HOIST

Abstract: The invention is a hoist (10) particularly useful for mounting, lifting, and displaying ornamental display objects (12) such as pictures, posters, murals, plexiglass displays, and ornamental fabrics. The hoist has at least two cables (18) that attach to display objects. The two cables are spaced apart to prevent the display object from rotating. The hoist can be mounted to a high ceiling (34) and the cables lowered from a distance by remote control (76) to allow an operator to mount a display object from the ground and then raise it to a desired viewing height.

Description: HOIST UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Artwork and graphic displays are commonly used for advertising, promotional, and aesthetic purposes. For example, billboard sized movie posters are often displayed in movie theaters to promote movies and coming attractions. Also, paintings and other artwork display pieces are displayed for aesthetic viewing. These display objects are commonly large and mounted within a building having a high ceiling height, such as a theater, gallery, arena, concert hail, shopping mall, or stadium. Unfortunately, the position from which these displays are most effectively and dramatically displayed is often very high and difficult to reach. Also, current methods of display fixedly mount a display object such as a picture, poster, mural, plexiglass displays or ornamental fabric. Once the display is mounted to a frame or wall, it is cumbersome to take down the display object and replace it with another. This is a labor intensive procedure that is costly to theater owners, artwork dealers, and other business owners that use such displays. What is needed is a more accessible, flexible and reversible way to mount display objects. π. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a hoist that satisfies this need. The hoist comprises a housing having a longitudinal axis, a mounting surface, and a lift surface opposed to the mounting surface. The hoist has attachment members on the housing for attaching the hoist to a mounting wall member. The longitudinal axis of the housing is substantially parallel to the mounting wall member, and the mounting surface is proximate to the mounting wall member when the hoist is mounted to the mounting wall member. The hoist has at least two cables supported by the housing, with each cable having a lift end. The hoist has a cable drive supported by the housing for reverse driving the cables simultaneously to move up and down in unison into and out of the housing. The hoist has cable supports supported by the housing so that the lift ends of the cables are spaced apart by at least 1 foot as they move up and down. In a preferred embodiment, the hoist further comprises a lift bar and the hoist is operated by a remote control unit. This allows the operator to use the remote control to raise and lower the cables and lift bar in unison. Display objects such as a pictures, posters, murals, plexiglass displays, and ornamental fabric are typically reversibly mounted to the lift bar and lifted by the hoist to a desired display height. The invention also comprises a method for lifting and suspending an object comprising the steps of using the hoist described above, attaching the object to the cables with the cable ends spaced apart by at least one foot and causing the cable drive to raise the cables in unison, thereby raising the object. In a preferred embodiment, the object is a picture in a frame to be supported from a ceiling. IH. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying figures where: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hoist according to the present invention mounting wall member and supporting a display object; Figure 2 is a side view of the hoist of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a bottom view of the hoist of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the hoist of Figure 1, taken along line 4 - 4 in Figure 2, with detail drawing 4 A showing the hoist mounted to a horizontal planar mounting wall member and detail drawing 4B showing the hoist mounted to an angular mounting wall member; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the hoist of Figure 1, taken along line 5 - 5 in Figure 2; Figure 6 is a wiring schematic showing four circuits that control the forward and reverse rotation of the motor in response to the remote control responsive controller; IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention and several variations of that embodiment. