Abstract:
An overhead storage device having a lifting range. A constant torque spring is attached to a power pulley and is adapted to apply an approximately constant torque to the power pulley. A cable is partially wound around the power pulley and has an attachment mechanism at one end of the cable. A locking mechanism is adapted to permit the attachment mechanism and an attached load to be lowered and locked at any desired position within the range of the device. The approximately constant torque applied by the constant torque spring continuously causes the cable, unless restrained, to be further wound on the pulley.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application 61/403,487 filed Sep. 16, 2010, which is incorporated by reference herein. The present invention relates to storage devices and in particular to overhead storage devices. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Most families in the United States own one or more bicycles. Only a small portion of the populations regularly rides the bicycles. Most bicycles in the United States are in storage, often with flat tires and rusty chains. Many bicycle storage devices have been proposed. Many of these devices seek to store the bicycles in spaces not needed for other uses, such as up above floor spaces, for example, by hanging the bicycle from a ceiling in a garage, above normal automobile spaces. Some prior art patents covering bicycle storage include the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,872,972, 6,161,207, 3,907,113 and 5,183,162. U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,972 includes a rack for hanging a bicycle above the floor and includes a counterweight to ease the effort associated with raising the bicycle. 
         [0003]    Prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,370,843 and 7,753,343 disclose a retractable load support system including a constant torque spring for providing an approximately constant torque to a spool arranged to lift a load like a bicycle for overhead storage. The system included a gerotor “for dampening the raising of [the load] in a relatively fast manner which can damage the [load or the support system]. A gerotor is a special fluid pump and in this system the fluid was merely circled to dissipate energy so as to slow down the lifting of the load. The gerotor adds considerably to the cost of the system. 
         [0004]    What is needed is a better device for storing bicycle and other items which clutter a garage. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides an overhead storage device. The device is particularly suited for storing items commonly stored in a garage, such as bicycles, golf clubs, and yard equipment, which occupy floor space and often exclude the ability to park an automobile in the garage. In particular the device includes a mechanism for hoisting the object to be stored such as a bicycle above floor level. The device includes a cable with an attachment mechanism at one end of the cable. The cable is partially wound on a spool. A constant torque spring applies an approximately constant torque to the spool. This approximately constant torque continuously causes the cable, unless restrained, to be further wound on the spool. The device includes a special locking mechanism which allows the attachment mechanism and an attached load to be lowered and locked at any desired position within the range of the device. In preferred embodiments the locking mechanism includes a pawl and ratchet unit adapted to restrain any lifting of the load unless a release cord attached to the pawl (between a pivot axis of the pawl and the ratchet) is pulled downward. The pawl and ratchet unit is preferably designed to require a downward force greater than the typical load to be applied to the release cord in order to pull the cord downward releasing the locking mechanism (if no load (or a relatively light load) is attached to the attachment mechanism. This feature prevents an accidental release of the locking mechanism when no load is attached to the attachment mechanism. Such an accidental release could damage the load and/or the storage device. 
         [0006]    Preferred embodiments provide for the storage of two bicycles on two independent pivoting arms, by raising each separately from a standing position on the floor to a position near or at the ceiling or in the case of an open beam and rafter between the joists for storage out of way of persons or objects. The preferred device further allows the bicycles held by the storage device to be positioned by separate pivoting arms for each bicycle in an arc about the central support shaft such that the bikes may be independently positioned at the ceiling against a wall or above other obstacles or a vehicle such as an automobile, truck or SUV for storage in their raised position through the spring and pulley system. The Pivoting arms allow the bicycles to be raised and lowered from a convenient location within an arc around the main support shaft and then pivoted to the desired storage location, which can be above other objects which would otherwise interfere with raising and lowering if the pivoting capability was not present. The main support is accomplished by “pinching the vertical support between the ceiling and the floor to support the load with no load bearing fasteners to the ceiling, floor or walls. A means are also provided to tilt the bicycle horizontally as it is raised to allow it to take less headroom when it is stored. 
