Abstract:
A balloon lighting device having both polar and equatorial supports for the light source inside the balloon. Equatorial caps provide connections for light source support and for tethering of the balloon. The light source may include an array of LED&#39;s and may be connected to a dimmer to provide a variety of light intensities and wavelengths. A shroud supported from a top cap may be used to further define the illumination effect. The dimmer may function as an anchor for flexible positioning of the light or it may be hung from the balloon to conserve lay-down space. A plurality of balloon lighting devices may be controlled from a single console having DMX control capability.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the field of illuminated balloons, and more particularly to a balloon lighting device having an improved light source and an improved structure for supporting the light source inside the balloon. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known to illuminate a balloon by placing a light source inside the balloon. An illuminated balloon may be used as a decorative item or as a light source for area illumination. U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,941 issued to Penjuke on Mar. 19, 1996, illustrates a small, inflated balloon with a battery operated light source inserted therein. Such balloons are commonly used as novelty items at fairs and circuses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,157 issued to the same inventor on Sep. 15, 1998, illustrates a similar device that utilizes a light emitting diode as the light source. The light source for these devices is supported by a tube over which the neck of a balloon is stretched. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,760 issued to Pelton on Jan. 12, 1999, illustrates a larger balloon designed to function as an area illumination device. Each of the above-cited patents is incorporated by reference herein. The balloon 10 of Pelton surrounds a fiber optic light emitter 32 that is mounted on a support ring 18. The support ring 18 is attached to the balloon by two internal support cables 20. Theses cables and the fiber optic cable 16 provide support for the light emitter 32 in only two dimensions, i.e. in the plane of the paper of the patent drawing. The light emitter 32 is free to swing in a direction perpendicular to this plane. The practicality of the use of prior art balloon lighting devices is limited due to the potential for damage to the light source resulting from violent movement of the light source within the balloon during high wind situations. The inadequacy of such a support system is aggravated if the balloon has a small lead or is not entirely filled with gas, since slack in the cables 20 results in additional swinging motion of the light emitter 32. Balloons having incandescent bulbs as the light source have been known to fail due to the hot bulbs swinging against the side of the balloon, thereby burning a hole in the balloon fabric. The stability of prior art balloons is also limited due to the inadequacy of the supporting devices connecting the balloon to the ground, such as the security cables 56 of the Pelton device. Because prior art devices are susceptible to uncontrolled movement and structural failure in windy situations, the application of these devices for outdoor applications has been limited. 
     Prior art balloon lighting devices used for area illumination applications have also been limited to providing white light only. Fiber optic devices and light emitting diodes have been applied only for novelty applications due to the limited light output of such devices. The wattage of colored incandescent bulbs is limited due to the durability of the colored layer applied to the bulb to obtain the colored light. High wattage lamps are available only with clear glass, and therefore prior art balloon lighting devices have been limited to application requiring white light. Furthermore, prior art balloon lighting devices have been limited to supplying a predetermined intensity of light based upon the selection of the wattage of the bulbs installed within the balloon. An increase or decrease in the desired intensity is accomplished by replacing the bulbs within the balloon. For many applications, such as for lighting of movie sets, it is desirable to have a light source that can be quickly varied in intensity and in the direction of the light beam. The application of balloon lighting devices for sophisticated applications, such as movie set lighting, has been limited by the constraints of prior art designs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In light of the limitations of the prior art devices discussed above, it is an object of this invention to provide a balloon lighting device that has an improved support system for the light source within the balloon. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved structure for tethering a balloon lighting device to the ground. It is a further object of this invention to provide a balloon lighting device that can provide a varying intensity of light. It is also an object of this invention to provide a balloon lighting device capable of providing light of various wavelengths. It is a further object of this invention to provide a balloon lighting device that has the improved flexibility for placement, intensity, and direction of the supplied light. 
