Reusable balloon multi-fill system

Abstract

Reusable balloon multi-fill system. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are balloon multi-fill systems including a hose-end adapter, a plurality of hoses coupled to the hose-end adapter, and a plurality of balloon nipples coupled to the hoses. Each balloon nipple includes: a frustum region distal to the connector; and a tubular region distal to the frustum region, the tubular region configured to hold an attached balloon open such that a sealing member of the balloon can lodge in the neck of the balloon.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 a hose-end adapter comprising:
 a main body that defines an outside annular surface, a proximal side, a distal side, and a central axis; 
 a counter bore within the main body along the central axis, the counter bore defines an inside diameter and an end wall; 
 a plurality of hose nipples on the distal side of the main body; and 
 a plurality of fluid passages through the end wall of the counter bore, the fluid passages extend one each through a hose nipple of the plurality of hose nipples; 
   a plurality of hoses, each hose defines a proximal end, a distal end, a length, and internal flow lumen, the proximal end of each hose telescoped over hose nipple of the plurality of hose nipples;   a plurality of balloon nipples coupled one each to the distal ends of plurality of hoses, each balloon nipple comprising:
 a connector on a proximal end of balloon nipple, the connector coupled to a respective hose of the plurality of hoses; 
 a frustum region distal to the connector, the frustum region defines a conic frustum with a narrow portion disposed proximate to the connector, and a wide portion distal to narrow portion; 
 a tubular region distal to the frustum region, the tubular region having an outside diameter smaller than the wide portion of the frustum region, the tubular region defines a constant outside diameter over at least a portion of a length of the tubular region; and 
 a fluid passage defined at least in part along a central axis of the balloon nipple, at least a portion of the fluid passage defines a cross-sectional area configured to regulate flow of liquid through the fluid passage. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each balloon nipple further comprises:
 a trough region disposed between the frustum region and the tubular region, the trough region defines an annular trough with a smallest diameter of the annular trough smaller than an outside diameter of the wide portion of the frustum region; and 
 the annular trough has a profile with a radius of curvature greater than the outside diameter of the wide portion of the frustum region. 
 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the trough region further comprises:
 a length of about 4.35 millimeters (mm), the length measured along a central axis of the balloon nipple; 
 a proximal diameter of about 7.2 mm, the upper diameter measured at the interface between the trough region and the frustum region; and a a distal diameter of about 7.00 mm. 
 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising threads on the inside diameter of the counter bore of the hose-end adapter. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each fluid passage of the plurality of fluid passages through the end wall further comprises a diameter of between and including 0.5 millimeter (mm) and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the length of each hose of the plurality of hoses is between and including 10 centimeters (cm) and 30 cm. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the connector on the proximal end of each balloon nipple is telescoped within a respective hose of the plurality of hoses. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  further comprising a shoulder region defined between the connector and the frustum region, the shoulder region has shoulder width, measured radially between an outside surface of the connector and the narrow portion of the frustum region, the shoulder width about equal to a thickness of the respective hose of the plurality of hoses. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the frustum region further comprises:
 the narrow portion has a diameter of about 5.5 millimeters (mm); 
 the wide portion has a diameter of about 7.2 mm: and the frustum region has a length of about 4 mm, the length measured along a central axis of the balloon nipple. 
 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the cross-sectional area of the portion of the fluid passage is about 1.76 square millimeters (mm 2 ). 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein each balloon nipple further comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: a single aperture that defines the cross-sectional area of the portion of the fluid passage; and exactly two apertures that define the cross-sectional area of the portion of the fluid passage. 
     
     
         12 . The system of claim her comprising fifteen hose nipples, hoses, and balloon nipples. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a means for gripping the outside annular surface of the main body. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the means for gripping further comprises an annular trough defined by the annular surface of the main body.  15 , The system of  claim 13  wherein the means for gripping further comprises knurl defined on the annular surface of the main body. 
     
