Patents

Patents in this column are given in synopsis form. Complete information is available and can be ordered by the number stated in the article from the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Washington, DC 20231 or online at www.uspto.gov.

Elevator System Control Providing Service Features

Barry Graham Blackaby of West Simsbury and Gary Meguerdichian of Farmington, both of Connecticut, have assigned Otis Elevator Co. of Farmington, Connecticut, U.S. Patent No. 8,028,809 dated October 4, 2011.

An elevator system includes a transceiver that receives at least one wirelessly transmitted signal. In one example, a signaling device includes a plurality of switches that can be ac-tivated to provide a signal indicating a desired or intended destination. The signal also provides an indication of the individual from whom the signal is received. A system controller re-sponds to the signal by assigning an elevator car to travel to the intended destination. When the elevator car is situated to receive the individual, in the event that another wireless sig-nal is received, the system provides at least one access feature including delaying closing an elevator car door or generating an audible sound to guide the individual to the car. In one example, the system maintains infor-mation regarding expected locations of individuals providing such signals to facilitate providing assistance to them for exiting a building, for example.

Enhancement Method And Apparatus For Escalator/Moving Walk

Rex John Sutherland of Victoria, Australia, has been assigned U.S. Patent No. 8,020,687 dated September 20, 2011.

An apparatus is used to enhance the standing-surfaces of platform-components of an escalator or a moving walkway which moves in a continuous loop. The apparatus is maintained in a constant position relative to the moving parts of the escalator or walkway such that, while in that constant position, all the stand-ing-surfaces continually pass under the apparatus as a result of the contin-uous loop of the escalator. When the escalator is in operation, an applica-tor-means of the apparatus applies a flowable enhancement-material, in situ, to the standing-surfaces of the moving platform- components. The material solidifies thereon to en-hance the surface characteristics of the standing-surfaces of the escala-tor, or moving walkway as the case may be.

Video-Aided System For Elevator Control

Lin Lin of Manchester, Ziyou Xiong of Wethersfield, Alan Matthew Finn of Hebron, Pei-Yuan Peng of Ellington, Mauro J. Atalla of South Glastonbury, Meghna Misra of Man-chester and Christian Maria Netter of West Hartford, all of Connecticut, and Pengju Kang of Yorktown Heights, New York, have assigned Otis Elevator Co. of Farmington, Connecticut, U.S. Patent No. 8,020,672 dated September 20, 2011.

An elevator control system pro-vides elevator dispatch and door control based on passenger data re-ceived from a video monitoring sys-tem. The video monitoring system includes a video processor con-nected to receive video input from at least one video camera. The video processor tracks objects located within the field of view of the video camera, and calculates passenger data parameters associated with each tracked object. The elevator controller provides elevator dis-patch, door control, and security functions based in part on passenger data provided by the video proces-sor. The security functions may also be based in part on data from access control systems.

Remote Recording Of Maintenance Operations

Romeo Deplazes of Kloten and Christian Bodmer of Cham, both of Switzerland, have assigned Inventio AG of Hergiswil NW, Switzerland, U.S. Patent No. 8,028,807 dated October 4, 2011.

A method and device for mainte-nance of an elevator installation or an escalator installation communi-cates the presence of a maintenance technician at the elevator or escala-tor installation to a remote service center. The service center is informed that the maintenance technician has to maintain or is maintaining or has maintained a specific installation and is in a position of checking the quality of this maintenance. The maintenance operations are recorded as a mainte-nance record and communicated to the service center. For example, the maintenance record contains details about which maintenance technician on which day of the year and for how long has undertaken which mainte-nance operations on a specific elevator or escalator installation. The quality of a detected maintenance can be compared with a quality standard. In addition, the maintenance operations performed are uniquely detected and can be evaluated.