Overhead hoist and sling apparatus for removing, storing and replacing a removable automobile hardtop

Automobile hardtop storage apparatus for use with an automobile including a body and a removable hardtop on said body having opposite extremities, comprising:

• a hoist to be mounted in an overhead position,
• a sling including a support point connected to said hoist means, flexible sling straps having first ends joined to one another adjacent said support point and opposite free ends, and connecting means releasably joining said free ends, and wherein
• said sling is adapted to be disposed in cradling relation about said hardtop with said sling straps extending across the underside of the hardtop from one extremity of said hardtop to the opposite hardtop extremity,
• said hoist when mounted in said overhead position is operable to lift said sling to a raised position wherein said automobile may be situated in a hardtop transfer position below the sling and lower said sling to a lowered position wherein said sling may be engaged in said cradling relation about and released from the automobile hardtop, whereby said hoist means is adapted to be selectively operated to lift the hardtop from said automobile body to an elevated hardtop storage position and lower the hardtop from said elevated hardtop storage position onto the automobile body,
• said sling straps include a first sling strap for extension around and under one extremity of said hardtop and a pair of sling straps for extension around and under the opposite extremity of said hardtop,
• said pair of sling straps extend in diverging relation from said sling support point,
• said first sling strap extends from said sling support point substantially in a plane bisecting the included angle between said pair of sling straps,
• said connecting means comprises loops at the free ends of said sling straps, and a tie hook releasably engagable in said loops,
• said sling has a circumferential dimension measured in one direction along said sling straps from said first ends of said sling straps, through said tie hook, back to said first ends of said sling straps, and
• said first sling strap has a plurality of said loops spaced along said first sling strap through which said tie hook is selectively engagable for adjusting said circumferential dimension.

Automobile hardtop storage apparatus for use with an automobile including a body and a removable hardtop on said body having opposite extremities, comprising:

• a hoist to be mounted in an overhead position,
• a sling including a support point connected to said hoist means, flexible sling straps having first ends connected to one another at said support point, opposite free ends, and connecting means releasably joining said free ends, and wherein
• said sling is adapted to be disposed in cradling relation about said hardtop with said straps extending across the underside of the hardtop from one hardtop extremity to the opposite hardtop extremity,
• said hoist when mounted in said overhead position is operable to lift said sling to a raised position wherein said automobile may be situated in a hardtop transfer position below the sling and lower said sling to a lowered position wherein said sling may be engaged in said cradling relation about and released from the automobile hardtop, whereby said hoist means is adapted to be selectively operated to lift the hardtop from said automobile body to an elevated hardtop storage position and lower the hardtop from said elevated hardtop storage position onto the automobile body,
• said sling straps include a first sling strap for extension around and under one extremity of said hardtop and a pair of sling straps for extension around and under the opposite extremity of said hardtop,
• said pair of sling straps extend in diverging relation from said sling support point,
• said first sling strap extends from said sling support point substantially in a plane bisecting the included angle between said pair of sling straps,
• said sling includes a stabilizing bar having spaced slots through which said pair of straps extend for spacing said pair of straps between said first and free ends of said pair of straps,
• said connecting means comprises loops at the free ends of said straps, and a tie hook releasably engagable in said loops,
• said sling has a circumferential dimension measured in one direction along said sling straps from said first ends of said sling straps, through said tie hook back to said first ends of said sling straps, and
• said first sling strap has a plurality of said loops spaced along said first sling strap through which said tie hook is selectively engagable for adjusting said circumferential dimension.

Automobile hardtop storage apparatus for use with an automobile including a body and a removable hardtop on said body having an underside and opposite extremities, said storage apparatus comprising:

• a fabric dust cover for covering the hardtop including a top portion having an underside,
• a sling secured to said dust cover extendable across the underside of said cover portion and across the underside of the hardtop from one of said hardtop extremities to the opposite hardtop extremity,
• a hoist connected to said sling and adapted to mounted in an overhead position for lifting said sling and cover to an elevated position wherein said automobile may be situated in a hardtop transfer position below the sling and cover and lowering said sling and cover to a lowered position wherein said cover is adapted to cover the automobile hardtop and said sling is adapted to be engaged in said cradling relation about and released from the automobile hardtop, whereby said hoist is adapted to be selectively operated to lift the cover and hardtop from said automobile body to an elevated hardtop storage position and lower the hardtop and cover from said elevated hardtop storage position onto the automobile body, and wherein
• said sling comprises flexible sling members having first ends connected to said hoist and opposite free ends extendable across the underside of said hardtop, and readily separable and engagable connecting means joining said ends for separation and reengagement of said free ends,
• said sling members include a pair of sling members for extension around and under one of said hardtop extremities,
• said sling includes a stabilizing bar spacing said pair of sling members between said first and free ends of said pair of sling members, and
• said cover includes a sleeve containing said stabilizing bar.

