Equipment Storage Soffit Assembly

Abstract

An equipment storage soffit assembly comprises a base and a blocker door which is movable relative to the base between a closed state and a transit state. In the closed state the door cooperates with the base to form a storage space bounded at its bottom by the base and at its front by at least a portion of the blocker door. In the transit state the door is displaced from its closed state to accommodate transit of equipment between a stored position and a deployed position. The stored and deployed positions are on sides of the door that are opposite to each other when the door is in the closed state.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An equipment storage soffit assembly comprising
 a base;   a blocker door which is movable relative to the base between:
 a) a closed state in which the door cooperates with the base to form a storage space bounded at its bottom by the base and at its front by at least a portion of the blocker door and 
 b) a transit state in which the door is displaced from its closed state to accommodate transit of equipment between a stored position and a deployed position, the stored and deployed positions being on sides of the door that are opposite to each other when the door is in the closed state. 
   
     
     
         2 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  including a hinge for connecting the blocker door to a door support structure. 
     
     
         3 . The soffit assembly of  claim 2  in which the door support structure is the base. 
     
     
         4 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the door support structure is vertically spaced from the base and the door is a segmented door, each segment being laterally offset from its neighboring segment. 
     
     
         5 . The soffit assembly of  claim 3  in which the base is an element of a headwall unit. 
     
     
         6 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  including a back element which bounds the space at its back. 
     
     
         7 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the door comprises a partition and a lever which extends transversely relative to the partition, the soffit assembly also including a hinge connecting the door to a door support structure. 
     
     
         8 . The soffit assembly of  claim 7  in which the partition and the lever are oriented substantially perpendicularly to each other such that with the door in the closed state the partition extends vertically and perpendicularly relative to the base and the lever extends away from the partition toward a back of the storage space. 
     
     
         9 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  including a friction reducer for reducing friction between the door and an item of equipment during equipment transit. 
     
     
         10 . The soffit assembly of  claim 9  including a first friction reducer for reducing friction between the door and an item of equipment during equipment transit out of the storage space and a second friction reducer for reducing friction between the lever and the item of equipment during equipment transit into the storage space. 
     
     
         11 . The soffit assembly of  claim 9  in which the door extends in a partition direction and the lever extends in a lever direction, the first friction reducer is a first roller spaced from the hinge in the partition direction and the second friction reducer is a second roller spaced from the hinge in the lever direction. 
     
     
         12 . The soffit assembly of  claim 11  in which the first roller is spaced from the hinge in the partition direction by a first roller offset distance, the second roller is spaced from the hinge in the lever direction by a second roller offset distance, the first offset distance being selected such that the first roller intercepts an item of equipment transiting out of the storage space and the second offset distance being selected such that the second roller intercepts the item of equipment transiting into the storage space. 
     
     
         13 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the door is oriented perpendicularly to the base when the door is in its closed state and nonperpendicularly to the base when the door is in its transit state, the storage space having a depth no less than a depthwise dimension of an item of equipment to be stored in the space plus a depthwise projected door height when the door is at a maximum displacement. 
     
     
         14 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the displacement of the door is effected by an item of equipment transiting between the stored and deployed positions. 
     
     
         15 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which displacement of the door effects transit of an item of equipment along at least a part of its travel. 
     
     
         16 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the item of equipment is a traverse rail. 
     
     
         17 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  comprising an actuating lever extending from the door, a connecting link having a first end connected to the actuator and a second end connected to a handle and in which the displacement of the door is effected by transfer of motion from the handle to the actuating lever. 
     
     
         18 . The soffit assembly of  claim 17  including a hinge connecting the door to the base and in which a linear motion of the handle pivots the door on the hinge. 
     
     
         19 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  comprising an actuating lever extending from the door, a powered actuator mounted to a mechanical ground and connected to the actuating lever and a signal generator for commanding operation of the actuator. 
     
     
         20 . The soffit assembly of  claim 19  in which the signal generator is a manually operated switch. 
     
     
         21 . The soffit assembly of  claim 19  in which the signal generator comprises a proximity sensor for detecting proximity of the equipment and the door. 
     
     
         22 . The soffit assembly of  claim 19  including a hinge connecting the blocker door to the base and in which operation of the actuator pivots the door on the hinge. 
     
     
         23 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  including a hinge connecting the blocker door to the base and a spring for urging the displaced door to the closed state. 
     
     
         24 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the door is made of a nonrigid material. 
     
     
         25 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the door translates transversely relative to the base to move between the closed state and the transit state. 
     
     
         26 . The soffit assembly of  claim 1  in which the door translates along an arc to move between the closed state and the transit state. 
     
     
         27 . The soffit assembly of  claim 26  in which the door and base are first and second bars of a four bar linkage which includes third and fourth bars each extending between the base and the door.