Abstract:
A storage system for elevating objects from a surface, such as storing a bicycle off the ground, the storage system including a first mounting plate coupled to a wheel; a second mounting plate spaced from the first mounting plate and coupled to a plurality of wheels; a first wheel assembly spaced from the first mounting plate; a second wheel assembly spaced from the second mounting plate; a cable operatively engaging each of the wheels; and a coupler extending from the first wheel assembly and a second coupler extending from the second wheel assembly. Each of the mounting plates may be made from a unitary piece of material, and each plate may include a plurality of arched channels for rotatably adjusting the mounting plates, e.g., to provide for generally linear alignment of pulley wheels when installing the system.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention is directed to a system for storing objects such as bicycles. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Bicycle racks come in various configurations, depending on how the bicycle is to be stored. For example, some racks are floor stands that accommodate the front or rear wheel to hold the bicycle in place. These racks may require substantial floor space to accommodate the bicycle, and bicycles still may be susceptible to falling over if the wheels are not held adequately. 
         [0005]    Other racks may allow for bicycles to be stored parallel to a wall and stacked vertically with respect to one another. While occupying less floor space protruding into the room, these racks still reduce the amount of floor space available to the user. 
         [0006]    Still other storage solutions involve hanging bikes on hooks installed either in a wall or a ceiling support. However, these racks require the user expend energy to lift the bikes, and it may be awkward to the user to have to position the bike on the hook, which may result in the user becoming fatigued and/or dirty, e.g., if the user accidentally grabs the greased chain to support the bike. 
         [0007]    What is needed is a storage solution that avoids the drawbacks of these traditional racks, hooks or other systems. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In one aspect, a storage system may comprise a first mounting plate coupled to a wheel; a second mounting plate spaced from the first mounting plate and coupled to a plurality of wheels; a first wheel assembly spaced from the first mounting plate; a second wheel assembly spaced from the second mounting plate; a cable operatively engaging each of the wheels; and a coupler extending from the first wheel assembly and a second coupler extending from the second wheel assembly; wherein the first and second mounting plates each have a plurality of arched channels for rotatably adjusting the mounting plates. Each of the mounting plates may be formed from a unitary structure such as stamped sheet metal and may comprise a base substantially parallel to a mounting surface and a plurality of sides extending downward from the base. The second mounting plate also may comprise a self-locking mechanism, and the couplers may each comprise a strap operatively coupled to a carabineer. 
         [0009]    In another aspect, a storage system may comprise a plurality of plates, each plate having a top with a base portion and a plurality of extensions extending away from the base portion; the base portions comprising a plurality of fastener-receiving arched channels; the plates further comprising a plurality of downwardly extending portions that may be generally parallel, where each downwardly extending portion has top edges that are adjacent to and may be integral with at least two of the extensions; at least one pulley for each of the plates that is rotatably coupled to the downwardly extending portions; a plurality of pulleys extending downward from the plates; and a cable operatively engaging the pulleys that are coupled to the plates and the pulleys extending downward from the plates. In one embodiment, the system may comprise two plates, where a second plate has a second pulley rotatably coupled to the downwardly extending portions. In addition, the system may include a self-locking mechanism coupled to the second plate, the self-locking mechanism including a first bracket coupled to the downwardly extending portions and a second bracket coupled to the first bracket. In addition, each of the downwardly extending pulleys may be coupled to a pulley frame, and each pulley frame may engage a coupling mechanism. 
         [0010]    In still another aspect, a method of making a plate subsystem for a storage system from a unitary plate having a length and a width may include the steps of: removing material from a central portion of the plate to form a pair of generally diametrically opposed slots; making a pair of generally diametrically opposed notches spaced radially outwardly from the slots, the notches having a length less than a length of said plate such that plate material exists between the notch ends and the top and bottom plate edges; making a pair of holes completely through the plate, the holes being substantially equally spaced from an edge of the plate and substantially symmetrically spaced from a centerline of the plate that runs along the plate length; and bending portions of the plate spaced radially outward from the notches away from the central portion. The method also may include coupling a pulley to the plate by inserting a fastener through the holes and pulley. In addition, each notch may have substantially the same radius of curvature and may be less than half of a circumference, and the notches may be oriented such that the ends of each notch may be substantially aligned along a line parallel to the centerline. 
