Parking garage system

Claim 1

IN A PARKING STRUCTURE, IN COMBINATION: (A) AN ELEVATOR SHAFT; (B) A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED SUPPORTING FLOORS ADJACENT SAID SHAFT AND EXTENDING THEREFROM IN TWO OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS; (C) AN ELEVATOR PLATFORM VERTICALLY MOVABLE IN SAID SHAFT BETWEEN RESPECTIVE POSITIONS OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONTIGUOUS HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FLOORS; (D) ELONGATED GUIDE BEAM MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM AND HAVING TWO LONGITUDINAL END PORTIONS PROJECTING FROM SAID PLATFORM IN SAID TWO DIRECTIONS, SAID FLOORS BEING FORMED WITH RECESSES ADJACENT SAID ELEVATOR SHAFT FOR PASSAGE OF SAID PROJECTING BEAM PORTIONS DURING VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATFORM; (E) SLIDE MEANS IN GUIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GUIDE BEAM MEANS AND SLIDABLE THEREON BETWEEN TWO POSITIONS; (F) A SUPPORT ELEMENT IN GUIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SLIDE MEANS AND RECIPROCABLE THEREON IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE OF THE DIRECTION OF ELONGATION OF SAID BEAM MEANS, SAID SUPPORT ELEMENT BEING ADJACENT ONE OF THE LONGITUDINAL END PORTIONS OF SAID BEAM MEANS WHEN SAID SLIDE MEANS IS IN ONE OF SAID POSITIONS THEREOF, AND REMOTE FROM THE OTHER LONGITUDINAL END PORTION OF SAID BEAM MEANS IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID ONE END PORTION WHEN SAID SLIDE MEANS IS IN THE OTHER POSITION THEREOF; (G) DRIVE MEANS FOR ACTUATING MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORT ELEMENT ON SAID SLIDE MEANS IN SAID TRANSVERSE DIRECTION; AND (H) WHEEL GRIPPING MEANS ON SAID SUPPORT ELEMENT AND PROJECTING THEREFROM IN SAID TRANSVERSE DIRECTION.