From: glhurst@onr.com (Gerald L. Hurst)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Astrolite
Date: 16 Apr 1997 06:38:43 GMT

In article <33539c69.1827080@news.usit.net>, jflangan@usit.net (John
Flanagan) says:

>>BTW, the multipanel (balloon) envelope patent is now licensed and the
>>Disney theme parks here, as well as in Europe and Japan are all selling
>>products (Mickey et al)  made under it in Minnesota.  Too bad for me
>>that the patent will expire in the not too distant future.  
>
>Your right they only go back to the early part of the mid-70s.  I
>thought the multipanel ballon was the same as the mylar type that you
>can buy at most any novelty/party/gift shop.  I'm going up to
>Arlington soon to do a search, I'll have to look up your astrolite
>recipe then :).

Ouch, make that "formulation," not "recipe."

No, the multipanel or "multigore" patent was the second of the two 
so-called "Mylar" (R) balloon patents.  The newer patent deals with the
manufacture of balloon envelopes from more than two gores or panels 
to make more exotic shapes.  The earlier patent describes the material 
of construction, a sheet of plastic film with a continuous layer of 
vacuum-deposited aluminum of about 1-4 millionths of an inch
thickness, which forms a helium barrier.

Some people say the metallized balloon was inspired by the
packaging I first selected for the Kinepouch, the original secondary
blasting pouch, which used Kinepak.  The pouch material was an
aluminum foil laminate which provided a moisture and NM barrier. 
The use of such a material for balloons would, however, be unsuitable 
because of the excessive weight of even the thinnest foils.

They also say I selected a foil pouch for the Kinepak because I was a 
pipe smoker in those old days.  Maybe they're right.

BTW, the balloons are not made of "Mylar" or any other form of 
polyester.

Jerry (Ico)