Balloon and pump device for balloon

Abstract

To provide a balloon hard to be inflated with a human mouth.SOLUTION: A port cylinder 1A is attached to a port of a balloon. A lower face 4 of the port cylinder 1A is provided with an injection port 7. The port cylinder 1A includes an obstruction part 20 for prohibiting a person from holding the port cylinder 1A in his / her mouth.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a balloon having a nozzle attached to its mouth, and to a pump device used to inflate the balloon.

[0002] In this specification and claims, for the sake of convenience, the up and down directions of the balloon are defined as the direction toward the mouth of the balloon as the down direction of the balloon, and the opposite direction as the up direction of the balloon, as shown in Figure 1. [Background technology]

[0003] For example, a jet balloon is known as a type of balloon that flies in the air by injecting air from inside the balloon. This jet balloon is used as a cheering item when watching sports such as baseball and soccer, and generally has a mouth tube with a substantially short cylindrical shape attached to the mouth of the jet balloon (see, for example, Patent Documents 1-3). An injection port is provided in the center of the lower surface of the mouth tube, and when inflating the balloon, a person holds the mouth tube in their mouth and blows (injects) their exhaled air (breath) into the balloon through the injection port of the mouth tube to inflate the balloon. Furthermore, the mouth tube is configured so that the air inside the balloon is ejected from the injection port during the flight of the balloon, producing a blowing sound.

[0004] Furthermore, sometimes air inside the balloon can leak out of the nozzle (more specifically, the nozzle's injection port) while inflating the balloon, or after inflating the balloon, the person becomes careless and the balloon slips out of their hands and flies away before the time is right to release it. To prevent this from happening, Patent Document 4 discloses a balloon launching device in which the nozzle of the balloon is attached to a nozzle attachment part provided on the launch pad, and in this state the person holds a blowing tube part provided on the launch pad in their mouth and blows air into the balloon to inflate it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-218986 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-89518 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-13219 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2010-154910 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, there has been a trend to avoid human breath as a measure to prevent infection with various viruses such as the new coronavirus and influenza virus. However, with conventional balloons, the air sprayed from the balloon nozzle is human breath, which raises concerns about infection prevention.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a balloon that is designed to be difficult to inflate using a human mouth, and a balloon pump device used to inflate the balloon. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides the following means.

[0009] 1) A balloon having a nozzle attached to the mouth and an injection port provided on the underside of the nozzle, The mouthpiece of the balloon is provided with an obstruction portion that prevents a person from holding the mouthpiece in their mouth.

[0010] 2) A nozzle body of the nozzle is attached to the mouth portion, and the injection port is provided on a lower surface of the nozzle body, 2. The balloon according to claim 1, wherein the obstruction portion extends from the nozzle body downward below the height position of the injection port.

[0011] 3) The nozzle includes a baffle tube as the baffle portion, the baffle tube surrounding the injection port and extending from the nozzle body below the height position of the injection port, 3. The balloon according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral wall of the baffle tube is provided with an exhalation hole.

[0012] 4) The baffle tube of the nozzle is attached to a launching section provided in a blowing section of a balloon pump tool when inflating a balloon, A balloon as described in paragraph 3 above, wherein the peripheral wall of the baffle tube is provided with a locking portion to which a locking piece provided on the pump tool can be detachably engaged in order to hold the baffle tube attached to the launch pad section.

[0013] 5) A balloon as described in any one of the preceding paragraphs 1 to 4, wherein the downward extension length of the baffle portion from the height position of the injection port is 4 cm or more.

[0014] 6) A balloon pump device for injecting a fluid into a balloon to inflate the balloon described in the preceding paragraph 3, The pump device includes a pump body having a fluid chamber formed therein, a blowout section for blowing out the fluid in the fluid chamber, and a launch section provided in the blowout section, The launch pad portion is a balloon pump device comprising: a cylindrical sealing sleeve that is connected to the fluid chamber and that houses a baffle tube of the nozzle; a receiving tube that is provided on the tip opening side of the sealing sleeve and into which the nozzle body of the nozzle is fitted; and a locking piece that detachably locks the nozzle body to hold the nozzle body fitted into the receiving tube.

