Raven Industries, Inc.

James A Winker

Mark L West

Kenneth L Tekrony

Richard A Andrews

Patrick J Cannon

There is disclosed herein a hot air type balloon which includes a balloon envelope having a generally circular top opening and a top cap adjacent the top opening for opening and closing the balloon. The top cap forms both a deflation panel and maneuvering port for the balloon. A closure assembly is provided for use with the envelope and top cap for closing the deflation port and for permitting controlled opening thereof. The assembly has a fixed member secured to the balloon envelope and a releasable member releasably secured to the fixed member. A securement cord is secured to the releasable member and is connected to the top cap and a release line extends from the releasable member to a gondola where the operator is riding. The operator by pulling on the release line can open the closure assembly by separating the releasable member from the fixed member and can cause the deflation panel to separate from the envelope so as to spill air from the balloon and rapidly deflate the balloon.

Deflation and control system for hot air balloons

A non-rigid aerodynamic balloon having integral stabilizing tail fins is provided. The balloon is most useful in tethered applications, such as for advertising. The balloon is formed from a plurality of flexible skin-like gores which are joined together with a plurality of longitudinal seams running lengthwise of a main body of the balloon. Each gore is a continuous piece of flexible skin-like material which forms a portion of the body and a side wall of one of the stabilizing fins. The longitudinal seams join adjacent gores along outer edges of the stabilizing fins so that seams are not required to join the stabilizing fins to the main body of the balloon.

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Sioux Falls, SD, United States of America

James A Winker