Patent Publication Number: US-2007111633-A1

Title: Decorative balloon holder for holding party favors or decorative material

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a decorative balloon holder that may be manufactured inexpensively and secure one or more buoyant balloons in position on a tabletop, and also serve as a party favor holding candy, small toys or the like.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Various devices for holding a buoyant party balloon in a desired position on a tabletop have been proposed, but such products are often not very attractive for use at a festive occasion such as a birthday party, or are relatively expensive to manufacture and ship. The products disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,011,447; 5,016,848; 5,024,011; 5,035,391; 5,074,510; 5,662,510 or 5,755,419, for example, are manufactured by molding synthetic plastics or comparable techniques and have appreciable mass to hold one or more party balloons in place on a tabletop. Often such products can not usually be made festive in appearance without additional expense or bother for the consumer, and due to the mass required to hold the balloons in place may be relatively expensive to ship.  
      A pyramidal balloon holder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,848, and it is suggested the retail seller may fill the hollow pyramidal balloon holder with sand prior to retail sale. Thus the balloon holder may be shipped in wholesale quantities without its ballast weight, but the retailer needs to acquire sand and fill the devices prior to re-sale. Balloon holders formed of a transparent material with a hollow interior have been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,154 for receiving ballast which may include hard candy, sand, marbles or the like; but this balloon holder is relatively expensive to manufacture and rather complicated to use by, for example, small children who may desire to release the tethered balloons and obtain the candy or marbles contained in the balloon holder.  
      It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a decorative balloon holder that may be able to secure one or more buoyant party balloons and not only can receive festive material such as hard candy or small toys to serve as the ballast prior to use at a party, but may be made inexpensively and operated simply so that it may also be used as a party favor for children to take from the party the candy or small toys as a party favor.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to the present invention, a decorative balloon holder for use at a party comprises a container preferably formed of a light-transmitting material of color. The container has an opening, and a removable closure adapted to be removed from the opening to enable the container to be filled with festive material such as hard candy or small toys to serve as ballast to hold one or more buoyant balloons upon a tabletop when the closure is secured to close the container.  
      The side walls of the container are preferred to be arranged generally to form a geometric pyramid arising from a base, and the top of the container has an integral loop for securing the tie strings of one or more balloons. The closure may be formed of the same material as the container and held securely to a central portion of base by a twist closure; or alternatively, the closure may be formed by the top being press fitted to the container.  
      In this way, a relatively inexpensive balloon holder may be made to use as ballast festive party material such as candy, marbles or the like that can be accessed easily by children to obtain the material or easily from the tethered balloons to be taken from the party. 
    
    
      These and other objects, and advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the description given below which is made in conjunction with the following drawing figures:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a balloon holder according to the present invention in use;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a balloon holder;  
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the balloon holder according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a front elevation thereof;  
       FIGS. 5 and 6  respectively are top and bottom elevations thereof;  
       FIG. 7  shows the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 through 6  being filled; and  
       FIG. 8  shows an alternate embodiment being filled. 
    
    
      As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a party balloon  10  has a string  12  tied to a loop  14  of a decorative balloon holder  16  of the first illustrated embodiment of the present invention. The balloon holder  16  is resting on a tabletop  18 . As illustrated, the balloon holder  16  is formed of a transparent synthetic plastics material and is preferably of a colored material. Within the balloon holder are illustrated marbles  20 , but it is understood the balloon holder of the present invention could similarly be used to contain candy or small toys typically given as party favors at children&#39;s birthday parties.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the construction of the first embodiment of a balloon holder of the present invention, and sidewalls  22  form with base  24  the general shape of a geometric pyramid with top  26  having the integral loop  14 . As can be seen in  FIG. 7 , the base  24  has a central opening  26  constructed to receive a removable closure  28 . Closure  28  is formed with a bulbous portion  30  to extend partially within the interior of the balloon holder, and tabs  32  adapted to fit within slots  34  formed in the rim of the opening  26  so that upon turning, the tabs  32  will engage flange portion  36 .  
      To enable the closure to be removable easily by even small children, the bulbous portion  30  of the closure  28  has a central depression forming a bar portion  38  extending across the concavity formed by the bulbous portion  30  to provide a portion easily gripped to twist the closure for removal.  
       FIG. 8  illustrates another embodiment of the present invention wherein the base  24   a  does not have an opening, but the top portion has opening  40  that may be closed by top  42  being press-fitted into opening  40 .  
      These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be understood from the detailed description made above; and it is understood that the present invention is not limited by any details set forth above, but by the appended claims.