Balloon amusement device

• US 4,903,958 A
• Filed: 01/23/1989
• Issued: 02/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fernando Dicarlo
• Original Assignee: Fernando Dicarlo
• Inventors: DiCarlo, Fernando, DiCarlo, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Jr., Richard E.
• Application Number:
  US07/299,321
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 272/8 R, 272/8 N, 272/8 D, 272/27 R, 272/27 N, 446/220-226, 116/210, 116/209, 116/DIG. 8, 116/DIG. 9, 40/212-215, 40/547
• US Class Current: 472/54
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2027/1033 Inflation devices or methods for inflating balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/10 Balloons connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00; other than toy aspects B64B1/40
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/045 Multi-part cards or sheets, i.e. combined with detachably mounted articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 116/09 Balloons

Abstract

An amusement device constructed to simulated a gift package, e.g. for a birthday, or for Christmas. The package is subdivided into a compressed air chamber and a balloon storage compartment. When the person receiving the gift package attempts to open it, the balloon is automatically inflated so as to pop out of the package.

Claims

1. An amusement device comprising:

a compressed air container having an air discharge port;

a movable wall structure mounted on said container in overlying relation to said air discharge port to form a balloon storage compartment;

a deflated balloon located within said storage compartment, said balloon having an inflation neck in sealed fluid communication with said air discharge port;

means to retain the balloon in fluid communication with the air discharge port;

means controlled by the movable wall structure for preventing the flow of compressed air through the discharge port into the balloon;

whereby movement of the wall structure away from the container permits compressed air to flow into the balloon, the balloon being maintained in fluid communication with said discharge port after inflation of the balloon by the compressed air flow.

2. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein:

said movable wall structure comprises a flat panel having a peripheral rim wall adapted to fit telescopically onto the air container.

3. The amusement device of claim 2, wherein:

the peripheral rim wall forms a continuation of the container side walls, whereby the wall structure and container cooperatively form a three dimensional rectangular box.

4. The amusement device of claim 3, and further comprising:

at least one strip of adhesive tape extending across the wall structure and adjacent areas of the container side walls to releasably retain the wall structure on the container.

5. The amusement device of claim 1, and further comprising:

a wrapping material adapted to cover the container and movable wall structure, whereby the covered assembly simulates a gift package.

6. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein:

the balloon bears a message imprinted thereon.

7. The amusement device of claim 1, and further comprising:

a check valve in one wall of said container for charging compressed air into the container.

8. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein:

said container is a hollow rectangular structure having one wall thereof concealed by said movable wall structure, and

said air discharge port is located at a central point on said concealed wall.

9. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein:

said container is a hollow rectangular structure having one wall thereof concealed by said movable wall structure, and

said air discharge port comprises a hollow tube projecting from said concealed wall into said balloon storage compartment.

10. The amusement device of claim 9, wherein:

said hollow tube is located at a central point on said concealed wall.

11. The amusement device of claim 9, and further comprising:

a peripheral flange extending from the concealed wall in a direction away from the container, and wherein;

said movable wall structure comprises a flat panel having a peripheral rim adapted to fit telescopically onto said peripheral flange.

12. The amusement device of claim 11, wherein:

said movable wall structure is completely separable from the container.

13. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein:

said flow-preventing means comprises a pad carried by the movable wall structure to exert a squeeze pressure on the balloon neck.

14. The amusement device of claim 13, wherein:

said pad is located approximately at the geometrical center of the movable wall structure.

15. The amusement device of claim 13, wherein:

said air discharge port comprises a hollow tube projecting from said container into the balloon storage compartment, and

said pad is located in axial alignment with said hollow tube to squeeze the balloon neck material against the tube end surface.

16. The amusement device of claim 15, wherein:

said pad is formed of a resilient compressible material, whereby the pad can conform to irregularities in the tube end surface.

17. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein:

said flow-preventing means is a poppet valve having a disengageable connection with said movable wall structure.

18. The amusement device of claim 17, wherein:

said flow-preventing means further comprises a compression spring engaged with the poppet valve to urge said valve to an open condition when the movable wall structure is moved away from the container.

19. The amusement device of claim 1, wherein:

said flow-preventing means comprises a valve chamber means located within said container in near adjacency to the balloon storage compartment, a poppet valve located within said chamber means, and a rod element extending from the poppet valve into the balloon storage compartment for disengageable connection with said movable wall structure.

20. The amusement device of claim 19, wherein:

said air discharge port comprises a hollow tube extending from the valve chamber means and thence through one wall of the container into the balloon storage compartment.

21. An amusement device comprising:

a container subdivided into a storage compartment and a chamber containing compressed gas,

a balloon sized and adapted when deflated to fit in the storage compartment,

means interconnecting said chamber and the balloon for fluid communication therebetween,

lid structure attached to the container and movable between a closed position wherein the storage compartment is closed and said fluid communication is blocked and an open position wherein there is fluid communication between the chamber and balloon, and

means to releasably retain the lid structure in its said closed position and actuable to release the lid structure to move the lid structure to its said open position by expansion of the balloon by fluid communication between said chamber and the balloon, the balloon being maintained in fluid communication with the discharge port after expansion of the balloon.

22. A device according to claim 21, wherein:

the container has the configuration of a gift package.

23. A device according to claim 21, wherein:

the means to releasably retain the lid structure comprises adhesive tape extending across surface areas of the lid structure and the container.

24. A device according to claim 21, and further including:

a check valve in one wall of the container for charging compressed air into the container.

25. A device according to claim 21, wherein:

said container comprises a hollow generally rectangular structure,

wall means separating the storage compartment from said chamber,

said means interconnecting the chamber and balloon for fluid communication include a discharge port and a tube extending from said wall means and into said storage compartment.

26. A device according to claim 21, and further including:

flow preventing means comprising a poppet valve having a disengageable connection with said lid structure to block said fluid connection when the lid structure is in its closed position.

27. A device according to claim 26, and further including

a compression spring engaged with the poppet valve to urge the valve to an open condition when the lid structure is moved to its open position.