Storage apparatus

Claim 1

IN A STORAGE CABINET HAVING A COMPARTMENT WITH AN ACCESS OPENING, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A WEIGHT-RESPONSIVE ELEVATOR ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED AT A VARIABLE VERTICAL LEVEL DEPENDENT UPON THE WEIGHT OF LOAD ON SAID ELEVATOR, WHEREBY THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID LOAD IS MAINTAINED AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT LOCATION RELATIVE TO SAID ACCESS OPENING OF SAID COMPARTMENT, SAID ELEVATOR COMPRISING A LOAD RECEIVING FRAME; AN ELONGATED, SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME; A HELICAL SPRING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT AND EXTENDING ALONG SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT, SAID SPRING HAVING ONE END FASTENED TO SAID FRAME AND HAVING THE OTHER END FASTENED TO SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT; FIRST AND SECOND FLEXIBLE CABLES ATTACHED INWARDLY FROM THE END TO SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME FIRST LOCATION, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CABLES BEING WOUND FROM THEIR LOCATIONS OF ATTACHMENT IN THE SAME DIRECTION AROUND SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT IN RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND DIRECTIONS THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSITE EACH OTHER; THIRD AND FOURTH FLEXIBLE CABLES ATTACHED INWARDLY FROM THE END TO SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME SECOND LOCATION SPACED FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION, SAID THIRD AND FOURTH CABLES BEING WOUND FROM THEIR LOCATIONS OF ATTACHMENT IN THE SAME DIRECTION AROUND SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT IN SAID RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND DIREACTIONS; DIRECTION CHANGING PULLEYS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AT EACH OF FOUR SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULARLY POSITIONED CORNERS FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF EACH OF SAID FOUR CABLES TO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY UPWARD DIRECTION; ONE OF SAID PULLEYS BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE END OF SAID FRAME AND THE OTHER OF SAID PULLEYS BEING SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY AT EACH CORNER OF SAID FRAME, EACH OF SAID FOUR CABLES PASSING OVER SAID DIRECTION CHANGING PULLEYS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY UPWARD FROM SAID FRAME; AND MEANS RESPECTIVELY VERTICALLY UPWARD FROM SAID EACH OF SAID FOUR CABLES TO SAID CABINET AT EACH OF FOUR SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULARLY POSITIONED CORNERS WHEREBY VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY MOVEMENT OF SAID ELEVATOR EFFECTS ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT IN A DIRECTION WHICH COILS SAID SPRING MORE TIGHTLY AND STORES ENERGY THEREIN TO EFFECT RAISING SAID ELEVATOR AND ITS SUPPORTED LOAD AS SAID LOAD IS LIGHTENED.