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments. Practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. With reference to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the figures, the invention is a hoist 10 for lifting and mounting objects, and in particular for lifting and mounting display objects 12 and methods thereof. As shown in the embodiment illustrated in the Figures, the hoist 10 generally comprises a housing 14 attachment members 16 on the housing 14, at least two cables 18 supported by the housing 14, a cable drive 20 supported by the housing 14, and cable supports 22 supported by the housing 14. The housing 14 is typically elongate in shape and has a longitudinal axis. However, the housing 14 can incorporate other shapes and configurations. The housing 14 has a mounting surface 24, and a lift surface 26 opposed to the mounting surface 24. The housing 14 typically has a plurality of frame members 28 that provide structural support for the workings of the hoist 10. As shown in Figures 2 - 4, there are two upper longitudinal frame members 28 and two lower longitudinal frame members 28 disposed along the longitudinal axis of the housing 14. As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, there are several shorter cross-mounted frame members 28 that span between longitudinal frame members 28 to provide a frame system 30 having adequate structural integrity. Preferably, the frame members 28 are aluminum. Further preferably, the frame members 29 are ultra-lightweight tubular aluminum that is one inch in diameter. The frame members 28 are typically welded together where they meet to form the frame system 30. The frame members 29 can be other metals or alloys, wood, plastic, or other materials having sufficient strength and rigidity to provide a frame system 30 having adequate structural integrity. The length of the housing 14 along its longitudinal axis is typically between about 3' and about 20'. The overall length of the housing 14 shown in Figures 2 and 3 is about 78. As shown in the embodiment as illustrated in the Figure 2, the two upper longitudinal frame members 28 are slightly shorter than the two lower longitudinal frame members 28 to provide an angular surface at the terminal ends of the housing 14. In alternative embodiments (not shown), there are two upper longitudinal frame members 28 having the same length as two lower longitudinal frame members 28 such that the housing 14 has a generally rectangular shape. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the housing 14 further comprises a casing 32 that is attached to the frame system 30 and encloses the frame system 30 and working elements of the hoist 10. Referring to the embodiment as illustrated in Figure 1, the lift surface 26 of the housing 14 is integral with a portion of the casing 32 that typically faces generally downward when the hoist 10 is mounted to a mounting wall member 34. The casing 32 shields the working elements of the hoist 10 from dust and moisture and provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the hoist 10. Preferably, the casing 32 is a molded or vacuum formed plastic material. However, other materials such as aluminum, steel, alloys, wood, etc. may be used to form the casing 32. Further preferable, the casing 32 is colored with a paint, dye, tinting, or similar such material to provide a pleasing appearance. The casing 32 can be a dark color or tint to mask the view of the inner workings of the hoist 10 from a viewer. As shown in the embodiment in Figures 3 and 4, the lift surface 26 has two cable openings 36 in which the at least two cables 18 are able to move in and out of the housing 14. As illustrated in Figure 3, the cable openings 36 are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the housing 14. Typically, the cable openings 36 are spaced apart by at least 1 foot. More typically, the cable openings 36 being spaced apart by between about 2 feet and about 6 feet. In embodiments where the length of the housing 14 is greater, the cable openings 36 may be spaced apart an even greater distance. In still other embodiments, the two cables 18 move out of a single cable opening 36 in the lift surface 26 (not shown). As illustrated in Figure 4B, the cable openings 38 are sufficiently enlarged or elongated so that the housing 14 can be mounted on a surface that is more than 45 degrees skewed relative to the vertical without the cables 18 rubbing against the housing 14 as the cables 19 move in and out of the housing 14. The cable openings 36 are typically elongated perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing 14. The housing 14 has attachment members 16 for attaching the hoist 10 to a mounting wall member 34. As illustrated in Figure 2, the housing 14 typically has an attachment plate 38 on the mounting surface 24 of the housing 14 and the attachment members 18 are disposed on the attachment plate 38. In alternative embodiments, the attachment members 