Internal toroid balloon
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsKevin Roach, Nlkhil Singh Kohli, Richard Wayne DeVaul, Sameera Sylvia Ponda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A balloon having a balloon envelope that is fillable with a first lifting gas, a top plate arranged at a top of the balloon envelope, an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the balloon envelope to the atmosphere, an inner bladder positioned within the balloon envelope and positioned at the top of the balloon envelope and coupled to the top plate, wherein the inner bladder is fillable with a second lifting gas, wherein the outlet port is configured to vent the first lifting gas to the atmosphere while keeping the second lifting gas in the inner bladder.
Claims23
An apparatus comprising:
- a balloon envelope that is fillable with a first lifting gas;
- a top plate arranged at a top of the balloon envelope;
- an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the balloon envelope to the atmosphere;
- an inner bladder positioned within the balloon envelope and positioned at the top of the balloon envelope and coupled to the top plate, wherein the inner bladder is fillable with a second lifting gas;
- wherein the outlet port is configured to vent the first lifting gas to the atmosphere while keeping the second lifting gas in the inner bladder.
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- operating a control system for a balloon comprised of a balloon envelope filled with a first lifting gas, a top plate arranged at a top of the balloon envelope, an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the balloon envelope to the atmosphere, a bladder positioned at a top of the balloon envelope and coupled to the top plate, wherein the bladder is filled with a second lifting gas, wherein the bladder comprises a toroid balloon, wherein outlet port is configured to vent the first lifting gas to the atmosphere through the outlet port while keeping the second lifting gas within the bladder;
- receiving a signal to decrease the amount of lifting gas within the balloon envelope;
- and
- causing a vent on the outlet port to open the passageway between the inside of the balloon envelope and the atmosphere to allow lifting gas to be vented from the balloon envelope to the atmosphere.
An apparatus comprising:
- a balloon envelope that is fillable with a first lifting gas;
- a top plate arranged at a top of the balloon envelope;
- an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the balloon envelope to the atmosphere;
- an outer bladder positioned above the balloon envelope and coupled to the top plate, wherein the outer bladder is fillable with a second lifting gas;
- wherein the outlet port is configured to vent the first lifting gas to the atmosphere while keeping the second lifting gas in the outer bladder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.