Abstract: A structure having floors for receiving and delivery of cars, and parking floors. Receiving and delivery floors have slat conveyors with platform carriers placed in slots in the conveyor. Cars are parked by patrons on the platform carriers. After the patron exits the car the conveyor conveys the carrier on which the car is parked to the front of an elevator. A power arm in the elevator draws the carrier into the elevator, and the elevator rises to a parking floor. On the parking floor the elevator power arm pushes the platform carrier with the car on top onto a waiting transfer module, which moves laterally to the front of an allotted parking slot. A power arm on the transfer module pushes the platform carrier with the car on top into the parking slot. Upon the patron's return the car is retrieved as described above but in reverse order.

Abstract: Self-propelled carriage on wheels (3), for the horizontal transfer of motor vehicles by lifting two or more wheels, in automatic mechanical car parks, which carriage is characterized in that it comprises:

Abstract: A vehicle parking system including a pair of horizontal rails (11,12) spaced apart to define a line of vehicle parking spaces between them, a horizontal carrier (10) movable over the rails (11,12) for conveying vehicles to selected parking spaces, and a vertical lift laterally of the pair of rails (11,12) for lifting onto the horizontal carrier (10) a vehicle to be parked, the horizontal carrier (10) comprising a frame structure for receiving a vehicle to be parked, and four legs (14) depending from four corners of the frame structure and carrying wheels (15) rollable along the rails (11,12), the legs (14) being of a height to enable the frame structure, and the vehicle supported thereby, to move over other vehicles that may be parked in the parking spaces, at least the rail (11) adjacent to the vertical lift being interrupted to produce a gap (11a) sufficiently large to accommodate the vertical lift when lifting a vehicle onto the horizontal carrier (10).

Abstract: An automated parking garage simultaneously parks and retrieves multiple vehicles. Each vehicle entering the facility is videotaped to make a record of its physical condition prior to entry into the garage to protect the garage owner from baseless damage claims. Vehicles are simultaneously measured and entry into the garage is denied to oversized vehicles. Upon being granted entry, a customer parks the customer's vehicle on a pallet near the garage entrance and leaves the facility. In single floor designs, the pallet is carried by a self-propelled carrier to a parking space by a series of longitudinal and transverse movements on rails. A multiple story embodiment employs a lifting device that includes a pallet support member that shuttles back and forth between two contiguous floors.

Abstract: A manufacturing system and method for processing semiconductor wafers through a plurality of processing stations that perform manufacturing operations on wafers includes a plurality of processing stations, each of which are capable of performing at least one processing operation on a wafer, each of the processing stations having a controlled environment for processing the wafers, and a branched tunnel joined and communicating with the controlled environment. A means is provided for maintaining a clean environment in the tunnel. Within the tunnel there are provided a plurality of guided transport vehicles adapted to travel between the process stations. A plurality of wafer carriers, each adapted to support a single wafer and be carried by the transport vehicles, are part of the system.

Abstract: A vehicle elevator and conveyor arrangement in a parking building of the kind in which the vehicle is intended to be conveyed in the building without the assistance of a driver. The conveyor arrangement includes a so-called transfer carriage which is intended to raise and lower all wheel of the vehicle and which can be moved in a horizontal plane in the building and also in a vertical direction by means of the elevator arrangement, which elevator arrangement includes an elevator platform for supporting a transfer carriage. Each of the stories or floors of the parking building on which a transfer carriage (31) is intended to be moved is provided with two parallel rails (50, 51) which form a horizontal transfer-carriage conveyor path or track (71). One or more elevator shafts (61, 62) are positioned along the longitudinal extension of the rails.

Abstract: A parking apparatus includes a multi-storied building having at least one parking position on each of its stories, and a transporting device having a central portion and four primary sides each of which is capable of adjoining thereto the parking position, and is capable of vertically moving a car to any one of the stories of the building and of conveying the car between the central portion and the parking position.

Abstract: A system for transporting cargo between a storage area and a cargo carrier. The system includes a bridge (13) and boom (15) spanning between the storage area and the cargo carrier. A first elevator (14) is located at one end of the bridge (13) proximate to the storage area. A second elevator (16) is located at the distal end of the boom (15) positionable relative to the cargo carrier. Trackways (20, 21, 22 and 23) along the bridge (13) and boom (15) interconnect the first and second elevators (14 and 16). Independent cars (24) are provided to carry the cargo. Each car (24) is movable on the first and second elevators (14 and 15) and further along the trackways (20, 21, 22 and 23).

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for lagging (in-process storing) packages of textile yarn on wheeled buggies. At least one storage lane for textile yarn buggies is provided and a plurality of wheeled textile yarn buggies with connecting hooks having depending tail portions for joining the buggies together as a train are positioned in the storage lane. Air switch pads are provided at the exit from the storage lane for detecting the presence of a buggy. A driven chain with lugs thereon for moving the train of buggies forward one buggy length and then engaging the depending portion of the hooks for disconnecting the buggy nearest the exit from the remainder of the train is actuated by a signal from the air switch pads each time the air switch pads fail to detect the presence of a buggy.