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US 5,852,889 AGranted
Greeting card with self-inflating balloon
OwnerRobert Rinaldiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A greeting card is disclosed which has a self-inflating balloon contained therein, which balloon inflates either upon opening the greeting card, upon removing the greeting card from an envelope, or upon manual activation by the individual receiving the greeting card. A gas generator is provided with two reactants which are separated by a physical barrier until the device is activated, at which time the reactants mix to generate gas used to inflate the balloon. In the preferred embodiment, the physical barrier is a zipper-like fastener element which is pulled apart by a triggering mechanism to activate the gas generator to inflate the balloon.
Claims36
A greeting card, comprising:
- a first panel having a front side and a back side, said first panel also having top, bottom, and side edges;
- a second panel having a front side and a back side, said second panel also having top, bottom, and side edges, one side edge of said first panel being hingedly interconnected to one side edge of said second panel such that said first panel is foldable between a first position in which said first panel lays close adjacent said second panel and a second position in which said first panel is opened away from said second panel;
- a gas generating apparatus carried by said second panel, said gas generating apparatus having a charged state in which said gas generating apparatus is inactive, said gas generating apparatus also having an activated state in which said gas generating apparatus generates gas through a chemical reaction;
- a triggering mechanism operatively connected to said first panel and to said gas generating apparatus, said triggering mechanism causing said gas generating apparatus to go from said charged state to said activated state when said triggering mechanism is actuated by the movement of said first panel from its first position to its second position, said triggering mechanism initially being armed for operation with said first panel being in its first position, said triggering mechanism subsequently being actuated and in response causing said gas generating apparatus to go from said charged state to said activated state when said first panel is initially moved from its first position to its second position;
- and
- an inflatable member, said inflatable member being in fluid communication with said gas generating apparatus such that said inflatable member is inflated when said gas generating apparatus generates gas.
3 more elements
A greeting card, comprising:
- first and second panels which are hingedly connected together, said first panel being moveable between a first position close adjacent said second panel and a second position opened away from said second panel;
- a gas generating apparatus, mounted in said second panel, for generating gas through a chemical reaction when it is activated;
- a triggering mechanism operatively connected to said first panel and to said gas generating apparatus, said triggering mechanism activating said gas generating apparatus when said triggering mechanism is actuated by the movement of said first panel from its first position to its second position, said triggering mechanism initially being armed for operation with said first panel being in its first position, said triggering mechanism subsequently being actuated and in response causing said gas generating apparatus to go from said charged state to said activated state when said first panel is initially moved from its first position to its second position;
- and
- an inflatable member, said inflatable member being inflated when said gas generating apparatus generates gas.
2 more elements
A method of making a greeting card, comprising:
- hingedly interconnecting a first panel to a second panel such that said first panel is foldable between a first position in which said first panel lays close adjacent said second panel and a second position in which said first panel is opened away from said second panel;
- installing a gas generating apparatus in said second panel, said gas generating apparatus having a charged state in which said gas generating apparatus is inactive, said gas generating apparatus also having an activated state in which said gas generating apparatus generates gas through a chemical reaction;
- operatively connecting a triggering mechanism to said first panel and to said gas generating apparatus, said triggering mechanism causing said gas generating apparatus to go from said charged state to said activated state when said triggering mechanism is actuated by the movement of said first panel from its first position to its second position;
- placing an inflatable member in fluid communication with said gas generating apparatus such that said inflatable member is inflated when said gas generating apparatus generates gas;
- and
- initially arming said triggering mechanism with said first panel being in its first position so that said triggering mechanism will be actuated and in response causing said gas generating apparatus to go from said charged state to said activated state when said greeting card is initially opened by moving said first panel from its first position to its second position.
3 more elements
A greeting card, comprising:
- a first panel having a front side and a back side, said first panel also having top, bottom, and side edges;
- a second panel having a front side and a back side, said second panel also having top, bottom, and side edges, one side edge of said first panel being hingedly interconnected to one side edge of said second panel such that said first panel is foldable between a first position in which said first panel lays close adjacent said second panel and a second position in which said first panel is opened away from said second panel;
- a gas generating apparatus carried by said second panel, said gas generating apparatus having a charged state in which said gas generating apparatus is inactive, said gas generating apparatus also having an activated state in which said gas generating apparatus generates gas through a chemical reaction, said gas generating apparatus comprising:
- a thin plastic film bag having a single outlet, said inflatable member being connected to and in fluid communication with said outlet;
- a sealing member located within said plastic film bag, said sealing member having a closed position in which said plastic film bag is divided into two portions not in fluid communication with each other when said gas generating apparatus is inactive, said sealing member also having an open position in which said two portions of said plastic film bag are in fluid communication with each other when said gas generating apparatus is activated;
- a first reactant material located in said first portion of said plastic film bag when said gas generating apparatus is inactive;
- a second reactant material located in said second portion of said plastic film bag when said gas generating apparatus is inactive;
- and
- an internal septum located inside said outlet of said plastic film bag, said internal septum retaining said first and second reactant materials in said plastic film bag until said plastic film bag is ruptured by pressure therein;
- a triggering mechanism operatively connected to said gas generating apparatus to cause said gas generating apparatus to go from said charged state to said activated state when said triggering mechanism is actuated;
- and
- an inflatable member, said inflatable member being in fluid communication with said gas generating apparatus such that said inflatable member is inflated when said gas generating apparatus generates gas.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.