         [0007]    The lifting mechanism may also be mounted independently of the pivoting arms and support pole in a fixed position. Alternative mounting means are where the lift mechanism is mounted directly to the ceiling rafters or a wall by means of securing bolts and or mounted in a position which straddles the joists, where it is secured by screws or bolts. The invention is not limited to lifting of bicycles. The device allows for other items to be stored, such as golf clubs, yard equipment, etcetera, out of the way, by raising them above floor level. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIGS. 1-3   b  show a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIGS. 4-4   b  show another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  shows a preferred bike load hook. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a bicycle storage device, which allows a bicycle to be lifted by a constant torque spring mechanism  1  and pulley system  5 , from its standing position on the ground to a position at the top of the lifting device&#39;s travel for storage. A bicycle  2  or other load is attached by a load hook  3 , as shown in  FIG. 1  to a lift cable  4  suspended by the device&#39;s power pulley  5  which is attached to containment box  58  through a shaft  8 , shown in  FIG. 2 . A constant torque spring  7 , supplies a force slightly greater than the weight of the object load (bicycle), such that the load object will rise until the maximum lift height is reached or the object reaches the ceiling. A preferred constant torque spring is available from Vulcan Springs, Inc. with offices in Telford, Pa. 
         [0015]    The object load (bicycle) is lowered by manually applying a small amount of downward force, by pulling downward on the object attached to the load hook  3 . As the object load  2  (a bicycle) of  FIG. 1  is lowered the pawl  9  and ratchet  10  mechanism, shown in  FIG. 2  allow it to descend by rotating (in this example a counter clockwise rotation) but when the downward pull is stopped the load object will tend to rise due to the torque applied to it by the constant torque spring  7  by turning the power pulley  5  in a clockwise direction this will cause the pawl  9  to engage the ratchet  10  and prevent the power pulley from turning and the load from rising. The pawl  9  is positioned such that an arc from its pivot position with a radius equal to the distance from the pivot to the pawl  10  apex will intersect the circumference of the ratchet teeth, root circle. The position at which the pawl  9  stops the rotation of the ratchet  10  is where the lower intersection of the two circles occurs. This action allows the load to be stopped at any point in its travel, when the downward force applied by the user is stopped. With the pawl  9  engaged into the ratchet  10 , the object load, such as a bicycle, can be removed from the load hook  3  of  FIG. 1 . The load hook  3  remains at whatever height above the floor it was positioned at. 
         [0016]    The lift cable  4  is wound around the power pulley  5 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , to which the lift cable  4  is attached and connected by a shaft to the output spool  11  of the constant torque spring  7 . The constant torque spring mechanism  1  is comprised of a support structure  1  and a constant torque spring  7 , which is wound around two spools. The output spool  11  and the storage spool  12 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , which are supported by their respective axle shafts. A portion of the constant torque spring is coiled about the output spool  11  and a portion about the storage spool  12  in the reverse rotation as shown in  FIG. 2 . This reversal of the winding from the output spool  11  to the storage spool  12  creates a nearly constant torque on the output spool  11 , which is transferred to the power pulley  5  by the connecting axle  8  connected to the power pulley  5 . The torque transferred to the power pulley  5  generates a force which tends to wind the lift cable  4  about the power pulley and thereby lift the load of the attached bicycle or other object, within the lifting limits of the torque, which is supplied by the constant torque spring  7 . 
         [0017]    The spring is designed such that the torque it generates in combination with the size of the output spool produces a force, which is slightly greater than the weight of the intended load (bicycle for example) to be lifted. The maximum lifting capability is determined by the proper choice of the spring parameters, spool diameters and the power pulley&#39;s diameter. For a given constant torque spring, the lifting torque and thereby the load lifting capability of the device can be adjusted to suit the intended load by adjusting the diameter of the power pulley  5 . This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, for example by replacing the spool with a suitable diameter for the load, by adding or removing a hollow cylindrical sleeve to the base power pulley  5  to increase its diameter, or by winding a material about the spool upon which the lifting cable rides on top of, thereby increasing the effective diameter as experienced by the lifting cable  4 . The spring mechanism provides a nearly constant torque independent of the number of turns on the output and storage spools; this creates a nearly constant force on the lift cable, which is always tending to lift the object load. 