[0015] 7) A balloon pump device for injecting a fluid into a balloon to inflate the balloon described in the preceding paragraph 4, The pump device includes a pump body having a fluid chamber formed therein, a blowout section for blowing out the fluid in the fluid chamber, and a launch section provided in the blowout section, the launching section comprises a receiving tube to which a lower end of a baffle tube of a nozzle tube is attached, a fluid blowing nozzle provided in communication with the fluid chamber and disposed within the baffle tube attached to the receiving tube, the tip of the fluid blowing nozzle being fitted into an injection port of a nozzle body of the nozzle tube, and a locking piece that detachably locks to hold the baffle tube attached to the receiving tube, The locking piece is configured to lock the locked portion of the baffle tube. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The present invention provides the following advantages.

[0017] In the above item 1, the nozzle attached to the mouth of the balloon has an obstruction part, so it is difficult for a person to hold the nozzle in their mouth. This makes it difficult to inflate the balloon with the mouth.

[0018] In the above item 2, the obstruction portion extends below the height of the injection port, making it even more difficult for a person to hold the nozzle in their mouth. This makes it even more difficult to inflate the balloon with the mouth.

[0019] In the previous item 3, the baffle tube extends below the height of the injection port as a baffle part, which makes it even more difficult for a person to hold the baffle tube in their mouth. Furthermore, since the baffle tube surrounds the injection port, it is possible to reliably make it difficult for a person's exhaled air (breath) to be injected into the injection port. Moreover, since an exhaled air vent hole is provided in the peripheral wall of the baffle tube, even if a person holds the lower end side of the baffle tube in their mouth and tries to inject their exhaled air into the injection port, the exhaled air will escape through the exhaled air vent hole, making it reliably difficult to inflate the balloon with their mouth.

[0020] In the above paragraph 4, when inflating a balloon, the baffle tube of the nozzle is attached to the launch pad part of the pump device and the locking piece is locked to the locked part of the baffle tube, so that the baffle tube can be held on the launch pad part. Therefore, even if the nozzle of the balloon is equipped with a baffle tube, the balloon can be easily inflated by the pump device.

[0021] In the above item 5, by making the downward extension length of the obstruction portion from the height position of the injection port 4 cm or more, it is possible to reliably prevent the nozzle from being caught in the mouth.

[0022] In the above paragraphs 6 and 7, a balloon pump device can be provided that can inflate a balloon, such as the balloon described in the above paragraph 3, even if the balloon has a mouth tube equipped with a baffle tube and an exhalation vent hole provided in the peripheral wall of the baffle tube. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a balloon with a nozzle attached to the mouth according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a half-sectional view of the mouth and nozzle of the balloon. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the nozzle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mouthpiece as viewed obliquely from above. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mouthpiece as viewed obliquely from below. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pump device used to inflate a balloon. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway front view of the pump device with the nozzle attached to the launch pad portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front view showing a balloon with a nozzle attached to the mouth of the balloon according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and a main part of a pump device used to inflate the balloon. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway front view of the pump device with the nozzle attached to the launch pad portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] 1 to 7 are diagrams illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1, the balloon 40 according to the first embodiment is a so-called jet balloon. That is, the balloon 40 (balloon body) is made of rubber (including natural rubber, synthetic rubber, etc.) and when air as a fluid is injected into the balloon 40, the upper end (tip) of the balloon 40 is inflated into a rod shape with a localized outward bulge, and the approximately short cylindrical mouth tube 1A according to the first embodiment is attached to a mouth 42 formed at the lower end of the balloon 40.

[0027] 2, the nozzle 1A has a nozzle body 2 made of synthetic resin (polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), etc.) that is open upward, and further has an inner cylinder 10 made of synthetic resin (PP, PE, etc.) that is open downward. The inner cylinder 10 is fitted into the outer peripheral wall 3 of the nozzle body 2 as described below.

[0028] The mouthpiece body 2 of the mouthpiece 1A has a vertical length (height) in the range of, for example, about 5 mm to 15 mm, and an outer diameter in the range of, for example, about 15 mm to 30 mm.

[0029] Moreover, the lower end 8 of the mouth cylinder 1A (mouth cylinder main body 2) is formed to have a slightly smaller diameter, and the outer diameter of the lower end 8 is set in the range of, for example, about 13 mm to 27 mm.

[0030] Inlets 7, 7 having a circular cross section are provided at the center of the bottom wall 5 of the nozzle body 2 and at the center of the top wall 12 of the inner cylinder 10, penetrating vertically so as to communicate with the inside of the balloon. When inflating the balloon 40, air is injected into the balloon 40 from the inlets 7, 7, and when the balloon 40 flies, the air inside the balloon 40 is ejected from the inlets 7, 7. Furthermore, the nozzle 1A is configured so that the air inside the balloon 40 is ejected from the inlets 7, 7 to produce a blowing sound.

