The present invention generally relates to crawl space organization systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to mechanical systems, devices and methods of use in providing users with a convenient, efficient way of storing and retrieving articles.
Many homes are constructed to comprise a crawl space which may be used to store personal articles and belongings. Many home owners who live in houses with a crawl space find storage of personal articles and belongings in a crawl space to be inconvenient, cumbersome and inefficient. A need exists for a system and apparatus to facilitate convenient and efficient storage of personal articles and belongings in a crawl space.
According to a first aspect of the present application, a first example of a crawl space organization system is disclosed. The system comprises a drive element and a cable winding element mechanically driven by the drive element. The system further comprises a cable connected to the cable winding element and a cable guide cooperating with the cable to define a drive path. A lead cart is mechanically connected to the cable, and activation of the drive element causes the lead cart to travel along the drive path.
The accompanying figures, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various example apparatuses, systems, methods, and so on, and are used merely to illustrate various example embodiments. It should be noted that various components depicted in the figures may not be drawn to scale, and that the various assemblies and designs depicted in the figures are presented for purposes of illustration only, and should not be considered in any way as limiting.
As shown in the provided drawings and as described below, the disclosed apparatus and system provides an elegant solution to the problem of accessing storage crawl spaces in a home or other building via an efficient, cost effective and automated system and apparatus. The embodiments described herein allow a user to store articles in various storage containers and to access these containers from the exterior of the crawl space, that is, without the need for the user to physically crawl into the space. This is accomplished through a series of connected storage containers that may be moved forward and backward along a defined drive path or line of traversal via a motorized drive system.
The embodiments described herein accomplish the goal of increased convenience for users via a simple, and cost efficient design. Rather than requiring expensive parts such as chains or conveyor belts, the disclosed apparatus and system make use of inexpensive and readily available parts such as steel cables and metal conduits, in some embodiments. The disclosed apparatus and system do not require pulleys or tracks because, pursuant to the novel design herein, the storage carts themselves self orientate along the desired line of traversal. As described below, the storage carts in one embodiment are pulled from below, rather than from above, eliminating the need for a complicated series of custom located pulleys. Moreover, each storage cart contains a set of concave guide wheels that straddle a conduit containing the drive cable, thus allowing the carts to remain properly orientated along the line of traversal without the need for tracks.
As will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the embodiments described herein contain an additional advantage over the prior art of allowing for a generally uniform and inexpensive means of installing the device in a variety of differently dimensioned crawl spaces.
As shown in the example embodiment of
In one embodiment, the winding reels 133 comprise two three inch diameter reels, also referred to as “split drum winding reels.” Each reel may be attached to one end of a drive cable 140, which extends the length of the line of traversal 120 via conduit 121 that forms guiding means. Conduit 121 may be embodied as ½″ round metal conduit aluminum or steel, screwed to a substrate with ⅛″×1 and ½″ Phillips pan head screws.
Driving means is formed by drive element 130, drive shaft 132, and winding reels 133. The drive element 130 may be used to engage the winding reels 133 in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion, causing the conduit to spool on one reel as it unspools on the other. As discussed in greater detail below, the drive cable 140 is attached to the storage means 110, allowing the element 130 to move the storage means 110 forward along the line of traversal 120 by spooling the drive cable 140 on one of the two winding reels 133. Likewise, the storage means 110 may be moved backward along the drive path by reversing the rotation of the winding reels 133 such that the drive cable 140 unspools from the first winding reel and spools on the other.
As also depicted in
Referring back to
Also depicted in
Also shown are two guide wheels 113, which, in one embodiment, may be 2″ diameter steel swivel roller wheels located in the center-front and center-back of the rectangular bottom of the depicted storage container. As discussed in more detail below, these guide wheels 113 may have a concave center portion in one embodiment which allows the guide wheels 113 to straddle the conduit 121 and thereby maintain the orientation of the storage means 110 along the line of traversal 120.
Turning now to
In one embodiment, the drive cart 111 also contains a set of drive cable mounting plates 116 below each of the two cable mounting plates 115. The drive cable mounting plates 116 allow the drive cable 140 to attach to each end of the drive cart 111. The drive cable 140 extends at an angle, roughly forty five degrees in one embodiment, from the drive cable mounting plate to the conduit 121. The drive cable 140 is held down by the guide wheels of each of the tow carts 110, which may extend, at regular intervals, the entire length of the line of traversal 120 via the conduit 121. In an alternate embodiment, a gap may be allowed in the chain of tow carts 112 to enable users to access the area inside of the closed loop formed by the line of traversal 120.
In one embodiment, the conduit 121 may be securely affixed to a plywood substrate 161 via screws, which pass through the aforementioned pilot holes located along the bottom of the conduit 121, through the substrate 161, such as ¾″ tongue and groove plywood, and into framing members 162. In one embodiment, the framing members 162 may rest upon or, alternately, be secured to a lower plywood substrate 163, such as ¾″ tongue and groove plywood. In one embodiment the lower substrate 163 may rest upon a bed of aggregate 164.
In one embodiment, an electric motor 131 of the drive element 130 is mounted on the lower plywood substrate 161 between the framing members 162.
In the depicted embodiment, the tow carts 112 are four inches by sixteen inches by eighteen inches and are spaced five and three quarter inches apart from each other and/or the drive cart 111. In the depicted embodiment, the distance between framing members 162 is one foot four inches. In the depicted embodiment, the tow cable is one-eighth inch steel or similar.
In the depicted embodiment, the drive cart 111 is four inches by sixteen inches by eighteen inches. In one embodiment, the clearance of each of the drive cart 111 and the plurality of tow cars 112 is four inches above the substrate 161. In one embodiment screws are used to secure the conduit to the substrate 161, said screws may be three quarters of an inch long, and the framing members 162 may be two inches by four inches spaced apart approximately 1′ 4″. In one embodiment, the lower plywood substrate 163 may be a half inch. In one embodiment the aggregate 164 may consist of two to four inches of crushed gravel with six mil vapor barrier.
Turning now to
In
The embodiment of the flared conduit end 150 shown in the plan view of
Turning now to
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
Furthermore, while the devices, systems, methods, and so on have been illustrated by describing examples, and while the examples have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict, or in any way, limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the devices, systems, methods, and so on provided herein. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general inventive concept. Thus, this application is intended to embrace alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. The preceding description is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Finally, to the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is employed in the detailed description or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising,” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “or” is employed in the claims (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both.” When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B, but not both,” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Similarly, when the applicants intend to indicate “one and only one” of A, B, or C, the applicants will employ the phrase “one and only one.” Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995).
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/159,849 filed Mar. 13, 2009, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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61159849 | Mar 2009 | US |