16 are integral with, or attached directly or indirectly to the housing 14 or the frame system 30. The attachment members 16 can be holes through which a screw or nail is inserted into the mounting wall member 34 in this embodiment the holes are typically spaced apart between about 16" and about 24" on center to facilitate the placement of a nail or screw through the housing 14 and into a roofer wall support beam. In alternative embodiments, the attachment members 16 are hooks, slots, or any other implement suitable for attachment of the hoist 10 to a mounting wall member 34. Typically, the hoist 10 is attached to a mounting wall member 34 such that the longitudinal axis of the housing 14 is substantially parallel to the plane of the mounting wall member 34. As illustrated in Figure 1, the mounting wall member 34 is typically a generally horizontal surface such as a ceiling or wall on the interior or exterior of a building. However, the mounting wall member 34 is understood herein to include other structures that provide sufficient support for the hoist 10 and the object mounted to the hoist 10 including, but not limited to beams, girders, columns, post, and the like. The hoist 10 can be attached to a building or structure having an elevated ceiling height, such as a theater, gallery, arena, concert hail, shopping mall, or stadium. As illustrated in Figure 4, the hoist 10 can also be mounted on a surface having an angle θ that is up to about 45 degrees relative to the vertical. The hoist 10 further comprises at least two cables 19 supported by the housing 14. The term cable is understood herein to include support lines, chains, cords, strings, ropes, and similar such objects. There are two cables 16 in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. In alternative embodiments there are more than two cables 19 (not shown). Each cable has an anchor end 40 and a lift end 42. The lift end 42 of the cable is capable of reversibly mounting an object to be held in place or lifted by the hoist 10. In a preferred embodiment, the cables 18 are attached to a lift bar 44 that is at least one foot long. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, the lift ends 42 of the cable are attached to the respective ends of the lift bar 44. The lift bar 44 can have velcro attachments to facilitate the reversible attachment of frames or supports that incorporate velcro. In a preferred embodiment, the lift bar 44 is able to reversibly attach a wide variety of objects, including for example, poster and picture frames, support bars, murals, vinyl displays and posters, fabrics, carpets, and plexiglass displays. The movement of the cables 18 is directed by a cable drive 20 supported by the housing 14. When the hoist 10 is mounted to a mounting wall member 34, each cable 19 and the mounted support object will hang downward as a result of gravity. The length of the cables 19 can be varied according to the height of the structure and the desired display height. The cable drive 20 reversibly drives the cables 18 simultaneously to move up and down in unison into and out of the housing 14. The cables 18 move in and out of the housing 14 cooperatively such that a substantially equivalent length of each cable is outside the housing 14 and hanging down from the housing 14 at any given time. Preferably, the lift end 42 of each cable 18 will be at substantially the same height as the lift end 42 of the other cable 18. In embodiments having more than two cables 19, it is preferable that the lift end 42 of all cables 18 be at substantially the same height. As illustrated in Figure 2, the cables 19 exit the housing 14 at a substantially fixed distance apart from one another along the longitudinal axis of the housing 14. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the cable drive 20 comprises in part a single rotatable spool 46 mounted to the housing 14. The rotatable spool 46 is typically driven by a motor 49. Typically, the diameter of the rotatable spool 46 is between about 2 inches and about 18 inches. More typically, the diameter of the rotatable spool 46 is between 2 V_ inches and 4 inches. The rotatable spool 46 is typically made from die cast aluminum, however other materials may be used. Preferably, the rotatable spool 46 comprises two outer flanges 50 and one inner flange 52. The outer flanges 50 are disposed at each end of the generally cylindrical rotatable spool 46. The outer flanges 50 and the inner flange 52 typically extend beyond the cylindrical spool surface 54 by an equivalent distance which is typically about 118" to 1" (depending on the size of the rotatable spool 46) in order to facilitate the winding and placement of the cables 19 onto the rotatable spool 46. The inner flange 52 functions to separate the rotatable spool 46 into two separate and distinct portions on the cylindrical spool surface 54. This allows the two cables 18 to be wound onto the rotatable spool 46 without interfering with each other. In a preferred embodiment (not shown), the cable drive 20 further comprises a spool flap 56 that places a moderate pressure on the cables 18 as they are moving on and off the rotatable spool 46 in order to facilitate the winding of the cable 18 onto the spool 46. The spool flap 56 is preferably a 1/8" nylon sheet that is resistant to friction. