Patent Application
20100115808
This invention relates to the field of visual display items, and more specifically to an inflatable flag display that will simulate the motion of a waving flag.
Through the ages flags have been used as attention-getting devices, advertising everything from national sovereignty to discounts on oil changes. While providing some visual information when simply suspended from a flag pole, flags are much more effective when waved manually or when tossed by the wind. As a blowing breeze is notoriously unreliable, people have often resorted to physically moving a flag pole to cause the flag to wave and thus more particularly demonstrate its message. Flag waving for extended periods soon becomes an arduous effort and paying people to wave a flag for you can become expensive. As a result, various systems have been developed to provide a waving flag image that do not require human muscle power.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,149,352, issued to Christiansen, is directed to a diver's flag made up of an inflated vertical standard or pole with an attached inflatable flag-type portion. The flag is made of plies of flexible plastic material which are sealed in order to form a closed space for air. A valve is attached to the plastic material and communicates with the internal air space in order to allow for inflation of the device. The plies are configured in order to provide a vertical post or buoy portion and a flag portion which extends at right angles from the top of the post or buoy. The flag portion includes an air column which is in communication with the interior of post so that column may be inflated causing the flag to extend directly outwardly of the posts and ensure its visibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,106, issued to Shich is directed to an inflatable flag buoy workable in both the daytime and at night. The buoy includes an integral inflatable air chamber generally divided into a seat portion, a pole portion, and a flag portion. The flag portion extends outwardly from the pole portion to complete the flag structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,642,022, issued to Groh is directed to a sign that utilizes inflatable hollow tubes to form individual alpha numeric figures in order to provide a sign that is lighter in weight than the weight of the air it displaces. The sign has the characteristics of a flag and may be attached to a vertical member such as a flag pole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,328, issued to Pettit disclose a flag waving apparatus in which the vertical pole portion, attached to a drive arrangement with a motor that provides a rotational oscillation to the flag.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0178997, published for Tsui-Hua is directed to the structure of a flag elevating/descending device. The device includes a rotating tube which rotates about elevating/descending tube which allows the flag to rotate when the wind blows without having the flag wind around the flag pole.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,580 issued to Serrone, is directed to a flag waving device wherein the waving condition of rotation of the flag about the vertical standard is produced by mechanical means rather than by the effects of air currents.
U.S. Pat. No. D530,756, issued to Greenwald, is directed to a novelty noise maker incorporating an inflated stick and flag. This Design Patent is a flag device has both an inflatable staff and pennant.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a flag waving device that does not require human muscle power input in the absence of wind. It is a further objective to provide such a device that will garner substantial notice for its message through rapid and irregular movements that are representative of a wind-tossed flag. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a device that can vary the rate and characteristics of the flag waving. It is yet a further objective to provide a device that is simple to operate and inexpensive to produce. Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide such a device that is durable attractive and long-lasting.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.
(1) The present invention addresses all of the deficiencies of prior art inflatable flag displays and satisfies all of the objectives described above.
An inflatable flag display providing the desired features may be constructed from the following components. A shaft is provided. The shaft has a hollow core, a sealed upper end, an upper portion, a lower end and a lower portion. At least one aperture is provided. The aperture is located in the upper portion and penetrates from an outer surface of the shaft to the hollow core. A supporting base is provided. The base is connected to the lower end. A gas input connection is provided. The connection is affixed to the shaft or the base and is in fluid communication with the hollow core. At least one inflatable flag member is provided. The flag member is affixed to the shaft, formed of flexible material and has at least one inflatable chamber. The chamber is in fluid communication with the at least one aperture and has at least one exhaust vent. A compressed gas source is provided. The gas source is in fluid communication with the gas input connection. When compressed gas is distributed from the compressed gas source to the gas input connection, the inflatable chamber will become filled with compressed gas and cause the inflatable flag member to assume an erect posture with the compressed gas dissipating through the at least one exhaust vent.
(2) In a variant of the invention, a first compressed gas modulating device is provided. The first modulating device is in fluid communication with and located between the compressed gas source and the gas input connection. The first modulating device permits compressed gas to flow intermittently into the gas input connection for a first predetermined period of time, after which the flow is terminated for a second predetermined period of time, and then resumed.
(3) In another variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined periods of time may be varied by a user.
(4) In still another variant, a second compressed gas modulating device is provided. The second modulating device is in fluid communication with and located between the compressed gas source and the gas input connection. The second modulating device permits compressed gas to flow intermittently into the gas input connection until a first predetermined pressure in the flag member has been reached, after which the flow is terminated until a second, lower predetermined pressure has been reached. The flow is then resumed.
(5) In yet another variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined pressures may be varied by a user.
(6) In a further variant, the shaft rotates about the supporting base.
(7) In still a further variant, the compressed gas causes the shaft to rotate about the supporting base.
(8) In yet a further variant, an inflatable flag display, includes an inflatable column. The column has a hollow core, a sealed upper end, an upper portion, a lower end and a lower portion. At least one aperture is provided. The aperture is located in the upper portion and penetrates from an outer surface of the column to the hollow core. A gas input connection is provided. The connection is affixed to the column and is in fluid communication with the hollow core. At least one inflatable flag member is provided. The flag member is affixed to the inflatable column, formed of flexible material and has at least one inflatable chamber. The chamber is in fluid communication with the at least one aperture and has at least one exhaust vent. A compressed gas source is provided. The gas source is in fluid communication with the gas input connection. When compressed gas is distributed from the compressed gas source to the gas input connection, the inflatable chamber will become filled with compressed gas and cause the inflatable flag member to assume an erect posture with the compressed gas dissipating through the at least one exhaust vent.
(9) In another variant of the invention, a first compressed gas modulating device is provided. The first modulating device is in fluid communication with and located between the compressed gas source and the gas input connection. The first modulating device permits compressed gas to flow intermittently into the gas input connection for a first predetermined period of time, after which the flow is terminated for a second predetermined period of time, and then resumed.
(10) In still another variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined periods of time may be varied by a user.
(11) In yet another variant, a second compressed gas modulating device is provided. The second modulating device is in fluid communication with and located between the compressed gas source and the gas input connection. The second modulating device permits compressed gas to flow intermittently into the gas input connection until a first predetermined pressure in the flag member has been reached, after which the flow is terminated until a second, lower predetermined pressure has been reached. The flow is then resumed.
(12) In a final variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined pressures may be varied by a user.
An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the present invention and an understanding of it may be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of a preferred embodiment.
(1)
(2) In a variant of the invention, as illustrated in
(3) In another variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined periods of time may be varied by a user.
(4) In still another variant, as illustrated in
(5) In yet another variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined pressures may be varied by a user.
(6) In a further variant, as illustrated in
(7) In still a further variant, as illustrated in
(8) In yet a further variant, as illustrated in
(9) In another variant of the invention, as illustrated in
(10) In still another variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined periods of time may be varied by a user.
(11) In yet another variant, as illustrated in
(12) In a final variant, at least one of the first and second predetermined pressures may be varied by a user.
The inflatable flag displays 10 and 90 have been described with reference to particular embodiments. Other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow.
