Patent ID: 7909558

Claim:
An overhead vehicle storage system for selectively elevating vehicles from a roadway, storing the vehicles within a storage facility and retrieving the vehicles from the storage facility, the storage system comprising; a storage structure including a first section for storing a plurality of storage units and a second section extending over the roadway, an overhead track system including a plurality of first spaced and parallel track sections that extend in a first direction from first ends thereof to opposite ends thereof above said first section of said storage structure, a plurality of second spaced and parallel track sections that extend in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction from first ends thereof to opposite ends thereof, said first and second track sections intersecting substantially perpendicularly with one another at a plurality of open intersections that are spaced from one another to form a uniform X-Y system of tracks above the first section of said storage structure, at least one pair of third spaced and parallel tracks that extend over the roadway and which are aligned with at least one pair of said first or second track sections, at least one powered transfer unit mounted to said overhead track system, said at least one transfer unit including support carriages that are movable along pairs of said first track sections and said second track sections so that said at least one transfer unit is movable transversely in an X-Y motion above said first section of said storage structure and along at least one of an X or Y direction over said second section of said storage structure, a plurality of vehicle storage units each including a frame supporting a vehicle support onto which a vehicle may be driven and upper lock receivers, said at least one transfer unit including hoist means for selectively raising and lowering a lifting frame which includes lock members which are selectively locked to the lock receivers of said vehicle storage units, and said vehicle storage units being vertically stackable one above another within said first section of said storage structure, whereby said at least one transfer unit can be maneuvered in X-Y directions along said overhead track system after a vehicle has been positioned within a storage unit and the storage unit raised into close proximity to the transfer unit.