US3580303A

US3580303A - Inflatable toy dispenser

Info

Publication number: US3580303A
Application number: US816627A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert A Roberge
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-04-16
Filing date: 1969-04-16
Publication date: 1971-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1988-05-25

Abstract

A coin operated balloon dispenser system having supply racks of uninflated ballons assembled as units on inflating needle-studs. Automatic electrical-mechanical system takes units from racks to inflation station where an inflator tube is brought into inflating connection from a helium supply, and inflated balloons are thereafter disengaged; subcombination of needle stud uninflated balloon assembly; method of needle stud-uninflated balloon assembly; and method of automatic inflation and dispensing of balloons.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Robert A. Roberge 438 Pearl St., Brockton, Mass. 02401 [21] Appl. No. 816,627 [22] Filed Apr. 16, 1969 [45] Patented May 25, 1971 [54] INFLATABLE TOY DISPENSER 5 Claims, 21 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 141/173 [51] Int. Cl B65b 43/42 [50] Field of Search 46/90, 87, 88; 194/10, 13, 3,(lnquired); 141/281, 313, 181 (Inquired); 137/231,223,224,225, 314-316 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,716,259 8/1955 Mott 141/314X 2,731,028 l/1956 McCord i 137/223 3,310,024 3/1967 McConnell 46/9OX 3,380,490 4/1968 Ellenberg et al 141/1 8 1X Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Attorney-Lawrence H. Poeton ABSTRACT: A coin operated balloon dispenser system having supply racks of uninflated ballons assembled as units on inflating needle-studs. Automatic electrical-mechanical system takes units from racks to inflation station where an inflator tube is brought into inflating connection from a helium supply, and inflated balloons are thereafter disengaged; subcombination of needle stud uninflated balloon assembly; method of needle stud-uninflated balloon assembly; and method of auto matic inflation and dispensing of balloons.

Patented May 25, 1911 3,580,303

10 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVIiN'I'UR ROBERT A. ROBERGE AGENT Patented May 25, 1971 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmw FIG2

INVIiNIHR. ROBERT A. ROBERGE swzwe A E253,

AGENT Patented May 25, 1971 3,580,303

10 Sheets-Sheet 3 lmuuuumhh PIC-3.3

INVl-JN'IURv ROBERT A. ROBERGE oizlnm 5%;

AGENF Patented May 25, 1971 I 3,530,303

10 Sheets-Sheet 4 4 INVliN'I'UR.

ROBERT A. ROBERGE AGENT Patented May 25, 1971 I 3,580,303

10 Sheets-Sheet 5 [NV/{\l'lllR. FIG. 1'] ROBERT A. RoEReE zfawm h AGENT Patnted May 25, 1971 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG'I4 INVI5N'I'UR. ROBERT A. ROBEROE BY fmmcz @SKH AGENT Patented May 25, 1971 3,580,303

10 Sheets-Sheet '7 INVEN'IOR.

ROBERT A ROBERGE AGENT Patented May 25 1971 3,530,303

10 Sheets-Sheet 8 I N VEN'I ()R. ROBERT A. ROBERGE AGENT Patented May 25, 1971 1 3,580,303

10 Sheets-Sheet 9 lNVI-IN'I'HA.

ROBERT A. ROBERGE AGE T INFLATABLE TOY DISPENSER This invention relates to toys, and in particular, inflatable 'toys such as balloons. The area of application is in vending machines, in particular, systems for inflating and dispensing balloons.

The street comer balloon vendor is a familiar sight, at parades, fairs, and other festivities. The balloon is a very favorite toy for children, and may be provided in many and various shapes, forms, sizes and colors. They can be expensive when purchased from such a vendor, there are often long waiting lines, and often there are too few vendors.

This invention provides means for providing automatic vending machines for balloons, unattended and readily available to children in all the various places which children frequent, or where they congregate. The simple availability of this harmless and most desirable toy to children is clearly to be desired. Thus standardized quality and low price may obtain, and just as importantly, ready availability becomes a fact.

Further, such toys have many uses other than as simple entertainment. The balloons or other inflatable toys of like nature, may be marked with instructional data, with the images or forms of favorite characters, or with advertisement of particular businesses or sites as reminders of services, products, or places. A child holding a bright balloon on a string might well be more visible and therefore safer in crowds or crossing streets. Thus the uses and applications are many and varied.