         [0018]    To lower the load a downward force is applied by the user which overcomes the constant torque spring force applied to the power pulley  5  such that it unwinds the lift cable  4 , causing the load to descend. This will wind further turns of the constant torque spring  7  onto the output spool  11  as the load is lowered. In normal operation the constant torque spring  7  is coiled about the storage spool  12  with only a few turns about the output spool  11 . As the load is lowered, from its uppermost position, it winds an increasing portion of the constant torque spring  7  about the output spool  11 , which supplies torque to the power pulley  5  and thereby provides a force to resist the weight of the object load, attached to the lift cable  4 , in affect counter balancing it. During lowering of the load, the pawl  9 , is not engaged into the ratchet  10 , attached to the power pulley  5 . However, when the load reaches the desired height and the downward force applied by the user is released, the pawl  9  will engage a tooth of the ratchet  10  preventing it from turning and thereby any upward travel of the lift cable  4 . This allows the load to be lowered to any desired height and removed from the load hook  3 , shown in  FIG. 1 , at any position along its travel. 
         [0019]    To raise the load, the pawl  9  is disengaged from its associated ratchet  10  by pulling a release cord  14  attached to it. The action of pulling the release cord  14 , overcomes the force of the pawl spring  13  Pulling the cord overcomes the force of pawl spring  13 , and also turns ratchet  10  about three degrees (enough to free the active end of pawl  9  from the teeth of ratchet  1 . This disengaging pawl  9  allowing the ratchet  10  attached to the output spool  11  to rotate in a direction which causes the load cable  4  to be wound around the power pulley  5 , which in turn causes the load to rise. When the load is not attached on the load  3  the release of the pawl  9  is prevented by the force of the torque, which is trying to turn the ratchet mechanism counter to its rotation for lowering a load and thereby holding the pawl  9  against a tooth of the ratchet  10 , preventing it, the power pulley  5  and output spool  11  from turning in a counterclockwise direction in  FIG. 2 . When a load is placed on the load hook  3  it counter balances the force, on the pawl  9 , which is tending to keep it engaged into a ratchet  10  tooth, thereby allowing the pawl  9  to be easily disengaged, by pivoting downward, about pawl hinge pin  15 , when the release cord  14  is pulled. 
       Alternate Release Mechanism 
       [0020]    In the above described release mechanism, the release cord must be pulled down during the entire time the load is being raised, in order to keep the pawl  9  from re-engaging the teeth of ratchet  10 . This is convenient for stopping the load at any point during its ascension. However it may be inconvenient for some applications to continuously pull the release cord  14  as the load is raised. Therefore, an alternate release mechanism is described in  FIG. 3 . In this mechanism when the release cord  14  is pulled downward it rotates the cam  15 , which is in its up position as shown in  FIG. 3   a , about hinge pin  16 , overcoming the spring force of spring  17 , which is tending to rotate the cam  15  counter clockwise. The cam  15  rotates clockwise, until its bottom edge contacts the stop pin  18 . The arm  22  and the release lever  20  are also rotated about hinge pins  19 ,  21 , and  25 . The lower end of the cam spring  17 , will rotate about hinge pin  16 . As its lower end rotates clockwise from its position shown in  FIG. 3   a  to the position shown in  FIG. 3   b , the centerline of the spring moves from the right of the hinge pin  16  about which it pivots, to the left side of the hinge pin  16 . Thereby changing the force applied on the cam  15 , from tending to rotate it counter clockwise to a force, which tends to rotate it clockwise. Therefore, when the downward pull on the release cord  14  is stopped, the cam  15 , arm  22  and release lever  20  will all remain in their downward rotated positions, as shown in  FIG. 3   b . The pawl  9  remains engaged in the ratchet  10  due to the clockwise rotational force of the constant torque spring  7  of  FIG. 2 , tending to rotate the ratchet clockwise, as it overcomes the counterclockwise force on the power pulley  5  and ratchet  10  exerted by the load, as shown in  FIG. 3   b . When the load on the load hook  3  is lowered slightly, by an amount equal to one tooth rotation of the ratchet  10 , the pawl  9  will disengage from the ratchet  10  and rotate downward about hinge pin  16  until its lower edge contacts hinge pin  21 , stopping its further rotation. The pawl  9  remains disengaged and the load can rise without the release cord  14  being continuously pulled. When the load reaches its raised storage position a sphere  23 , shown in  FIG. 3   b  affixed in the appropriate position on the lift cable  4 , at a position slightly above the load hook  3 , will contact the release loop  24  on the release lever  20 , causing it to rotate clockwise, pushing arm  22 , upward causing cam  15  to rotate counterclockwise, and thereby rotating pawl  9  counterclockwise until it re-engages a tooth of the ratchet  10 . The spring  17  will also have had its lower end rotate counterclockwise, causing the force on the cam  15  to return to a force which tends to turn the cam  15  counterclockwise, thereby holding the pawl  9  against the teeth of ratchet  10 , as shown in  FIG. 3   a . With the pawl re-engaged in the ratchet the load is stopped from rising further and the load is held in the raised storage position, ready to be lowered again. 
