Pulpit elevating and lowering system

Claim 1

A system for moving a pulpit between an elevated position at a selected elevation for use and a lowered stored position which comprises: a walled pit adapted to be located immediately beneath a floor; a plurality of upstanding parallel guide rails located adjacent to vertical walls of said pit; a plurality of pillow blocks slidably engaging said guide rails; a carriage mounted on said pillow blocks and spanning the space between said guide rails; a drive nut secured to said carriage at substantially the center thereof; a drive screw engaging said drive nut, said drive screw extending upwardly from the bottom of said pit substantially parallel to said guide rails; drive means within said pit adapted to rotate said screw selectively in either direction; a pulpit releasably mounted on the top of said carriage for vertical movement therewith; separate hinged lid means spring loaded toward closing said pit when said carriage and pulpit are entirely within said pit; guide means on the upper surface of said pulpit to engage said lid means about the lid hinge as said pulpit is moved upwardly; a hinged extension on the upper surface of said pulpit adapted to engage said hinged lid as said pulpit is lowered so that said extension is pivoted about a hinge to a stored position behind said guide means whereby further lowering of said pulpit is unobstructed; control means to selectively operate said screw drive in a direction which elevates said pulpit to a selected height and opens said lid means and in a direction which lowers said pulpit into said pit and allows said lid to close, providing an unobstructed floor surface; and stop means comprising a finger extending from said carriage toward an adjacent wall of said pit, an upper limit switch secured to said adjacent wall positioned to be engaged by said finger when said carriage is at the maximum elevated position, a lower limit switch secured to said adjacent wall positioned to be engaged by said finger when said carriage is at the maximum lowered position, and electric circuit means interconnecting said upper and lower limit switches said control means and said screw drive motor whereby said drive motor is stopped whenever one of said upper and lower limit switches is engaged by said finger.

Claim 2

A system for moving a pulpit between an elevated position at a selected elevation for use and a lowered stored position which comprises: a walled pit adapted to be located immediately beneath a floor; a plurality of upstanding parallel guide rails located adjacent to vertical walls of said pit; a plurality of pillow blocks slidably engaging said guide rails; a carriage mounted on said pillow blocks and spanning the space between said guide rails; a drive nut secured to said carriage at substantially the center thereof; a drive screw engaging said drive nut, said drive screw extending upwardly from the bottom of said pit substantially parallel to said guide rails; drive means within said pit adapted to rotate said screw selectively in either direction; a pulpit releasably mounted on the top of said carriage for vertical movement therewith; separate hinged lid means spring loaded toward closing said pit when said carriage and pulpit are entirely within said pit; guide means on the upper surface of said pulpit to engage said lid means about the lid hinge as said pulpit is moved upwardly; a hinged extension on the upper surface of said pulpit adapted to engage said hinged lid as said pulpit is lowered so that said extension is pivoted about a hinge to a stored position behind said guide means whereby further lowering of said pulpit is unobstructed; control means to selectively operate said screw drive in a direction which elevates said pulpit to a selected height and opens said lid means and in a direction which lowers said pulpit into said pit and allows said lid to close, providing an unobstructed floor surface; and stop means comprising a finger extending from said carriage toward an adjacent wall of said pit, an upper limit switch secured to said adjacent wall positioned to be engaged by said finger when said carriage is at the maximum elevated position, a lower limit switch secured to said adjacent wall positioned to be engaged by said finger when said carriage is at the maximum lowered position, and electric circuit means interconnecting said upper and lower limit switches said control means and said screw drive motor whereby said drive motor is stopped whenever one of said upper and lower limit switches is engaged by said finger.