[0031] The outer peripheral wall 11 of the inner cylinder 10 is fitted from above into the outer peripheral wall 3 of the nozzle body 2, thereby integrating the inner cylinder 10 with the nozzle body 2. Furthermore, in this state, the mouth wrap portion 43 of the mouth 42 of the balloon 40 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 3 of the nozzle body 2 and the outer peripheral wall 11 of the inner cylinder 10, thereby attaching the nozzle 1A (more specifically, the nozzle body 2 of the nozzle 1A) to the mouth 42.

[0032] That is, in a state where the outer peripheral wall 11 of the inner cylinder 10 is fitted into the outer peripheral wall 3 of the mouth-tube main body 2, the engaging projection 13 formed in an outward protruding manner at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 11 of the inner cylinder 10 engages with the recess 6 formed at the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 3 of the mouth-tube main body 2, thereby maintaining the outer peripheral wall 11 of the inner cylinder 10 fitted into the outer peripheral wall 3 of the mouth-tube main body 2. Furthermore, in this state, the mouth wrap part 43 of the mouth part 42 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 3 of the mouth-tube main body 2 and the outer peripheral wall 11 of the inner cylinder 10, and the mouth wrap part 43 is prevented from slipping out from between the outer peripheral walls 3, 11 by the slip-out prevention protrusion 14 formed in an outward protruding manner at the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 11 of the inner cylinder 10.

[0033] In this first embodiment, the outer peripheral wall 3 of the nozzle 1A is made of the outer peripheral wall 3 of the nozzle body 2 described above, and the lower surface 4 of the nozzle 1A is made of the lower surface of the lower wall 5 of the nozzle body 2 described above, and the lower surface 4 is formed approximately horizontally. Note that the nozzle 1B of the second embodiment described later is the same.

[0034] In addition, when the nozzle 1A is attached to the mouth 42 of the balloon 40, the outer peripheral wall 3 of the nozzle 1A is exposed to the outside of the mouth 42. The lower surface 4 and the injection port 7 of the nozzle 1A are located at approximately the same height as each other, and are also located at approximately the same height as the lower end position of the outer peripheral wall 3.

[0035] 3 to 5, the mouthpiece 1A has an obstruction portion 20 that obstructs a person from holding the mouthpiece 1A (more specifically, the mouthpiece body 2) in the mouth. The obstruction portion 20 extends from the mouthpiece body 2 downward below the lower surface 4 and the height position h of the injection port 7.

[0036] In the first embodiment, the mouthpiece 1A is provided with a substantially cylindrical baffle tube 21 as the baffle portion 20.

[0037] The baffle tube 21 extends straight downward from the outer periphery surrounding the injection port 7 on the lower surface 4 of the nozzle body 2 to a position lower than the height position h of the injection port 7 (see Figure 2), and is further formed integrally with the outer periphery of the lower surface 4 of the nozzle body 2.

[0038] The outer diameter of the baffle tube 21 is not limited, and in this first embodiment, it is set to a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the nozzle 1A (the nozzle main body 2), for example, in the range of about 10 mm to 25 mm. In addition, the outer diameter and inner diameter of the baffle tube 21 are approximately constant in the vertical direction. The wall thickness of the baffle tube 21 is not limited, and is, for example, in the range of about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, the downward extension length (height) L of the baffle tube 21 from the height position h of the injection port 7 in the nozzle 1A is not limited, but is preferably 4 cm or more. If L is 4 cm or more, the person's gag reflex is likely to occur when the nozzle 1A is placed in the person's mouth, so that it is difficult for the person to hold the nozzle 1A in the mouth. A more preferable lower limit of L is 5 cm, a further more preferable lower limit of L is 6 cm, and the most preferable lower limit of L is 7 cm. Although the upper limit of L is not limited, as L becomes longer, the weight of the nozzle 1A increases, which tends to adversely affect the flight distance of the balloon 40, so that the upper limit of L is preferably 15 cm, a more preferable upper limit of L is 13 cm, and a further more preferable upper limit of L is 11 cm.