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the two cables 19 are attached to the rotatable spool 46 at the anchor end 40 of the cable and reversibly wound onto the rotatable spool 46 such that the inner flange 52 of the rotatable spool 46 separates the cables 19 and facilitates the winding of the cables 18 onto separate and distinct portions on the cylindrical spool surface 54. The cables 18 can be fixed in the rotatable spool 46 at their proximal ends by insertion into spool holes 58 in the rotatable spool 46 and crimping of the cables 19. Preferably, the spool holes 58 are disposed proximal to the outer flanges 50. Preferably, the spool holes 58 are disposed at an angle and distance relative to the rounded face of the rotatable spool 46 to facilitate the anchoring of the anchor ends 40 of the cables 18. Preferably, the two cables 18 are wound around the rotatable spool 46 in the same winding direction. For example, if one cable is wound onto the rotatable spool 46 in a clockwise rotational direction, then the other cable 18 is wound onto the rotatable spool 46 in the clockwise rotational direction. As illustrated in Figure 2, there is an upper cable 18 that comes off the upper portion of the rotatable spool 46 that is disposed more proximal to the attachment plate 39. There is also a lower cable 18 that comes of the lower portion of the rotatable spool 46. With reference to Figure 2, the clockwise rotation of the rotatable spool 46 will cause the two cables 18 to unwind from the rotatable spool 46 cooperatively such that an equivalent amount of each cable 19 is dispensed from the rotatable spool 46 at any given rotational position of the rotatable spool 46. This causes the two cables 18 to move in and out of the housing 14 in unison upon rotation of the rotatable spool 46 such that the cables 18 exit the housing 14 in a coordinated manner. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the cable drive 20 comprises in part two rotatable spools 46 driven by a motor 48. In this embodiment, each cable 18 is separately wound onto its own rotatable spool 46. The rotation of the two rotatable spools 46 is coordinated by a linkage system, for example a belt drive, that rotates both rotatable spools 46 in unison such that the cables 19 move in and out of the housing 14 cooperatively and a substantially equivalent length of each cable 18 is outside the housing 14 and hanging down from the housing 14 at any given time. The hoist 10 has cable supports 22 supported by the housing 14. The cable supports 22 function to support, guide, and separate the cables 18 so that the lift ends 42 of the cables 18 are spaced apart by at least 1 foot as they move up and down. The cable supports 22 typically comprise pulleys, however analogous objects such as eye bolts, pins, hooks, U-bolts, and the like may be used as cable supports 22 when attached to or incorporated with the housing 14. There are typically at least two cable supports 22, however, the hoist 10 can have a different number of cable supports 22. As illustrated in Figure 4, the cable supports 22 are typically two sets of pulleys mounted opposed to the mounting surface 24 of the housing 14. As illustrated in Figure 4, there is a set of outer pulleys 60 and a set of inner tension pulleys 62. The two outer pulleys 60 determine the distance between the cables 18 so that the lift ends 42 of the cables 18 are spaced apart by at least 1 foot as they exit the housing 14 and move up and down. The cables 18 should be spaced apart a sufficient distance so that the object mounted to the cables 19 is substantially free from rotational movement. Typically, the set of outer pulleys 60 are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the housing 14 by between about 2 feet and about 6 feet. With reference to the embodiment as illustrated in Figure 4, the outer pulleys 60 and inner tension pulleys 62 preferably swivel such that the cables 18 are able to freely drop downward when the housing 14 is mounted on an angular surface. Referring to the embodiment as illustrated in Figure 4, the outer set of pulleys 60 are attached to frame members 29 of the housing 14 by U-bolts 64. As illustrated in Figure 