Elevator – industrial lift truck – or stationary lift for vehicle – With monitoring – signalling – and indicating means – Monitors passengers
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-01
2001-03-27
Salata, Jonathan (Department: 2837)
Elevator, industrial lift truck, or stationary lift for vehicle
With monitoring, signalling, and indicating means
Monitors passengers
C187S396000, C187S394000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206142
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to elevators and, more particularly, to an elevator apparatus incorporating a system for displaying an audio and/or video signal in response to a sensed condition in an elevator car.
It is conventional to construct a building with an elevator apparatus having a car suspended in a shaft by a plurality of cables for translational vertical movement between the floors of the building. The shaft includes a doorway at each floor, and a door that opens when the elevator car is positioned to load and unload passengers at the floor.
The car of a conventional elevator apparatus includes an interior compartment sized for receipt of several passengers, a doorway through which the passengers can board the car, and a door that opens when the elevator car is positioned at one of the floors of the building. The car also includes an input keypad that permits passengers to control operation of the elevator by inputting the floor numbers of the building at which stops are desired, stopping operation of the car, and signaling an emergency situation. A display is also provided for displaying the location of the car and the direction in which it is headed.
Sensors are provided on the elevator apparatus for sensing the location of the car, the direction of travel, and/or the presence of a passenger or other obstruction in the doorway of the car. These sensors are connected to the controller of the apparatus, which operates the elevator doors and the motor to move the car between floors and to allow the loading and unloading of passengers.
A technical problem unaddressed by the conventional construction resides in the inability in such apparatuses to deliver information to passengers of the elevator in an effective manner during travel between floors. Specifically, it would be desirable to display audio/video signals for passengers on an elevator car, whereby useful information, e.g. advertising or marketing information, could be conveyed to the passengers when the passengers are detected. In addition, it would be beneficial to tailor the signal displayed in the car to the location and direction of travel of the passengers in the building.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the technical problems left unaddressed by conventional elevators, and to provide an elevator having a display system responsive to a sensed condition in the elevator for displaying an audio/video signal for passengers on the car.
In accordance with this and other objects of the invention evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment, an elevator is provided which includes a system for displaying an audio/video signal in an elevator car. The elevator includes a signal storage assembly for storing the signal to be displayed, a display supported on the elevator car for displaying the signal, a first sensor fixed to the elevator car for sensing a condition indicative of the presence of a user in the elevator car, and a controller operably connected to the signal storage assembly and to the first sensor for initiating display of the signal in response to the sensed condition of the first sensor.
By providing an elevator apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, several advantages are realized. For example, by providing a system that is capable of sensing the presence of a user on an elevator car, a change in weight of the car due to the presence of passengers, and/or the entry of a floor number in a keypad, it is possible to control the timing and content of the information displayed to the passenger. As such, the signal displayed can be tailored to the presence, location, and/or direction of travel of the passenger rather than being simply a continuous and repetitious loop of information that is always the same.
Another advantage realized from practice of the present invention resides in the use of a controller that initiates display of the signal only when a condition is sensed that indicates the presence of a passenger. This timed display eliminates unnecessary operation of the system when the car is unoccupied, and increases the useful life of the system relative to continuous loop playback systems.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4852696 (1989-08-01), Fukuda et al.
patent: 4995479 (1991-02-01), Fujiwara et al.
patent: 5056629 (1991-10-01), Tsuji et al.
patent: 5258586 (1993-11-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5606154 (1997-02-01), Doigan
patent: 5844181 (1998-12-01), Amo et al.
patent: 5955710 (1999-09-01), DiFranza
Salata Jonathan
Shook Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.
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