GB2369307A

GB2369307A - Closure members for balloons

Info

Publication number: GB2369307A
Application number: GB0124597A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stefen Knoppik
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-10-12
Filing date: 2001-10-12
Publication date: 2002-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 2021-10-12
Also published as: HK1042862B; GB2369307B; GB0024991D0; GB0124597D0; HK1042862A1

Abstract

A closure member for a balloon comprises a ring 1 adapted to receive the neck of a balloon, an elongate member 2 extending radially from the ring 1 and a clamping means on the elongate member remote from the ring 1. The clamping means mat be in the form of a slot having serrated sides 3. To close a balloon, the neck is placed in the ring 1 and then either the balloon or the closure member is twisted at least twice followed by placing the neck of the balloon in the slot so that it is clamped in place by the serrated edges 3. An aperture 5 may be provided for reception of a pin to secure the balloon to a suitable surface. A plurality of closure members may be suspended from a frame provided with eyes (12,17 Figures 5 and 6). A plurality of closure members may can be combined to form a composite structure (Figures 7-9).

Description

Title : IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOSURE MEMBERS FOR BALLOONS This invention relates to closure members for inflatable balloons.

Balloons are conventionally closed either by tying a knot in the neck of the balloon or by tying a piece of string or cord tightly round the neck of the balloon.

In either case, the knot is difficult to undo so that the balloon is frequently discarded after use when it could be used again. Further, the tying of a knot in the neck of a balloon or using a piece of string or cord is fiddley and time-consuming.

The present invention aims to provide improvements in closing the necks of inflatable balloons.

According to the invention, there is provided a closure member for a balloon which comprises a ring adapted to receive the neck of a balloon, an elongate member extending radially from the ring and clamping means on the elongate member remote from the ring.

In order to seal an inflated balloon, the neck of the balloon is passed through the ring, the balloon is twisted with respect to the elongate member and the part of the neck protruding through the ring is secured by the clamping means.

Preferably, the clamping means comprise a slot in the elongate member.

The sides of the slot may be serrated to facilitate gripping of the neck of the balloon.

The ring need not be a complete ring but could have a gap between two ends to facilitate insertion of the neck of a balloon into the ring.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the closure member is provided with means for attaching it to a surface such as a wall or ceiling. The attachment means may comprise an apertured disc or eye secured to or formed integrally with the ring or the elongate member. The aperture in the disc is adapted to receive a pin by means of which the closure member can be secured to a suitable surface. Alternatively, the attachment means could take the form of a magnet or a suction cup.

The end of the elongate member remote from the ring may further be provided with one or more hooks by means of which the closure member can be suspended from a cord or by means of which ribbons or strands of decorative beads can be suspended from the closure member.

The invention also extends to the provision of a frame from which a plurality of closure members can be suspended. The frame may have any suitable shape but a ball or star shape are preferred.

As a further alternative, a plurality of closure members may be combined to form a composite structure which may take the form of a cross, a star or any other desired configuration.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of a closure member according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of a closure member according to the invention; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a third embodiment of a closure member according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a fourth embodiment of a closure member according to the invention ; Fig. 5 shows one embodiment of a frame from which a plurality of closure members can be suspended; Fig. 6 shows a second embodiment of a frame from which a plurality of closure members can be suspended; Fig. 7 shows a composite structure comprising a plurality of closure members arranged in the form of a cross; Fig. 8 shows a composite structure comprising a plurality of closure members arranged in the form of a star; and Fig. 9 shows a composite structure comprising a plurality of closure members extending radially outwards from a central ring.

In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

Reference will first be made to Fig. 1 of the drawings in which the closure member comprises an open ring 1 from which an elongate member 2 extends radially outwards, one end of the elongate member being secured to the open ring 1. The other end of the elongate member 2 is bifurcated to form a slot having serrated sides 3. In order to close the opening to a balloon (not shown), the neck of the balloon is passed through a gap 4 in the ring 1 after which either the balloon or the closure member is twisted at least twice. The end of the neck of the balloon protruding through the ring 1 is then pulled into the slot in the elongate member 2 and secured by the serrated sides 3 of the slot. It will thus be seen that the closure member according to the invention provides a quick and ready means for sealing a balloon. It is also easy to disengage the balloon from the closure member simply by pulling the neck out of the slot and untwisting the balloon.

The closure member shown in Fig. 1 is further provided with an apertured disc 5 which is secured to one of the arms of the elongate member 2 at the end remote from the ring 1. This feature enables the closure member to be secured by a pin (not shown) which can be passed through the aperture in the disc 5 and engaged in a suitable surface such as, for example, a wall or a ceiling. A hook 6 may be provided on the other arm of the elongate member again at the end remote from the ring 1. The closure member can be suspended from a cord (not shown) by means of the hook 6 or from a frame as hereinafter described. Alternatively, ribbons or strands of decorative beads or the like (not shown) may be suspended from the closure member by means of the hook 6.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a closure member in which the apertured disc 5 is located on the ring 1. This enables a hook 6 to be provided on each arm of the elongate member 2 so that the closure member can be suspended from a cord or the like by one hook, while ribbons, strands of decorative beads or the like can be suspended from the other hook.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the apertured disc 5 is provided on the elongate member 2 adjacent to the ring 1. In this embodiment, only one hook 6 is provided but two hooks could be provided if desired, one on each arm as with the embodiment shown in Fig. 2.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the apertured disc 5 is replaced by a suction cup 7 which is mounted on the elongate member 2. This embodiment can be secured to a smooth surface such as glass by means of the suction cup 7. As an alternative, the suction cup 7 could be replaced by a magnet to enable the closure member to be attached to ferrous objects. No hooks are shown on the embodiment in Fig. 4 but one or two hooks could be provided if desired.