[0040] One or more breath vent holes 22 each consisting of a long hole extending in the vertical direction are provided in the vertical middle portion of the peripheral wall 21a of the baffle tube 21. In this first embodiment, the number of breath vent holes 22 is four, and these breath vent holes 22 have approximately the same shape and dimensions and are disposed at equal intervals around the entire circumference of the peripheral wall 21a.

[0041] The upper end of the breath vent hole 22 in the peripheral wall 21a of the baffle tube 21 is located between the vertical middle position of the peripheral wall 21a and the height position h of the injection port 7 in the peripheral wall 21a, more specifically, it is located slightly lower (for example, 3 mm to 10 mm lower) than the height position h of the injection port 7 in the peripheral wall 21a. The lower end of the breath vent hole 22 in the peripheral wall 21a is located between the vertical middle position of the peripheral wall 21a and the lower end 23 position of the peripheral wall 21a, more specifically, it is located slightly higher (for example, 3 mm to 15 mm higher) than the lower end 23 of the peripheral wall 21a. In addition, the lower end 23 of the peripheral wall 21a does not have a protruding portion protruding downward, so that even if the lower end 23 of the baffle tube 21 of the mouth tube 1A hits the human body when the balloon 40 is flying, pain can be reduced.

[0042] According to the balloon 40 having the mouth tube 1A configured in this way attached to the mouth portion 42, it is difficult for a person to hold the mouth tube 1A in the mouth because the mouth tube 1A has the obstruction portion 20. Therefore, it is difficult to inflate the balloon 40 by mouth.

[0043] Furthermore, because the obstruction portion 20 extends downward from the height position h of the injection port 7, it becomes even more difficult for a person to hold the mouthpiece 1A in the mouth. This makes it even more difficult to inflate the balloon 40 with the mouth.

[0044] Furthermore, since the mouth tube 1A is provided with the baffle tube 21 as the baffle portion 20, and the baffle tube 21 surrounds the injection port 7, it is possible to reliably make it difficult for a person's exhaled breath to be injected into the injection port 7. Moreover, since the exhaled breath vent hole 22 is provided in the peripheral wall 21a of the baffle tube 21, even if a person holds the lower end side of the baffle tube 21 in their mouth and tries to inject their exhaled breath into the injection port 7, the exhaled breath will escape through the exhaled breath vent hole 22, so it is possible to reliably make it difficult for the balloon 40 to be inflated.

[0045] When inflating the balloon 40, it is preferable to use a pump device 50A for the balloon 40 shown in FIGS.

[0046] This pump device 50A is made of synthetic resin (PP, PE, etc.) and injects air as a fluid (e.g., liquid, gas) into the balloon 40. It is a type of human-powered pump device (more specifically, a manual pump device), and is specifically a hand-operated piston type.

[0047] That is, this pump device 50A comprises a pump device main body 51 having an air chamber 55 formed therein as a fluid chamber, an outlet portion 58 that blows out air from the air chamber 55, and an intake portion 57 that draws outside air into the air chamber 55.

[0048] The pump device main body 51 includes a cylinder 52 made of synthetic resin (PP, PE, etc.) having a generally oval cross section, and a piston 53 made of synthetic resin (PP, PE, etc.) loaded so as to be capable of reciprocating movement within the cylinder 52. A piston rod 54 protrudes rearward from the piston 53, and a grip portion 54a is integrally formed with the rear end portion of the piston rod 54. A suction portion 57 and a blowing portion 58 are provided in parallel on a front wall 52a of the cylinder 52, each of which communicates with an air chamber 55 and is spaced apart from each other.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, a launch pad portion 60 made of a substantially cylindrical synthetic resin (PP, PE, etc.) is provided in the blowing portion 58 of the cylinder 52 so as to protrude forward from the front wall 52a of the cylinder 52 and to be separable.

[0050] The configurations of the blowing section 58 and the launch pad section 60 will be described below.

[0051] The blowing portion 58 of the cylinder 52 has a male threaded tube portion 59 having a helical male thread formed on its outer circumferential surface, the male threaded tube portion 59 being connected to the air chamber 55 and being integrally formed with the front wall 52 a of the cylinder 52 .

[0052] The base end of the launch pad section 60 is provided with a female threaded tubular section 61, the inner surface of which has a spiral female thread corresponding to the above-mentioned male thread, and the male threaded tubular section 59 is detachably screwed into this female threaded tubular section 61, so that the launch pad section 60 is detachably attached (screwed) to the blowing section 58 in communication with the air chamber 55.

