An Electrically Illuminated Advertising Balloon.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Electrically Illuminated Advertising Balloon.
JAMES BUSSBY, 8, Goulding Street, Chorley, Lancashire, Storekeeper, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
A balloon darkened; with advertisment left transparent, illuminated by electric
lamps inside electricity supplied from battery, accumulators or electric-light
mains through the cable which secures the balloon.
An Electrically illuminated Advertising DativoM.
I, JAMES BUSSBY, of 8, Goulding Street, Chorley, in the County of Lancaster,
Storekeeper, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
-
This invention relates to balloons such as are used for advertising and like
purposes, and has for its object to provide a balloon which shall be much more
effective at night time than those heretofore in use.
It consists in its simplest form of a balloon made of a dark or opaque material,
with a transparent, preferably light, portion, on which is printed the advertising
matter. Inside the balloon is arranged an electric light or lights which is or are
preferably supplied with electricity, in the case of a captive balloon by means
of wires enclosed in and passing through the cable which secures the balloon.
With reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates one form of my
invention, the balloon is shewn as being darkened on its lower half A only, although
I prefer to make it opaque throughout, with the exception of the part utilized for
the advertisement.
At any suitable part of the balloon, preferably on the lower half, a space B
of any convenient size is left light or transparent, or nearly so, in such manner
that any words, signs or other devices painted or otherwise marked thereon may
be clearly visible by persons at a lower level.
For the purpose of illumination, I arrange a suitable electric light or lights
inside the balloon so that the words or other devices on the transparent part may
be seen at night. This light or lights is or are supplied with electricity by
means of wires enclosed in and passing through the cable which secures the
balloon to the earth.

page_text: If preferred the whole of the balloon may be made transparent so as to enable
a larger advertisement to be exhibited.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner-the-same-is-to-be-performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
I. An electrically illuminated advertising balloon, substantially as described and
shewn in the accompanying drawing.
2. An electrically illuminated advertising balloon, having a portion of its
surface left transparent, while the other portion is darkened to prevent the rays of
an electric light or lights, which is or are arranged inside the balloon, from pene-
trating through the same, the aforesaid transparent portion having words, signs or
suitable devices painted or otherwise marked thereon, substantially as described
and shewn.
3. In an electrically illuminated advertising balloon as herein before described
and claimed, the use of an electric light or lights arranged inside the balloon, for
the purpose of enabling the advertisement or the like to be plainly seen at night,
the electric light or lights being supplied with electricity through wires which
may be enclosed in and pass through the cable which secures the balloon to the
earth, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of December 1897.
WILLIAM J. MUNDEN,
:
75, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.