Display Balloon Holder

This invention relates to merchandising and advertising displays and, more particularly, to a holder for displaying an inflated balloon.

Modern merchandising methods utilize a broad variety of visual devices for attracting the interest of the consumer. Particularly within and around self-serve and "super" stores like food markets, departments stores, beverage markets, and the like, one is likely to encounter floor, shelf and point of purchase displays including placards, posters, banners, photographs, signs, and also balloons.

For a display balloon to have its intended effect it must, of course, be inflated. Maintenance of the inflated state of a display balloon becomes even more important if the balloon carries artwork or other advertising indicia on its surface. Typically, balloons are inflated by mouth or pump and a knot is tied in the neck, or the neck is otherwise tied, or sealed, to prevent escape of the inflating gas therefrom. The balloon neck may then be tied or stapled to a stick or other supporting surface for display purposes. With that type of closure and mounting it is difficult, if not impossible, to re-inflate the balloon if the same becomes deflated or undesirably limp. Moreover, the tying of a sufficiently tight knot in the neck of an inflated balloon requires some degree of manual dexterity and may even result in the tearing or destruction of the balloon.

There thus exists a need for a device capable of holding and displaying a balloon in its inflated condition. Such a holder should be simple to use, non-injurious to the balloon and inexpensive to manufacture so that it may be discarded after a single use if desired.

The present invention provides a holder for inflated balloons that is simple to use and most efficient in operation. The inventive holder eliminates the need for tying knots in or otherwise constricting the neck of the inflated balloon and may be inexpensively fabricated as a throw-away device.

Briefly, the invention comprises an assembly having cooperating male and female members. The male member is a receptacle for the balloon and comprises a tubular structure having a bottom wall and a tapered slot formed in a sidewall thereof, with said slot extending partially into the bottom wall. A pair of ears and a post depend from the bottom wall and are adapted to function as a cleat or construction means for the neck of a balloon. In operation, an inflated balloon may be readily inserted into the male member by drawing the neck of the balloon through the slot and then wrapping or tying the free end of the neck around the cleat.

The cooperating female member comprises a closed-bottom tubular structure of complementary configuration and adapted to receive the male member therein. the outer wall of the female member and the inner wall of the male member are provided with cooperating frictional engagement means whereby the male may be simply snap-fit into the female. When the holder is assembled, the inflated balloon is efficiently supported with the neck of the balloon protected against external destructive forces. The assembled holder is then supportable in any desired manner, such as, by press-fitting the male member into a complementarily shaped tube, or the like.

Preferably, the male and female members of the assembly are cylindrical in form, although other shapes, such as ovate or polygonal, may likewise be employed as will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display balloon holder embodying the principles of the invention and illustrating the same operationally retaining an inflated balloon and being mounted in a tubular support standard;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the plane of line 2--2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged exploded perspective view; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the male member of the balloon removed therefrom.

Referring with greater particularity to the figures of the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a display balloon holder embodying the principles of the invention. Balloon holder 10 comprises an assembly having a male member 15, providing a receptacle for a balloon B, and a female member 35. Each of the members 15 and 35 may be integrally molded of inexpensive plastics and is adapted for resilient cooperative assembly in the manner to be described.

The male member 15 comprises an open-topped cylinder having a sidewall 16 and a bottom wall 18. Sidewall 16 includes an enlarged diameter portion 20 intermediate the length thereof and providing shoulders 22 and 24. A vertical slot 26 is formed in the sidewall 16 and said slot tapers outwardly, as at 28, and opens to the top edge of said sidewall 16. Bottom wall 18 is likewise formed with a short slot 30 projecting inwardly from the sidewall 16 and communicating with the vertical slot 26.

Depending from the bottom wall 18 are a central post 31 and a pair of opposed ears 32,32 projecting outwardly therefrom, said posts including a downwardly tapering segment 33. Barb-like prjections 34,34 are formed on the upper surface of the ears 32, and it will be noted that the ears 32 lie in close proximity to the plane of the bottom wall 18 for reasons which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The female member 35 comprises an open-topped cylinder of complementary configuration having a sidewall 36 and a bottom wall 38. The sidewall 36 comprises an upper enlarged diameter segment 40 adapted to receive therein the portion 20 of the male member 16 in snug, contour-accommodating relationship (see FIG. 2). An annular bead 42 is formed on the inner surface of the segment 40 and said bead is adapted to frictionally engage the shoulder 22 of the male member portion 20, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The materials of contruction of the members 15 and 35 afford a limited amount of resiliency to those members so that the male member may be readily pressed into the female member until the bead 42 snaps over and into engagement with the shoulder 22.

In operation, a balloon B may first be inflated to the desired pressure, or, alternatively, the balloon B may comprise a pre-inflated and sealed member. In either case, the flexible neck of the balloon is threaded into the male member 15 through the slots 26 and 30, said threading being facilitated by the outward taper 28 in the slot 26. The free end portion of the balloon neck is then wrapped snugly around the post 31, such wrapping being again facilitated by the tapering segments 33 of the ears 32. The ears 32, post 31, and barbs 34 thereupon function as a constricting cleat to tightly grip and retain the balloon neck and prevent the escape of gas therefrom. The holder 10 is then fully operationally assembled by pressing the male member down into the female member until the latter snaps into engagement as already described. Removal of the female member is also permissible, owing to its resiliency, in the event it is desired to re-inflate or to re-use the balloon.

Final display of the balloon B and holder 10 may be accomplished by supporting the holder 10 in any desired fashion. In the embodiment illustrated, the holder is press-fit into a tubular standard 45 sized to frictionally receive the female member 35. The standard 45 may be made of any suitable materials such as plastics or paperboard.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and illustrative embodiment thereof that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concept of the principles of the invention.