3, each inner tension pulley 62 is disposed substantially in line with an outer flange 50 of the rotatable spool 46 to place a force on the cable 18 to facilitate the movement of the cable 19 as it moves on and off the rotatable spool 46. The cable drive 20 typically comprises a motor 49. In a typical embodiment, the cable drive 20 comprises an AC motor 49 with a 100 pound stall weight. As illustrated in Figure 6, the motor 48 is typically controlled by four solid state relay circuits 66 that selectively reverse polarity between the field armature and the housing 14 of the motor 48 to direct the motor 48 to rotate in a clockwise rotation or a counterclockwise rotation. Suitable relay circuits may be obtained from IDEA Corp. of California. Preferably, there is a long arm limit switch 68 that stops the motor 49 to prevent the lift end 42 of the cables 19 or the lift bar 44 from entering the housing 14. A suitable long arm limit switch may be obtained from Cherry Corp. of California. Preferably, there are tension limit switches 70 combined with a modified tension spring pulley that are associated with each cable 19 that detect a significant release of force on the inner tension pulley 62 and when a release of tension is detected, stop the motor 49 and prevent unwanted dispersal of the cable 18 that can potentially result in tangling of the cable 19. The tension limit switches 70 are typically disposed between an inner tension pulley 62 and the rotatable spool 46 between the inner tension pulley 62 and the housing 14, or between an inner tension pulley 62 and a outer pulley 60. In either case, the tension limit switches 70 are typically mounted, directly or indirectly, to the housing 14. A suitable tension limit switch 70 may be obtained from Cherry Corp. of California. In a preferred embodiment, the hoist 10 further comprises a remote control responsive controller 72 that controls the motor 49 and directs the movement of the cable drive 20. The remote control responsive controller 72 has a receiver 74 and a remote control unit 76. A suitable infrared transmitter and receiver may be obtained from Celadon Corp. of California. As illustrated in Figure 6, an A/C to D/C power invertor 76 converts and reduces 120 volt AC power to 15 volt DC power to be used by the remote control responsive controller 72. A suitable A/C to D/C power inverter may be obtained from RP Electronic in Vancouver Canada. As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the receiver 74 resides within the housing 14. As illustrated in Figure 1, the remote control unit 76 is used to control the hoist 10 from a substantial distance. In a preferred embodiment, the remote control responsive controller 72 operates to cause the cable drive 20 to raise the cables 18 in unison, thereby raising the object. In a preferred embodiment, the remote control responsive controller 72 is infrared responsive. In another preferred embodiment, the remote control responsive controller 72 operates about twenty channels that can separately or in combination control about twenty different hoist 10. This allows multiple hoist 10, supporting multiple display objects 12, to be raised and lowered separately or in combination from one remote control unit 76. As illustrated in Figure 1, the operator of the hoist 10 typically stands beneath the hoist 10 with the remote control unit 76 pointed at the remote control responsive controller 72 disposed within the housing 14 of the hoist 10. The operator uses the remote control unit 76 to lower the cables 19 in unison, thereby lowering the cables 18 and the lift bar. The operator can then attach an object, such as a picture, poster, mural, plexiglass display, or an ornamental fabric to the lift end 42 of the cables 16 or the lift bar 44 such that the lift ends 42 of the cable 19 are spaced apart by at least one foot. The operator then uses the remote control unit 76 to raise the cables 18 in unison, thereby raising the object. Moreover, one remote control unit 76 can be programed to operate serval hoist 10 mounted in a particular venue. A particular advantage to the system described herein is the ease and flexibility for mounting display objects 12. The remote control unit 76 allows the operator to bring the display down to him, rather than climbing up to reach the object. Also, particular displays can be changes with much greater ease because the hoist 10 brings down the display object and provides a flexible and reversible means for attaching different types of display objects 12. Having thus described the invention, it should be apparent that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope and fair meaning of the instant invention as set forth herein above and as described herein below by the claims.