     These and other objects of this invention are satisfied by a balloon lighting device including a balloon; a light source disposed inside the balloon at a predetermined position relative to the balloon; and a means for resisting movement of the light source in any direction away from the predetermined position. The means for resisting movement further may further include a polar attachment connecting the light source to opposed poles of the balloon; and an equatorial attachment connecting the light source to an equator of the balloon. The objects of the invention are further satisfied by a balloon lighting device including a balloon; an array of light emitting diodes disposed within the balloon; a cap joined to the balloon; an electrical connection having a first end attached to the array, a length passing through the cap, and a second end extending away from the balloon; and a dimmer connected to the second end and operable to control light emitted from the array. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE 
     The FIGURE illustrates balloon lighting system in accordance with the subject invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The FIGURE illustrates a lighting system  10  having two balloon lighting devices  11 ,  15 . Balloon  12  is generally circular in cross section while balloon  14  is generally triangular in cross section. The balloons  12 ,  14  each enclose a light source  16 ,  18  that is connected to a dimmer  20  controlled from a lighting control console  22 . 
     Balloon  12  is formed from rip stop nylon as is commonly used in the parachute industry and is available from Aerostar International Inc, Souix Falls, S. Dak. The nylon is preferably coated with a polyurethane coating, and it is joined along its respective edge portions  24  by a heat seal process. Alternatively, sections of balloon  14  are illustrated as being joined by a helium-tight zipper  63 . The neck of balloon  12  is joined to a bottom cap  26  as will be described more fully below. Top cap  28  and a plurality of equatorial caps  30  are also joined to the balloon  12 . In order to provide three dimensional support for light source  16 , there are preferably three or four equatorial caps  30  spaced apart along the equator of the balloon  12 . Caps  30  function as an equatorial attachment connecting the light source  16  to the balloon  12  at its equator by means of cables  32 . Cables  32  are preferably aircraft cable as is known in the art. A spring  34  may be connected between the cap  30  and the light source  16  in order to provide some flexibility in the support arrangement. Light source  16  is also supported from top cap  28  and bottom cap  26  by cables  36 . A spring  38  or other means of providing flexibility in the support arrangement may be provided between the bottom cap  26  and the light source  16 . Top cap  28 , cables  36 , spring  38 , and bottom cap  26  constitute a polar attachment supporting light source  16  within balloon  12 . Similarly caps  30 , cables  32 , and spring  34  form an equatorial attachment supporting the light source  16  within the balloon  12 . Acting together, the polar attachment and the equatorial attachment provide three dimensional support for light source  16  within the interior of the balloon  12 , thereby resisting movement of the light source  16  in any direction from its predetermined position within the balloon  12 . Note that the equatorial attachment is equally effective in supporting light source  16  whether it contains two or three points of attachment to the balloon  12 . However, if only two points of attachment are used, the support for the light source would be effective in two dimensions only, thereby allowing the light source  16  to swing freely in a direction perpendicular to that plane of support. 
     Spring  38  is advantageously located along the polar attachment at a location below light source  16 . Prior art devices have provided a spring connection between a light source and a top cap of a balloon. Since a spring is a common failure point for such light support systems, the failure of the spring in a prior art device would result in the collapse of the light source onto the bottom of the balloon. In the balloon lighting device  11  of this invention, spring  38  is located below light source  16 . In the event that spring  38  were to fail, there would be no catastrophic failure of the lighting device  11  since light source  16  would remain supported above the bottom of the balloon. 
     Top poll cap  28  includes an interior connector  40  for attachment of wire  36 . Top cap  28  also includes an exterior connector  42  located outside of the balloon  12 . A shroud  44  may be connected to exterior connector  42 . The shroud  44  is operable to cover at least a portion of an exterior surface of the balloon  12 . If the shroud  44  is made of an opaque material, the placement of the shroud  44  is effective for directing the light produced by the balloon lighting device  11 . For example, shroud  44  may be formed to cover at least the top half of the balloon  12  in order to direct all of the light from the balloon downward. Shroud  44  may also be formed of a translucent material of various colors for the purpose of changing the wave length of the light produced by balloon lighting device  11 . Shroud  44  is particularly useful for lighting on movie sets where the intensity and direction of the light produced must be precisely controlled. 
