Claims
- 1. A basic balloon building block for forming a balloon sculpture from at least one (1) balloon of the type having a constricted neck portion terminating at one end in an inflation aperture and at the other end in an imperforate inflatable sidewall, said basic balloon building block comprising, in combination:
- (a) a skeletal frame-like balloon former including:
- (i) a first disk-like coupling device having a plurality of peripherally spaced axial bores formed therein;
- (ii) a second disk-like coupling device having a plurality of peripherally spaced axial bores formed therein; and,
- (iii) a plurality of rigid rod-like former elements each having a first portion mounted within respective different ones of said plurality of axial bores in said first disk-like coupling device and a second portion spaced axially from said first portion mounted within respective different ones of said plurality of bores in said second disk-like coupling device, said plurality of rigid rod-like former elements and said first and second disk-like coupling devices defining a plurality of outwardly facing open spaces therebetween; and,
- (b) a first balloon positioned within said skeletal frame-like balloon former, said first balloon being inflated to a sufficient degree that said sidewall thereof is distended outwardly through said plurality of outwardly facing open spaces defined by said first and second disk-like coupling devices and said plurality of rigid rod-like former elements so as to form a plurality of outwardly extending, adjacent, abutting, bulbous lobes substantially overlying and concealing the intermediate ones of said rigid rod-like former elements and simulating the appearance of a plurality of balloons arranged in a cluster.
- 2. A basic balloon building block as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one (1) of said first and second disk-like coupling devices includes at least one (1) of:
- (a) a central axial bore;
- (b) a plurality of outward diverging bores formed in at least one (1) face thereof surrounding and defining an acute included angle with the axis thereof; and/or,
- (c) a plurality of radial bores; so as to permit coupling of said basic balloon building block to one or more additional basic balloon building blocks upon insertion of one or more rigid rod-like former element(s) of such additional basic balloon building block(s) into respective different ones of said central axial bore and/or said outward diverging bores and/or said radial bores.
- 3. A basic balloon building block as set forth in claim 1 further including means for preventing relative movement of said first and second disk-like coupling devices on said former elements in a direction away from one another.
- 4. A basic balloon building block as set forth in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said plurality of rigid rod-likeformer elements extend through and project beyond at least one of said first and second disk-like coupling devices with the projecting portions thereof defining points of attachment for one or more second balloons.
- 5. A basic balloon building block as set forth in claim 4 wherein said plurality of rigid rod-like former elements are individually rotatable within said first and second disk-like coupling devices so as to permit selective enlargement and shrinkage of adjacent ones of said abutting lobes formed by said first balloon through frictional engagement between said first balloon's sidewall and the particular one of said former elements being rotated.
- 6. A balloon sculpture formed from a balloon of the type having a constricted neck portion terminating at one end in an inflation aperture and at the other end in an imperforate inflatable sidewall, said balloon sculpture comprising, in combination:
- (a) a skeletal frame-like balloon former including:
- (i) a first annular coupling device;
- (ii) a second annular coupling device; and,
- (iii) a plurality of relatively rigid rod-like former elements each having a first end secured to said first annular coupling device and a second end secured to said second annular coupling device, said former elements and said first and second annular coupling devices defining a plurality of open spaces therebetween; and,
- (b) a balloon positioned within said skeletal frame-like balloon former, said balloon being inflated to a sufficient degree that said sidewall thereof is distended outwardly through: (i) said plurality of open spaces defined by said first and second annular coupling devices and said plurality of rigid rod-like former elements; and (ii), the opening defined by at least one (1) of said first and second annular coupling elements; whereby said inflated balloon includes a plurality of radially outwardly extending adjacent, abutting, bulbous lobes and at least one (1) axially extending bulbous lobe with all of said bulbous lobes substantially overlying and concealing said skeletal frame-like balloon former and simulating the appearance of a plurality of balloons arranged in a cluster.
- 7. A balloon sculpture as set forth in claim 6 wherein said plurality of relatively rigid rod-like former elements are U-shaped.
