Inflatable balloon distress marker having small article containing compartment therein

Claim 2

A rescue marker comprising an inflatable balloon made of thin, tough, air impervious material and having an open ended tapered neck, a ball loose within the balloon and cooperating with said tapered neck providing a valved air inlet to said balloon for use in inflating said balloon, a casing projecting into said balloon from a wall thereof and providing a compartment interiorly of the balloon, said casing being integrally formed as a component part of the balloon and having, at the juncture of the wall of the balloon and the casing, a narrow rib that circumscribes an aperture in the wall of the balloon and which aperture provides an access opening to said compartment permitting insertion of an article thereinto, said rib facilitating retaining said article in the compartment and permitting removal of said article from said compartment, said rib also forming a seal with such article, said compartment and said valved air inlet being separate from one another and located at respective positions spaced apart from one another on the wall of the balloon opposite to one another on said balloon, said compartment being extremely small in volume relative to the internal volume of the balloon, and having a cross-section interiorly of the balloon larger than the size of the aperture providing access thereto.

Claim 3

A rescue marker as defined in claim 1 including a coupling having an expandable portion inserted into the compartment of said balloon, said coupling being detachably connected to a neck of a second similar balloon, thereby directly connecting said balloons in series.

Claim 4

A resuce marker as defined in claim 2 wherein said coupling expandable portion comprises a small inflatable balloon.

Claim 5

A rescue marker as defined in claim 1 wherein the balloon is generally in a shape of a `dumb-bell` consisting of first and second portions merged together at a narrow neck between said portions and wherein one of said portions has said compartment therein and the other has said valved air inlet tapered neck.

Claim 6

A rescue kit comprising a container having a removable cap, a cylinder having a neck and containing a lighter-than-air gas under pressure located in said container, a reel rotatably mounted on the neck of said cylinder and in co-axial relation therewith, a tether line wound on said reel for attaching to a balloon and a deflated inflatable balloon located in said container and removable therefrom, said balloon being made of thin, tough, air impervious material, a valved air inlet to said balloon for use in inflating said balloon by said lighter-than-air gas, a casing projecting into said balloon from a wall thereof and providing a compartment interiorly of the balloon, said casing having an extremely small volume relative to the internal volume of the balloon said compartment being accessible through an aperture in the wall of the balloon, said aperture being smaller in cross-section than a cross-section of the compartment in the balloon, a narrow rib circumscribing said aperture, said aperture providing an access opening to said compartment permitting insertion of an article thereinto, said rib facilitating retaining said article in the compartment and permitting removal of said article from said compartment, said compartment and said valved air inlet being separate from one another and located at respective positions spaced apart from one another on the wall of the balloon and opposite one another.

Claim 7

A rescue kit comprising a container having a removable cap, a cylinder having a neck and containing a lighter-than-air gas under pressure located in said container, a reel rotatably mounted on the neck of said cylinder and in co-axial relation therewith, a tether line wound on said reel for attaching to a balloon and a deflated inflatable balloon located in said container and removable therefrom, said balloon being made of thin, tough, air impervious material, a valved air inlet to said balloon for use in inflating said balloon by said lighter-than-air gas, a casing projecting into said balloon from a wall thereof and providing a compartment interiorly of the balloon, said casing having an extremely small volume relative to the internal volume of the balloon said compartment being accessible through an aperture in the wall of the balloon, said aperture being smaller in cross-section than a cross-section of the compartment in the balloon, a narrow rib circumscribing said aperture, said aperture providing an access opening to said compartment permitting insertion of an article thereinto, said rib facilitating retaining said article in the compartment and permitting removal of said article from said compartment, said compartment and said valved air inlet being separate from one another and located at respective positions spaced apart from one another on the wall of the balloon and opposite one another.

Claim 8

A rescue kit as defined in claim 5 wherein said removable cap is made of a translucent material and wherein a light source is mounted in said cap for illuminating the cap.

