BALLOON HOLDER

FIELD

The present invention relates to a balloon holder for holding balloons and in particular for use in holding balloons in decorative formation for events.

BACKGROUND

Balloons are popular as a decorative consumable in events management because of their relative inexpense, ease to transport and ease to set up in comparison to other decorative items such as flowers.

Decorative balloons are often grouped on top of tables and flat surfaces using balloon weights to hold them together and to create a desired decorative effect.

The weights must be heavy enough to retain a number of balloons on the surface without drifting upward. Generally, a single weight is set down upon a table or other such surface to hold a number of balloons in place as a display.

Some weights currently used to hold down decorative balloons include an empty balloon which may be filled with sand, before the end is tied. The balloons are attached to the neck of the sand filled balloon using string or ribbon. These weights rely on the abundance of sand to fill an empty balloon. This may be a problem where sand is not easily obtained. Additionally, if the balloon is ruptured it leaves a pile of sand on top of the table or surface. Further it is difficult to tie the ribbons of the balloons around the neck of the deflated balloon especially if it has been overfilled with sand thereby reducing the amount of the neck available. Further the balloon must be filled with sand before the inflated balloons can be attached. Other known products include prefabricated baskets and boxes containing articles formed from metals and other heavy materials for weighing the inflated balloons down. A disadvantage of these weights is that their size makes distribution of these weights awkward and costly, especially when exporting as the cost of transport is often dependant on the volume and/or weight of the items. Another general disadvantage of the prior art is that when the weights are attached to the balloons the assembly becomes heavy to transport from one

location to the other.

We have found a weighted holder for holding balloons where the anchor is removable from the weighted portion which substantially ameliorates the above problems or at least provides a useful commercial choice.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

According to a first broad statement of invention there is provided a balloon holder for holding decorative balloons including: a base for supporting the holder on a surface; at least one wall extending upwards from the base, and defining a chamber adapted to receive ballast material therein; a removable cap attachable to the wall to close the chamber; and an anchor point for attaching inflated balloons thereto, said anchor point located on the removable cap. hi use the chamber of the base can be filled with ballast material weights when the cap is removed to weight the base against the surface and to resist the lift of the balloons which are attached to the anchor point on the cap when it is attached to the base.

The balloon holder includes a base that is preferably adapted to sit upon a flat surface, a wall extending from the base to define a chamber and a removable cap enclosing the chamber, the cap having an anchor point for attaching inflated balloons thereto. The anchor point allows inflated balloons to be tied to the cap and moved between an attached condition where the balloons are weighed down by the holder and a removed condition allowing access inside the chamber or separate translocation of the cap including the fettered balloons.

The balloons are generally made of rubber or latex and are inflated with a gas less dense than air, such as helium, which causes them to rise in the air with a resultant lifting force. Because the density of the helium is substantially less than the density of air, the helium rises thereby lifting the inflated balloon surrounding it. The lifting force of the balloons is countered by the weight provided by the balloon holder, hi particular, ballast of a sufficient mass maybe used to fill the

chamber and weigh down the desired number of balloons and restrict the balloons and holder from floating off the table.

Preferably the base supports the holder substantially horizontally. In general, the base may comprise a substantially flat surface so that the holder can rest upon surfaces such as a table, floor or shelf. Preferably the base may be non-slip so that the holder is able to grip the table or surface upon which it rests, especially when a transverse force is applied to the balloons, for example from a gust of wind blowing across the balloons. Alternatively the holder may include a means for attaching it to a table such as a suction cup or other temporary removable means of affixing it to the surface.

The chamber is adapted to receive ballast therein. The ballast may comprise any suitable material and in particular may comprise confectionary such as colourful confectionaries. Additionally, marbles, stones, glass beads or other decorative items could be used to fill the chamber. The chamber may also be filled with water, or some other fluid, to give a desirable decorative effect. For example, the chamber may be used as a fish bowl or a vessel in which to float flowers or candles.

The quantity and density of the ballast enclosed in the chamber increases the overall mass of the holder, acting as a counterweight to lifting forces of the inflated balloons. Thus, the mass and density of the ballast needs to be sufficient to overcome the lifting force of the desired number of balloons required to be retained by the holder. For example, up to five helium filled balloons may be retained when the chamber is empty and up to fifteen helium filled balloons may be retained when the chamber is full of water, for instance.

The walls of the chamber may be transparent such that the ballast can be easily seen as a decorative feature of the holder. A person skilled in the art would recognise that the transparency is purely decorative and the chamber section could equally be formed using opaque or non transparent materials, in part or full, without changing the function of the holder.

The cap may include a lip, which removably engages with a corresponding lip on the wall. The cap may be attachable to the chamber with mating screw threads located on each lip. This allows the cap to be secured in place so the

holder operates to counterweigh the lifting force of the attached inflated balloons. Alternatively, the cap may be attached by press fit, bayonet fit, clipping, clamping, or other convenient means so that it can be removably attached to the holder.

The cap may include a gripping portion to allow force to be applied to the cap to attach and remove the cap from the chamber. The gripping portion may be formed two opposed flat surfaces on the outer area of the cap.

