Patent ID: 7857103

Claim:
An elevator system comprising a lower elevator car, an upper elevator car, a common counterweight, a support means for supporting the lower and upper elevator cars, a drive means for driving the lower and upper elevator cars with the support means, which drive means are arranged in an elevator shaft for moving the upper elevator car and the lower elevator car vertically independently of one another, further comprising: a first support means strand of the support means with a first end and a second end; a second support means strand of the support means with a first end and a second end; a first drive pulley and a fourth drive pulley of the drive means associated with said first support means strand; and a second drive pulley and a third drive pulley of the drive means associated with said second support means strand, said drive pulleys associated with one of said support means strands rotating in vertical planes being inclined relative to one another, wherein the inclination of one of the vertical planes is about a vertical axis orthogonal to an axis of rotation of one of the drive pulleys.