Patent Application
20140284436
The present invention relates to a simple, inexpensive, yet highly useful device for holding one or more inflated balloons in a festive manner on a table top. Mylar balloons, inflated with Helium, will maintain, by use of a holding stick or ribbons or string, the balloons elevated above the table surface and provide a very pleasing balloon display. Elevated balloons above the table surface allows more of the table surface to be used for other purposes, e.g., plates, dishes, bowls, games, etc. and, yet, a balloon centerpiece is often highly desired and needed to anchor the Helium filled balloons or provide a central cluster area for multiple balloons, The cluster often provides a more festive appearance than a single inflated balloon. Often, one balloon is elevated or suspended above the table surface but, clearly, many balloons are preferred if clumped together to form a unified and festive balloon display. The use of Mylar Helium and thus elevating balloons, however, requires a Helium inflation tank nearby (or the balloons, after filling need to be transported to the party site) and Helium tanks are often not readily accessible at the site or near the party location. Also, Helium is becoming more expensive and it is thus clear that using one's air from the lungs is a) readily accessible and b) inexpensive (no cost). However, the drawback often understood by use of air-filled balloons is that they are only suspended above a table top if suspended from above (by ribbons or string) or if attached to a stiff stick and inserted into a holder. The holder can be a piece of florist materials (a brick), a glass jar or bottle with stones or marbles, or a piece of clay, for example, These, however, are not very attractive and often are not available. The present invention, on the other hand, is directed toward a centerpiece in the form of a light weight attractive design, substantially flat when purchased (and when shipped to the retailer) and, yet, which can be quickly assembled and used with balloons, inflated by air, not requiring Helium, and when placed therein, will suspend the balloons above the table top surface. This results in an inexpensive and highly useful device, not requiring the use of relatively expensive and often unavailable Helium, and, yet, the cluster of balloons is attractive, inexpensive, and above the table surface.
Balloons have been used for many, many years to decorate party events, whether for Birthday Parties, Award Presentations, Weddings, Inaugurations, etc. The balloons can be suspended down from the ceiling via strings or ribbons attached on their upper ends to the ceiling and thus “floating” above the table top. If Helium filled, the prior art shows a variety of weighted centerpieces to which the lower ends of the strings or ribbons can be secured and the lighter than air balloons allowed to be suspended above the table top. If, however, the helium filled balloons are held by an upwardly extended stick, one end of which is inserted into a brick of material, like green florist foam, the balloons will be supported above the table top but the Helium is “wasted” as the sticks, by themselves, if of sufficient rigidity, will suspend the balloon upwardly. On the other hand, if the balloons are only filled with air, using one's lungs as the source, the weight of air-filled balloons will not let them “fly” up nor be elevated but, rather, they will necessarily droop down. However, it has long been acceptable, even with air-filled (i.e., non-Helium) balloons to support the same in a material like florist green bricks by having the balloons tied to one end of the sticks and the other end of the sticks inserted into the bricks. This, however, has several disadvantages which are intended to be overcome by the present invention.
More specifically, the prior art balloon center pieces for holding the sticks to which are attached air or Helium-filled balloons are of unattractive shapes, require the user to pierce the material with the free end of the sticks (often necessitating a sharp and unsafe end of the sticks), provide crumbs when the sticks are inserted and are not attractive for reuse. Also, the insertion of the sticks into the center pieces of the prior art may not be carefully done so that the balloons, and sticks, rather than exhibiting an equi-spaced and visually pleasing appearance, will be “off-line” almost helter skelter. This, of course, detracts from the aesthetic and intended effect of the balloon center piece. Also, if the bricks are reused, the original holes formed from the first set of sticks thrust and then removed therefrom, will be unsightly, unless the new set of sticks (with balloons attached thereto) are placed into the same exact (and possibly misaligned) holes as were made in the use of the balloon-holding center piece with the first set of balloons supported by sticks.
The present invention solves these and other disadvantages of the prior art. More specifically, the present invention provides a simple, lightweight, preformed in an attractive shape, piece of molded plastic. Preferably, the present invention has one, two, preferably 5 holes, four angled at an angle outwardly, one upwardly from the center, into which the sticks, holding balloons (the necks of the balloons are tied to one end of the sticks) are held. Preferably, the center piece is either in a circular or heart shape, rectangle or other shape with a substantially flat bottom for seating on a table surface. The upper surface is preferably flat, too, although it is within the scope of the invention for the upper surface to be non-parallel to the bottom, table-contacting surface of the device. The holes into the top surface of the device are preferably holding chambers, small diameter tubes with closed ends into which one end of the sticks will pass and then abut the closed end so that the other or free end of the sticks, with the balloons tied thereto, will be held, elevated and projected above the center piece and the table top surface.
Indeed, it is an aspect of the present invention for the device to be shipped substantially flat and, upon readying the same for use, the underside of the device is revealed to hold the closed-end tubes which are slid into and held by the spaced holes on the top surface of the device.
