VALVED LONG FLOATING TOY BALLOON

• US 20090047864A1
• Filed: 08/18/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hi-Float Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hi-Float Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Burchett, Donald K., Burchett, Keith W.
• Application Number:
  US11/840,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20090047864A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/224
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2027/1025 Fabrication methods or special materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2027/1083 Valves or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/10 Balloons connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00; other than toy aspects B64B1/40

Abstract

Toy balloons that have an internal surface coated with a barrier coating include a one-way valve. The one-way valve incorporates an inlet stem that is surrounded by an expandable elastomeric collar. The coating solution is an aqueous solution having a low concentration of polyvinyl alcohol and a carbohydrate. A minimal amount of coating composition is used. This allows preassembly and precoating of toy balloons with one-way valves that can be stored for up to one year without drying out.

Claims

1. A plurality of uninflated balloon assemblies, each balloon assembly comprising an uninflated toy balloon having an internal portion and a neck, a coating composition in said internal portion;

a one-way valve fixed in said neck, said one-way valve having a flexible sealing member positively urged into a sealing position when said balloon is not inflated;

said coating composition comprising an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol and a carbohydrate wherein polyvinyl alcohol is from 3 to 20 percent by weight of said coating composition and wherein said carbohydrate is present in a ratio to the polyvinyl alcohol of 1;

1 to 3;

1; and

wherein said balloons have 0.0006 to 0.0021 ml/cm² of coating solution based on said balloons inflated capacity.

2. The plurality of balloon assemblies claimed in claim 1 wherein said balloon assemblies are contained in a bag formed from a polymeric film, said polymeric film having a vapor permeation of about 0.025 gm H₂O/day/100 in², or less.

3. The balloon assemblies claimed in claim 2 wherein said polymeric film is a polyethylene film having a thickness of at least 2 mils.

4. The plurality of balloon assemblies claimed in claim 1 wherein said balloons are 11-inch balloons and contain 2 to 10 ml of coating composition.

5. The plurality of balloon assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said balloons are 9-inch balloons and contain 1-4 ml of said coating composition.

6. An uninflated toy balloon having a maximum inflated dimension of 9-11 inches containing a coating solution comprising water, PVOH and a water soluble carbohydrate, said composition comprising 3-20% PVOH and 1 to 35% carbohydrate;

a one-way valve attached to a neck of said balloon;

said balloon having a coating amount of 0.0006 to 0.0021 ml/cm² of maximum inflated surface area.

7. The balloon claimed in claim 6 having a maximum inflated diameter of 500% of an uninflated diameter.

8. The balloon claimed in claim 6 wherein said one-way valve includes an inlet tube sealed at one end and having a hole through a side wall of said tube and an expandable collar surrounding said side wall and sealing said tube.

9. The balloon claimed in claim 6 wherein said composition comprises about 11% PVOH.