Claims: V. CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A hoist, comprising: a) a housing having a longitudinal axis, a mounting surface, and a lift surface opposed to the mounting surface; b) attachment members on the housing for attaching the hoist to a mounting wall member with the longitudinal axis of the housing substantially parallel to the plane of the mounting wall member, and the mounting surface proximate to the mounting wall member; c) at least two cables supported by the housing, each cable having a lift end; d) a cable drive supported by the housing for reversibly driving the cables simultaneously to move up and down in unison into and out of the housing; and e) cable supports supported by the housing so that the lift ends of the cables are spaced apart by at least 1 foot as they move up and down. 2. The hoist of claim 1 comprising at least two cable openings in the lift surface, the cable openings being spaced apart by at least 1 foot and wherein the cables are supported by the cable supports so that each of the cables moves up and down through a respective one of the cable openings. 3. The hoist of claim 1 wherein the cables are attached to a lift bar that is a least one foot long. 4. The hoist of claim 3 wherein the lift ends of the cable are attached to the respective ends of the lift bar. 5. The hoist of claim 1 wherein the cable supports comprise a set of pulleys. 6. The hoist of claim 1 further comprising a remote control responsive controller that directs the movement of the cable drive, the remote control responsive controller having a receiver and a remote control unit. 7. The hoist of claim 1 wherein the cable drive comprises one rotatable spool attached to the housing, the rotatable spool being in operable connection with a motor so as to rotate in response to the motor, the rotatable spool having two outer flanges and one inner flange, wherein the two cables are attached to the rotatable spool such that the inner flange of the rotatable spool separates the cables and facilitates the winding of the cables onto separate and distinct portions of the rotatable spool. 8. The hoist of claim 1 wherein the cable drive comprises two rotatable spools attached to the housing, each of the two cables being wound onto a separate spool, the two spools being in operable connection with a motor so as to cooperatively rotate to reversibly drive the cables simultaneously to move up and down in unison into and out of the housing. 9. The hoist of claim 2, wherein the cable openings are sufficiently elongated that the housing can be mounted on a surface that is more than 45 degrees skewed relative to the vertical without the cables rubbing against the housing. 10. The hoist of claim 9 wherein the openings are elongated with the longitudinal axis of the cable openings being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing. 11. AA hoist for mounting and lifting display objects, the hoist comprising: a) a housing having a longitudinal axis, the housing having attachment members for attaching the hoist to a structure; b) a motor mounted to the housing; c) at least one rotatable spool fixedly attached to the housing, the at least one rotatable spool being in operable connection with the motor so as to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise in response to the motor; d) two cables attached to the at least one rotatable spool, each cable having an anchor end and a lift end, each cable being attached to the at least one rotatable spool at the anchor end and reversibly wound onto the at least one rotatable spool such that the cables move in and out of the housing in unison upon rotation of the at least one rotatable spool; and e) cable supports supported by the housing so that the lift ends of the cables are spaced apart a sufficient distance as the lift ends move up and down such that at least a portion of the object mounted to the hoist is substantially free from rotational movement. 12. The hoist of claim 1 1 further comprising a remote control responsive controller that directs the movement of the cable drive, the remote control responsive controller having a receiver and a remote control unit. 13. The hoist of claim 1 1 wherein the cables are attached to a lift bar. 14. The hoist of claim 1 1 wherein the cable supports are spaced apart by at least 1 foot so that the lift ends of the cables are spaced apart by at least 1 foot as they move up and down. 15. The hoist of claim 1 1 wherein the cable supports are spaced apart between about 3 feet and about 6 feet so that the lift ends of the cables are spaced apart by between about 3 feet and about 6 feet as they move up and down. 16. The hoist of claim 1 1 wherein the at least one rotatable spool comprises a single rotatable spool having an inner flange and two outer flanges, and wherein each cable is attached to the rotatable spool at the anchor end and reversibly wound onto the rotatable spool such that the inner flange of the rotatable spool separates the cables and facilitates the winding of the cables onto separate and distinct portions of the rotatable spool. 17. A method for lifting and suspending an object comprising the steps of: a) selecting the hoist of claim 1; b) attaching the object to the cables with the cable ends spaced apart by at least one foot, and c) causing the cable drive to raise the cables in unison, thereby raising the object. 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the object is a picture in a frame to be supported from a ceiling 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the object is a mural to be supported from a ceiling. 20. The method of claim 17 comprising the additional step of causing the driver to lower the cables so the object can be removed from the hoist

Inventors: YANKE RICHARD D S, YANKE, RICHARD, D., S.
Applicants: YANKE RICHARD D S, YANKE, RICHARD, D., S.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B66F
IPC codes: B66C13, B66D3, G09F7