[0053] Furthermore, a substantially cylindrical sealing sleeve 63 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the substantially cylindrical intermediate cylindrical portion 62 is formed integrally with the front end of the female threaded cylindrical portion 61 in the launch pad portion 60, communicating with the air chamber 55 via the substantially cylindrical intermediate cylindrical portion 62. Furthermore, a substantially cylindrical receiving tube 64 into which the lower end portion 8 of the nozzle body 2 of the nozzle 1A is fitted in a substantially sealed manner (substantially airtight and substantially liquidtight) is provided at the tip opening of this sealing sleeve 63, communicating with the air chamber 55 as a nozzle mounting portion.

[0054] That is, an inner cylinder portion 64a having an outer diameter slightly smaller than that of the receiving cylinder 64 is integrally formed at the lower end of the receiving cylinder 64 so as to extend downward from the lower end of the receiving cylinder 64, and this inner cylinder portion 64a is fitted into the sealing sleeve 63 so as to be overlapped with the inner circumferential surface of the sealing sleeve 63, whereby the receiving cylinder 64 is provided at the tip opening of the sealing sleeve 63 in communication with the air chamber 55. The outer circumferential surface of the receiving cylinder 64 is continuous with the outer circumferential surface of the sealing sleeve 63 so as to be approximately flush with each other.

[0055] When the lower end 8 of the mouth cylinder 1A (mouth cylinder main body 2) is fitted into the receiving cylinder 64, the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 3 of the mouth cylinder 1A is continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the receiving cylinder 64 so as to be substantially flush with each other.

[0056] A substantially disk-shaped valve body 68 of a check valve 67 is integrally formed via a thin-walled connecting portion 64b at the lower end of the inner cylindrical portion 64a of the receiving cylinder 64 within the sealing sleeve 63. For convenience of explanation, this check valve 67 is referred to as the "first check valve 67."

[0057] The first check valve 67 allows the flow of air in the blowing direction A1 and blocks the flow of air in the suction direction B1, and is specifically configured as follows.

[0058] That is, the first check valve 67 is positioned such that its valve element 68 closes a valve orifice 69, which is an upper end opening within the intermediate cylindrical portion 62, from above. When the valve element 68 is subjected to fluid pressure in the air blowing direction A1, the valve element 68 opens relative to the valve orifice 69 as shown by the two-dot dashed line, thereby opening the valve orifice 69, thereby allowing the flow of air in the blowing direction A1. On the other hand, when the valve element 68 is not subjected to fluid pressure in the air blowing direction A1 and is subjected to fluid pressure in the air suction direction B1, the valve element 68 moves to its original position, i.e., the valve element 68 closes relative to the valve orifice 69, thereby closing the valve orifice 69 by the valve element 68, thereby preventing the flow of air in the suction direction B1.

[0059] Furthermore, a pair of locking pieces 70, 70 are provided on the upper part of the sealing sleeve 63 in the launch pad portion 60, as described below, for detachably locking the nozzle body 2 in order to hold the nozzle body 2 inserted into the receiving tube 64.

[0060] That is, both locking pieces 70, 70 are formed integrally with the upper part of the sealing sleeve 63 via elastic support legs 74, 74 extending inward from the intermediate part and base end part in the longitudinal direction of each locking piece 70 so that they face each other substantially parallel to each other outside the receiving tube 64 and the tips of both locking pieces 70, 70 can move close to and away from each other at the front position of the receiving tube 64. At the tip of each locking piece 70, a locking claw 73 is formed which protrudes inward from the outer circumferential surface position of the receiving tube 64 at the front position of the receiving tube 64.

[0061] As shown in Figure 7, the upper end surfaces of the opposing portions of the outer wall 3 of the nozzle 1A are configured as the engaging portion x of the nozzle 1A (the nozzle main body 2) to which the engaging piece 70 (more specifically, the engaging claw 73 of the engaging piece 70) is engaged in a releasable manner.

[0062] 6, a check valve (not shown) that allows air to flow in the suction direction B2 and blocks air from flowing in the blowing direction A2 is provided inside the suction portion 57 of the pump device 50A. For convenience of explanation, this check valve is referred to as a "second check valve."

[0063] The configuration of the second check valve is not limited, and may be the same as the configuration of the first check valve 67 described above, or may be any other known check valve configuration.

