US1572664A - Auto paeking system - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 9 1926. 1,5726% J. L. LYNCH AUTO PARKING SYSTEM Filed Jan; 11, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 9, 192 1,572,664

J. L. LYNCH AUTO PARKING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 11, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. 1.. LYNCH AUTO PARKING SYSTEM Feb. 9 1926.-

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 11, 1924 ,lI/b

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JOSEPH L. LYNcrI, or OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

AUTO PARKING SYSTEM.

Application filed January 11, 1924. Serial No. 685,506.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosErH L. LYNCH;

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the village of Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Auto Parking System; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an auto parking system comprising car elevating and parking units adapted for forming part of a garage. v

At the present time, especially in large cities, a' great deal of difliculty is encountered in public garages where numerous persons keep their automobiles in the day time. It frequently requires a long time for a person to get his car when he desires it. t may require a good deal of maneuvering to get the car out of the garage. Again,

when a garage has several floors and thecars are raised and lowered by an elevator, a great deal of time is necessary to lower the cars, one at a time, at the close of business, and while nearly everyone wants his car at the same time, some are required to wait a long time. system, an attendant at the garage is often required to operate the car and as he often not familiar with the different auto:

mobiles, injury might result.

It is an object of this invention to over come the above noted objections in the provision of a parking-system comprising car elevators and parking units, each having a plurality of spaced platforms for park-- ing cars that-travel in an'oblong vertical path and upon which a driver or chauffeur may drive and lock his car. hen the platform has been filled with cars the elevator may be operated to bring another platform into operative position for receiving In removing the cars the elevator is properly operated to bring the desired car in proper position with respect to the floor and drive way, whereby the driver or chauffeur may readily unlock and drive his car from the garage.

The invention further contemplates an arrangement of such storage elevators, each of which comprises a separate operable unit in the Further, in the present which will become more apparent in the following description and disclosures, this invention comprises the novel mechanism and combinations hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which 1 lustrate a preferred embodiment of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views:

On the ,drawings Figure l is an elevational and broken view of an elevator comprising one unit.

FIOHIG 2 is a sectional View through the elevator.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentarv elevational view ofthe elevator. L F igure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a slightly different manner of sustaining the platforms.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view of the elevator.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the roller guide.

Figure '7 is a diagrammatic view of one manner of arranging the different elevator units.

Figure 8 is a. diagrammatic view of another manner of arranging the elevator units.

As shown on the drawings:

In the drawings, I have illustrated an ele ator unit and have diagrammatically shown how these units may be arranged to facilitate the handling of cars in a garage. 1 will first proceed to describe ene of these units and the operation thereof and then describe how they may be advantageously arranged.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that a portion of each car elevator and. parking unit extends in a basement, cellar or the like, with which the garage should be provided. Suitable apertures are provided in the floor 1 for receiving the elevator. Each unit consists of a pair of upper sprocket wheels 2 and a pair of lower sprocket wheels 3. The upper sprocket wheels 2 are secured in proper spaced rela tion upon a shaft 4- which may be suitably" journalled in some solid support. The lower sprocket wheels 3 are similarly secured in the same spaced relation as the upper sprockets upon a shaft 5 journalle'd in a suitable support in the basement or the like.

Strong sprocket chains 6 are trained oyer the aligned sprockets 2 and 3, and platforms 7 are carried by these chains. which are supported therebetween. These platforms may be supported by hangers 8 attached to the chains 6 at their upper ends by a bolt 6 or the like, as shown in Figure 5, and attached at their lower ends to the platforms 7 either as shown in Figure 2 or as shown in Figure at. In Figure 2 the hangers S extend below the platform and diagonal braces 8 brace the platforms with, respect thereto. In Figure 4; upper diagonal braces S connect the hangers 8 with the platforms 7. The platforms are so spaced vertically that one automobile may be readily accommodated between them and the sprocket wheels 22 and 3-3 are so spaced that the chains supported thereby will be sufficiently spaced apart to accommodate platforms that will support two cars side by side.

Adjacent each sprocket chain 6', there is an oblong guide 9 which consists of a pair of spaced members 10 and 11, Figure 6. A roller 12 rotatably supported by each hanger 8 and travels in the guideway of said guide. The outer member 11 of said guideway is cut out at its upper portion as indicated at 1 3' to allow the connection of the hanger 8 with the chain to pass therethrough. Likewise, the inner member 10 of the guideway is provided with cut-out portions for a similar purpose as shown in Figures 2 and 4. This guide may be sustained in any suitable manner. Its function is to guide the platforms in their travel and maintain the same in proper relative positions. The shaft 4 or 5 of each elevator unit is adapted to borotated by a motor or the like (not shown). Rotation of either shaft will obviously cause the two sprocket chains to travel with the result that the platforms upon one side of the axis of the sprockets will rise while those 011 the other side will descend. It will therefore be possible by merely operating the chains 6 to bring any particular platform in alignment with the floor upon whatever side of the axes of the shafts a and 5 it may be most convenient to drive from the garage.

These elevator units may be arranged and spaced in various ways. In Figure 7, I have illustrated two series of units; the units in each. series being in staggered relation. The units A are staggered inwardly of the units 1). These two series of units are spaced apart to provide a central driveway D therehetwcen which leads to the units A. The units B are accessible from drive ways D and D upon the outer side thereof. The cars which are illustrated by the reference C may hence be readily parked or delivered and require no turning movements on account of the staggered. relation of the units. It is, however not necessary to stagger these units to afford ready access thereto, since the ar 'angenient shownin Figure 8 may be used in which the units are in straight series sufticiently spaced apart to provide an adequate driveway D therebetween. The cars C may be readily run through this driveway and steered upon the platform of the units as is obvious,

This novel system of parking cars in a garage expedites and facilitates the procedure thereof since a driver can run his own car into the garage and upon a platform of a unit and lock the same in position thereon. The units and platforms may be appropriately numbered or lettered. and a card or tag, may be given to each person parking a car therein, designating the unit and platform that contains his car. i-K-c'cordingly when he calls for his car it is only necessary to operate the particular unitto bring the desired platform in alignment with the floor and adjacent the gi'iide-way. The said person may thenenter his car, unlock the same and drive from the garage.

It. will be appreciated that each driver may run his car into and out of the garage himself, and that no matter in what unit the desired car may be parked, whether it be in the basement or above the 001', or upon the opposite side of the unit from the driveway, the said unit can be quickly operated to bring the car intoproper position adjacent the driveway so that the driver can quickly run his car off the platformand out of the garage without appreciable delay.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and 1 therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garage, a series of car elevating and parking units, wherein successive units in one line have each another unit laterally adjacent thereto, buton alternate sides of said line, each unit having sustaining platforms movable in an oblong path.

2. In a garage, a series of car elevating and parking units, wherein successive units in one line have each another unit laterally adjacent thereto, but on alternate sides of said line, each unit having sustaining platforms. I

In testimony whereof'I have hereunto subsciribe'd my name.

JOSEPH L. LYNCH.

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