- 8. A balloon sculpture formed from a plurality of balloons of the type having a constricted neck portion terminating at one end in an inflation aperture and at the other end in an imperforate inflatable sidewall, said balloon sculpture comprising, in combination:
- (a) a three-dimensional skeletal frame-like balloon former having: (i) first and second axially spaced coaxial disk-like coupling devices each including a first axial bore located at the axis thereof, a plurality of peripherally disposed axial bores, and at least one (1) of a plurality of radial bores and/or a plurality of angularly related bores formed in at least one (1) face of each of said disk-like coupling devices; (ii) a plurality of rigid rod-like former elements positioned in respective different ones of said plurality of peripherally disposed axial bores in each of said first and second coupling devices and defining therewith a plurality of closely spaced, relatively large, outwardly facing, radial openings; and (iii), means for precluding relative movement of said first and second coupling devices away from one another;
- (b) a first balloon positioned within said three-dimensional skeletal frame-like balloon former, said first balloon being inflated a sufficient degree as to cause said imperforate inflatable sidewall thereof to be distended outwardly through said plurality of closely spaced, relatively large, outwardly facing, radial openings to form a plurality of outwardly projecting bulbous lobes which: (i) serve to define the shape of a first portion of said balloon sculpture; (ii) present the outward visual appearance of a plurality of separate balloons arranged in a cluster; and (iii), together with said three-dimensional skeletal frame-like former, define a first basic balloon building block;
- (c) at least one (1) rigid rod-like balloon former having first and second ends and means defining at least one (1) axially extending diametric slot formed in at least one (1) of said first and second former ends;
- (d) n partially inflated second balloons, wherein "n" is any desired whole integer, said n second balloons having their said constricted neck portions extending through said slot defining means in each of said at least one (1) rigid rod-like formers and having at least one (1) of said inflation aperture(s) and/or said constricted neck portion(s) of said n second balloons secured to each said rod-like former through which said constricted neck portion of each said n second balloons passes, a portion of said sidewall of each of said partially inflated n second balloons be stretched along the unslotted length of the particular one of said rod-like formers to which that balloon is secured with said stretched portion of each partially inflated balloon sidewall being positioned over and about the other of said first and second ends of the particular one of said rod-like formers to which that second n balloon is secured so as to fixedly, but removably, secure each of said partially inflated n second balloons to a given one of said rigid rod-like formers at two (2) axially spaced points and thereby form at least one (1) second basic balloon building block; and,
- (e) one end of each rigid rod-like balloon former defining part of said at least one (1) second basic balloon building blocks being inserted into respective different one(s) of said bores formed in at least one (1) of said first and second disk-like coupling devices of said first basic balloon building block to form a second portion of said balloon sculpture; wherein, the resultant composite balloon sculpture defined by said first and said at least one (1) second basic balloon building blocks includes a single first balloon simulating a cluster of separate balloons and at least one (1) partially inflated second balloon characterized by: (i) having a first generally flat axially extending sidewall in juxtaposition to the axial length of the rigid rod-like former to which it is secured; (ii) having upper and lower tapered pointed extremities; and (iii), having an at least partially ovate configuration in all other axial planes bisecting each said second balloon and said rigid rod-like former to which it is secured.
- 9. A balloon sculpture comprising, in combination:
- (a) a skeletal frame-like former including:
- (i) a base;
- (ii) a plurality of upstanding, relatively rigid, closely spaced, first rod-like former elements defining a plurality of relatively small first openings in said skeletal frame-like former and having their lowermost ends secured to said base at respective different ones of closely spaced points lying on a continuous line;
- (iii) a second continuous relatively rigid rod-like former element defining a relatively large second opening in said skeletal frame-like former, said second former element being coupled to the free upper ends of some, but not all, of said first former elements; and,
- (iv) means defining a third strand-like former element having its opposite ends secured to said second continuous relatively rigid rod-like former element and defining a relatively large third opening in said skeletal frame-like former, said third former element being secured intermediate its opposite ends to the free uppermost ends of the remainder of said first former elements; and,
- (b) a balloon positioned within said skeletal frame-like former, said balloon being inflated to a sufficient degree that said balloon's sidewall is distended outwardly through said relative large second and third openings to form a balloon sculpture including a first dominant lobe contained essentially within the space defined by said first former elements, a second dominant lobe projecting through said second relatively large opening, and a third dominant lobe projecting through said third relatively large opening.
Parent Case Info
The present Application is a division of Applicant's copending U.S. Application Ser. No. 07/183,720 filed Apr. 19, 1988, entitled "BALLOON SCULPTURING METHODS, APPARATUS AND PRODUCTS". Now U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,926.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
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183720 |
Apr 1988 |
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