[0064] When inflating a balloon 40 using the above-mentioned pump device 50A, as shown in Figure 6, the baffle tube 21 of the nozzle 1A of the balloon 40 is inserted from the inside of the receiving tube 64 provided at the tip opening of the sealing sleeve 63 of the launch pad portion 60 of the pump device 50A, and the lower end 8 of the nozzle 1A (nozzle body 2) is fitted and attached into the receiving tube 64 in an approximately sealed state. During this process, the outer peripheral wall 3 of the mouthpiece 1A abuts against both locking claws 73, 73 from the front, the support legs 74 elastically deform so that the tips of the locking pieces 70, 70 move away from each other, and when the lower end 8 of the mouthpiece 1A is completely fitted into the receiving tube 64, the elastic restoring force of the support legs 74 moves the tips of the locking pieces 70, 70 toward each other to their original positions, and the locking claws 73, 73 releasably lock the above-mentioned locked parts x, x (the upper end surface of the outer peripheral wall 3 of the mouthpiece 1A) of the mouthpiece 1A. This maintains the state in which the mouthpiece 1A (mouthpiece main body 2) is attached to the receiving tube 64 as shown in Figure 7.

[0065] Next, the cylinder 52 of the pump device 50A is held with one hand and the holding portion 54a of the piston rod 54 is held with the other hand, and the piston 53 is caused to move forward, causing the air in the air chamber 55 to be blown out from the inside of the receiving tube 64 through the first check valve 67 of the blowing portion 58 and the air to be injected into the balloon 40 through the injection port 7 of the nozzle tube 1A, and then the piston 53, which has moved forward, is caused to move backward, sucking outside air into the air chamber 55 from the suction portion 57 through the second check valve.

[0066] By repeatedly performing such reciprocating motion of piston 53, a large amount of air can be injected into balloon 40, thereby making balloon 40 larger inflated.

[0067] When the inflated balloon 40 is to be released, as shown in Fig. 7, the front wall 52a side of the cylinder 52 of the pump device 50A is turned upward, and the base ends 72, 72 of both locking pieces 70, 70 are simultaneously pressed inward with the fingers, so that both locking claws 73, 73 simultaneously disengage from the locked parts x, x of the nozzle 1A, and the nozzle 1A is released from the attachment state to the receiving tube 64. This causes the balloon 40 to be shot into the air by the air jet from the injection port 7 of the nozzle 1A.

[0068] Therefore, with this pump device 50A, even if the mouth tube 1A of the balloon 40 is equipped with a baffle tube 21, the balloon 40 can be easily inflated and the inflated balloon 40 can be easily launched.

[0069] 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating a balloon and a pump device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, elements that have the same functions as those of the balloon 40 and the pump device 50A of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. The second embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 8, in a balloon 40 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, a nozzle 1B has a baffle tube 21 as a baffle portion 20, similar to the nozzle 1A of the first embodiment.

[0071] In the nozzle 1B, the downward extension length (height) L of the baffle tube 21 from the height position h of the injection port (see FIG. 2, 7) is not limited, but the preferable value of L is the same as that of the nozzle 1A of the first embodiment described above.

[0072] In addition, in the vertical middle portion of the peripheral wall 21a of the baffle tube 21, four exhalation holes 22 consisting of elongated holes extending in the vertical direction, similar to the mouth tube 1A of the first embodiment, are arranged at equal intervals around the entire circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 21a.

[0073] The upper end of the breath vent hole 22 in the peripheral wall 21a of the baffle tube 21 is located slightly lower (for example, 3 mm to 10 mm lower) than the height position h of the injection port 7 in the peripheral wall 21a, as in the first embodiment. The lower end of the breath vent hole 22 is located between the middle position of the peripheral wall 21a in the vertical direction and the position of the lower end 23 of the peripheral wall 21a, more specifically, it is located 10 mm to 20 mm above the lower end 23 of the peripheral wall 21a, and no breath vent hole is provided between the lower end of the breath vent hole 22 in the peripheral wall 21a and the lower end 23 of the peripheral wall 21a.

[0074] Furthermore, an outwardly protruding flange portion 25 is integrally formed around the entire circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 21a at a portion slightly above the lower end 21c of the peripheral wall 21a of the baffle tube 21 (more specifically, a portion above the lower end 23 of the peripheral wall 21a and below the lower end of the breath vent hole 22). The upper surface of this flange portion 25 serves as a locked portion x with which a locking piece 70 of the pump device 50B (more specifically, a locking claw 73 of the locking piece 70) is detachably locked.

