Container lifting apparatus particularly useful in aircraft for storing and retrieving galley articles in the cargo hold

Abstract

Apparatus particularly useful in aircraft for moving a container from a supporting surface on a lower level, e.g., cargo hold, to a higher level, e.g., passenger compartment, via a vertical lift shaft, includes: a lift member in the vertical lift shaft, a displaceable suspension member suspended from and below the lift member and displaceable in a horizontal direction from a normal position in precise alignment with the vertical lift shaft; and a spring urging the displaceable suspension member to its normal position. A guiding element having an inclined guiding surface is carried by the displaceable suspension member and is effective, when engaged by a container during the downward movement of the lift member, to displace the displaceable suspension member and thereby to load the spring, such that when the container is lifted off the supporting surface during the upward movement of the lift member, the spring moves the displaceable suspension member, and the container engaged thereby, into precise alignment with the vertical lift shaft.