Claim 9

A rescue kit as defined in claim 6 wherein said light source is a flashlight removably mounted in said cap.

Claim 10

A rescue kit as defined in claim 5 including an expandable and collapsible additional buoyancy body attached to and surrounding a portion of said container.

Claim 11

A rescue kit as defined in claim 5 including at least one flashlight mounted detachably in said removable cap.

Claim 12

A rescue kit as defined in claim 9 including means on said container for use in actuating a switch on the flashlight.

Claim 13

A rescue marker comprising a balloon made of thin, tough, air impervious material and having an open ended tapered neck, a ball loose within said balloon and cooperating with said tapered neck providing a valved air inlet in said balloon for use in inflating the balloon, a compartment projecting interiorly of the balloon from the wall thereof and being provided by a casing integrally formed as a component part of the balloon, said compartment being accessible through an aperture in a wall of the balloon and located opposite the valved air inlet, said compartment being extremely small relative to the internal volume of the balloon, and a connector for detachably interconnecting said balloon with another balloon, said connector having a first portion insertable into said compartment and inflatable to fill said compartment and removable from said compartment upon deflation of said first portion, and a second portion attached to said first portion and detachably connectable to said another balloon.

Claim 14

A rescue marker comprising a balloon made of thin, tough, air impervious material and having an open ended tapered neck, a ball loose within said balloon and cooperating with said tapered neck providing a valved air inlet in said balloon for use in inflating the balloon, a compartment projecting interiorly of the balloon from the wall thereof and being provided by a casing integrally formed as a component part of the balloon, said compartment being accessible through an aperture in a wall of the balloon and located opposite the valved air inlet, said compartment being extremely small relative to the internal volume of the balloon, and a connector for detachably interconnecting said balloon with another balloon, said connector having a first portion insertable into said compartment and inflatable to fill said compartment and removable from said compartment upon deflation of said first portion, and a second portion attached to said first portion and detachably connectable to said another balloon.

Claim 15

A rescue marker as defined in claim 11, wherein said first portion of the connector comprises a small inflatable balloon.

Claim 16

A rescue marker as defined in claim 12, wherein there is a rib at the juncture of the wall of the balloon and the casing to facilitate retaining the first portion of the connector in said compartment.

Claim 17

A rescue kit comprising a container having a removable cap; a cylinder having a neck and containing a lighter-than-air gas under pressure located in said container; an inflatable balloon disposed within said container and removable therefrom, said inflatable balloon being made of thin, tough, air impervious material that forms the outer wall of said balloon and having a casing integrally formed therewith and projecting into the balloon providing a compartment interiorly of the balloon, said compartment being extremely small in volume relative to the volume of the balloon, an aperture in the wall of the balloon providing access to the compartment permitting removable insertion of an article thereinto; a coupling having a small inflatable balloon portion insertable into said compartment of said larger inflatable balloon and means attached to said small balloon and connectable to another larger inflatable balloon so as to detachably interconnect the larger balloons in series; a reel rotatably mounted on the neck portion of said cylinder and disposed co-axially therewith and a tether line wound on said reel and connected to one of said larger balloons.

Claim 18

A rescue kit comprising a container having a removable cap; a cylinder having a neck and containing a lighter-than-air gas under pressure located in said container; an inflatable balloon disposed within said container and removable therefrom, said inflatable balloon being made of thin, tough, air impervious material that forms the outer wall of said balloon and having a casing integrally formed therewith and projecting into the balloon providing a compartment interiorly of the balloon, said compartment being extremely small in volume relative to the volume of the balloon, an aperture in the wall of the balloon providing access to the compartment permitting removable insertion of an article thereinto; a coupling having a small inflatable balloon portion insertable into said compartment of said larger inflatable balloon and means attached to said small balloon and connectable to another larger inflatable balloon so as to detachably interconnect the larger balloons in series; a reel rotatably mounted on the neck portion of said cylinder and disposed co-axially therewith and a tether line wound on said reel and connected to one of said larger balloons.