A self-sealing valve for an inflatable body such as a toy balloon is disclosed. The valve comprises a hollow tube element of an elastomeric material with a proximal end, a distal end, a cylindrical portion at the proximal end, a flat portion at the distal end having two flat sides, and a transition portion between the cylindrical portion and the flat portion. The cylindrical portion is open at the proximal end and the flat portion is closed at the distal end with an opening on at least one of its flat sides. The valve is inserted in an inflatable body with the flat and transition portions of the hollow tube element located inside the inflatable body and the cylindrical portion of the hollow tube element located at least partially inside the inlet portion of the inflatable body.

A nozzle includes an expansion portion and a coupling portion having an inner end, an outer end, and an air hole extending from the inner end through the outer end. A connecting portion is connected between the expansion portion and the inner end and includes an opening intercommunicating with the air hole. The nozzle is coupled with a neck of a balloon. The expansion portion spreads the neck. The opening is received in the neck. The air hole intercommunicates with an inflation space defined in the balloon when a gas with a sufficient pressure is filled into the air hole. The air hole does not intercommunicate with the inflation space when no gas with the sufficient pressure is filled into the air hole.

A reusable, ornamental air-filled balloon structure includes a large, elongate, unbalanced upper ornamental chamber. The chamber has a valve on its bottom for inflating for use and deflating for storage of the balloon structure. A lower base ornamental chamber, that is adapted to rest on a flat surface or plane, has a centralized pocket with an aperture for transversely receiving the bottom of the upper chamber. A hidden valve for inflating the lower chamber for use and deflating for storage is provided. The upper chamber air valve is capable of being passed through the aperture and anchored to the lower chamber to secure the two chambers together while the upper chamber stays in an upright condition ideal for display. Common household filled cans are placed in the hidden centralized pocket to weigh the balloon structure down and keep it in place. The height of the upper ornamental chamber is at least three times taller than the height of the lower base chamber.

An interactive toy is shown and described. The toy can be in the shape of a balloon animal, such as a dog, and react in a predetermined manner to user input or stimulus. More specifically, the balloon animal responds and reacts to the user input provided to specific locations on the balloon animal and/or to placement of an object in proximity to or in contact with the balloon animal.

In a method embodiment, an example method for simultaneously filling balloons with water, using an apparatus sufficiently compact to be operated while being held by hand, is disclosed. The method includes attaching the apparatus to a water supply. The apparatus includes a fitting comprising an inlet configured to connect to the water supply and a bulkhead joining the at least three branch assemblies. Each branch assembly includes a tube and an automatically-sealing balloon with a neck disposed around and removably attached to the tube. The method further includes simultaneously providing water from the attached water supply to each balloon of the balloon-filling apparatus. The method further includes detaching one or more of the balloons from the balloon-filling apparatus using a force comprising gravity each detached balloon and the water contained therein. Each detached balloon automatically seals upon detachment.

A balloon inflator for simultaneously filling two balloons to substantially identical sizes includes an air pump having a first air chamber communicating with a first inflation nozzle and second air chamber communicating with a second inflation nozzle. A reciprocating piston causes an alternating increase and decrease in the first and second air chambers to advance air to fill balloons on the first and second inflation nozzles. The volume of inflation gas advanced to the first balloon inflation nozzle is substantially identical to the volume of inflation gas advanced to the second balloon inflation nozzle, thus permitting a virtually identical inflation of a first balloon at said first balloon inflation nozzle and a second balloon at said second balloon inflation nozzle upon repeated reciprocation of the piston.

A pneumatically switched balloon light comprises a balloon body which has an air inlet; a battery case located in the balloon body, wherein the battery case is provided with two adjacent batteries and an LED light connected with the batteries; a shield body located in the air inlet, wherein one end of the shield body is removably connected with the battery case, and the other end is made with a breather hole; a valve cover arranged in the shield body and separated from the breather hole; and an insulating piece, one end of which is fixedly connected with the valve cover, and the other end is inserted between the batteries; and the shield body is made with the breather hole for the air intake and discharge, and the shield body and the battery case can be directly fixed in the balloon body.

A balloon apparatus utilizing a lighter-than-air portion and an appurtenance attached to the lighter-than-air portion. A connector is selectively linked to the appurtenance and the lighter-than-air portion and manipulates the rotational position of the appurtenance relative to the lighter-than-air portion.

A balloon tying station for production of a balloon bouquet, having a rack with spaced-apart axles for spools of ribbon for selectively dispensing longitudinally and a balloon tying device having an elongated cantilever extending in the dispensing direction, so that a ribbon being dispensed longitudinally across the cantilever in the dispensing direction underlies a neck portion of a balloon, which neck portion extends stretchingly around the cantilever and looping over and under for pulling off the cantilever and catching the ribbon to tie the knot and secure the ribbon therein, and having a balloon holding device for receiving the ribbon for collecting together a group of balloons.

An example embodiment of an apparatus includes a housing with an opening at a first end and a plurality of holes at a second end, a plurality of hollow tubes attached to the plurality of holes, a plurality of containers removably attached to the hollow tubes, and a plurality of elastic fasteners, each elastic fastener clamping each container to a corresponding hollow tube, such that when the containers are filled with fluid and detached from the corresponding hollow tubes, each elastic fastener seals each container with the fluid inside.