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US 6,273,479 B1Granted
Unit for tying a balloon and securing a ribbon to the balloon
OwnerLeland R. Carlsoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A unit is mounted directly on a tank of pressurized gas used to inflate a balloon and includes a supporting bracket having ribbon-accommodating holes defined through one end thereof and a support section on the other end. A ribbon supporting spool is rotatably mounted on the support section and ribbon drawn off the spool is threaded through the ribbon-accommodating holes to be captured in a knot formed in the neck of the balloon after that neck has been drawn around the supporting bracket and formed into a knot. A method of forming a knot in the balloon and capturing the ribbon therein is also disclosed.
Claims14
A unit used to tie a ribbon to a balloon comprising:
- A) a supporting bracket which is mounted on a tank containing balloon-inflating gas near an exhaust valve of the tank and including
- (1) a one-piece section having
- (a) a central section with an inside surface and an outside surface,
- (b) two side portions on said central section, said central section and said two side portions forming a U shape,
- (c) a proximal end and a distal end,
- (d) a longitudinal dimension extending from said proximal end to said distal end and a width dimension extending between said two side portions,
- (e) two first holes defined through said central section from said inside surface to said outside surface, said first holes being located near said distal end and being spaced apart from each other along said longitudinal dimension, and
- (f) two second holes defined through said central section from said inside surface to said outside surface, said second holes being located near said proximal end and being spaced apart from each other along said longitudinal dimension, and
- (2) a one-piece support section having
- (a) a top section, a bottom section and two side sections,
- (b) a top hole through the top section of said support section,
- (c) a through hole defined through each of the two side sections of said support section, and
- (d) a support end portion which slidably accommodates the proximal end of said one-piece section with one of the second holes of said one-piece section aligned with the through holes of said support section;
- B) a mounting element having
- (1) a U-shaped body with two legs,
- (2) the legs of said mounting element being spaced apart a distance equal to the space between the two second holes of said one-piece section whereby said legs extend through said two second holes and through the through holes of said support section when said mounting element mounts said supporting bracket on the tank, and
- (3) fasteners attaching said mounting element to the tank and to said one-piece section and to said support section when said mounting element mounts said supporting bracket on the tank;
- and
- C) a ribbon supporting unit having
- (1) a support rod extending through the top hole of said support section and abutting an inside surface of the bottom section of said support section and having a distal end located outside said support section and spaced from the top section of said support section, and
- (2) a spool of ribbon rotatably supported on said support rod and resting on an outside surface of the top section of said support section.
18 more elements
A unit used to seal a balloon and tie a ribbon thereto comprising:
- A) a U-shaped supporting bracket having a distal end and a proximal end and a length dimension extending from said distal end to said proximal end, a central body and two side portions extending from said central body, an inside surface and an outside surface on said central body, two ribbon-receiving holes defined through said central body from said inside surface to said outside surface, two mounting element-receiving holes defined through said central body from said inside surface to said outside surface, said ribbon-receiving holes being located near said proximal end and said mounting element-receiving holes being located near said proximal end, said holes all being spaced apart from adjacent holes along said length dimension;
- B) a hollow section having a front side, a rear side, a top side, a bottom side, a front end and a rear end, said support section being sized to telescopingly receive therein the proximal end of said supporting bracket when said support section is mounted on said supporting bracket, mounting element-receiving holes defined through the front side and through the rear side of said support section to be aligned with each other and with one of the mounting element-receiving holes on said supporting bracket when the proximal end of said supporting bracket is telescopingly received in said hollow support section, and a spool supporting rod-receiving hole defined through the top side of said support section;
- C) a spool supporting rod which is sized to slidably extend through the supporting rod-receiving hole in the top side of said support section and to have one end thereof abut the bottom side of said support section and another end thereof located spaced from the top side of said support section when said spool supporting rod is positioned on said supporting section;
- and
- D) a mounting element having two legs and a body, said legs being spaced apart from each other a distance corresponding to the space between the two mounting element-receiving holes on said supporting bracket whereby one leg will extend through one of the two mounting element-receiving holes on said supporting bracket and the other leg of said two legs will extend through the mounting element-receiving holes on both said support section and said supporting bracket when said support section and said mounting element are mounted on said supporting bracket.
2 more elements
A unit used to tie a ribbon to a balloon comprising:
- A) a supporting bracket which is mounted on a tank containing balloon-inflating gas near an exhaust valve of the tank and including
- (1) a one-piece section having
- (a) a central section with an inside surface and an outside surface,
- (b) two side portions on said central section, said central section and said two side portions forming a U shape,
- (c) a proximal end and a distal end,
- (d) a longitudinal dimension extending from said proximal end to said distal end and a width dimension extending between said two side portions,
- (e) two first holes defined through said central section from said inside surface to said outside surface, said first holes being located near said distal end and being spaced apart from each other along said longitudinal dimension, and
- (f) two second holes defined through said central section from said inside surface to said outside surface, said second holes being located near said proximal end and being spaced apart from each other along said longitudinal dimension, and
- (2) a one-piece supporting element having
- (a) a base plate with an edge,
- (b) a through hole defined through the base plate of said supporting element, and
- (c) a ribbon supporting rod extending from the base plate of said supporting element from the edge of the base plate of said supporting element;
- B) a mounting element having
- (1) a U-shaped body with two legs,
- (2) the legs of said mounting element being spaced apart a distance equal to the space between the two second holes of said one-piece section whereby said legs extend through said two second holes and through the through holes of said one piece supporting element when said mounting element mounts said supporting bracket on the tank, and
- (3) fasteners attaching said mounting element to the tank and to said one-piece section and to said one piece supporting element section when said mounting element mounts said supporting bracket on the tank;
- and
- C) a spool of ribbon rotatably supported on the ribbon supporting rod of said supporting element.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.