Patent ID: 8556675

Claim:
A balloon toy, comprising: a helium-filled balloon; a balloon string tethered to the balloon; a balloon raising and lowering assembly including: a housing including a handle; a balloon string reel rotatably carried within the housing and carrying the balloon string; an electric motor carried within the housing; a power source carried within the housing for powering the electric motor; a gear assembly including a plurality of gears carried with the housing and operable coupling the electric motor to the balloon string reel for driving rotation of the balloon string reel; a biasing member including a biasing force that urges the gear assembly together so that the plurality of gears are engaged for driving rotation of the balloon string reel for drawing in the balloon string and helium-field balloon and allows the plurality of gears to slip relative to each other if tension on the balloon string is too high, wherein the balloon toy includes an UP mode where the helium-filled balloon rises causing the balloon string reel to rotate in a first direction, a stop system that allows rotation of the balloon string reel in the first direction and prevents significant rotation of the balloon string reel in a second opposite direction, a DOWN mode where the stop system is disengaged and the electric motor is actuated, causing the balloon string reel to rotate in the second direction, and a BRAKE mode where the stop system is disengaged and the plurality of gears are engaged so that balloon string is not drawn out from the balloon string reel and the balloon string reel does not rotate unless tension on the balloon string is high enough to cause the plurality of gears to slip relative to each other.