Conveyor elevator apparatus

Claim 1

A PARKING GARAGE FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A BUILDING HAVING ENTRANCE AND EXIT MEANS, AND A CONVEYOR ELEVATOR DISPOSED TO RECEIVE THE AUTOMOBILES AT THE ENTRANCE MEANS, STORE THE SAME AND DELIVER THE SAID AUTOMOBILES TO THE EXIT MEANS, THE CONVEYOR ELEVATOR HAVING, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF SIMILAR CLOSED-LOOP MAIN CHANNELS DISPOSED IN A PAIR OF SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PLANES, A FURTHER PAIR OF SIMILAR CLOSED-LOOP AUXILIARY CHANNELS DISPOSED IN A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PLANES ONE ADJACENTLY DISPLACED FROM EACH OF THE MAIN CHANNELS IN THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN, A PAIR OF SYNCHRONOUSLY DRIVEN MAIN CONVEYORS DISPOSED TO TRAVEL ALONG THE PAIR OF MAIN CHANNELS, FOLLOWER MEANS DISPOSED TO TRAVEL ALONG THE AUXILIARY CHANNELS, A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVELY DISPOSED CARRIER PLATFORMS EACH HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CARRIER SURFACE DISPOSED BETWEEN THE AUXILIARY CHANNELS, FIRST ATTACHING MEANS CONNECTING EACH CARRIER PLATFORM TO THE MAIN CONVEYORS, SECOND ATTACHING MEANS AT REGIONS DISPLACED FROM THE FIRST ATTACHING MEANS CONNECTING EACH CARRIER PLATFORM TO THE FOLLOWER MEANS, AND AUXILIARY CONVEYOR MEANS OF EFFECTIVE LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF THE MAIN CONVEYORS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE SAID MAIN CONVEYORS ONLY WHERE THE MAIN CONVEYORS AND MAIN CHANNELS CHANGE DIRECTION AND FOR ENGAGING AND DRIVING THE FOLLOWER MEANS ONLY AT SUCH LOCATIONS, THE MAIN CHANNELS AND THE AUXILIARY CHANNELS AT SUCH LOCATIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, WHEREBY THE SAID CARRIER PLATFORM SURFACE OF EACH SUCCESSIVE CARRIER PLATFORM IS MAINTAINED IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME HORIZONTAL ORIENTATION THROUGHOUT TRAVEL.