In order to make these desirable ends possible, this invention provides automatic dispensing apparatus that may be coin operated as a vending machine, and provides as an important adjunct, stud assembly units for preparation of uninflated balloons for supply units which can be prepared elsewhere and deposited in quantity in the dispensing machines when desired, for example, during regular rounds of a caretaker.

The stud assembly comprises an inflating needle, hollow, and mounted on or as part of a support block which has formations for cooperation with storage racks and handling devices in the dispenser vending machine. This support block may be formed of electrically conductive metal, as a means of bridging electrical contacts in the dispenser, to activate an electrical circuit in the course of the operation of the dispenser system.

In the stud assembly, and as a method of providing and using such an assembly, a spool of string is mounted on the support block, an uninflated balloon has its mouth mounted over the inflation needle, and an elastic band is tightly placed about the balloon mouth to secure and gas-seal it to and around the needle. In the course of this assembly, one end of the string is secured between the elastic band and the outside of the mouth of the balloon. At this point the uninflated balloon stud assembly is complete. This assembly may be accomplished in quantity and quantities of the units thereafter given to machine route attendants to refill a number of dispensing machines on whatever time interval replenishment basis is desirable.

In the dispenser, a series of vertical racks is provided, all filled with uninflated balloon units. In the course of dispensing each unit, it is moved to an inflation station. An inflation gas, usually helium, supply is connected thereto for a measured time, and thereafter, with the balloon inflated, automatic mechanism strips the stud and needle out of the balloon, allowing the elastic to clamp the mouth of the balloon shut on itself, with the string end still securely held therein.

In the course of this terminal action, the needle-stud is dropped into the container for future reuse. The string spool is released and runs out a length of string. The spool may also be saved for reuse if desired.

Finally, into a bubble-top form (not shown) the inflated balloon with its holding string attached thereto, is released and may easily be removed from the dispenser simply by grasping and pulling on the string.

The dispenser system proceeds to reset itself in preparation for the next cycle of inflation and dispensing of the next balloon.

Detail of the needle-stud assembly and method and of the vending machine dispenser system structure, operation, and method, is presented hereinafter.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter and in the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIG. 1 is a front view ofa balloon dispensing device according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view ofthe FIG. 1 structure;

FIG. 3 is a left side view ofthe structure as seen in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are action step views of the balloon inflating part of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are action step views in further detail with respect to FIGS. 4,5, and 6;

FIG. 12 is an illustration of the product of this invention in use;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are detail showings of the balloon inflation stud according to this invention;

FIGS. l5, l6, and 17 are various views of the balloon stud seeker mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary cross section illustration of the balloon stud supply rack structure of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3;

FIGS. 19 and 20 are schematic illustrations, in cross section attitude, of the balloon inflating structure of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6; and

FIG. 21 is an illustration of an electrical circuit suitable to the operation of the dispenser system according to this invention.

All of the drawings relate a single illustrative structure, method and product. FIGS. 13 and 14 are specific to the uninflated balloon stud structure, in a device which is a subcombination and which may be manufactured and assembled elsewhere than at the dispensing machine, and loaded in groups into various dispensing machines by a caretaker on a service route.

Otherwise, except for the use illustration of FIG. 12, all of the drawings relate to the single illustrative structure, and like reference numbers are accordingly applied to like elements throughout.

The dispenser system has four major parts. One is a supply rack magazine structure 10; another is a stud seeker and transporter structure 11; another is an inflation structure 12; and the other is an overall electrical circuit as in FIG. 21.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, an uninflated balloon stud assembly 13 comprises an electrically conductive stud body 14, and an inflation needle 15 mounted endwise thereon, with an inflation passage 16 extending lengthwise through the stud and the needle. A spool 17 of string 18, is mounted over the needle 15, axially up against the stud body 14. The mouth of an uninflated balloon 19 is placed over and about the needle 15 and up against the outer end of the spool 17. An elastic band 20 is tightly wound about the mouth of the balloon 19 to secure and seal it to the needle 15, and in the course of this elastic winding, the outer end of the string 18 is tightly enmeshed in the elastic windings and held between the elastic and the balloon.

