Patents by Inventor Thomas W. Roberts

Thomas W. Roberts has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8733380
    Abstract: A garage car cover apparatus attachable to a ceiling of a garage including a flexible fabric car cover configured to drapingly cover a vehicle. A power unit attaches to the ceiling and to a lifting shaft having a plurality of spaced sheaves. Attaching points on the cover each connect to one end of a flexible line. A plurality of ceiling pulleys are each connectable to the ceiling directly above one of the attaching points when the cover is draped over the vehicle, each flexible line connected at one end to one sheave, a mid-portion of each line supported on one pulley. The cover is raised or lowered vertically from, and drapingly onto the vehicle by operation of the power unit. An alternate embodiment utilizes an existing power unit of an overhead garage door opener to facilitate automatic deployment and retraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Inventors: Thomas W. Roberts, Frank Brunckhorst