Anthony Linton Gee
Electrician in Provo, UT

5088267, Feb 18, 1992

Aug 25, 1989

7/398781

Anthony L. Gee - Provo UT

B65B 3100, B65B 3102, B65B 4336, B65B 6702

53 86

An apparatus for use in placing an object inside an inflated balloon is disclosed as comprising a housing forming a first chamber and a second chamber. The housing has a lid with an orifice therein which communicates with the first chamber, and a flexible diaphragm having a hole therethrough is positioned in the orifice. At least three rams are positioned on the lid of the housing so as to substantially surround the diaphragm, and a substantially L-shaped finger is attached to the actuating rod of each ram, the fingers lying adjacent one another when the actuating rods of the rams are in an unretracted position with each finger extending through the hole through the diaphragm. After the neck of a balloon is placed around the fingers, the actuating rods of the rams may be retracted, thereby enlarging the neck of the balloon and forming a substantially air-tight seal between the neck of the balloon and the flexible diaphragm. A vacuum pump having an air intake port and an air exhaust port is positioned such that the air intake port communicates with the first chamber, whereby the first chamber can be evacuated and the balloon inflated. The air exhaust port of the vacuum pump communicates with the second chamber, and a filling nipple is provided which communicates with the second chamber such that it can be connected to the neck of a balloom so as to inject air from said second chamber into the balloon.