Balloon sealing systems and methods

Abstract

A balloon sealing system includes a housing having a top, a bottom, a front face, a back face, and two sides; a fill nozzle extending substantially through the housing, the fill nozzle including a fill nozzle inlet extending through the top of the housing, and a fill nozzle outlet extending through the bottom of the housing; a sealer, including a first sealing arm extending from a first side of the two sides, and a second sealing arm extending from a second side of the two sides, one of the first sealing arm and second sealing arm including a heating element that emits heat when activated; and an on/off control for activating the heating element. Furthermore, upon being activated by the on/off control, the heating element emits a sufficient quantity of heat to heat seal a balloon attached to the fill nozzle outlet.

1 . A balloon sealing system, comprising:
 (a) a fill nozzle including (i) a fill nozzle inlet adapted to fit a fill source outlet and accept a fill, and (ii) a fill nozzle outlet adapted to attach to an opening of a balloon and ejection the fill; and   (b) a sealer including a heating element;   (c) wherein the heating element is adapted to heat seal the balloon proximate said opening while the balloon is attached to the fill nozzle outlet.   
     
     
         2 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 1 , further comprising a control valve for controlling flow of fill into the balloon; 
     
     
         3 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 2 , further comprising a fill sensor, wherein the fill sensor, upon sensing a trigger, activates the control valve. 
     
     
         4 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 1 , further comprising a fill sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 4 , wherein the fill sensor senses when the balloon has acquired a predetermined quantity of fill. 
     
     
         6 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 4 , wherein the fill sensor, upon sensing a trigger, activates the sealer. 
     
     
         7 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 1 , wherein the fill nozzle and the sealer are integrally formed. 
     
     
         8 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A balloon sealing system, comprising:
 (a) a housing having a top, a bottom, a front face, a back face, and two sides;   (b) a fill nozzle extending substantially through the housing, the fill nozzle including (i) a fill nozzle inlet extending through the top of the housing, and (ii) a fill nozzle outlet extending through the bottom of the housing;   (c) a sealer, including a first sealing arm extending from a first side of the two sides, and a second sealing arm extending from a second side of the two sides, one of the first sealing arm and second sealing arm including a heating element that emits heat when activated; and   (d) an on/off control for activating the heating element;   (e) wherein, upon being activated by the on/off control, the heating element emits a sufficient quantity of heat to heat seal a balloon attached to the fill nozzle outlet.   
     
     
         12 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , wherein the heating element includes an anti-stick covering. 
     
     
         13 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , wherein the other of the first sealing arm and the second sealing arm includes a narrow tip adapted to isolate a portion of the balloon to be heat sealed and push said portion against the heating element. 
     
     
         14 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 13 , wherein the heating element is recessed in a safety guard. 
     
     
         15 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 13 , wherein each of the heating element and the narrow tip includes an anti-stick covering. 
     
     
         16 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , wherein the first sealing arm and the second sealing arm are joined at a hinge defining an axis of rotation about which the first sealing arm and the second sealing arm have limited rotation. 
     
     
         17 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , wherein the first sealing arm and the second sealing arm each include an arm limiter. 
     
     
         18 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , further comprising a programmable timer that deactivates the heating element after a predetermined amount of time. 
     
     
         19 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 16 , further comprising an adjustable timer switch to adjust the predetermined amount of time. 
     
     
         20 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , further comprising an LED programmed to emit light while the heating element is activated. 
     
     
         21 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , wherein the heating element is powered by one or more batteries. 
     
     
         22 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , further comprising a fill nozzle attachment mechanism. 
     
     
         23 . The balloon sealing system of  claim 11 , further comprising one or more removable face covers allowing access to internal components within the housing.