         [0011]    The method also may include the steps of making a second pair of holes completely through the plate, the second holes being substantially equally spaced from the edge of said plate and proximate opposing sides of the plate and coupling a self-locking mechanism to the plate by inserting a fastener through the second holes and the self-locking mechanism. Moreover, the method may include the steps of making a third pair of holes completely through the plate, the second holes being substantially equally spaced from an opposite edge of the plate and substantially symmetrically spaced from the centerline, and coupling a second pulley to the plate by inserting a fastener through the third holes and the second pulley. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a pulley system of one embodiment of the present invention, shown without attachments for engaging a bicycle. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a side, perspective view of the pulley system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is another side view of the pulley system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a side, detail view of a second mounting plate and wheel assembly. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the second mounting plate and wheel assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a top, perspective view of the second mounting plate of  FIG. 4 , with fasteners. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of the second mounting plate of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a top, perspective view of one of the wheel assemblies of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a front view of the wheel assembly of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a carabineer and strap attachment used to support a bicycle from one of the pulleys of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    In one embodiment, a system  10  for storing objects, such as a bicycle, in an elevated location, as seen in  FIGS. 1-3 . The apparatus may comprise a pulley-operated hoist system  10  by which the bicycle may be elevated off the floor to an overhead location, freeing up floor space. The system  10  may include a plurality of mounting plates  12 ,  14 , each plate supporting a pulley subsystem  16 ,  18 . In addition, the system  10  may include a plurality of fasteners  20  for mounting the system  10  to one or more supports, a rope or cable  22  for operatively engaging the pulley subsystems, a self-locking mechanism  110  on at least one of the mounting plates, and implements  122  for engaging and supporting the object to be elevated. 
         [0023]    The apparatus  10  may have a plurality of mounting plates, preferably two plates  12 ,  14 . Each mounting plate may be substantially similarly shaped, which may simplify manufacture and assembly. For example, a first mounting plate  12  may be formed from a single piece of material such as sheet metal. The first mounting plate  12  may originally be a generally rectangular piece of material from which the corners  30  (and similar corners  40  on second plate  14 ) may be rounded or otherwise truncated, which may reduce the total weight of the system and, therefore, the weight required to be borne by the fasteners  20  supporting the system  10  and also may eliminate sharper corners that may promote fraying or cutting of the cable  22  running along pulley.  FIGS. 4-6 , particularly  FIG. 6 , show these elements in a second mounting plate (described below), but these elements are similar in both the first and second plates  12 ,  14 . 
         [0024]    To form mounting plate  12 ,  14  a plurality of generally diametrically opposed arched slots  31 ,  41  may be stamped from or otherwise removed from the mounting plate  12 ,  14  as may a plurality of openings  34 ,  44  substantially centered on a width of the mounting plate  12 ,  14  proximate the outer edges  36 ,  46 , as seen in  FIGS. 5-6 . Arched slots  31 ,  41  and/or openings  34 ,  44  may have a width sized for accepting shanks but not heads of a variety of different fasteners  20 , including, e.g., #10×2″ sheet metal screws. Slots  31 ,  41  may allow mounting plates  12 ,  14  to be rotationally oriented between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees in order to align mounting plates  12 ,  14  with one another in the event that the supports to which plates are mounted are not substantially aligned. In addition, one slot  31 ,  41  may have substantially the same inner and outer diameters as a second slot  32 ,  42 , a leading end  33 ,  43  of one slot may be generally diametrically opposed from the leading end  35 ,  45  of the second slot  32 ,  42 , and the trailing end  37 ,  47  of one slot  31 ,  41  also may be generally diametrically opposed from the trailing end  39 ,  49  of the second slot  32 ,  42 . Moreover, a plurality of openings  38 ,  48  through which pulley-supporting fasteners  21  are fed may be formed in the mounting plate  12 ,  14 . A plurality of first openings  38   a  may be generally symmetric about both a width and a length of the mounting plate  12 ,  14  and may be approximately equidistantly spaced from a top  50 ,  60  and a respective side  52 ,  62  of the plate  12 ,  14  by a distance approximately equal to the radius of the pulley mounted via those openings. A plurality of second openings  38   b  also may be generally symmetrical about both a width and length of the mounting plate  12 ,  14  but may be spaced closer to a bottom  54 ,  64  of the plate than to a respective side  56 ,  66 . 