       Automatic Load Release 
       [0021]    Another alternative for releasing the load eliminates the load release cord  14  entirely. In this alternative the load can be caused to start up to its raised position by putting the load on the load hook  3  and then by pushing the load down slightly, much like the action used to raise a window shade. This mechanism is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In operation with the load in its raised position the pawl  9  will be engaged into the ratchet  10  as shown in  FIG. 4   a . As the load is lowered the pawl  9  is held in place against the ratchet  10  by the cam  15  and the cam spring  17 . When the load is lowered and removed from the load hook  3 , the load cable  4  will become slack on rollers  28  and  29  and against release roller  27  As Shown in  FIG. 4   b . This will allow the release spring  26  to overcome the force of the cam spring  17 , as it exerts a downward force on the release roller  27  and its attached release wire  30 . The release wire  30  engages pin  32  and causes the arm  22  to be pulled downward which rotates the cam  15  clockwise. The cam spring  17  rotates its lower end, such that the cam spring  17  changes the force on the cam  15 , which was tending to rotate it counterclockwise to a position, which tends to rotate the cam  15  clockwise. The pawl  9  remains engaged with the ratchet  10  as the force of the torque applied by the constant torque spring  7  tends to rotate it clockwise, thereby causing the pawl  9  to be held engaged with it, stopping further rotation in a clockwise direction. When the load is placed back on the load hook  3 , the lift cable will become tight on the rollers  28  and  29  and lift the release roller  27  vertically, constrained by the slot  31  in which the release roller  27  slides in. As the roller  27  is lifted the release spring  26  force is overcome and the release wire  30  rises to a position as shown in  FIG. 4   a , where it no longer is in contact with the hinge pin  32  on the arm  22 . With a load on the load hook  3  a small downward pressure applied to the load, will then cause the ratchet  10  to rotate counter clockwise. This in rotate will allow the pawl  9  to rotate clockwise and disengage from the ratchet  10  until it contacts hinge pin  32  as shown in  FIG. 4   b . With the pawl  9  disengaged from the ratchet  10 . The power pulley  5  can rotate clockwise raising the load, while the pawl  9  continues to be disengaged from the ratchet ( 10 ). As the lift cable winds about the power pulley  5  a sphere  23  attached to the lift cable  4  just above the load hook  3  will reach the lift lever  33 , shown in  FIG. 4   a , causing it to pivot about hinge pin  34 , which in turn will cause the attached arm  22  to push cam  1  in a counterclockwise rotation, which lifts the pawl  9  in a counterclockwise rotation until it re-engages a tooth on the ratchet  10  causing the rotation to be stopped and thereby the load to be stopped in its raised position as shown in  FIG. 4   a , ready for the load to be lowered again. 