In what may be a hand operation of assembly of many such uninflated balloon stud units, the string bobbin is first mounted on the needle, the needle is inserted into the mouth of the uninflated balloon, the outer end of the string from the bobbin is laid along or about the outside of the mouth of the uninflated balloon, and the elastic 20 is then wound about the balloon mouth to secure the balloon to the needle and the string to the balloon. As indicated, the string may be enmeshed with the elastic to whatever degree is desirable to achieve a secure tethering of the string to the balloon.

As will be seen hereinafter, when the balloon has been inflated, the stud and needle are separated from the balloon, and the elastic 20 then firmly closes and gas seals the mouth of the balloon on itself, with the string firmly tethered thereto, to the purposes of the end usage illustrated in FIG. 12.

As in FIG. 13, the balloon stud is provided with two outer

peripheral slots

21 and 22. The function of the slot 21 is in connection with mounting and securing the stud at the inflation station, to the left in FIG. I, and to the inflation mechanism as illustrated in FIG. Ill. The function of the slot 22 is in connection with the stud magazine racks, for mounting and sliding therein, as illustrated in FIG. 18.

As in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the stud supply magazine comprises a series of vertically disposed racks, into which the assembled balloon studs of FIG. 14 are loaded by dropping them into the tops of the racks in the manner illustrated in FIG. 18. Each rack provides a vertically disposed channel, in which the studs slide down to fill, in loading the magazine, and in which they further slide down, one by one, as a stud is removed from the bottom of the rack for balloon inflation. At the bottom of each rack, a lever 23 is disposed angularly across the rack channel, biased to the left, as seen in FIG. I, by a spring 24, toward the inflation station generally indicated in FIG. I at 25, which is in fact the outer end of the gas supply of the inflation structure, see FIG. 2. These levers, 23, hold the vertical supply of studs up in each rack until the seeker system 11, FIG. 1, moves one of the levers 23 against its spring 24 to release the next stud to allow it to drop into the seeker device. At the far left of FIG. 1, another, single, lever 26 is used to retain a stud in the inflation station after the seeker system has moved the stud to the left in FIG. ll, past the lever 26 as biased to the right by a spring 27.

Accordingly, the seeker system II, in picking up studs from the magazine 10, moves from left to right, first, to find the next available stud in a rack which still contains at least one stud. Empty racks are bypassed because the lever 23 in such case is biased up to the left, out of the way of the seeker.

In operation of the seeker system 11 and the inflation system 12, the circuit of FIG. 21 indicates connections for various switches, motors, and other devices. The switches and motors shown in the structure drawings are labeled the same as their like elements are labeled in the circuit of FIG. 21. FIG. 21 is shown as one form of circuit useful to this device. The condition of the circuit, such as the switch positions, represents the situation in which no studs are in the device, and the start button switches are open, representing the condition in which actuation of the start button, with studs in the device, produces the response which would result from actuation of the device by inserting a coin to start the vending operation.

The seeker system 11 is shown in assembly in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, with part of the structure detailed in FIGS. l5, l6 and 17. The seeker system comprises a body 28 mounted on a horizontal guide bar 29 for movement back and forth across the front of the dispenser. The seeker body 28 is driven along a rack 30 by electric motor 02. The top of the body 28 runs in a track formed by the lower ends of the supply racks in the magazine 10. An upwardly facing recess 31 in the top of the seeker body receives the stud units one at a time from the magazine racks and contacts S7, see FIG. 21, are electrically connected by the electrically conductive body of each stud received therein.

The seeker body has a left-hand terminal point determined by the arrival of a stud at the inflation station 25 at which point the seeker is stopped by 8-3 limit switch, and motor 02 is reversed, leaving the stud at the inflation station 25. The seeker then automatically continues to the right until contact is made by a pih 32 on the seeker body with the first of the levers 23 which is depending as a result of having a supply of studs in its rack. The result is actuation of S5 limit switch and again reversal of motor 02, with the seeker body actuated in this leftward movement by the closing of 5-7 in the recess 3i, with the body of the newly picked up stud as part of the circuit. Then the seeker, in so moving left, brings the new stud to a hold point generally indication at 33. The seeker is stopped at this point by limit switch S-6.

Meanwhile, as will be described hereinafter, the inflation system has operated and the inflated balloon disengaged, and the dispenser stands ready with a new uninflated balloon and stud at the hold location, ready to move again to the left to bring a new balloon to the inflation station, when the system is again actuated, as by coin operation of 5-], FIG. 21, the start switch.

