Balloon Vending Machine Self-Service Inflation and Reusable Handle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional balloon vending machines lack originality and impact during the helium inflation process, making the experience boring for customers, and they pose challenges in handling and disposal of the balloon case, leading to potential loss of balloons and unnecessary waste.
Innovation Solution
A balloon vending machine design that includes a table plate with a balloon case inserting port, a lock mechanism for the gas injection nozzle, and a control section to manage the gas injection and balloon case movement, allowing customers to participate in the inflation process and reuse the balloon case as a handle, preventing loss and waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the balloon is automatically inflated by the vending machine, then the operation is simple and fast, but the purchaser cannot observe the expansion process which makes it boring
Solution Approach 1:
The purchaser themselves performs the gas injection operation by inserting the nozzle into the balloon valve and operating the injection button, transforming the customer from a passive observer to an active participant in the balloon inflation process
Solution Approach 2:
The balloon case is designed to dynamically break open when the balloon expands, creating an impactful visual effect that enhances customer engagement while the balloon transforms from a compressed state to an expanded state
2Ease of operation
If the balloon case is discarded after use, then the balloon can be easily accessed, but the case becomes waste requiring disposal facilities
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding the balloon case after use, the invention recovers it by transforming it into a useful handle that the purchaser can use to hold and carry the balloon, eliminating waste and the need for disposal facilities
Solution Approach 2:
The balloon case serves multiple functions: it stores the compressed balloon during transportation, provides a breaking mechanism to release the balloon, and transforms into a handle for carrying the inflated balloon
3Device complexity
If no handle is provided on the balloon string, then the balloon structure is simple, but it is hard for the purchaser to hold the string and the balloon may fly away
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon case is designed to transform into a handle after the balloon is released, providing a gripping surface for the purchaser to hold the balloon string, thereby preventing the balloon from flying away while maintaining simple balloon structure
4Productivity
If the balloon case breaks open when the balloon expands, then the purchaser can observe an impactful state, but the case cannot be reused as a handle
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon case is designed with a dynamic breaking mechanism that selectively breaks only the bottom wall while preserving the side walls and handle structure, allowing the case to both create an impactful opening animation and continue functioning as a carry handle
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances customer engagement by allowing participation in the balloon inflation process, provides an impactful and dynamic experience, prevents balloons from flying away, and allows the balloon case to be reused as a handle, reducing waste and the need for dedicated disposal facilities.
Implementation Method 1
a gas injection nozzle that is disposed below the table plate and is capable of connecting to the balloon valve by vertical movement
Implementation Method 2
a lock mechanism configured to lock a balloon valve into which gas is injected when the balloon case is inserted into the balloon case inserting port
Implementation Method 3
a gas injection nozzle that is disposed below the table plate and is capable of connecting to the balloon valve by vertical movement
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a balloon vending machine that can provide an impactful state where the balloon purchaser can participate in a production process of a balloon and the balloon body expands to break and open the balloon case, and further that can reuse the balloon case as a handle, and a balloon to be sold by the balloon vending machine. Below the gas injection part 26 of the balloon vending machine 10, a gas injection device is disposed that expands the balloon body 24 stored in a folded state in the balloon case. The gas injection device is mounted with a gas injection nozzle. Further, a valve lock plate is disposed in the nozzle mover. The balloon includes a balloon body, a balloon case storing the balloon body, a balloon valve, and a string connecting the balloon body with the balloon case.