DE102021116986A1 - Door hanger and operating application for a door hanger for meeting rooms - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a door hanger (11), which has a display for information about occupancy of a room, a control device, a timer, a wireless communication device and its own power supply and is configured to be arranged at an entrance to the room, wherein the control device is configured to receive data with information on the occupancy of the room by means of the wireless communication device, the data comprising at least one duration of the occupancy of the room, the timer being configured to start a countdown based on the duration of the occupancy at the beginning of the room occupancy and to count down a remaining room occupancy time over time, the display being configured to show non-occupancy at times when the room is not occupied, and to show the remaining room occupancy time currently determined by the timer during room occupancy. In addition, an operating application is claimed, which creates settings for the door tag.

Description

The present invention relates to a door hanger which is hung on a door of a room and indicates an occupancy time of the room. Furthermore, an operating application is claimed which creates settings for the door hanger.

Rooms used spontaneously for a meeting, or e.g. a study in the home office, in which an online meeting takes place, usually do not indicate on a locking entrance door whether the room behind is currently being used and entry is undesirable. It is also not clear to outsiders how long such use of the room will last. It is rare to find a note attached to the front door saying "Meeting is in progress" or "Quiet please". In contrast, fixed devices for displaying room occupancy are known from the prior art for designated rooms that are intended for constant use for conferences or meetings.

In the pamphlet DE 200 11 303 U1 a multifunctional door information display is described which, in addition to alphanumeric information such as names or functions, can also display predefined light fields with, for example, "Do not disturb". A respective control for programming the display takes place via a plugged-in cable connection to a computer.

The US pamphlets U.S. 2018/0240203 A1 discloses a permanently installed system that allows privacy designation in hotel rooms. The system receives a service request from a hotel guest's device, processes it on a server to determine an associated room number, and controls a display to show the desired state (please clean/do not disturb) of the room.

However, the prior art also knows mobile devices. This is how the pamphlet describes it US 2015/0142691 A1 a door tag that displays information about an attempted delivery of a (successful or unsuccessful) delivery. In addition, the door tag can communicate with a customer's computer unit at their location.

Against this background, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile display device that allows any room to be marked quickly with current information about a possible entry or the state of the room. Furthermore, an operating application is claimed which creates settings for the door hanger.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a door hanger is proposed which has a display for information about the occupancy of a room, a control device, a timer, a wireless communication device and its own energy supply unit, such as a battery and/or a solar cell, and for this purpose is configured to be placed at an entrance to the room. The control unit is configured to use the wireless communication device to receive data with information on room occupancy, the data including at least one duration of room occupancy. The timer is configured to start a countdown based on the duration of the room occupancy when the room occupancy begins. The display is configured to show non-occupancy when the room is not occupied, and to show the remaining room occupancy time currently determined by the timer during room occupancy. A design as a door hanger advantageously ensures mobile use at any door or at an entrance to any room. This is particularly advantageous when the access belongs to a room that is otherwise not designated as a meeting room and can therefore be marked as such by means of the door hanger according to the invention for the duration of the meeting or use.

The countdown running in the timer counts down a remaining room occupancy time over time. For example, while the countdown is running, the door tag will show a red glow, indicating that the room is occupied. Such a display would change to a green glow if the door hanger according to the invention does not have any data on a current room occupancy.

In one embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention, the control device is connected to a cloud via the wireless communication device. The cloud has a storage area allocated to the door hanger. Data with time information on room occupancy is stored in this memory area. The storage area in the cloud can be linked to meeting and/or video applications such as zoom®, Microsoft Teams® or Cisco Webex®, so that appointments for online meetings that take place in the room can be accessed with marked on the door tag will affect the display of the door tag. A link to an appointments calendar application running on a terminal of a user of the room is also conceivable, with the user only entering data on room occupancy in his/her appointments calendar, thereby removing the door hanger responds verbally in its display. During the room occupancy entered in the appointment calendar, the display shows the duration or the remaining time.

In a further embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention, the control device is connected to an operating application via the wireless communication device. A user stores data with time information on room occupancy via a mobile terminal device using the operating application implemented and running on the terminal device.

In a further developed embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention, the operating application transmits position data from the mobile terminal device to the control unit of the door hanger. The control device is additionally configured to use this position data to determine actual room occupancy and, in the negative case, to show non-occupancy by means of the display. By linking the respective booking with the user's mobile device, the door hanger can recognize that the booked room is actually occupied and display the occupancy and the announced duration of the meeting. It is also conceivable that the wireless communication device of the door hanger establishes contact with the mobile terminal device that is in the vicinity, for example via Bluetooth or NFC, and accordingly determines the occupancy of the room.

In an even further developed embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention, the display is configured to show texts or symbols entered by the user via the operating application. It is also conceivable that a format of the text entered or a type of representation, for example of symbols or light signals, is modified by the user.

In yet another embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention, the data with time information also has a time stamp, which defines the beginning of the room occupation. This is particularly advantageous if a point in time at which the countdown starts is in the future and this start of room occupancy can be indicated by the display. Other users of the room can thus plan their room occupancy based on the indicated start of reservation for the room.

In a continued further embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention, the display has at least one display for the free design of text and numbers. In addition, the display has at least one illuminated field for the direct display of a status, whether the room is free or occupied. The at least one display is, for example, an LCD, an AMOLED or an e-ink display.

In a still further embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention, access to the room has a controllable door lock that is connected to the cloud. The control unit of the door tag is configured to lock the door lock for the duration of the room occupancy and to open it outside the duration of the room occupancy.