In the course of this action, when a new stud is moved into the inflation station 25 from the hold station 33, the stud is lifted out of the seeker recess 3K, thus again opening switch S7, and moving the stud above the seeker.

The inflation system 12 is shown in top view FIG. 2, in side view in FIG. 3, in action views in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, and in explanatory fragment views in FIGS. 7 through Ill, and in FIGS. 19 and 20.

The inflation system moves forward from back to front of the dispenser device to connect an inflation gas supply to an uninflated balloon stud as located at the inflation station 25, and to reverse and strip the inflated balloon and its attached tether string from the stud assembly.

When a stud is brought to the inflation station, the inflation system is fully retracted. As the seeker system 11 is reversed, leaving the new stud at the inflation station, the inflation system is energized, but through a time delay, ID FIG. 21, to allow 3 seconds for the seeker II to get clear of the inflation station. Then the inflation system moves forward. When the inflation system is suitably connected to the inflated balloon through the balloon stud at the inflation station, a gas valve is opened, ID in FIG. 21, operating a clock mechanism for 15 seconds of actual inflation time, after which the gas supply is cut off from the now inflated balloon. The inflation system is then reversed, to move from front to back of the dispenser, and, in so doing, to strip the inflated balloon and the bobbin of string from the stud, to kick out the bobbin for discard and later reuse. The string bobbin unwinds by its own weight, and the bobbin may also be saved for later reuse. The balloon with its string attached, floats up into a chamber (not shown) from which the purchaser may extract it by pulling down and out on the balloon tether string.

Meanwhile, the seeker has brought a new stud to the hold station 33 and the inflation system is fully retracted again. The dispenser therefore is now ready for new orders to inflate another balloon, such orders ordinarily being in the form of a coin actuating S1 switch, FIG. 21.

The inflation system 12 comprises a body 34 movable forward and back on a pair of support rods 35. A forward limit switch S-4 and a reverse limit switch 8-2 are shown in FIG. 2 and in the circuit of FIG. 21. The body 34 is moved by motor 01, FIGS. 3 and 21. Motor 01 drives a lead screw 36 on which the body 34 is also mounted.

There are two telescoping shaft systems in the inflation system: an inflation telescoping system at 37 including a gas supply tube and an associated balloon stud handling and stripping telescoping system at 38. Between these telescoping systems is a kicker bar 39 for removing a balloon stud from the inflation station after the balloon is inflated and stripped from the stud. A transversely disposed control arm 40, somewhat in the form of a hockey stick operates as liason between the actions of the telescoping system.

The inflation telescope structure 37, see FIGS, 4 and 11, comprises an inner tube member 41 secured to the body 34 and movable therewith. A passage extends lengthwise through this tube from a gas inlet 42, FIG. I, through a gas valve 43 and thereafter into the gas passage 16, FIG. 13, of a balloon stud 13 located at the outer end of the telescoping structure 37. A tubular sleeve 44 is mounted over the tube 41. The sleeve 44 has an inner end shoulder 45 with a coil spring 46 abutting on the forward side thereof. The sleeve 44 is ordinarily lengthwise somewhat loose on the tube 41, except in the situation of FIG. 5 in which the spring 46 is compressed between the front plate of the dispenser body and the shoulder 45, to tighten and seal a balloon stud at the inflation station and on the end of the inflation telescope structure 37, see FIG. 1 I.

The tube 44 has a forward end side cutout 47 to an entrance to the rear boss of the balloon stud as defined by the stud slot 21, FIG. 13. The stud is so entered and thus located at the inflation station, when moved thereto by the seeker system as set forth in connection with FIG. 1.

A further element of the inflation system is the curved bar 48, pivoted at 49 on a block 50 which is rigid with the inflation body 34 and movable therewith. This bar 48

carries depending pins

51 and 52. Another pin, 53, is fixed to the body of the dispenser and does not move. The purpose and function of these pins will become apparent hereinafter.

The kicker bar 39 is pivotally mounted at 54 (FIG. 6) on the same block that supports the hockey stick bar 48. Thus the kicker bar 39 moves bodily with the inflation body 34, forward and back. It also pivots, as will be seen, in the course of the operation of the inflation system. The kicker bar has a forward end foot 39', toward the inflation telescope system 34, which is used to eject the balloon stud from the forward end of the inflation tube system, that is, from the inflation station 25, after the balloon has been inflated and stripped from the inflation needle-stud.

