balloon holder as claimed in Claim 3, in which the recess into the holder is located at a reinforced portion of the handle.

5. A balloon holder as claimed in Claim 4, in which the handle is of cruciform cross-section, and said reinforced portion is generally cylindrical, having a diameter substantially equal to the width of the cruciform cross-section and is disposed approximately at the mid length of the handle.

6. A balloon holder as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims which is constructed from polypropylene.

7. A method of manufacturing a balloon holder, the balloon holder having a balloon-receiving portion and an elongate handle, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a mould for the balloon holder; (b) injecting fluid plastics material into the mould; and (c) inducing or allowing the plastics material to set, wherein the mould comprises a first portion having a lumen which defines the shape of the balloon-receiving portion, and a second portion having a lumen which defines the shape of the handle, and wherein the first and second portions of the mould communicate to allow flow of the plastics material between the first and second portions.

8. A method as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the plastics material comprises polypropylene.

9. A method as claimed in Claim 7 or 8, wherein the plastics material is injected into the mould at a site on the second portion which site is located approximately at the mid length of the second portion.

10. A method as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the site of injection corresponds to a protrusion on the mould into the lumen of the second section.

11. A balloon holder substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in, Figs 1-6 or Fig 7 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of manufacturing a balloon holder substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to Figs 1-6 or Fig 7 of the accompanying drawings.