ROOF-TOP PARKING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20100284771A1
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: High-Ranking Companies
• Original Assignee: High-Ranking Companies
• Inventors: Stierler, Shimon
• Application Number:
  US12/810,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20100284771A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/234
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/182 using car-gripping transfer means E04H6/285 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/422 Automatically operated car-parks

Abstract

A roof-top parking system and method for automatically parking and retrieving a vehicle on a roof. The system includes a communication system adapted to receive a parking request or a retrieval request, and a vehicle positioning device which positions a vehicle a queuing space on the ground adjacent a building and a parking space assigned to the vehicle on the roof of the building.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A roof-top parking system for automatically parking and retrieving a vehicle on a roof of a building comprising:

a communication system adapted to receive a parking request indicating that a vehicle is to be parked and a retrieval request indicating that the vehicle is to be retrieved;

a vehicle positioning device adapted to raise and park the vehicle from a queuing space to a parking space located on a roof in response to said parking request, and to retrieve and lower the vehicle from said parking space to said queuing space in response to said retrieval request, the vehicle positioning device having a first structural portion located outside a perimeter of the roof and extending from a ground level to an elevated rooftop level, and a second structural portion extending from said first structural portion above the roof, the vehicle positioning device further including;

a plurality of parking racks, each parking rack associated with a parking space defined on the roof;

a vehicle positioning beam having a transfer device to laterally move each of said plurality of parking racks between said parking space and an intermediate location outside a perimeter of the roof above the elevated rooftop level;

a carriage suspended from said vehicle positioning beam and releasebly attachable to each of the plurality of parking rack, the carriage including at least one cable to vertically move each of the parking racks between said parking space and said queuing space; and

a system of support beams supporting said vehicle positioning beam, said transfer device and said carriage, the system of support beams being independent from the building.

20. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein said first structure of the vehicle positioning device outside the perimeter of the roof forms a pier adjacent the building in which the parking rack is raised and lowered.

21. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein the system of support beams are self-supporting and not in contact with the building.

22. The parking system according to claim 19 further comprising at least one support beam in contact with the building to provide support for the system of support beams.

23. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of parking spaces are pre-determined, and each parking rack corresponds to a unique, pre-determined parking space.

24. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein the vehicle positioning beam is operable to move the parking rack in three linear directions for positioning the parking rack in an open parking space on the roof.

25. The parking system according to claim 19, further comprising a shelter at the ground level adjacent the first structure to provide a protected area for a driver to park or retrieve the vehicle.

26. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein the communication system comprises a control panel.

27. The parking system according to claim 26, wherein the control panel is disposed adjacent the first structure at the ground level.

28. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein the communication system is adapted to receive a wireless command signal.

29. The parking system according to claim 28, further comprising a remote control device for sending the wireless command signal.

30. The parking system according to claim 28, wherein the communication system is adapted to receive the wireless command signal from a communication device selected from the group consisting of a cellular phone and a personal digital assistant.

31. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein the communication system is adapted to generate an automatic retrieval request at a predetermined time, wherein the vehicle positioning device retrieves and lowers a parking rack from the parking space to the queuing space in response to the automatic retrieval request.

32. The parking system according to claim 19, wherein the carriage further comprises an impact-mitigating touch down system.

33. A method of parking a car on a roof of a building comprising:

executing a parking order, whereby a parking rack, which is dedicated to a vehicle and corresponds to a parking space located at a rooftop level, is retrieved from said parking space and is transported to a queuing space located at a ground level;

driving the vehicle onto said parking rack;

exiting the vehicle;

activating a parking command requesting that the vehicle be parked, whereby the loaded parking rack is raised to the rooftop level and positioned to the corresponding parking space; and

executing a retrieval order and activating a retrieval command requesting that the vehicle be retrieved, whereby the loaded parking rack is retrieved from said parking space and transported to the queuing space.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein at least one of the steps of executing the parking order and executing the retrieval order is initiated remotely.