US3710956A — Vehicle packing facility with a vertically extens…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 217 words

A facility for parking or storing a vehicle or the like in a structure having a plurality of vertically spaced levels, each of said levels having a plurality of parking areas defined by first and second address coordinates, said facility comprising means located at said parking areas for carrying a vehicle, lifting means for selectively engaging and latching onto a selected one of said carrying means, and first, second and third means for selectively positioning said lifting means at a selected one of said levels and at said first and second address coordinates, respectively, at said selected one of said levels, said first posiitioning means comprises a mast, and means for selectively moving said mast to a preselected vertical position, and further comprising a boom operatively coupled at one end to said lifting means and to said mast, said parking facility comprising a central shaft that is centrally provided in said structure and extends vertically through said plurality of levels, said mast being positioned within said shaft, said parking areas at each of said levels surrounding said shaft, said second and third positioning means comprising means for respectively positioning said one end of said boom at said selected first and second address coordinates, whereby said lifting means is positioned over said selected one of said carrying means.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 217 words

A facility for parking or storing a vehicle or the like in a structure having a plurality of vertically spaced levels, each of said levels having a plurality of parking areas defined by first and second address coordinates, said facility comprising means located at said parking areas for carrying a vehicle, lifting means for selectively engaging and latching onto a selected one of said carrying means, and first, second and third means for selectively positioning said lifting means at a selected one of said levels and at said first and second address coordinates, respectively, at said selected one of said levels, said first posiitioning means comprises a mast, and means for selectively moving said mast to a preselected vertical position, and further comprising a boom operatively coupled at one end to said lifting means and to said mast, said parking facility comprising a central shaft that is centrally provided in said structure and extends vertically through said plurality of levels, said mast being positioned within said shaft, said parking areas at each of said levels surrounding said shaft, said second and third positioning means comprising means for respectively positioning said one end of said boom at said selected first and second address coordinates, whereby said lifting means is positioned over said selected one of said carrying means.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 48 words

The parking facility of claim 1, in which said second positioning means includes means for establishing said boom at a preselected angular position, and said third positioning means comprises means for establishing said boom at a preselected radial position with respect to the longitudinal axis of said mast.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 62 words

The parking facility of claim 2, further comprising a counterweight operatively coupled to the other end of said boom, and means for extending said counterweight in an opposite direction to said lifting means whenever the latter is positioned at said selected one of said parking areas, to thereby establish a balance to said lifting means and said vehicle carrying means latched thereto.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 62 words

The parking facility of claim 3, in which said boom comprises a plurality of telescoping sections, the innermost one of which is operatively coupled to said lifting means, a motor, said third positioning means including means coupling said motor to at least one of said telescoping sections to convert the rotational movement of the former to predetermined axial movement of the latter.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 27 words

The parking facility of claim 4, in which said boom further comprises means coupled to at least one of said telescoping sections for preventing rotational movement thereof.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 46 words

The parking facility of claim 5, further comprising means operatively coupled to said onE end of said boom and to said lifting means for rotating the latter to achieve a desired attitude of said lifting means with respect to the selected one of said parking areas.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 47 words

The parking facility of claim 6, in which said vehicle carrying means comprises a skid having a base for supporting a vehicle, and an upper bracket, said lifting means including means for automatically, securely latching onto said bracket upon the engagement of the latter with the former.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 57 words

The parking facility of claim 7, in which said latching means comprises a cam plate pivotally mounted on said lifting means, the latter further comprising spring means for normally urging said cam plate to a release position, and for urging said cam plate to a latching position upon the engagement of said cam plate and said bracket.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 57 words

The parking facility of claim 8, in which said lifting means further comprises means for sensing the variation from a horizontal orientation of said lifting means in first and second mutually perpendicular planes, and means coupled to and responsive to said sensing means for reestablishing substantially horizontality of said lifting means in said first and second planes.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 142 words

