Electrically driven car lift apparatus for home use

An electrically driven car lift apparatus for raising an automobile, said car lift apparatus comprising:

• a base;
• a pair of spaced apart upstanding stanchions rigidly connected to said base and aligned to be substantially parallel, each said stanchion being formed to define several elongated channels extending the length of said stanchions, each said channel being at least partially defined by an elongated planar base and at least one pair of elongated side walls, said side walls being disposed intermediate a plane defined by said planar base and the center of said respective stanchion;
• a first threaded screw rotatably disposed within one said stanchion extending from said base substantially the length of said one said stanchion, said screw having two opposed ends with a first sprocket mounted to said end disposed within said base;
• a second threaded screw rotatably disposed within the other said stanchion extending from said base substantially the length of said other said stanchion, said screw having two opposed ends with a second sprocket mounted to said end disposed within said base, wherein said sprockets are substantially coplanar;
• a continuous chain disposed in said base and in meshing engagement about said first and said second sprockets;
• a pair of lifting assemblies, each said lifting assembly corresponding to a single said stanchion, each said lifting assembly having a body, a portion of said body being disposed within said corresponding stanchion such that said portion of said body at least partially encircles said screw disposed in said corresponding stanchion, at least one lifting nut threadedly engaged to said screw disposed within said corresponding stanchion, said at least one lifting nut being non-rotatably disposed within said portion of said body, and a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted to said portion of said body, each said roller being at least partially disposed within a single said channel such that said roller is in rolling engagement with said side walls which partially define respective said channel;
• a substantially planar platform formed to accommodate the automobile and supported by said lifting assemblies so as to be aligned substantially perpendicular with said stanchions;
• and
• an electric driving means for rotating said first screw and said first sprocket, wherein rotation of said first sprocket engages said chain and causes rotation of said second sprocket and said second screw, and wherein rotation of said screws causes said lifting nuts to translate along the length of said screws, the lifting assemblies and the platform translating therewith.