In a further continued embodiment of the door tag according to the invention, the door tag also has a proximity sensor. The proximity sensor is configured to activate the display when at least one person approaches and to deactivate the display when people are absent. As a result, the battery capacity of the door hanger is advantageously preserved.

• • Verbindungsaufnahme mit einem Steuergerät des Türanhängers,
• • Eingabe einer Dauer einer Raumbelegung durch einen Nutzer,
• • Eingabe eines Anzeigetextes durch den Nutzer,
• • Gestaltung eines Displaylayouts der Anzeige des Türanhängers durch den Nutzer,
• • Übermittlung der Daten an das Steuergerät,
• • Übermittlung von Positionsdaten des mobilen Endgerätes an das Steuergerät,
• • Empfangen von Daten von einem Timer des Türanhängers zur jeweils aktuell festgestellten verbleibenden Raumbelegungszeit.

Furthermore, an operating application with a computer-readable medium for a door hanger is claimed, wherein a program code that can be executed on a computing unit of a mobile terminal device is stored on the computer-readable medium. The program code, when executed on the processing unit, causes the processing unit to carry out at least one of the following steps:

• • establishing a connection with a control unit of the door tag,
• • Entering a duration of a room occupancy by a user,
• • Entry of a display text by the user,
• • Design of a display layout for the door tag display by the user,
• • Transmission of the data to the control unit,
• • Transmission of position data from the mobile device to the control unit,
• • Receiving data from a timer on the door tag for the currently determined remaining room occupancy time.

Further advantages and refinements of the invention result from the description and the attached drawing.

• 1 zeigt eine Ausgestaltung des erfindungsgemäßen Türanhängers.

It goes without saying that the features mentioned above can be used not only in the combination specified in each case, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

• 1 shows an embodiment of the door hanger according to the invention.

In 1 an embodiment 10 of the door hanger 11 according to the invention is shown. The door tag advantageously has an opening 14 by means of which it can be hung on a doorknob of an entrance to a space which is to be marked by the door tag. A light border 12 is configured to light up either red or green depending on the representation of a current occupancy or non-occupancy of the room. A display 13 is configured to display both text and symbols, with a format or a type of display being able to be specified by the user if necessary. On the one hand, the door hanger 11 is connected 16 to a storage space 15 assigned to the door hanger 11 in a cloud 17, from which the door hanger 11 can call up data on room occupancy, provided, for example, by a meeting and/or video application. Alternatively or additionally, the door hanger 11 is usually wirelessly connected to a mobile terminal device of a user of the room, on which an appointment calendar application is implemented and running, so that the door hanger 11 retrieves corresponding data on room occupancy. A room occupancy entered in the appointment calendar application can thus be called up by the door hanger 11 and, if the appointment is in the future, can be displayed as the beginning of the room occupancy or, if the room is currently being used by the user, as a countdown (until the room becomes free again) are displayed.

Reference List

10

Insertion scheme door sign

11

door hanger

12

luminous border

13

screen

14

Hole for door handle

15

Storage space for room occupancy data

16

connection

17

cloud

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 20011303 U1 [0003]
• US20180240203A1 [0004]
• US20150142691A1 [0005]

Claims (10)

Door tag (11), which has a display for information about a room occupancy of a room, a control device, a timer, a wireless communication device and its own power supply and is configured to be arranged at an entrance to the room, the control device being configured to do so is to receive data with information on room occupancy by means of the wireless communication device, the data comprising at least one duration of room occupancy, the timer being configured to start a countdown based on the duration of room occupancy at the beginning of room occupancy and a remaining room occupancy time in Counting down the course of time, the display being configured to show non-occupancy outside of room occupancy, and to show the remaining room occupancy time currently determined by the timer during room occupancy. Door hanger (11) after claim 1 , in which the control unit is connected (16) to a cloud (17) via the wireless communication device, the cloud (17) having a memory area (15) assigned to the door tag and in this memory area (15) data with time information on the room occupancy are stored. Door hanger (11) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the control device is connected to an operating application via the wireless communication device, with a user storing data with time information on room occupancy via a mobile terminal device using the operating application implemented and running on the terminal device. Door hanger (11) after claim 3 , in which the operating application transmits position data of the mobile terminal device to the control unit of the door trailer, and the control unit is configured to use this position data to determine actual room occupancy and, in the negative case, to display non-occupancy by means of the display. Door hanger (11) according to claims 3 or 4 , in which the display is configured to display texts or symbols entered by the user via the operating application. Door tag (11) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the data with time information additionally have a time stamp which defines a start of the room occupancy. Door hanger (11) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the display has at least one display (13) for freely designing text and numbers, and in which the display also has at least one illuminated field (12) for directly showing a state, whether the room is free or occupied. Door tag (11) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the access to the room has a controllable door lock connected to the cloud, and the control unit of the door tag (11) is configured to lock the door lock for the duration of room occupancy and outside the duration of the room occupancy. Door tag (11) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the door tag (11) additionally has a proximity sensor, and the proximity sensor is configured to activate the display when at least one person approaches and to deactivate the display when people are absent. Operating application with a computer-readable medium for a door hanger (11), wherein a program code that can be executed on a computing unit of a mobile terminal device is stored on the computer-readable medium, wherein the program code, when executed on the computing unit, causes the computing unit to carry out at least one of the following steps : • establishing a connection with a control unit of the door tag (11), • Entering a duration of a room occupancy by a user, • Entry of a display text by the user, • Design of a display layout for the door tag display by the user, • Transmission of the data to the control unit, • Transmission of position data from the mobile device to the control device, • Receiving data from a timer on the door tag (11) for the currently determined remaining room occupancy time.

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