Automobile hardtop storage apparatus for use with an automobile including a body and a removable hardtop on the body having an underside and opposite extremities, said storage apparatus comprising:

• a fabric dust cover for covering the hardtop including a top portion having an under side,
• a sling secured to said dust cover and having a support point,
• a hoist connected to said sling support point and adapted to be mounted in an overhead position for lifting said sling and cover to an elevated storage position wherein said automobile may be situated in a hardtop transfer position below the sling and cover and lowering said sling and cover to a lowered position wherein said cover is disposed for covering and uncovering the automobile hardtop and said sling is adapted to engaged in said cradling relation about and released from the automobile hardtop, whereby said hoist is adapted to be selectively operated to lift the cover and hardtop from said automobile body to an elevated hardtop storage position and lower the hardtop and cover from said elevated hardtop storage position onto the automobile body, and wherein
• said sling comprises a plurality of flexible sling members having first ends joined to one another adjacent said sling support point and opposite free ends for extension across the underside of said hardtop, and connecting means for releasably joining said free ends to one another,
• said sling members include a first sling member for extension around and under said extremity of said hardtop and a pair of sling members for extension around and under the opposite extremity of said hardtop,
• said pair of sling members extend in diverging relation from said sling support point,
• said first sling member extends from said sling support point substantially in a plane bisecting the included angle between said pair of sling members,
• said sling includes a stabilizing bar having slots through which said pair of sling members extend at certain positions between said first and free ends of said pair of sling members for spacing said pair of sling members at said certain position, and
• said cover includes a sleeve containing said stabilizing bar.

A sling for an automobile hardtop storage apparatus for lifting and storing an automobile hardtop having an underside and opposite extremities, said sling comprising flexible sling members having first ends joined to one another and opposite free ends,

• an elongate flexible lifting member secured at one end to said joined first ends of said sling members for lifting and lowering said sling,
• connecting means releasably joining the free ends of said sling members to one another comprising mating connecting elements which are readily engageable to positively join said free ends and readily separable to permit separation of said free ends, whereby said free ends are adapted to be selectively joined to secure the sling members about the hardtop and separated to release the sling members from the hardtop, and wherein
• said sling members include sling members extending in opposite lateral directions from said lifting member, a pair of the sling members extending around and under one extremity of the hardtop, the sling members being adapted for joining of their free ends by said connecting means at the underside of the hardtop and said sling having an effective circumferential dimension measured in one direction along said sling members from said joined first ends of the sling members, through said connecting means, back to said joined first ends of the sling members, and said sling includes means for adjusting said circumferential dimension, and
• said sling including a stabilizing bar spacing said pair of sling members at a position between said ends of the sling members.

A sling and automobile hardtop storage apparatus for lifting and storing an automobile hardtop having an underside and opposite extremities, the storage apparatus including a hoist and a lifting member for attachment to the sling, said sling comprising:

• flexible sling members having first ends joined to one another and opposite free ends,
• attachment means secured to said joined first ends of said sling members for attaching said sling members to said lifting member,
• connecting means releasably joining the free ends of said sling members to one another, and wherein
• said sling members include sling members extending in opposite directions from said attachment means for extension around and under the opposite extremities of the hardtop and joining of their free ends by said connecting means at the underside of the hardtop,
• said free ends of said sling members have loops, and
• said connecting means comprises a tie hook releasably engageable in said loops.

A sling and automobile hardtop storage apparatus for lifting and storing an automobile hardtop having an underside and opposite extremities, said storage apparatus including a hoist and a lifting member for attachment to the sling, said sling comprising:

• flexible sling members having first ends joined to one another and opposite free ends,
• attachment means secured to said joined first ends of said sling members for attaching said sling members to said lifting member,
• connecting means releasably joining the free ends of said sling members to one another, and wherein
• said sling members include sling members extending in opposite directions from said attachment means for extension around and under the opposite extremities of the hardtop and joining of their free ends by said connecting means at the underside of the hardtop, said sling members include a pair of sling members extending in one direction from said attachment means for extension around and under one extremity of the hardtop,
• said sling includes a stabilizing bar spacing said pair of sling members at a position between said ends of the pair of sling members, and
• a fabric hardtop cover secured to said sling members and including a sleeve containing said stabilizing bar.

A hardtop handling method for an automobile including a body and a removable hardtop mounted on said body with portions of the hardtop engaging portions of the body, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing an overhead hoist, a lifting member hanging downwardly from the hoist, and a sling adapted for releasable supporting engagement with the automobile hardtop including flexible sling members having first ends connected to said lifting member and opposite free ends and readily separable and engagable connecting means releasably connecting said free ends, whereby the sling is adapted to be lowered by the hoist to a lower position wherein the sling is engagable with and releasable from the automobile hardtop and lifted by the hoist to a raised position wherein the sling is disposed to support the hardtop in an overhead storage position,
• parking the automobile below said sling when the sling is in its raised position, and
• performing the following additional steps (A) to remove the hardtop from the automobile and store the hardtop when the hardtop is initially mounted on the body of the parked automobile and the following additional steps (B) to replace the hardtop on the automobile when the hardtop of the parked automobile is initially supported in said overhead storage position by said sling:
• (A) lifting the automobile hardtop a small distance above said automobile body to an initial elevated position in which said hardtop portions are spaced from said automobile body portions, extending said free ends of said sling members to the underside of said hardtop through certain spaces between said hardtop portions and body portions, joining said free ends, and operating said hoist to raise the hardtop to said overhead storage position,
• (B) operating said hoist to lower the hardtop from said overhead storage position to a lowered position in which said hardtop portions are spaced from said body portions, separating said free ends of said sling members, withdrawing the free ends of the sling members through spaces between said hardtop portions and body portions, and lowering the hardtop onto the automobile body.