[0075] Like the pump device 50A of the first embodiment described above, the pump device 50B includes a pump device main body 51, a suction portion (see FIG. 6, 57), a blowing portion 58, and a launch pad portion 60, but the launch pad portion 60 does not include a sealed sleeve.

[0076] That is, a female threaded tubular portion 61 is provided at the base end of the launch pad portion 60, and the male threaded tubular portion (59, see Figure 7) of the blow-out portion 58 is detachably screwed into this female threaded tubular portion 61, so that the launch pad portion 60 is connected to the air chamber 55 and is detachably attached (screwed) to the blow-out portion 58.

[0077] Furthermore, an air blowing nozzle (fluid blowing nozzle) 65 that blows out air from the air chamber 55 via a substantially short cylindrical intermediate cylindrical portion 62 is integrally formed at the front end of the female threaded cylindrical portion 61 in the launch pad portion 60 in a forward protruding manner and communicates with the air chamber 55. This nozzle 65 is formed in a tapered cylindrical shape with an air blowing port 65b at its tip, and further, the taper angle of the tip portion 65a of the nozzle 65 is larger than the taper angle of the portions other than the tip portion of the nozzle 65. Also, the outer diameter of the nozzle 65 is set to be smaller than the inner diameter of the baffle tube 21 of the mouth tube 1B over the entire length region of the nozzle 65.

[0078] In addition, a first check valve (not shown) is provided inside the intermediate tube portion 62 in the launch pad portion 60 or inside the boundary between the intermediate tube portion 62 and the air blowing nozzle 65, which allows the flow of air in the blowing direction A1 and blocks the flow of air in the suction direction B1.

[0079] 9, a bottomed cylindrical receiving tube 64 having an inner diameter larger than that of the base end of the nozzle 65 is integrally formed coaxially with the female threaded tube portion 61, the intermediate tube portion 62, and the central axis Q of the nozzle 65 near the boundary between the intermediate tube portion 62 and the base end of the air blowing nozzle 65 in the launch pad portion 60. The inner diameter of the receiving tube 64 is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the baffle tube 21 of the mouth tube 1B, and the lower end portion 21c of the baffle tube 21 is fitted and attached into the receiving tube 64 with the lower end of the baffle tube 21 received by the bottom portion 64c of the receiving tube 64.

[0080] The nozzle 65 is inserted into the baffle tube 21 with the lower end 21c of the baffle tube 21 attached to the receiving tube 64, and further in this state, the tip portion 65a of the nozzle 65 is configured to be fitted into the injection port 7 of the mouth tube 1B in a substantially sealed manner.

[0081] The receiving cylinder 64 is provided with a pair of locking pieces 70, 70 which are detachably engaged with the receiving cylinder 64 to hold the baffle cylinder 21 attached to the receiving cylinder 64, as described below.

[0082] That is, both locking pieces 70, 70 are formed integrally with the receiving tube 64 via elastic support legs 74, 74 extending inward from the intermediate portion and base end portion of each locking piece 70 in the longitudinal direction so that they face each other substantially parallel to each other outside the receiving tube 64 and the tips of both locking pieces 70, 70 can move close to and away from each other at the front position of the receiving tube 64. A locking claw 73 is formed at the tip of each locking piece 70, protruding inward from the outer circumferential surface position of the receiving tube 64 at the front position of the receiving tube 64.

[0083] When using this pump device 50B to inflate a balloon 40, as shown in Fig. 8, the air blowing nozzle 65 of the launch pad section 60 of the pump device 50B is inserted into the baffle tube 21 of the nozzle 1B, and the lower end 21c of the baffle tube 21 is attached to the receiving tube 64 of the launch pad section 60. During this process, the baffle tube 21 abuts against both locking pieces 70, 70 from the front, and the support leg section 74 is elastically deformed so that the tips of both locking pieces 70, 70 move away from each other, and the tip 65a of the nozzle 65 is shallowly inserted into the injection port 7 of the nozzle 1B. Then, when the lower end 21c of the baffle tube 21 is completely fitted and attached into the receiving tube 64, the tip end 65a of the nozzle 65 is fitted into the injection port 7 in a substantially sealed manner, and the tip ends of both locking pieces 70, 70 move toward each other to their original positions due to the elastic restoring force of the support leg portion 74, so that both locking claws 73, 73 releasably lock the above-mentioned locked portions x, x (upper surfaces of the flange portions 25) of the baffle tube 21. Thereby, a state in which the baffle tube 21 is attached to the receiving tube 64 and the tip end 65a of the nozzle 65 is fitted into the injection port 7 is maintained, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0084] Next, the balloon 40 is inflated using the pump device 50B in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, by moving the piston 53 of the pump device 50B forward, the air in the air chamber 55 is blown out from the outlet 65b at the tip of the nozzle 65 via the first check valve 67 of the blowing part 58 and injected into the balloon 40 from the injection port 7 of the nozzle tube 1A. Then, by moving the piston 53 backward, the outside air is sucked into the air chamber 55 from the suction part 57 via the second check valve.