A plurality of closure members according to the invention can be suspended from a frame. One such frame is shown in Fig. 5 which takes the form of a ball 11 provided on its outer surface with a plurality of eyes 12. A closure member can be suspended from each of the eyes 12 by means of the hooks 6. The ball 11 is further provided with a loop 13 to which a cord 14 is attached to enable the ball to be suspended.

Fig. 6 shows a star-shaped frame consisting of two four-pointed stars 15 and 16 provided with an eye 17 at the points of each star. One eye is used to attach a suspension cord 14 but closure members can be suspended from the other eyes.

A plurality of closure members according to the invention can be combined to form a composite structure. Such a structure is shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings in which four closure members are joined to form a cross. The elongate member 2 of each closure member is provided with an extension member 21 and the projecting ends of the extensions are engaged in a fitting 22.

A single apertured disc 5 is provided on one of the extension members 21.

Fig. 8 shows a slightly different configuration in which the open rings 1 are provided at the points of a four-pointed star, the elongate members forming the arms 23 of the star and hooks 6 being provided on each of the arms. An apertured disc 24 is provided at the centre of the star by means of which the star can be suspended from a cord or the like (not shown).

In the composite structure shown in Fig. 9, the ends of the elongate members 2 which are remote from the rings 1 of six closure members are secured to a ring or disc 25 so as to extend radially outwards. The closure members are equi-spaced around the periphery of the ring or disc 25. Hooks 6 are provided on the elongate members 2 and further hooks 26 are provided on the periphery of the ring or disc 25. An apertured disc 24 is provided at the centre of the ring or disc 25 for the attachment of a suspension cord or the like (not shown).

The or each closure member is preferably made of a resilient plastics material which enables all component parts to be formed integrally in a single operation. However, the plastics material need not be resilient and other materials could be used if desired.

The hook 6 of one closure member can be engaged with the apertured disc 5 of an adjacent closure member to form a string of balloons if desired.

The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments but variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A closure member for a balloon which comprises a ring adapted to receive the neck of a balloon, an elongate member extending radially from the ring cl and clamping means on the elongate member remote from the ring.
2. A closure member according to claim 1, wherein the clamping means comprise a slot in the elongate member.
3. A closure member according to claim 2, wherein the sides of the slot are serrated.
4. A closure member according to any one of the proceeding claims, wherein a gap is provided in the ring.
5. A closure member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein means are provided for attaching the closure member to a surface.
6. A closure member according to claims 5, wherein the attaching means comprise an apertured disc or eye secured to or formed integrally with the ring or the elongate member.
7. A closure member according to claim 5, wherein the attaching means comprise a suction cup mounted on the elongate member.
8. A closure member according to claim 5, wherein the attaching means comprise a magnet mounted on the elongate member.
9. A closure member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one hook is provided on the elongate member.
10. A frame having a plurality of eyes and a plurality of closure members as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.
11. A frame according to claim 10, wherein the frame is ball shaped.
12. A frame according to claim 10, wherein the frame is star shaped.
13. A composite structure comprising a plurality of closure members claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.
14. A structure according to claim 13, wherein the closure members are arranged in the form of a cross and are connected together at the centre of the cross.
15. A structure according to claim 13, wherein the structure is starshaped, the ring of each closure member being located at a respective point. of the star.
16. A structure according to claim 13, wherein the structure takes the form of a ring or disc and the closure members extend radially outwards from the periphery of the ring or disc.
17. A closure member for a balloon substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

17. A closure member for a balloon substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS 1. A closure member for a balloon which comprises a ring adapted to receive the neck of a balloon, an elongate member extending radially from the ring and clamping means on the elongate member remote from the ring, whereby a balloon can be secured by passing the neck through the ring and clamping a portion of the neck in the clamping means.

2. A closure member according to claim 1, wherein the clamping means comprise a slot in the elongate member.

3. A closure member according to claim 2, wherein the sides of the slot are serrated.

4. A closure member according to any one of the proceeding claims, wherein a gap is provided in the ring.

5. A closure member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein means are provided for attaching the closure member to a surface.

6. A closure member according to claims 5, wherein the attaching means comprise an apertured disc or eye secured to or formed integrally with the ring or the elongate member.

7. A closure member according to claim 5, wherein the attaching means comprise a suction cup mounted on the elongate member.

8. A closure member according to claim 5, wherein the attaching means comprise a magnet mounted on the elongate member.

9. A closure member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one hook is provided on the elongate member. t

10. A frame having a plurality of eyes and a plurality of closure members as claimed in claim 9, the hooks on the closure members being engageable with the eyes.

11. A frame according to claim 10, wherein the frame is ball shaped.

12. A frame according to claim 10, wherein the frame is star shaped.

13. A composite structure comprising a plurality of closure members claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. A structure according to claim 13, wherein the closure members are arranged in the form of a cross and are connected together at the centre of the cross.

15. A structure according to claim 13, wherein the structure is starshaped, the ring of each closure member being located at a respective point of the star.

16. A structure according to claim 13, wherein the structure takes the form of a ring or disc and the closure members extend radially outwards from the periphery of the ring or disc.