     Bottom pole cap  26  provides several functions for balloon lighting device  11 . Bottom cap  26  includes an interior connector  40  for attachment to light source  16 . Bottom cap  26  also includes an exterior connector, which is illustrated in the FIGURE as a strain relief device  46 . Strain relief device  46  serves to distribute the loading carried between cable  48  and bottom cap  26 . In the embodiment illustrated in the FIGURE, cable  48  includes electrical wiring connections to light source  16 . Cable  48  extends through bottom cap  26  and is joined to light source  16  by plug connector  50 . Cap  26  may also be used to mount a spud  51 . Spud  51  is formed as a pipe that is threaded into cap  26 . Spud  51  is used to receive a pole for supporting the balloon  12  in heavier-than-air applications. 
     Cap  26  also includes a means for filling the balloon with a gas. Quick fill swirl connection  52  is formed as a large hole through bottom cap  26  through which air or a lighter-than-air gas is introduced into the balloon. Once the balloon is filled, a seal such as screw cap  54  is installed over the quick fill swirl connection  52 . This type of quick fill connection is an improvement over the prior art which utilized an automobile-type air valve installed on the bottom cap. By providing a large flow area for filling the balloon  12 , the present invention increases the flexibility of a lighting system in accordance with the present invention since the balloon  12  can be inflated and deflated much more rapidly than prior art devices. Alternatively, balloon  14  may be deflated extremely rapidly by opening the helium-tight zipper  63 . 
     Bottom cap  26  is also a convenient location for mounting a pressure activated switch operable to respond to the pressure in the balloon  12 . Pressure activated switch  56  is connected to the light source  16  and is operable to disconnect the light source  16  from its power source in response to the pressure in the balloon dropping below a predetermined value. This safety feature reduces the risk of damage to the balloon fabric in the event that the balloon deflates while the lights are energized. Prior art devices have utilized a mechanical switch connected to the support cables within the balloon to sense when the balloon is collapsing around the light source. Advantageously, pressure activated switch  56  can be set to deactivate the light source  16  upon a much smaller decrease in pressure than can be sensed by prior art mechanical switches. Pressure activated switch  56  may have a setpoint that deactivates light source  16  prior to any mechanical deformation of the balloon structure  12 . When electrically connected to a dimmer  20 , pressure activated switch  56  may be operable to dim light source  16  to any predetermined level upon the reduction of the pressure in the balloon to a predetermined value. 
     A hoop or disc  21  may be provided to connect the polar and equatorial support wires  32 , 36 . The light source  16  is illustrated as being attached to wire  36  below hoop  21 , although it may be supported alternatively from the hoop  21  or from one or more of the equatorial support wires  32 . The light source  16  is releasably and rotatably connected to hoop  21  by swivel connector  37 . Swivel connector  37  works advantageously with a cap  26  that is provided with a threaded connection. Threads  59  join cap  26  and cap mounting plate  53 . Prior art balloon lighting devices have been provided with a cap having an O-ring connection. Threads  59  provide an improved gas seal. By providing a rotatable connection  37  between wire  36  and hoop  21 , cap  26  may be installed without twisting of the electrical wire  48  with support wire  36 . 