The parking facility of claim 9, in which said lifting means comprises an outer frame, an inner frame movable along one axis with respect to said outer frame, and a plate member operatively secured to said boom and movable within said inner frame along a second axis substantially perpendicular to said one axis, said sensing means comprising first and second switch means arranged along mutually perpendicular axes and respectively actuated when said lifting means is moved away from the horizontal in said first and second planes, first motor means operatively coupled to one of said switch means for moving, when said one of said switches is actuated, said inner frame along said one axis to restore horizontality of said lifting means in one of said planes, and second motor means operatively horizontality of said lifting means along the other of said planes.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 97 words

The parking facility of claim 10, in which said mast moving means comprises means for causing vertical movement of the mast, a plurality of switch means spaced vertically from one another by a distance corresponding to the vertical distance between said levels, means for actuating a selected one of said switch means corresponding to the selected one of said levels, and means for disabling said movement causing means and for limiting the further vertical movement of said mast when said actuated one of said switch means is located at a predetermined level with respect to said structure.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 47 words

The parking facility of claim 11, in which said plurality of switch means are mounted on said mast at said spaced distances, said disabling means comprising a fixed contact plate effective when contacted by the actuated one of said switch means to disable said movement causing means.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 57 words

The parking facility of claim 12, in which said mast includes a plurality of reduced diameter segments defining a plurality of annular recesses, said mast movement limiting means comprising a pin normally positioned away from the path of vertical movement of said mast and movable in response to said disabling means into one of said annular recesses.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 42 words

The parking facility of claim 13, in which the vertical dimension of said pin is less than the vertical dimension of said annular recesses in said mast, to thereby permit limited vertical movements of said mast when said disabling means is actuated.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 86 words

The parking facility of claim 14, further comprising means for rotating said mast, said second positioning means comprising means for establishing said mast at said preselected angular position, said last-named means comprising a second plurality of switch means arranged about the periphery of said mast, and means for actuating one of said second plurality of switch means, and contact means carried by said mast for disabling said rotating means upon the engagement Of said contact means and the actuated one of said plurality of switching means.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 46 words

The parking facility of claim 1, further comprising means operatively coupled to said one end of said boom and to said lifting means for rotating the latter to achieve a desired attitude of said lifting means with respect to the selected one of said parking areas.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 47 words

The parking facility of claim 16, in which said vehicle carrying means comprises a skid having a base for supporting a vehicle, and an upper bracket, said lifting means including means for automatically, securely latching into said bracket upon the engagement of the latter with the former.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 57 words

The parking facility of claim 16, in which said lifting means further comprises means for sensing the variation from a horizontal orientation of said lifting means in first and second mutually perpendicular planes, and means coupled to and responsive to said sensing means for reestablishing substantially horizontality of said lifting means in said first and second planes.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 57 words

The parking facility of claim 1, in which said lifting means further comprises means for sensing the variation from a horizontal orientation of said lifting means in first and second mutually perpendicular planes, and means coupled to and responsive to said sensing means for reestablishing substantially horizontality of said lifting means in said first and second planes.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 169 words

The parking facility of claim 19, in which said lifting means comprises an outer frame, an inner frame movable along one axis with respect to said outer frame, and a plate member operatively secured to said boom and movable within said inner frame along a second axis substantially perpendicular to said one axis, said sensing means comprising first and second switch means arranged along mutually perpendicular axes and respectively actuated when said lifting means is moved away from the horizontal in said first and second planes, first motor means operatively coupled to one of said switch means for moving, when said one of said switches is actuated, said inner frame along said one axis to restore horizontality of said lifting means in one of said planes, and second motor means operatively coupled to the other of said switch means for moving, when the other of said switches is actuated, said plate member along said second axis to restore horizontality of said lifting means along the other of said planes.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-01-16	1976-07-17	1977-01-16	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-01-16	1980-07-17	1981-01-16	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-01-16	1984-07-17	1985-01-16	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Vehicle packing facility with a vertically extensible mast

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