The cap, including the anchor point, may be detachable from the balloon holder to either allow access to the chamber or for transporting the fettered balloons. This feature allows the chamber to be filled independently of the balloons being fettered, as desired. Thus, the balloons may be fettered to the cap and attached to the weighted holder at a later time or once filled. Additionally the balloons may be easily transported from one holder to another without having to transport the filled chamber between the two destinations. hi one embodiment the cap includes at least one flashing light. The light may be formed from one or more LEDs arranged in series or in parallel and battery powered which may be controlled to flash intermittently by a flashing circuit, the arrangement including a switch for turning the light on and off. The switch may be located on the outer portion of the cap so that the holder may be used with or without the light, as required. In another embodiment of the invention at least one flashing light may be incorporated into the base or walls of the balloon holder. Similar to the configuration of the flashing lights in the cap described above, flashing lights for incorporation into the base or walls may be formed from a plurality of LEDs arranged in series or in parallel and may be controlled to flash intermittently by a flashing circuit. Advantageously, because of the size of the base of the holder, additional batteries may be included within the base so that lights of greater intensity and duration may be provided.

The cap or wall may include a water tight seal therebetween to restrict the egress of fluid from the chamber. This feature is preferable when the chamber is being filled with water or some other fluid.

The anchor point is preferably located on the cap. The balloons are

generally attached to the anchor point using string or ribbon tied from the neck of each balloon to the anchor point. In particular, the anchor point needs to be sufficiently large to hold the number of strings or ribbons of the requisite number of balloons to be held. Generally, the anchor point may be a bar or rod suitable for holding the balloon strings or ribbons. Preferably the anchor point is a semi-torus or has rounded edges so that there are no sharp edges to cut the string or ribbon. Further preferably the anchor point is wide enough to ensure the maximum spread of the balloon strings is achieved across the radius of the balloon holder. Preferably the holder is made from plastic to provide strength while resisting the tendency to break. Further preferably the plastic provides better elastic properties whereby the holder resists breading when the holder falls or is knocked from the table.

The holder is preferably made from a transparent plastics material and in a preferred configuration, the base and/or the walls may be configured to diffuse and/or diffract the flashing light to provide greater effect. A prismatic configuration of side walls and or base may be provided to give enhanced effect. For example, a ribbed sidewall may be provided with ribs on the outside of the walls of the holder. Alternatively, ribs may be provided on the inside of the base to provide and enhance visual effect. In this way, it is possible to provide a decorative ballast within the transparent container and yet provide sufficient weight in combination with a weight formed integrally with the base of the holder.

The base of the holder may also include an integral weight to assist in retarding the balloons and to complement any ballast that may be added to the container.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, in reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION FIG 1 shows an isometric view of the balloon holder;

FIG 2 shows an bottom view of the balloon holder;

FIG 3 shows a side view of the balloon holder; and FIG 4 shows a view of a number of balloon holders.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As can be seen in FIG 1, FIG 2, FIG 3, FIG 4 the holder 1 includes a base 10, a wall 20 extending upwardly from the base to define a chamber, a cap 30 attached to the wall and enclosing the chamber and anchor point 30 located on the cap 30.

The base 10 allows the holder to be supported on a substantially flat surface. In particular the base may have at least three points of contact with the surface to provide stable support to the holder. In the drawing the base is shown as a flat circular section which sits on the surface while forming the base of the chamber.

The base 10 may include a non-slip 11 portion to stop the holder sliding on smooth surfaces. The non-slip portion 11 may comprise a rubber ring or plastic ring located on the base of the holder to provide grip to slippery surfaces for example Santoprene. Alternatively, the base may include a suction cup or other temporary attachment means such that the base can be fixed temporarily to the surface.

At least one wall 20 extends upwardly from the base 10 to define the chamber. This chamber may be filled with the ballast to provide sufficient mass to the holder, to withstand the lifting force of the attached inflated balloons. In the preferred embodiment, the wall has a tapered edge to form a dome like shape above the circular base 10. The wall may be formed to create a plurality of chambers if desired.

The chamber may be filled with decorative or consumable items such as confectionary, marbles, coloured beads, wedding almonds or the like. Alternatively the chamber may be filled with fluid such as water for gold fish, flowers or floating candles as desired. The chamber is shown to be transparent such that the items within it can form part of the decorative appeal.

The chamber is enclosed by a cap 30. Each of the cap and the wall may include a lip 50. The cap 30 allows access inside the chambers. The cap 30 is shown to be formed as a semi-sphere or dome attached to the top of the chamber 20 such that

the chamber may be filled with ballast, as required. The lips may be formed in mating pairs so they form a tight fit.

The cap is shown to include a gripping 52 portion to allow force to be applied to the cap to attach and remove the cap from the chamber. The gripping portion is formed two opposed flat surfaces on the outer area of the cap.

The cap 30 may be attached to the wall 20 press fit as shown. A person skilled in the art would appreciate the cap could also be attached by a screw thread, or clip, press fit or other such convenient means of attachment.

The cap may include LEDs in a circuit with a battery and a switch such that when the switch is turned on the lights are turned on or flash within the holder. The cap 30 may include a water tight seal 51 so that fluid may be contained within the container without egressing outside of the chamber.

Additionally the cap portion may include an anchor point 40.

The anchor point 40 is shown to be formed as a aperture through the cap 30, allowing balloons to be attached by ribbon or string thereto. The anchor point

40 may be sufficiently large to accommodate the number of strings or ribbons for the requisite number of fettered inflated balloons. The cap 30, including the anchor point

40, may be removed from the holder so that the chamber may be filled with ballast.

Alternatively, the cap including the fettered balloons, may be transported to another holder without having to carry the filled holders from one location to another.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, many modifications and variations may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth. The term "comprise", or variations of the term such as "comprises" or

"comprising", are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or stated integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required.