The stud handling and stripping telescoping system 38, FIG. 4, comprises an outer sleeve 55 mounted on the dispenser body and stationary with respect to the inflation system move ments. This tube has a slotted top, lengthwise, and contains a stripper rod 56 with a block 57 secured to the rod 56 and riding in the slot. As in FIG. 20, the block 57 supports a lever 58, pivoted thereon and spring biased (not shown) clockwise for movement to a locking position in a further opening in the wall of the tube 55, see FIG. 5.

The forward end of the stripper bar has a dogleg 59 toward the inflation station with a side slot 60 therein with its mouth angled slightly upward as a pocket for receiving a balloon stud just forward of the stud slot 22 and just back of the string spool 17. Block 34 and sleeve 44 may be spring loaded (not shown) toward the back to assure alignment of the front of the infla tion device with the seeker system when the inflation system is fully retracted.

Accordingly, with the above structure in mind and starting at the point in time after the delay of TD,, FIG. 21, that is after an uninflated balloon stud has been placed at the inflation station, and the seeker system 11 has moved out of the way, motor 01 is energized, and, as illustrated in the steps of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the inflation system moves into action.

At the start, FIG. 4, the balloon stud 13 is in place, and the inflation system moves forward. To the left in FIG. 4. As in FIG. 5, the system has moved through the dispenser front panel 61 until forward limit switch 5-4 is actuated, and a small I further tightening movement results from the action of spring 46, to produce the stud holding situation of FIG. 11. The stripper bar 56 is moved forward by end engagement, of the kicker end 39' with the stripper end 59. The balloon is then inflated. Thereafter, the system starts to reverse. However, in moving forward, the stripper bar 56 has latched the lever 58 into the side slot in the tube 55, see FIG. 5, and, as indicated in FIG. 6, the inflation assembly moves back, for a time, without moving the stripper bar. The result is seen in the series of drawings, FIGS. 7 through 10. The balloon and the string bobbin 17 are stripped off the inflation needle and the string bobbin drops and unwinds. Further back in the reverse function, the kicker bar 39 is moved laterally about its pivot 54 and kicks the empty balloon stud out of the outer end of the inflation system. This action is brought about through the hockey stick bar 48 and is indicated in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 6, as the inflation system is moved back, the bar 48, by engagement with a boss 62 on the stationary stripper bar, moves about its pivot 49 and pin 52 side engages the kicker bar 29 about its pivot 54 to eject the balloon stud with the kicker bar foot 39. Then, further movement of the system engagespin 51 with lever 58, FIG. 20, to move lever 58 out of the side slot to tube 55, and thus release the stripper bar so it can be moved backward. In the course of further backward movement, again achieving the situation of FIG. 4, the hockey stick bar 48 engages the fixed pin 53 and is caused to pivot clockwise, bearing against boss 62 to move the stripper bar 56 back to the original position, actuating the reverse limit switch S-2 and placing the system at the ready for restart.

The circuit of FIG, 21 is an illustration of a circuit applicable to this invention. It is shown in the system condition prior to startup, and without any balloon-studs in the system. This, for example, 8-7 is open until the seeker picks up a stud. The various switches are related to the various coils, that is, to energize coil K1 is to operate the switches marked Kl. This circuit is presented as self-explanatory for association with the understanding of the dispenser vending machine system structure and method as set forth in FIGS. 1-3 and as further delineated by the other drawing Figures herein.

This invention therefore provides a new and useful dispenser system, in particular a coin operated dispenser of of inflated balloons, in which a stud-mounted uninflated balloon unit is used, and the method of preparing the balloon unit and of operating the system.

As many embodiments may be made of the above invention and as changes may be made in the embodiment set forth above without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth and in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Iclaim:

l. A coin actuated, electrically operated inflated balloon dispenser, comprising a multiple channel supply rack for containing a supply of stud-mounted deflated balloon units, an inflation station for receiving said deflated balloon units one at a time, electrical motor driven means for taking said units singly from said supply rack and delivering said single units to said inflation station, gas tube means for receiving inflating gas from a supply of such gas, electrical motor driven means for connecting said tube to said single units at said station, and electrical valve means for connecting said gas supply to said single units to achieve inflation of said balloons, said means for taking and delivering deflated balloon units from said rack to said inflation station including automatic means for selecting the next available balloon unit from the next available channel.