Then, the sticks, with balloons tied thereto can be inserted into the tubes which, as mentioned, have been installed (taken from the hollow bottom of the device, as needed) into the top of the device. When the celebration is finished, the balloons and sticks removed, the tubes removed from their holding apertures and, then, the tubes placed into their holding areas within the hollow bottom of the center piece, in small clips which frictionally hold the tubes below the top surface. When a new celebration is desired with the decorative use of balloon center pieces, the tubes are, again, removed from below the center piece, installed into the apertures on the top surface, and the balloons, tied to the top of sticks, are installed into the tubes (their free ends slid into the tubes until the ends abut the closed ends of the tubes) and the balloons thus seemingly elevated and displayed. In the preferred embodiment the top surface is provided with five total tubes, all of which are capable of accepting a stick with balloon secured thereto. Generally, the center tube is intended to have the stick and its attached balloon extend above the other outwardly flared balloons to maximum aesthetic effect. In the preferred embodiment, the center tube is integral with the base of the centerpiece and does not require set up. On the other hand, the other or side apertures, around the center tube, are angled outwardly with respect to a vertical line passing through the center tube, so that the closed end tubes, will project outwardly when installed. In an alternate and preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apertures are all vertically oriented for receipt of the tubes, and, yet, the tubes have a bend in them, like an elbow shape, so that when one end is installed (closed end down) into the aperture, the tube will be held therein and, yet, the bend of the tube will flare outwardly and the balloon, attached to the stick will thus surround and extend out from the center of the device.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device has two, opposed sets of frictionally securing flanges, on its bottom to hold the tubes/elbows, when not in use. These flanges are somewhat resilient and allow the tubes to be easily slid in-between the opposed flanges and, yet, when desired, the tubes/elbows can be removed therefrom.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the top surface of the device is covered, preferably with pieces of overlaying tinsel, to pleasing visual and aesthetic effect, with the tinsel covering the apertures until the tinsel is moved aside by the insertion of the tubes into the apertures. When ready for use, the tubes/elbows are installed into the apertures and the tinsel will still overlay substantially all of the top surface of the device, to decorative effect, and, yet, the tinsel strips will travel around the apertures and tubes/elbows. Thus, several different patterns of apertures can be presented, hidden by the tinsel, and only after the tubes/elbows installed into the apertures, will the pattern for the sticks (holding the balloons) be displayed.
In the preferred embodiment, the holding flanges in the hollow bottom of the center piece are two sets of opposed flanges for the four tubes/elbows although four such opposed sets of flanges, for four tubes/elbows, can be provided. If only two sets are used, the depth of the opposed flanges is sufficient to allow two tubes/elbows to be stacked upon one another, in storage, until use is desired.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the tubes/elbows are molded from plastic material and the diameter of the section of the tube with the closed end is slightly smaller than the other or open end. The closed end of the tube is slid into and frictionally held by the tubes in the base with the open ends extending upwardly for receipt of the sticks holding the balloons. The tubes or elbows can be removed and stored beneath the base of the device, between the resilient and opposed flanges, until the device is needed, once again.
Depending upon the number of Balloons and sticks sought to be supported by the base, the tubes 12 (elbow bent) are located into the apertures 14, 16, 18 and 20. No tube or elbow element 12 is needed for central aperture 22. Each aperture (see
As shown in
The center aperture 22 and its vertical tube 48 do not need a tube or elbow segment as the central stick S1 and its Balloon B1 can be vertically held. The sticks S and their balloons B are outwardly flared or directed so as to present a visually pleasing display and so that the balloons do not unnecessarily crush one another. Of course, by use of different length sticks and balloons, the tubes 46 and their outward flare as a consequence of the elbow segments can be eliminated and still present a visually pleasing balloon and centerpiece arrangement.
Beneath the base, on the hollow underside of the same (see
In the preferred embodiment, the outside circumferential wall 32 of the base is wrapped with tinsel. A length of tinsel 90 is wrapped around the base and then a piece of adhesive tape or other attaching means is used to hold the length of tinsel around the base. This is intended to decorate the base and make the entire device for attractive and festive. The width of the tinsel, however, is greater, in dimension, than the height of the base so that the extra material of tinsel which extends upwardly beyond the top surface 36 of the base can be slit to provide a series of tinsel strips 92. The tinsel strips 92 are intended to overlap and cover the apertures 14, 16, 18 and 20, as well as central aperture 22, until the tubes 12 and sticks S and S1 are inserted therein. It is easy to simply move the tinsel strips 92 aside and poke the tubes 12 into the apertures (or the sticks S and S1 into the tubes and central aperture, respectively, and the tinsel strips 92 will substantially cover the top surface 36 of the device, to aesthetic effect.
In use, the device is shipped in a simple plastic and disposable bag. The tubes 12 are retained within the flanges 70, below the base. When desired to use the same as a centerpiece and balloon support on a table, the tubes 12 are removed from the flanges 70 and the smaller diameter sections of the tubes, the downwardly extending segments 52 are inserted into the apertures 14, 16, 18 and 20. The closed ends 54 will abut the closed ends 44 of the tubes 46 and that will cause the elbows 64 to be substantially co-planar with the top surface 36 of the device. Then, balloons B and B1 are inflated by air (or Helium) and secured to sticks S and S1. The securing of the balloons to the sticks can be by tying the same to the free ends of the sticks or by actually slipping the open neck of the balloon over the enlarged end of the tubes 12. The smooth wall and the large diameter of the tubes 12 in comparison to the stretchy and resilient neck of the rubber balloon will cause the neck of the inflated balloon to slide over the tube and to be held there, with substantially little leakage, especially because the end of the tubes are provided with closed ends 54. The sticks S and S1 with inflated balloons B and B1 are then inserted, by pushing the tinsel strips 92 aside, into the openings 94 of the tubes 12 and into the central aperture 22. The sticks with balloons, S, S1 and B and B1 will then be held in a festive display pattern, as shown in
When the display is beyond its intended period of use, the sticks and balloons are discarded and the tubes 12 removed from the apertures 14, 16, 18, and 20. The tubes 12 can then be stored beneath the base by sliding and clipping the tubes 12 between the resilient flanges 70. Reuse, as and when desired, can then occur by assembling the device as previously described.
Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that in the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and illustrated by the drawings.