     
         16 . The system of claim  15  wherein the annular surface further comprises an annular trough defined by the annular surface. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 simultaneously filling a plurality of balloons by:
 installing a plurality of balloons one each over a plurality of nipples of a multi-fill header, each balloon having an internal sealing member, each balloon nipple of the plurality of nipples coupled a respective hose, and each balloon nipple comprising a frustum region and a trough region; 
 applying fluid simultaneously to the plurality of balloons though the plurality of nipples; and 
 maintaining each balloon of the plurality of balloons on its respective nipple by interaction of the balloon with the frustum and trough region; 
   simultaneously disconnecting the plurality of balloons by an impulse force opposite the force of gravity.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein installing the plurality of balloons further comprises, for each balloon:
 telescoping a balloon over a nipple of the plurality of nipples; and then
 advancing the balloon further onto the nipple by user interaction with the trough region, the user interaction from a distal end of the trough toward a proximal end of the trough. 
 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein simultaneously filling further comprises holding a neck of the balloon open during the filling by a tubular region to enable the sealing member to float into the neck of the balloon. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  wherein applying fluid further comprising limiting the flow rate of fluid in each balloon by at least one selected from the group consisting of: flow area of passages from a hose-end adapter into the hoses; and flow area through a fluid passage of a balloon nipple. 
     
     
         21 . A system comprising:
 a hose-end adapter comprising:
 a main body that defines an outside annular surface, a proximal side, a distal side, and a central axis; 
 an annular trough on the outside annular surface; 
 knurl disposed within the annular trough; 
 a counter bore within the main body along the central axis, the counter bore defines an inside diameter and an end wall; 
 threads on the inside diameter of the counter bore; 
 a plurality of hose nipples on the distal side of the main body: and a plurality of fluid passages through the end wall of the counter bore, each fluid passage of the plurality of fluid passages extend one each through a hose nipple of the plurality of hose nipples, and each fluid passage of the plurality of fluid passages has a diameter of between and including 0.5 millimeter (mm) and 2.0 mm; 
   a plurality of hoses, each hose of the plurality of hoses comprising:
 a proximal end, a distal end, and internal flow lumen; 
 a length between and including 10 centimeters (cm) and 30 cm; and 
 the proximal end of each hose telescoped over a hose nipple of the plurality of hose nipples; 
   a plurality of balloon nipples coupled one each to the distal ends of the plurality of hoses, each balloon nipple comprising:
 a connector on a proximal end of the balloon nipple, the connector telescoped within the distal end of a respective hose of the plurality of hoses; 
 a frustum region abutting the connector, the frustum region comprising:
 a conic frustum with a narrow portion disposed proximate to the connector, and a wide portion opposite the narrow portion; 
 the narrow portion has a diameter of about 5.5 mm; 
 the wide portion has a diameter of about 7.2 mm; and 
 the frustum region has a length of about 4 mm, the length measured along a central axis of the balloon nipple; 
 
 a shoulder region defined between the connector and the frustum region, the shoulder region has shoulder width, measured radially between an outside surface of the connector and the narrow portion of the frustum region, the shoulder width about equal to a thickness of the respective hose of the plurality of hoses: 
 a trough region distal to and abutting the frustum region, the trough region comprising:
 an annular trough with a smallest diameter of the annular trough smaller than an outside diameter of the wide portion of the frustum region; 
 a length of about 4.35 mm, the length of the trough region measured along the central axis of the balloon nipple; 
 a proximal diameter of about 7.2 mm, the proximal diameter measured at the interface between the trough region and the frustum region; and 
 a distal diameter of about 7.00 mm; and 
 the annular trough has a radius about the same as the outside diameter of the wide portion of the frustum region; 
 
 a tubular region distal to and abutting the trough region, the tubular region having an outside diameter smaller than the smallest diameter of the trough region, the tubular region defines a constant outside diameter over at least a portion of a length of the tubular region; and 
 a nipple fluid passage defined at least in part along the central axis of the balloon nipple, at least a portion of the nipple fluid passage defines a cross-sectional area of about 1.76 mm 2 .