Balloon tying aid

Abstract

A device and technique for knotting an inflated balloon or forming a knot in another material is provided. One approach includes: holding a knot tying aid by a handle portion, the handle portion being positioned opposite a distal portion, the distal portion including several prongs (in one nonlimiting example at least three) extending away from the handle and being spaced apart from one another in correspondence to vertices of a triangle; winding a tag end portion of the inflated balloon about the prongs to form a loop; and passing part of the tag end portion through the loop to form a knot.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device for formation of a knot in a balloon after inflation thereof, the balloon including a tag end portion with a fluid port, the device comprising:
 a proximal end portion including a handle;   a distal end portion opposite the proximal end portion, the distal end portion including three elongated prongs and three arms, the arms each being connected between a respective one of the elongated prongs to form an elbow shape therewith and the arms being connected to the handle, the arms each extending laterally away from the handle in relation to a longitudinal centerline axis of the handle, the elongated prongs each projecting away from the arms to terminate in a corresponding number of projection end portions in a spaced apart relationship relative to one another; and   
       wherein the projection end portions correspond to vertices of a triangle, and are sized and shaped to wind the tag end portion of the balloon thereabout to form a closed loop with a crossed portion and define an opening, the opening being receptive to positioning of the tag end portion therethrough to form a knot in the tag end portion and slip the loop off the prongs as the knot is tightened. 
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device further includes the balloon in an inflated state with the tag end portion wrapped around the prongs and the elbow shape approximately defines a right angle. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the projection end portions approximately correspond to vertices of one of: an isosceles triangle and an equilateral triangle. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is formed of at least one of: a metal material, a thermoset polymer material, a ceramic material, a wood material, and a thermoplastic polymer material. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the proximal end portion further includes a hole disposed within the handle 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the elongated prongs is shaped in a tapered shape with a substantially triangular cross-section. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein one elongated prong is shaped in the tapered shape and the substantially triangular cross-section is oriented similarly to the vertices of the triangle formed by the projection end portions. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the elbow shape defines a substantially right angle. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein each elongated prong extends substantially parallel to each other elongated prong.