       Centrifugal Clutch: 
       [0022]    Because the constant force spring in normal operation counter balances the weight of the load it will only cause a gradual rise, when the pawl  9  is disengaged from the ratchet  10 . However, an optional attachment may be used to ensure that the power pulley  5  driven by the constant torque spring can not cause a rapid ascent of the load hook  3  if no load is present, such as, if the pawl  9  were to fail or somehow become disengaged from the ratchet  10  when no load is present. Under rapid acceleration the centrifugal clutch as shown in  FIG. 5  would engage and stop rotation. The operation of the centrifugal clutch is as follows. A clutch disc  35  attached to the power spool rotates with it. A clutch arm  36  rotates freely about the axel  8  of the power pulley  5 . The clutch disc  35  has tapered pads  37  affixed to it at two points as shown in  FIG. 5 . The clutch arm also has tapered pads  38  affixed to its ends, with the opposite slant as those on the clutch disk  35 . A coil spring  39  pushes the clutch arm toward the clutch disk  35  and tends to rotate it counterclockwise such that it rests against the stop pins  40 , 41 , with the tapered pads  37 ,  38  have there low ends just touching each other, during normal slow rotation of the power pulley  5 . If the spool experiences rapid acceleration, the inertia of the clutch arm  36  will tend to prevent it from rotating, while the clutch disk  35  is forced to rotate clockwise, with rapid acceleration. This combined with centrifugal force it will tend to cause the pads of the clutch disk  35  to ride up the pads of the clutch arm  36 ) causing the distance between the clutch disk  35  and the clutch arm  36  to increase, as the clutch spring  39  force, pushing them together is overcome. As the clutch arm  36  moves away from the clutch disk  35  it can engage the clutch pins  42 ,  43  which it would normally pass under, at slow rotation, to become engaged with them, which will stop rotation of the clutch disk  35  and the power pulley  5  as the clutch arm  36  becomes wedged against the stop pins  44 ,  45  and the clutch pins  42 ,  43 . The force of the constant force spring will keep the clutch arm  36  wedged in this locked position after rotation stops. Reversing the rotation by placing a load on the load hook  3  and putting a slight downward pressure on the load will cause the clutch disk  35  attached to the power spool  5  to rotate counterclockwise, which will allow the clutch spring  39  to push and rotate the clutch arm  36  back against the clutch disc  35  with the tapered pads returned, such that their low ends are just touching, thereby allowing the normal lift action to proceed. 
       Swing Arms 
       [0023]    To facilitate storage in locations which may be crowded with other objects, such as in a garage, the counter torque mechanism  1  shown in  FIG. 1  may be mounted on movable swing arms  37 ,  38  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The swing arms  37 ,  38  shown in  FIG. 6  may rotate in any direction with the load attached, or not, to facilitate the placement of the loads in a convenient location when they are stored and or for loading and unloading of the object load, such as a bicycle. The two swing arms consist of a channel or tubular sections  38  to which are affixed the pulleys  39 ,  40 , which guide the lift cable  4 . Each swing arm has two hinge sections  44 ,  45 . One is affixed to the end perpendicular to the horizontal section of the arm  39  oriented vertically and one attached to a brace  44  which extends from a point along the horizontal section of the swing arm  37  to the second hinge tube section  42 , which is spaced a distance below the horizontal swing arm section  37 . The second hinge section  42  is affixed with its axis aligned along the axis of the upper hinge section  41 . The tubular hinge sections  40 ,  41  have a diameter slightly larger than the vertical support shaft  44 . These hinge tubes are positioned concentrically over the vertical support shaft  44 , such that they can pivot freely about the vertical support shaft  42 . The two swing arms  37 ,  38  are interspersed on the vertical support shaft  44  as shown in  FIG. 5 . A bushing  45  is positioned between the two lower hinge tubes of each swing arm, such that the lower edge of hinge tube  42  of the uppermost swing arm  37  rest on the top edge of bushing  45 . A second bushing  46  is placed below the lower most hinge section of swing arm  42 . The bottom edge of the lower hinge tube of swing arm  40  rests on this bushing  46 . Below this a locking bracket  47  is affixed to the vertical support shaft  44 . The weight of the swing arms