[0085] By repeatedly performing such reciprocating motion of piston 53, a large amount of air can be injected into balloon 40, thereby making balloon 40 larger inflated.

[0086] When the inflated balloon 40 is to be released, the balloon 40 is launched in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, by orienting the front wall 52a side of the cylinder 52 of the pump device 50B upward and simultaneously pressing the base ends 72, 72 of both locking pieces 70, 70 inward with fingers, both locking claws 73, 73 simultaneously disengage from the locked portions x, x of the baffle tube 21, and the attachment state of the baffle tube 21 to the receiving tube 64 is released. As a result, the balloon 40 is launched into the air by air being injected from the injection port 7 of the nozzle tube 1B.

[0087] Therefore, according to this pump device 50B, like the pump device 50A of the first embodiment described above, even if the mouth tube 1B of the balloon 40 is equipped with a baffle tube 21, the balloon 40 can be easily inflated, and the inflated balloon 40 can be easily launched.

[0088] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0089] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a balloon with a nozzle and a pump device used for inflating the balloon. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1A, 1B: Nozzle 2: Nozzle body 7: Inlet 20: Baffle 21: Baffle 21a: Surrounding wall 40: Balloon 42: Mouth 50A, 50B: Pump tool 51: Pump tool body 58: Blowout section 60: Launch pad section 63: Sealing sleeve 64: Receiving tube 65: Nozzle 70: Locking piece

Claims

1. A balloon having a nozzle attached to its mouth and an injection port provided on the lower surface of the nozzle, The aforementioned mouthpiece is a balloon equipped with an obstruction that prevents a person from putting the mouthpiece in their mouth.

2. The main body of the nozzle is attached to the opening, and the inlet is provided on the lower surface of the main body of the nozzle. The balloon according to claim 1, wherein the obstructing portion extends from the main body of the nozzle to a position below the height of the inlet.

3. The aforementioned nozzle is provided with an obstruction tube as the obstruction part, which surrounds the inlet and extends from the nozzle body to a position lower than the height of the inlet. The balloon according to claim 2, wherein an exhalation hole is provided in the peripheral wall of the obstruction tube.

4. The obstruction tube of the nozzle is attached to the launching platform provided on the blowing part of the balloon pump when inflating the balloon. The balloon according to claim 3, wherein the peripheral wall of the obstruction tube is provided with a locking portion into which a locking piece provided on the pumping device can be detachably locked in order to hold the obstruction tube mounted on the launching platform.

5. The balloon according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the downward extension length of the obstruction from the height position of the injection port is 4 cm or more.

6. A balloon pump device for injecting fluid into a balloon in order to inflate the balloon described in claim 3, The device comprises a pump body with a fluid chamber formed inside, a blowing section for blowing out the fluid from the fluid chamber, and a launching platform provided on the blowing section. The launch platform comprises a cylindrical sealed sleeve that communicates with the fluid chamber and houses the baffle tube of the nozzle; a receiving tube provided on the tip opening side of the sealed sleeve into which the nozzle body of the nozzle is fitted; and a locking piece that detachably locks the nozzle body to hold the nozzle body fitted into the receiving tube.

7. A balloon pump device for injecting fluid into a balloon in order to inflate the balloon described in claim 4, The device comprises a pump body with a fluid chamber formed inside, a blowing section for blowing out the fluid from the fluid chamber, and a launching platform provided on the blowing section. The launch platform comprises a receiving tube to which the lower end of the baffle tube of the nozzle is attached, a fluid blowing nozzle provided in communication with the fluid chamber and positioned inside the baffle tube attached to the receiving tube, with its tip fitted into the inlet of the nozzle body of the nozzle, and a locking piece that detachably locks to hold the baffle tube attached to the receiving tube. The locking piece is a balloon pump device that locks the locking portion of the obstruction tube.

Images