Improvements in or relating to storage apparatus

摘要

1,124,673. Dispensing and storing articles. SALZGITTER STAHLBAU G.m.b.H. 4 Jan., 1966 [9 Jan., 1965; 18 Feb., 1965], No. 268/66. Heading A4T. [Also in Division B8] Storage apparatus comprises storage compartments 1, 2, Fig. 1, arranged in layers and in juxtaposition, the compartments 1 of the lowermost layer being fixed and the compartments 2 of the upper layers being horizontally displaceable to expose the subjacent compartments. The compartments 2 are supported by rollers 3 on tracks 4. The number of compartments 2 in each upper layer is one less than the number of compartments in the lowermost layer and the compartments 2 in each layer have couplings which are automatically engageable with each other and are disengageable so that any two adjacent compartments may be separated to give access to any of the subjacent compartments. The coupled compartments 2 in layer may be moved by a driving device on one of them driving the wheels thereof, or by a fixed driving device, e.g. a racked bar, a spindle or an endless chain or cable, or by a driving device adapted to be coupled to the leading compartment. An operating gantry 6 is provided on each compartment 2. Couplings may be provided between compartments 2 of different layers so that several layers may be simultaneously displaced. The compartments are served by a lifting tackle 5. In a second embodiment, Fig. 5, the compartments 2 are supported on the side walls of the subjacent compartments, except for one end compartment 21 in each layer which is supported on a track 4 having a length equivalent to two compartments, the compartment 21 being connected to a drive 6. In operation all the compartments 2, 21 in each layer are moved to the position shown in Fig. 5 and then the requisite number of interconnected compartments are moved back to give access to the subjacent compartments.