     An alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the FIGURE as balloon lighting device  15 . Balloon lighting device  15  includes a balloon  14  having three sides  17  shaped in a generally triangular cross section and having opposed ends  19  interconnecting the opposed edges of the sides  17 . The FIGURE illustrates balloon  14  in a partial cut-away view to illustrate a support mechanism for the light source  18  in accordance with this invention. Light source  18  is secured to the balloon by cables  57  which are attached to end caps (not shown) joined to each of the respective ends  19  of the balloon  14 . A side cap  60  is joined to each side  17  of balloon  14 , and is attached to the light source  18  by cables  62 . A bottom cap  64  is formed on the bottom side of balloon  14  and is attached to light source  18  by cable  66 . Similar to the light source support structure of balloon lighting device  11 , the system of caps and cables of balloon lighting device  15  constitutes a means for resisting movement of the light source  18  in any direction away from a predetermined position. This support design provides three-dimensional support to resist the movement of the lighting device  18  relative to the balloon  14 . Cap  64 , cable  66 , caps  60 , and the vertical component of the support provided by cables  62  may be considered a polar attachment supporting the light source  18 . Similarly the end caps (not shown), cables  57 , and the horizontal component of the support provided by cables  62  constitute an equatorial attachment supporting light source  18 . Bottom cap  64  may include the features previously described in regard to bottom cap  26  of balloon lighting device  11 . Cable  66  may include a spring means, as may any of the other cables  57 ,  62  of the light source support structure. A safety shield  68  may be disposed in balloon  14  below light source  18  in order to protect the balloon in the event of the rupture of bulb  70  of light source  18 . The safety shield  68  may be a screen or plate type device positioned to capture portions of lamp  70  that may fall toward the balloon surface after being broken. 
     The above described light source support structures provide an improved device for supporting a light source within a balloon lighting device. It is also important to provide adequate external support for the balloon in order to minimize the movement of the balloon in windy environments. Balloon lighting device  15  is illustrated as having a tether cable  72  attached to an exterior connector  74  connected to side cap  60 . Similar tethers  72  may be attached to the other caps provided on balloon lighting devices  11  and  15 . The plurality of equatorial caps provide a plurality of support locations for securing a tether line  72 , thereby improving the stability of balloon  12 ,  14  in a windy environment. 
     Dimmer  20  also provides a convenient means for securing a balloon lighting device  11 ,  15 . Dimmer  20  is secured to the balloon by cable  48  which is utilized to provide power to light source  16 ,  18 . Depending upon the size of the balloon  12 ,  14 , dimmer  20  may function as a ballast sufficient to secure balloon  12 ,  14  when it is filled with a lighter-than-air gas. As illustrated for balloon lighting device  11 , dimmer  20  may be provided with a handle  76  for conveniently relocating the balloon  12  during use. Alternatively, if balloon  12 ,  14  has sufficient volume to support the weight of dimmer  20 , as illustrated for balloon lighting device  15 , the dimmer  20  may be supported by balloon  14  above the ground. This is an advantageous embodiment for applications such as movie sets within a studio where lay-down space is at a premium. In the embodiment of balloon lighting device  15 , additional support for balloon  14  may be provided by tether cable  72  and/or by tether cable  78  attached to electrical cable  48  by an adjustable gripping device  80 . Gripping device  80  may be an apparatus for fastening and adjusting a line as is described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,845 issued to Cook on Jul. 12, 1994, incorporated by reference herein. The use of an adjustable gripping means  80  on cable  48  allows the altitude of the balloon to be adjusted simply and rapidly, thereby improving the flexibility of the lighting system. Advantageously, cable  48  is inserted through an opening formed in gripping device  80  so that gripping device  80  completely surrounds cable  48 , making it impossible for cable  48  to be pulled away from gripping device  80 . Once the cable  48  is inserted through the opening formed in gripping device  80 , a spring-loaded gripper engages the cable  48  to hold it securely within the opening until it is released by an operator depressing a trigger or other release mechanism. 
     Light source  16 ,  18  is preferably connected to a dimmer  20  for controlling the intensity of the light produced by balloon lighting device  11 ,  15 . Dimmer  20  may be any type of power regulating device operable to regulate the amount of light emitted from light source  16 , 18 . The particular circuitry utilized in dimmer  20  will depend upon the type of light source  16 , 18  used. A dimmer  20  providing four channels of control at 4,000 watts/channel with a 220 VAC input for use with tungsten lights is available from Electrol Engineering Inc., Forest Hill, Md. Advantageously, dimmer  20  is provided with a Dimmer Multiplex protocol (DMX) control capability as is known in the art of lighting control systems. DMX capability allows a plurality of lights to be controlled by a single control cable  82 . Such a control cable  82  may be a five wire, twenty-four gage control cable that is relatively light and easy to handle as compared to power cables  84  which are used to connect the dimmer  20  to an electrical power source (not shown). A plurality of lights may be controlled from a single lighting control panel  22 . Furthermore dimmer  20  may be provided with a remote control capability such as infrared controller  86  to further simplify the control of balloon lighting devices  11 ,  15 . 
