Modular storehouse

Claim 1

A fully automatic storehouse comprising: a self-contained sealed storeroom of transportable size adapted to be buried underground and containing a plurality of modular racks for storing articles therein, the racks being arrayed to form a pair of vertical rectangular storage matrices which extend horizontally in spaced parallel relationship so as to define a parallel space extending therebetween, said storage matrices being horizontally and vertically coterminous; a traveling crane in said space horizontally movable therein between and parallel to said storage matrices, said crane having a vertically movable base adapted to convey storage articles to and from any vertical level of said storage matrices, said crane further having a clamp member for transferring storage articles between said base and said racks; a lift adjoining said storage matrices at one of the pairs of coterminous horizontal ends thereof and vertically extending from the interior of said storeroom to a location exterior to and substantially vertically elevated with respect to said storeroom, said lift having a vertically movable base therein adapted to convey storage articles between such exterior location and said storeroom; an operating station at said exterior location for controlling operation of said crane and said lift so that solely be means of such operation storage articles can be conveyed to and from any selected rack in said matrices and to and from said storeroom and said exterior location; and said storeroom is assembled from a plurality of adjoining boxes, said boxes are each formed in a transportable size and each box having openings at opposite ends with coupling flanges formed around the peripheries of the respective openings; said boxes being coupled to form one storeroom by being coupled to each other with each box having a female flange around one periphery and having a male flange around the other periphery, and with the male flange of one box coupled to the female flange of an adjoining box with a securing means for coupling said male flange to said female flange; whereby said storeroom may be buried underground and the operating station located above ground, communication therebetween being effected by said lift.