and their load are supported by this locking bracket  47 . The swing arms  37 ,  38  rotate freely about their tube hinges on the bushings  45 ,  46 . The swing arm assembly consists of six main components, the vertical support shaft  44 , the swing arms  37 ,  38 , the pulleys  39 ,  40 , in  FIG. 3  and the constant torque spring mechanism  1  shown in  FIG. 1 , the load cables  4  and the load hook  3 . The vertical support  44  in  FIG. 6  is the main support of the device. It has four main components to it, a vertical support shaft  44 , a height adjusting shaft  48 , a top plate  49 , and a bottom plate  50 . The main support shaft  44  is a cylindrical hollow tubular shaft, which is used in conjunction with the height adjustment shaft  48  to span the space between the floor and ceiling. The combined shafts comprise the load bearing support of the device. The support shaft  44  and the adjustment shaft  48 , are in sections fastened together to form the desired length for a particular installation. These sections provide a more compact form factor for shipping of the device. The vertical support shaft  44  is held in place by the adjustment shaft  48  at the bottom of the vertical shaft  44 , which is concentric with it. The height adjusting shaft  48  is slid to a position on the main shaft such that it and the main shaft  44  span the distance between the ceiling and the floor. Their combined length pinches them between the ceiling and the floor, holding them securely in place and supporting the total weight of the device the load attached (bicycle) to the load hook, when in operation, without any load bearing attachment to the walls, ceiling or floor. The height adjustment shaft  48  is a tubular hollow shaft with the same shape as the vertical support shaft  44  but slightly larger or smaller in cross section than the vertical support shaft  44 . The height adjustment shaft  48  is fitted concentrically around the vertical support shaft  44 , either inside of it or outside of it. During device installation the height adjustment shaft, which is a fraction of the length of the main shaft, is slid along the main vertical support shaft  44  with its stop bracket  51  loosened, such that the height adjustment shaft slides freely along the main shaft, allowing it to adjust the combined height to span the ceiling to floor distance. The combined length of the main shaft and height adjustment shaft are adjusted to cause the top plate  49  to press against the ceiling, while lower end bottom plate  50  of the height adjustment shaft  48  is pressed securely against the floor. The stop bracket  51  has two halves hinged together at one end. The other end has a bolt which passes through it. It is constructed such that when the bolt is tightened the bracket will tighten around the vertical support shaft  44  when shaft  44  is smaller than shaft  48  or around height adjustment shaft  48 ) when it is smaller than vertical support shaft  44 , which prevents the adjustment shaft  48  from sliding with respect to the vertical support shaft  44 , thereby fixing the combined length of the shafts, pinching the device between the ceiling and the floor. The bottom plate  50  has an adjuster in it to further allow the support shaft to be firmly pinched between the ceiling and the floor, with the stop bracket  51  tightened against the vertical support shaft it maintains the combined length of the two shafts, which thereby provides the load bearing support for the device, and load. 
         [0024]    Alternatively for installations in which there is not a flat ceiling such as an open joists and rafter garage the main support shaft  44  is affixed to a convenient garage joist or rafter by a clamp. For these ceilings in which the joists and rafters are exposed, an alternate to pinching the vertical support shaft  44  between the ceiling and the floor is to secure the vertical support shaft  44  to a joist or rafter with clamps in a position near the end of its length. In this application the height adjusting shaft  48  is adjusted to extend the vertical support shaft up into the joist area, the height is adjusted as described for a sheet rocked enclosed flat ceiling installation but adjusted to achieve a mounting location to a joist or rafter were the clamp can be applied rather than pinched between floor and ceiling as described earlier. This alternate mounting then allows additional height for the load or bicycle to be raised up into the space between the joists, thereby creating additional headroom, below the stored objects such as bicycle(s) to allow unimpeded passage beneath them. The swing arms  37 ,  38  can be positioned such that two bicycles may be stored between the ceiling joists in this manner. 
