Elevator – industrial lift truck – or stationary lift for vehicle – Mounted on exterior of building
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-27
2003-03-04
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3652)
Elevator, industrial lift truck, or stationary lift for vehicle
Mounted on exterior of building
C187S254000, C187S264000, C187S266000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06527088
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lifting devices for transporting packages (groceries, luggage, light supplies, and the like) between two or more floors of a building. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved lift apparatus that features a specially configured housing that lifts packages (eg. using a removable tray) from a ground floor to an upper floor, wherein the housing contains a drive motor that engages a belt (preferably static) that is contained within an elongated vertical support rail.
2. General Background of the Invention
Compact lifting devices are known that are constructed as part of a home, condominium, or like construction. These commercially available devices are typically referred to as “dumb waiters”, designed to carry objects between the ground level and upper level (or levels) of a home, condominium, apartment, small building, or the like. However, conventional dumb waiters consume valuable floor space inside a dwelling. Further, they typically can only be supplied to a home during construction. Retrofit can be very expensive and in some cases, virtually impossible.
Many patents have issued that are directed to lifting devices, some of which are adapted to be used on the outside of a structure such as an apartment, condominium, home or the like. An early example of such a patent is U.S. Pat. No. 1,312,089 entitled “Elevating Truck”.
A personnel lift is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,885 issued to E. E. Rasmussen.
An elongated, vertically extended lifting arrangement is seen in the Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,774 entitled “Tower Elevator”. In the '774 patent, power is supplied to a lower pulley assembly by a reversible motor housed within a removable power unit.
A load raising and lowering apparatus is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,285. The apparatus includes a load supporting platform which is suspended on a pair of chains and is movable between an extreme upper and an extreme lower position. The pair of chains are positioned about an upper pair of sprockets and a lower pair of sprockets. The two ends of each chain are connected to the platform. The upper end of each chain is directly connected to respective sides of the platform. The lower end of each chain is connected, via respective springs, to the respective sides of the platform at points below those points to which the respective upper ends of the chains are connected. The spring constants of the springs are at least approximately equal to the spring constants of the respective chains.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,062 issued to Geneste provides a mobile lift made up of a rectilinear guide adjustably held in upward inclined position by a support having a base of which the end is wheel-mounted so that the lift may be displaced. A load carrier is movably mounted on the said guide and a cable, of which one end is secured on the carrier and the other winds around a mechanical winch after having wound around a pulley, allows displacement of the carrier on the guide.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,423, there is provided a ladder hoist that includes a cart bolted to a short section of a ladder that carries a winch. A cable on the winch runs over a pulley on a short top section of the ladder and is connected to a carriage having wheels running in channel-like side members of the ladder. The carriage has an adjustable, folding platform and a back which pivots to a horizontal position when the carriage reaches the top of the ladder. A bottom pushbutton control and a top pushbutton control are provided.
A self-contained scaffold and lift unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,773. The '773 patent lift unit includes first and second pairs of parallel, spaced apart vertical rails joined together by horizontal braces. A movable lifting carriage unit is disposed between the pairs of vertical rails and includes pairs of rollers engaging and captured between the pairs of vertical rails to provide smooth vertical motion with respect to the rails. A primary load-bearing platform is removably attached to a lower portion of the carriage unit and an auxiliary load-bearing platform is removably attached to an upper portion of the carriage unit. A manually driven hoist is attached to the carriage to allow controlled movement. The carriage unit is positioned with respect to the rails by the hoist. An auxiliary base assembly is removably mounted to the scaffold unit to secure the scaffold unit in an erect and freestanding manner. The rigid scaffold units are assembled in modular interfitting sections to allow a scaffold of any desired height to be formed.
A service elevator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,889 that is designed to carry persons up or down, along a building wall or other structure. The apparatus comprises a ladder secured to that structure and a carriage on which an endless conveyor band is supported. The band has projecting dogs engaging the rungs of the ladder which are held between a first stringer of circular cross-section and a second stringer of rectangular cross-section. The band-supporting frame has sleeves slidably engaging the first stringer and roller pairs bracketing the second stringer. A second conveyor band, serving as a standby for the working band, co-rotates therewith and has dogs slightly offset from those of the latter for dropping onto the rungs when the working band fails.
In the Crump U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,198, there is disclosed an outside rescue elevator system for high-rise buildings. As part of this apparatus, an elongated, vertically extended rail or track is provided with a portable elevator cab which is usually coupled to the track system only during an emergency situation.
The Böcker U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,196 discloses a telescopic beam for use in an inclined hoist that has five telescopic members. An actuator comprising a motorized winch and a block and tackle arrangement is provided for extending the telescopic members relative to one another. The block and tackle arrangement includes a cable which passes several times around sets of rollers positioned at the adjacent ends of first and second of the telescopic members. A lock is provided for fixing the positions of the first and second telescopic members. To relieve the operator of the need for controlling several actuators, the single actuator is used to control the extension of all the telescopic members, and to control the angle of inclination of the last telescopic member relative to the penultimate telescopic member. For this purpose, the cable is passed from the second telescopic member to the far end of the penultimate telescopic member, and then to the adjacent end of the last telescopic member where it is secured.
Another Böcker U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,854 discloses a load carrying platform particularly useful in moving furniture along an inclined elevator. The load carrying platform is supported by a carriage which is movable along guide rails of the elevator. Telescopic guides are provided between the carriage and the base of the platform, so that the platform is displaceable in relation to the carriage. Thus, when the unloading position is reached, the platform can be moved, at least partially, through a window opening and into the interior of a house.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,547 discloses a portable conveyor system with telescopic boom assembly and load carrying apparatus.
An automatic loader and unloader is disclosed in the Heisler U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,404. The apparatus includes a stationary frame, a main carriage movable in either direction relative to the stationary frame, and a coupler carriage movable in either direction relative to the main carriage. The main carriage is slidably disposed on the stationary frame by a bearing arrangement which provides a cantilever support for the main carriage when the main carriage is extended. The main carriage and t
Tran Thuy V.
Walsh Donald P.
Wyatt Tarrant & Combs, L.L.P.
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