Storage system

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/003,179 filed Nov. 14, 2007 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/043,364 filed Apr. 8, 2008. These two provisional applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Conventional stationary overhead storage racks are often installed in garages, such as residential garages. Overhead storage racks are used to store items above a floor to increase usable floor space. It may be difficult to load and/or unload these overhead storage racks, especially if the items to be stored are bulky or heavy. A user may have difficulty lifting these types of items onto the storage racks. Additionally, it may be difficult to access items at the back of the rack without unloading many other items.

The present disclosure generally relates to storage systems and, more particularly, to ceiling mounted storage systems used in commercial or residential settings.

In some embodiments, a storage apparatus includes a mounting assembly and a platform assembly. The mounting assembly includes a plurality of brackets, an activatable drive mechanism having a rotatable shaft with a plurality of spools, and a plurality of flexible members connected to corresponding spools of the activatable drive system. The platform assembly includes a platform base for supporting items and a plurality of elongate members extending generally perpendicularly from the platform base. The plurality of elongate members are supported by rollers connected to the brackets such that the platform assembly is movable between a raised position to lock the platform assembly to the mounting assembly and a lowered position to suspend the platform assembly under the mounting assembly by the plurality of elongate members. The platform base is substantially level or in a desired orientation as the platform is moved between the raised position and the lowered position.

In some embodiments, a method is provided that includes coupling a mounting assembly to a ceiling of a garage or other structure. For example, the mounting assembly can be coupled to joists in the ceiling. The platform assembly is connected to the mounting assembly via one or more flexible members. The platform assembly is moved between an elevated position to fixedly couple the platform assembly to the mounting assembly and a lower position to suspend the platform assembly under the mounting assembly by the one or more flexible members. In some embodiments, the platform is reoriented using a positioning mechanism, such as a leveling mechanism, before, during, or after connecting the platform assembly to the mounting assembly. Items can be loaded onto a planar deck of the platform assembly when the platform assembly is in the lowered position. The platform assembly can then be raised from the lowered position to the elevated position to store the items.

At least some embodiments disclosed herein are directed to storage systems that have a platform assembly that moves vertically between a lowered position for loading/unloading and a raised position for long term storage. A drive system integrated into the storage system can have a motor for conveniently raising and lowering the platform assembly via a plurality of flexible members, such as cables or straps. Items, such as storage boxes, can be placed onto a base of the platform assembly while the platform assembly is in the lowered position. After the base is loaded, the platform assembly is raised vertically until it is received by a stationary mounting assembly of the storage system. The base can remain generally level throughout this process to reduce, limit, or substantially prevent unwanted movement (e.g., shifting, sliding, etc.) of items carried by the base.

In some embodiments, a storage system includes a reconfigurable mounting assembly and a movable platform assembly. The mounting assembly is adapted to couple to a ceiling and includes an activatable drive system, a plurality of flexible members, and at least one elongate stabilizer fixedly coupled to the mounting assembly. The platform assembly is suspended under the mounting assembly by the flexible members extending between the drive system and the platform assembly. The platform assembly is movable relative to the mounting assembly between a raised position and a lowered position by the drive system. The platform assembly includes a base and at least one post extending upwardly from the base. The post is positioned to mate with the elongate stabilizer when the platform assembly is in the raised position.

In some embodiments, the post is sufficiently long such that an upper end of the post is adjacent to the ceiling to which the mounting assembly is coupled. The upper end of the post can be spaced apart from and generally below the elongate stabilizer when the platform assembly is in the lowered position. The post can have an adjustable length or a fixed length. The activatable drive system, in some embodiments, includes a motor that is capable of vertically moving the platform assembly. The motor can quickly raise and lower the empty or loaded platform assembly. For example, the empty platform assembly can be lowered to its lowered position for loading. Once loaded, the platform assembly can be raised to its raised position. The platform assembly can then be lowered to retrieve the stored items. The empty or partially loaded platform assembly can then be again elevated to its raised position.

The motor can be selected to move a platform assembly supporting a significant amount of weight. For example, the motor can be capable of raising and lowering the platform assembly when the base supports at least 100 lbs or 200 lbs. In some embodiments, the motor moves the loaded platform assembly from the fully lowered position to the raised position in less than 2 minutes, 1 minute, or 30 seconds, or ranges encompassing such lengths of time. The motor can be an electric motor controlled by a user. The motor can be turned off to hold the platform assembly in the raised position. In some embodiments, the motor that keeps the platform assembly in the raised position when in an OFF state and that moves the platform assembly when in an ON state

In some embodiments, the storage system includes four stabilizers and four posts positioned with respect to the four stabilizers such that the stabilizers slide into corresponding posts. The posts can have passageways for receiving the elongate stabilizers.

In some embodiments, a storage apparatus comprises a mounting assembly, a platform assembly, and a leveling mechanism. The mounting assembly includes a plurality of brackets, an activatable drive mechanism having a rotatable shaft with a plurality of spools, and a plurality of flexible members connected to corresponding spools of the activatable drive system. The platform assembly includes a platform base for supporting items. The plurality of elongate members extend generally perpendicularly from the platform base and are supported by rollers connected to the brackets such that the platform assembly is movable between a raised position to lock the platform assembly to the mounting assembly and a lowered position to suspend the platform assembly under the mounting assembly by the plurality of elongate members. The platform base is substantially level as the platform assembly is moved between the raised position and the lowered position. The leveling mechanism is operable to adjust the orientation of the suspended platform base with respect to the mounting assembly.

In some embodiments, a method comprises coupling a mounting assembly to a ceiling of a garage, connecting a platform assembly to the mounting assembly via a plurality of flexible members, and moving the platform assembly between an elevated position to fix the platform assembly to the mounting assembly and a lowered position to suspend the platform assembly under the mounting assembly by the plurality of flexible members. A storage space is formed between the raised platform assembly and the ceiling.

The platform assembly is leveled using a leveling mechanism after connecting the platform assembly to the mounting assembly. A plurality of leveling mechanisms can be used to adjust the positions of various portions, such as the corners, of the platform assembly. In some embodiments, the leveling mechanisms are used to controllably raise and lower portions of the platform assembly with or without the platform assembly being loaded with items.

Items are loaded on a planar deck of the platform assembly when the platform assembly is in the lowered position. The platform assembly carrying the items is raised to the elevated position to store the items for a desired length of time. The platform assembly can be lowered at a later point in time to access or unload the stored items.

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