         [0025]    Returning to  FIGS. 3-4 , to continue forming mounting plate  12 ,  14 , a plurality of arched notches  70 ,  80  may be formed in mounting plate  12 ,  14 , spaced outward from the arched slots  31 ,  32  a radial distance approximately equal to a width of the arched slots  31 ,  32 . Arched notches  70 ,  80  may extend between about 90 degrees and about 179 degrees, preferably between about 120 degrees and about 170 degrees, still more preferably between about 150 degrees and about 170 degrees. Mounting plate  12 ,  14  then may be formed by bending portions  72 ,  82  of the plate that extend outward from arched notches  70 ,  80  downward and substantially normal to portions  74 ,  84  of the plate spaced inward from arched notches  70 ,  80 . In this configuration, mounting plate  12 ,  14  may have a generally circular base  76 ,  86  with a plurality of generally coplanar, generally rectangular portions  78 ,  88  extending outward and a plurality of generally rectangular or C-shaped sides  79 ,  89  extending downward from, and connecting, the coplanar portions  78 ,  88 . Original generally rectangular piece from which mounting plate is formed may have a length and a width between about 4″ and about 8″, preferably between about 5″ and about 7″, still more preferably about 6″. In one embodiment, the plate  12 ,  14  may be about 6″ in a direction parallel to the eventual bends and about 6.16″ in a generally perpendicular direction. In addition, as formed, generally circular base  76 ,  86  may have a diameter between about 2″ and about 5″, preferably between about 3″ and about 4″, and in one embodiment about 3.84″. 
         [0026]    System may include a plurality of mounting plates, each made in a similar fashion. A first mounting plate  12  may include a post  90  mounted via a fastener  21  in the plurality of second openings  38  that may provide an anchor for one end of the rope or cable  22  used in the pulley system  10 . When mounting plate  12  is bent, symmetry of openings means that first and second openings  38   a,    38   b  for supporting pulley wheels  106  may be substantially aligned. Alternatively, first mounting plate  12  may include an opening through which rope  22  may be passed, the end of the rope  22  then being knotted, thus preventing the end from passing back through the opening. In addition, system  10  may include a pulley  100  mounted via a fastener  38  passed through plurality of first openings  34 . 
         [0027]    A second mounting plate  14  similar to first mounting plate  12  may operatively engage a first pulley  102  mounted via a fastener  21  in the plurality of first openings  48   a  and a second pulley  104  mounted via another fastener  21  in the plurality of second openings  48   b.  Second mounting plate  14  further may include a self-locking mechanism  110  comprising a first bracket  112  rotationally engaged with the second mounting plate  14  and a second bracket  114  rotationally engaged with the first bracket  112 . As seen in  FIGS. 6-7 , first bracket  112  may be mounted at its open end to mounting plate  14  below second pulley  104 . In addition, first bracket  112  may be generally U-shaped or L-shaped and may pivot proximate its open end. Second bracket  114  may also be generally U-shaped or L-shaped and may be mounted at its open end to first bracket  112 . Additionally, second bracket  114  may include a protrusion  116  at a distal end for engaging rope  22  to increase frictional engagement between rope  22  and locking mechanism  110 . 
         [0028]    Turning to  FIGS. 8-9 , storage system  10  may include additional pulley components to assist in hoisting of the bicycle, including a plurality of wheels  106  spaced vertically downward from the first and second mounting plates. Each wheel  106  also may be rotationally coupled to a separate frame member  108  to which bicycle supports  120  may be affixed. Like the other wheels used within the system, these wheels  106  may have a central groove  107  around their circumference for accepting rope  22 . 
