US2787387A - Car parking tower - Google Patents

Description

April 2, 1957 P. J. SCOTT 2,787,387

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Application July 1, 1954, Serial No. 440,650

1 Claim. or. 214-161) This invention relates to building constructions and more particularly to a novel parking tower which has for its primary object the provision of a building which can house a maximum number of automobiles and like vehicles with the building occupying a minimum amount of land.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a car parking tower which employs a novel drive means for raising and lowering the car carrying cages within which the vehicles are positioned in order that greater safety of operation can be afforded.

The construction of this invention features a novel car carrying cage which includes means for suspending the cage between a pair of spaced chains entrained about sprocket wheels which are suitably driven through a novel sector gear arrangement, the sector gears being secured to the sprocket wheels and being engaged by a drive gear.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a car parking tower that is strong and durable, comparatively inexpensive to erect and utilize, and which will aid in the relieving of traffic problems and congestion on city streets due to the fact that a greater number of cars can be speedily and easily parked in a building which occupies but a small fragment of the land which would ordinarily be necessary to provide parking for the number of cars which this car parking tower can house.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this car parking tower, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the car parking tower comprising the present invention;

Figure 2 is another elevational view of the car parking tower, looking in a direction normal to the plane of view as seen in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial plan view of the drive mechanism utilized to actuate the drive gears which engage the ring gears mounted on the sprocket wheels;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the sprocket wheels shown with the sector gears attached thereto;

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevational view of a portion of one of the sprocket wheels and associated sector gears;

Figure 6 is a detail view illustrating the manner in which the chain engages the sprocket wheels;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the car carrying cages;

Figure 8 is an end elevational view of a car carrying cage;

Figure 9 is an elevational view of the means utilized for attaching the car carrying cages to the chain; and

Figure 10 is a sectional detail view as taken along the plane of line 10-10 in Figure 9.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawnite States Patent ings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, and with particular attention initially to Figures 1 and 2, it will be noted that the car parking tower is generally designated by reference numeral 10 and includes a plurality of vertically extending channel-shaped members 12 which form the vertical frame of the car parking tower 10 and which are secured to a suitable base, as at 14, forming the founda tion of this building. The vertical frame members 12 have a plurality of horizontal frame members 16 attached thereto and extending therebetween to hold the vertical frame members 12 in spaced relationship with the horizontal frame members 16 being also of channel shape. Angularly extending braces 18 interconnect the various portions of the vertical frame members 12 and the hori- Zontal frame members 16 to provide a comparatively rigid structure.

Supported in bearing blocks, as at 20 and 22, is a main drive shaft 24 which carries a pair of sprocket wheels 26 and 28. Bearing blocks 30 and 32 have shafts 34 and 36 journaled therein which carry sprocket Wheels 38 and A pair of endless chains 42 and 44 are entrained about the upper and lower sprocket wheels 38 and 26, and 40 and 28, respectively. As can be seen in Figure 6, the teeth 46 of the sprocket wheels are adapted to extend through alternate links 48 of the chains. 1

The sprocket wheels 26 and 28 are designed to be integrally cast and to be bolted or riveted to flanges 50 carried by the shaft 24. Also riveted to the sprocket wheel, such as the wheel 26 or 28, as can be best seen in Figure 4, are a plurality of sector gears 52 each of which is attached by means of a plurality of rivets 54 to the sprocket wheel and which have teeth 56 in the outer periphery thereof. The sector gears 52 are also mounted in abutting relationship to each other and have the angle shaped flanges 58 thereof interconnected and attached to each other by means of rivets 60. Rivets 62 attach the sector gears 52 to flanges 64.

The utilization of the sector gears 52 which are detachably secured to the sector wheel is believed to be unique and highly advantageous since most wear apparently occurs between the drive gears 66 and 68 and the teeth 56 of the sector gears 52. Hence, more accurate machining of the teeth 5'6 can be accomplished by forming these teeth in relatively small sections which also reduces the amount of warping possible therein. Further, should the teeth of one of the sector gears 52 become defective, it is quite easy to replace a single sector gear, thus avoiding the necessity of the complete replacement of an entire sprocket wheel and gear assembly were such to be integrally cast. The sector gears 52 when arranged in abutting relationship form the ring gears which are engaged by the drive gears 66 and 68. The drive gears 66 and 68 are mounted on stub shafts 70 and 72 and are driven through gear boxes 74 and 76 by drive rods 78 and 80 receiving motor power through transmissions 32 and 84 which are connected by means of shafts 86 and 88 to a prime mover 90. The prime mover 90 may be an electric motor or other suitable apparatus.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 7 through 10, it will be seen that there are suspended on the chains 42 and 44 a plurality of car carrying cages generally designated by reference numeral 92 and which include a pair of end frame members 94 and 96. The end frame members are generally of channel construction and include reinforcing plates, as at 98, which interconnect the channel elements to form a suitable hollow frame through which a vehicle is capable of passing. Attached to the upper transverse channel-shaped frame members 192 are pairs of generally triangular-shaped plates 104, through which a tubular member 106 extends.

Carried by the end frame members 94 and 96 is a substantially rectangular frame 108 which has angleshaped members 110 and 112 attached thereto. The rectangular frame 108 and the angle members 110 and 112 cooperate toform channel- shaped guides 114 and 116 for the wheels of a vehicle so that the vehicle may be suitably carried by the cage 92. Substantially transverseshaped channel-shaped members 118 extend between the angle- shaped members 110 and 112 and the frame 108 to reinforce the construction.

The car carrying cages 92 are attached to and suspended from the chains 42 and 44 by means of suitable mounting plates 120 to which the links 48 of the chains are welded. The plates 120 have flanges 122 welded or otherwise attached thereto which, in turn, are attached to mounting plates 124 bolted, as at 126, to the Plates 128 forming the ends of the hollow cylindrical members 130, which are seated in the tubular members 106, see Figure 7, forming a rotary mounting. In this manner, upon operation of the sprocket wheels due to power being transmitted from the prime mover 90, the chains .42 and 44 will be actuated so as to raise the car carrying cages 92. However, due to the action of gravity, even though there is angular displacement of the car carrying cages 92, the car carrying cages 92 will continuously maintain a vertical position suitably supporting the vehicles. Grease fittings, as at 132, see Figure 7, are provided for ensuring proper functioning of the apparatus.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readilyunderstood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described,

and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In combination a car parking tower having pairs of upper and lower sprocket wheels and a pair of drive chains encircling said wheels with car carrying cages rotatably suspended from said chains at spaced intervals, drive means connected to at least one of said sprocket wheels, said drive means including a plurality of sector gears attached to said one sprocket wheel, and a drive gear engaging said sector gears, said sector gears being arranged in abutting relationship to form a ring gear of smaller diameter than said one sprocket wheel, said ring gear and said one sprocket wheel being concentric, said sector gears having abutting flanges with said flanges being secured to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 688,570 Anthony et al Dec. 10, 1901 834,037 Arthur Oct. 23, 1906 847,147 Arthur Mar. 12, 1907 1,551,444 Wagenhorst Aug. 25, 1925 2,189,168 Cook Feb. 6, 1940 2,429,008 Wolfe Oct. 14, 1947 2,446,660 Mulkey et al Aug. 10, 1948 2,525,516 Bergmann et al. Oct. 10, 1950 2,619,240 Teason Nov. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 67,424 Germany Feb. 16, 1893 587,998 France Jan. 24, 1925

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