         [0025]    Alternately the constant torque mechanism  1  as shown in  FIG. 1  with all other aspects the same as the preferred embodiment can be affixed directly to the ceiling joist(s) with a bar  50  to bridge the distance between two joists as shown in  FIG. 1  to provide the entire load bearing support, for the mechanism and load (bicycles), with no swing arms or vertical support shafts. Another alternate, is to bolt the constant force mechanism, to a ceiling joist, in either an exposed joist ceiling or a flat sheet rocked ceiling with bolts suitable to carry the combined load of the constant torque mechanism  1  and the intended load using the bar  52  affixed to the top of the constant force mechanism  1  and then bolted to the ceiling joist. This can be done by mounting along the joists length or spanning two joists. In these cases multiple constant torque mechanisms  1  as shown in  FIG. 1  can be independently mounted, as separate lifting mechanisms, for as many loads as desired. 
       Horizontal Bicycle Storage 
       [0026]    To provide additional headroom for the storage of a bicycle when it is in its raised position, the bicycle may be attached to an alternative mooring apparatus, which allows the bicycle to be stored horizontally. The horizontal storage apparatus provides three mooring cables, as shown in  FIG. 7  attached at one end to the load hook  3 , the other end of which are attached to points on the bicycle. The harness attaches to two fixed brackets, which are mounted to the bicycle in the appropriate positions and the third may use the bicycle load hook  3  described below or a third a fixed attachment point. The three attachment locations are; one at the pedal crank  53  area, one at the rear frame area  55  in proximity to the rear axle, and one on the bicycle cross bar  54 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . “J” shaped hooks, at the end of each mooring line, attach to the fixed brackets on the bicycle. The brackets, which are affixed to the bicycle, are suitably covered in a soft material to prevent scratching or other damage to the bicycle. In operation after attaching the lift harness to the three points, the bicycle is allowed to lean into a near horizontal position, and the user then pulls the release cord  14 , which causes the bicycle to rise to the desired storage height. The alternate release mechanism and or the auto release mechanism may also be used in the horizontal bike lift configuration. The attachment points are positioned such that, as the bicycle is raised, the bicycle will be tipped to a nearly horizontal position, but with a slight tilt toward the rear of the bicycle, such that it remains balanced between the three support attachment points. Storing the bike in this near horizontal position provides greater space between it and the floor thereby providing greater headroom, than in the case where the bicycle is held vertically. To prevent the front wheel from rotating about the steering axis when it is lifted in the near horizontal orientation, a storage strap  55  is affixed between the front wheel and the frame member  56 . It holds the front bicycle wheel such that it is maintained in approximately the same plane as the frame, during lifting and storage. This strap  57  may be similarly attached for vertical orientation storage, as shown in  FIG. 1  to prevents the front wheel from turning during lifting and storage and thereby provide a more compact profile for storage. 
       Bike Load Hook 
       [0027]    The load hook  3  in  FIG. 1  secures the load (bicycle) to the device for lifting. Since bicycles may have different shapes and angles of their top frame member, the load hook must accommodate them. In particular for top frame members which are not, nearly horizontal, the load hook must be attached such that, the load hook  3  does not slide along the top frame member to which it is attached.  FIG. 8  illustrates the special bike load hook for bicycles. The bicycle load hook is comprised of a the main body  60 , an adjustable clamping portion  61 , which is hinged to the main body  60  with a hinge pin  62 , a latch lever  63  and a tightening cam  64 . The portion  60  is affixed to the lift cable  4 . A bicycle is placed on the “J” shaped main portion of the bicycle load hook  60  with latch lever  63  opened. With the bicycle is resting on the bottom of the “J” shaped portion  60  of the bicycle load hook  59 , the clamping portion  60  is rotated around the cross bar of the bicycle and the latch lever  63  is engaged around the end of the clamping portion  61  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The tightening cam  64  is rotated about pin  65  in slot  66  with handle  67  to pull the clamp portion  61  around the bicycle cross frame, with the latch lever  63 , which tightens and secures the clamp portion  61  around the bicycle frame member. The load hook portions  60 ,  61  are covered with a high friction soft material such that it slightly compresses as the tightening cam  64  is tightens the clamping portion  61  to securely hold the bicycle without damaging or scratching it. 
         [0028]    Although the above-preferred embodiments have been described with specificity, persons skilled in this art will recognize that many changes to the specific embodiments disclosed above could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the attached claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of the invention