         [0029]    Supports  120  may have various configurations in order to support multiple elements of the bicycle  2 . For example, as seen in  FIG. 10 , supports  120  may comprise webbing  122  such as a nylon strap coupled to a frame member  124 . Coupling may be achieved via fastening, e.g., through use of a fastener, a washer or plate, and a locking nut, although other methods of coupling are possible. In addition, webbing  122  may be doubled-back over at least a portion of itself and affixed to itself in order to provide increased strength. An operative end of the webbing  122  may include a carabineer, clip, hook or other coupling mechanism  126  that may be used to engage elements of the bicycle  2 . 
         [0030]    To use, first mounting plate  12  may be fastened to a support  4  such as a ceiling joist. First mounting plate  12  may support the front end of the bicycle  2  and should be oriented such that the pulley  100  coupled to the plate faces the rearward portion of the bicycle. A plurality of fasteners  20  may be inserted through arched slots  31  so that heads of fasteners  20  may engage mounting plate  12  while shanks embed in support  4 . When fasteners  20  are partially driven, arched slots  31  allow a user to rotate or otherwise align mounting plate  12  to orient pulley  100  coupled to plate  12  in an intended direction. 
         [0031]    Second plate  14  may be mounted in a similar fashion to the same or a different support. However, second plate  14  should be mounted approximately 180 degrees reversed from first mounting plate  12  so that self-locking mechanism  110  faces generally rearward. By providing arched slots  31 ,  41  in mounting plates  12 ,  14 , the plates may allow a user to mount to supports extending in different directions or to a single support that may be warped or distorted while still aligning pulley components in a substantially common plane, allowing for more efficient operation of the pulley system  10 . Once plates  12 ,  14  are substantially aligned, fasteners  20  may be driven further into substrate  4 , compressing plates  12 ,  14  between supports and heads of fasteners  20 , inhibiting further rotation of plates  12 ,  14 . 
         [0032]    Spacing of first and second mounting plates may vary depending on the size of the object to be stored. For example, in the case of a bicycle  2 , preferably, mounting plates  12 ,  14  may be spaced a distance approximately equal to the distance between the handle bars and the seat of the bicycle. 
         [0033]    Once plates  12 ,  14  are substantially mounted to supports, rope  22  may be fed through first plate  12  and knotted or otherwise secured thereto. Rope  22  then may be fed under a wheel  106  spaced downward from the first plate  12 , up and over wheel  106  coupled to first mounting plate, across to first wheel  106  coupled to second mounting plate  14 , under wheel  106  spaced downward from the second mounting plate  14 , up and over second wheel  106  coupled to second mounting plate  14  and through both components of self-locking mechanism  110 . Bicycle does not have to be elevated completely, but may be elevated to a position high enough to provide sufficient ground clearance. System  10  may include, e.g., about 48′ of rope or cable  22  and may allow a user to elevate bicycle completely for, e.g., a 12′ or 14′ ceiling, although system  10  may be used with different height ceilings, the length of the rope or cable  22  adjusted accordingly. 
         [0034]    To use, strap  120  coupled to wheel  106  under first mounting plate  12  may be wrapped around a portion of the bicycle, e.g., about the handle bars, and then coupled to itself through the use of carabineer or other mechanism  126 . Similarly, second strap  120  coupled to wheel  106  under second mounting plate  14  may be wrapped around a separate portion of the bicycle  2  such as the seat post and/or seat itself and then coupled to itself to secure the bicycle  2 . 
         [0035]    Once secured, bicycle  2  may be raised by pulling rope  22  downward, disengaging locking mechanism  110 , rotating pulley wheels  106  and shortening distances between mounting plates  12 ,  14  and wheels  106  spaced downward from mounting plates  12 ,  14 . When desired height is reached, a user may remove the downward force applied to the rope  22 , causing both the first and second brackets to rotate upwards, compressing and frictionally engaging the rope  22  between the first and second brackets, preventing rope  22  from sliding and lowering bicycle  2 . In addition, system  10  may include a cleat (not shown) fastened to a wall, and remaining rope  22  may be wrapped around cleat to further prevent lowering of bicycle  2  and/or to provide localized, compact storage of remaining rope  22 . 
         [0036]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific exemplary embodiment and method herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment and method, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.