2. A coin actuated, electrically operated inflated toy balloon dispenser, comprising a multiple channel supply rack for containing a supply of stud-mounted deflated balloon assembly units, an inflation station for receiving said deflated balloon units one at a time, electrical motor driven means for taking said units singly from said supply rack and delivering said single units to said inflation station, gas tube means for receiving inflating gas from a supply of such gas, electrical motor driven means for connecting said tube to said single units at said station, and electrical valve means for connecting said gas supply to said single units to achieve inflation of said balloons, said means for taking and delivering deflated balloon units from said rack to said inflation station including automatic means for selecting the next available balloon unit from the next available channel, and said assembly unit including a spool of string, one end of said string being connected to said balloon, means for disengaging said assembly from said station and said stud from said balloons whereby upon said disengagement said spool is also disengaged, leaving the inflated balloon with said string attached thereto.

3. A coin actuated, automatically operated inflated balloon dispenser, comprising a fixed position supply rack for containing a supply of stud-mounted deflated balloonunits, an inflation station for receiving said deflated balloon units one at a time, automatically driven means for taking said units singly from said supply rack and delivering said single units to said inflation station, gas tube means for receiving inflating gas from a supply of such gas, automatically driven means for con-' necting said tube to said single units at said station, and automatically operated valve means for connecting said gas supply to said single units to achieve inflation of said balloons, said means .for taking and delivering deflated balloon units from said rack to said inflation station including automatic means for selecting the next available balloon unit from said supply rack.

4. A coin actuated, automatically operated inflated balloon dispenser, comprising a multiple channel supply rack for containing a supply of stud-mounted deflated balloon units, an inflation station for receiving said deflated balloon units one at a time, automatically driven means for taking said units singly from said supply rack and delivering said single units to said inflation station, gas tube means for receiving inflating gas from a supply of such gas, automatically driven means for connecting said tube to said single units at said station, and automatically operated valve means for connecting said gas supply to said single units to achieve inflation of said balloons, said means for taking and delivering deflated balloon units from said rack to said inflation station, including automatic means for selecting the next available balloon unit from the next available channel.

5. A coin actuated, automatically operated inflated balloon dispenser, comprising a fixed supply rack for containing a supply of stud-mounted deflated balloon units, a fixed inflation station for receiving said deflated balloon units one at a time, a fixed track between said supply rack and said inflation station, automatically driven means for moving back and forth along said track for taking said units singly from said supply rack and delivering said single units to said inflation station, gas tube means for receiving inflating gas from a supply of such gas, automatically driven means for connecting said tube to said single units at said station, and automatically operated valve means for connecting said gas supply to said single units to achieve inflation of said balloons, said means for taking and delivering deflated balloon units along said track to said inflation station including automatic means for returning said stud delivery means to said rack and automatic means for picking up, with said stud delivery means, the next available balloon unit in said supply rack.

Claims

1. A coin actuated, electrically operated inflated balloon dispenser, comprising a multiple channel supply rack for containing a supply of stud-mounted deflated balloon units, an inflation station for receiving said deflated balloon units one at a time, electrical motor driven means for taking said units singly from said supply rack and delivering said single units to said inflation station, gas tube means for receiving inflAting gas from a supply of such gas, electrical motor driven means for connecting said tube to said single units at said station, and electrical valve means for connecting said gas supply to said single units to achieve inflation of said balloons, said means for taking and delivering deflated balloon units from said rack to said inflation station including automatic means for selecting the next available balloon unit from the next available channel.

3. A coin actuated, automatically operated inflated balloon dispenser, comprising a fixed position supply rack for containing a supply of stud-mounted deflated balloon units, an inflation station for receiving said deflated balloon units one at a time, automatically driven means for taking said units singly from said supply rack and delivering said single units to said inflation station, gas tube means for receiving inflating gas from a supply of such gas, automatically driven means for connecting said tube to said single units at said station, and automatically operated valve means for connecting said gas supply to said single units to achieve inflation of said balloons, said means for taking and delivering deflated balloon units from said rack to said inflation station including automatic means for selecting the next available balloon unit from said supply rack.