Apparatus for erecting a multi-storied building

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR RAISING EACH FLOOR OF A STACK OF FLOORS, EACH FLOOR INCLUDING OPENINGS THERETHROUGH, TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL FOR SUPPORT ON A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL PILLARS, EACH PILLAR EXTENDING THROUGH AN OPENING IN EACH FLOOR; SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF STATIONARY LONGITUDINAL TUBES; A LIKE PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL MOVABLE TUBES, CERTAIN PILLARS OF SAID PLURALITY OF PILLARS EACH HAVING A STATIONARY TUBE AND A MOVABLE TUBE ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, EACH OF SAID CERTAIN PILLARS BEING SITUATED INTERMEDIATE ITS ASSOCIATED STATIONARY AND MOVABLE TUBES, THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE PILLAR AND ITS ASSOCIATED TUBES EXTENDING IN A PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP THROUGH AN OPENING IN EACH FLOOR, EACH STATIONARY TUBE AND EACH MOVABLE TUBE HAVING TWO SERIES OF CAMS EQUALLY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE RESPECTIVE SURFACES THEREOF, THE CAMS OF RESPECTIVE SERIES EXTENDING LATERALLY IN DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM THE ASSOCIATED TUBES; RATCHET MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TUBES AND INCLUDING OPPOSITELY DIRECTED PAWLS FOR ENGAGING WITH OPPOSITELY DIRECTED CAMS; HOUSING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID RATCHET MEANS AND PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID PAWLS; STUD MEANS, INCLUDING FLANGE MEANS, CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING SAID FLOORS FROM SAID FLANGE MEANS AT A POINT ADJACENT SAID OPENINGS THEREOF; AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LIFTING TUBES IN A DIRECTION ALONG THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES; SAID RATCHET MEANS INCLUDING MEANS BIASING SAID PAWLS TO OPERATIVELY ENGAGE THE ASSOCIATED CAMS UPON DOWNWARD RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID HOUSING MEANS WITH RESPECT TO THE ASSOCIATED TUBES, WHILE PROVIDING FOR SAID PAWLS TO RATCHET OVER SAID CAMS UPON UPWARD RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID HOUSING MEANS WITH RESPECT TO THE ASSOCIATED TUBES; WHEREBY, UPON LIFTING OF SAID LIFTING TUBES, THE HOUSING MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH WILL BE LIFTED, WITH THE HOUSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STATIONARY TUBES MOVING UPWARDLY ALONG THE LATTER; THE PAWLS OF THE HOUSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STATIONARY TUBES ENGAGING THE ASSOCIATED CAMS, UPON SUBSEQUENTLY LOWERING OF THE LIFTING TUBES, TO TEMPORARILY SUPPORT SAID FLOORS AT PREDETERMINED LEVELS ALONG THE PILLARS.