Illuminating balloon

• US 7,320,529 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siong Kiat Goh
• Original Assignee: Fei Che Hsieh, Siong Kiat Goh
• Inventors: Hsieh, Fei Che, Goh, Siong Kiat
• Primary Examiner(s): Sember; Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US11/258,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 362/352, 362/96, 362/189, 362/363, 362/806, 362/253, 446/224, 446/220, 446/485
• US Class Current: 362/96
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/023 Chinese lanterns; Balloons

Abstract

An illuminating balloon includes an inflatable envelope and a sectional bulb support integrated in the envelope. The sectional bulb support includes a horizontally freely turnable top support to avoid tangling of the bulb support with the envelope during inflating. The top support defines an upper locking space for connecting the whole bulb support to a radially inward projected ring member integrally provided at a top center of the envelope without causing water leakage thereat. The sectional bulb support is height-adjustable and adaptable to differently sized inflatable envelopes, and has an open bulb-protecting grid that does not block light sources to produce shadows on the envelope, and an air-relieving hole to prevent the envelope from fluttering while being quickly inflated.

Claims

1. An illuminating balloon, comprising:

an inflatable envelope being provided at a top central area with a radially inward extended reinforced ring member, and at a bottom central opening with a reinforced annular ring; and

a sectional bulb support integrated in said envelope and consisting of a top support, a middle support, a lower support, and a bottom support,

wherein said top support includes an upper tube and a lower tube in which said upper tube is rotatably fitted;

said upper tube being provided near a lower end thereof with an annular groove, and said lower tube being provided near an upper end thereof with a radially extended through bore,

wherein said upper tube is provided near an upper end thereof with a radially extended through bore, via which a bore screw is extended into an inner space defined by an upper opening of said upper tube for receiving said reinforced ring member therein, and said bore screw is finally engaged with a nut at one side of said upper tube diametrically opposite to said through bore to lock said upper tube to said reinforced ring member.

2. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inflatable envelope is provided on said annular ring at the bottom central opening with a plurality of spaced through holes.

3. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper tube is rotatably held in said lower tube by extending an insertion pin through said bore on said lower tube into said annular groove on said upper tube, such that an outer end of said insertion pin is abutted on an outer surface of said lower tube.

4. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said middle support has an inner bore slightly larger than an outer diameter of said lower tube of said top support, so that said top support is axially slidably fitted in said middle support;

and said middle support being provided at a bottom center with a threaded hole, and near an upper end thereof with a radially extended and internally threaded through hole.

5. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 4, wherein said lower tube of said top support is held in said middle support at a desired height by extending a screw through said radially extended and internally threaded through hole near the upper end of said middle support to press against said lower tube.

6. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower support is provided at a top center with an upward projected screw, and at a bottom center with an internally threaded hole.

7. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower support is connected to said middle support by screwing a screw upward projected from a top center of said lower support into an internally threaded hole provided at a bottom center of said middle support.

8. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower support includes an open bulb-protecting grid.

9. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom support includes an upper clamping ring, a lower clamping ring, and a blower-supporting frame;

said upper and said lower clamping ring being correspondingly provided with a plurality of spaced through holes, and said blower-supporting frame including a supporting frame, at a top center of which an upward projected screw is provided.

10. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 9, wherein said screw upward projected from the top center of said supporting frame of said blower-supporting frame of said bottom support is screwed into a threaded hole at a bottom center of said lower support to connect said lower and said bottom support together.

11. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 9, wherein said blower-supporting frame further includes a blower seat located below said supporting frame for a blower to fixedly seat therein.

12. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 11, wherein said blower seat is provided along an upper surface thereof with a plurality of spaced first mounting holes corresponding to said through holes on said upper and lower clamping rings, and second mounting holes for connecting said blower to said blower seat.

13. The illuminating balloon as claimed in claim 12, wherein said blower seat is provided on the upper surface with an air-relieving hole.