The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 18, 1997
Filed:
Aug. 02, 1994
William Knapp, Menlo Park, CA (US);
Mark Fuller, Studio City, CA (US);
Wet Design, Universal City, CA (US);
Abstract
A balloon valve that can control the flow of a display fluid through the supply pipe of a water display. The supply pipe is typically suspended from a structure and releases a slug of water into a pool. The pipe is located at a distance from the pool so that the water slug breaks up into a rain shower. The balloon valve includes an inflatable hose located within the supply pipe and coupled to a source of pressurized working fluid. The flow of working fluid into the balloon valve is controlled by a control valve. When the control valve is in a first state, working fluid flows into the balloon valve to expand the hose. The hose is expanded to completely fill a portion of the pipe and prevent the display fluid from flowing through the pipe. When the control valve is in a second state, the balloon valve is deflated so that the display fluid can again flow through the supply pipe and out of the display. The balloon valve is rapidly deflated and inflated to create a slug of water that falls out of the pipe and burst into a rain shower.