     For many lighting applications it is desirable to control the color temperature of the light source. It is known in the lighting industry to utilize a gel filter in front of a light source to control the color temperature of the output of the light. For example, it is known to use a Correct To Blue (CTB) gel to correct tungsten light to daylight, or to use a Correct To Orange (CTO) gel to correct daylight to tungsten. Prior art balloon lighting devices have been incapable of use with a gel filter because the geometry of the balloon provides light in three dimensions, thereby making prior art filters ineffective. Dimmer  20  provides a means for controlling the color temperature of a balloon lighting device  11 , 15 . By reducing the voltage supplied to an incandescent light source such as a tungsten light, the color temperature of the light can be varied. An alternative means for controlling the color temperature of a balloon lighting device  11 , 15  is shroud  44  that is discussed above. The shroud  44  may be sized to fit completely and/or tightly around balloon  12  and may be colored to achieve the desired gel effect. Dimmer  20  has limitations as a means for controlling color temperature since only certain types of lights, such as tungsten lamps, can be dimmed, and the light generated by the light source can be corrected in only one direction. Shroud  44  has more flexibility as a means for controlling color temperature since it is effective with any type of light source  16 , 18  and a large variety of gel affects can be achieved by proper selection of the color of the shroud  44 . 
     It is known to provide light within a balloon by using an incandescent bulb, a light emitting diodes, or a fiber optic light source. Applications requiring only a small amount of light are known to utilize any of these light sources. Applications requiring a large amount of light energy, such as lighting for a move studio set, have previously required incandescent bulbs as the light source. Such devices are capable of providing only white light at a single wattage level. Balloon lighting device  15  provides the additional capability of a dimmer  20  for quickly varying the wattage of power supplied to bulb  70  and thereby the light emitted from the balloon  14 . Balloon lighting device  11  illustrates an alternative embodiment of a light source  16  wherein an array  86  of high intensity light emitting diodes is utilized as a light source. Advantageously, the array  86  may include red, green and blue light emitting diodes, thereby enabling the lighting control system to provide a full spectrum of color combinations when the light from the individuals diodes of the array is combined. To more evenly supply light to the surface of the balloon  12 , a plurality of arrays  86  of light emitting diodes are arranged to direct light toward a respective plurality of portions of the balloon  12 . A means for diffusing light  88  such as a prism or lens may be disposed between the light emitting diodes and the surface of the balloon  12  to diffuse the light before it impinges upon the balloon surface. The array  86  of light emitting diodes may be combined with incandescent lamps, strobe lights, and/or fiber optic light sources within a single balloon to provide any desired combination of lighting effects. Light source  16  may include a support frame for a plurality of arrays  86  of light emitting diodes arranged in any shape such as, for example, an octagonal or hexagonal shape. One embodiment of an array  86  of light emitting diodes is commercially available from Borealis Corporation, Carrollton, Tex. 
     The FIGURE also illustrates a reflector  90  disposed within balloon lighting device  11 . The reflector may be formed of a plurality of segments that fold to a size small enough to pass through the opening of the balloon bottom cap. Reflector  90  may be supported from the top cap  28  and/or equatorial caps  30 . An opening  92  may be formed in the reflector  90  for passage of wire  36  therethrough. 
     The reflector  90  has a reflective side facing the light source  16  and functions to reflect light produced by light source  16 , thereby increasing the amount of light energy emitted from the balloon  12  in a predetermined direction. For most applications, the reflector  90  may be positioned above the light source  16  in order to direct light downward. 
     The above embodiments are described by means of illustration not limitation. Accordingly the full scope of this invention is as claimed below.