Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66B—ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS
  • B66B3/00—Applications of devices for indicating or signalling operating conditions of elevators
  • B66B3/002—Indicators
  • B66B3/008—Displaying information not related to the elevator, e.g. weather, publicity, internet or TV
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66B—ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS
  • B66B3/00—Applications of devices for indicating or signalling operating conditions of elevators

Definitions

• a market driven economy is to a large extent the basis of the unprecedented affluence enjoyed by many members of the world's industrialized societies. Advertising plays an important role in this affluence by communicating information regarding available goods and services to consumers and even by generating needs for products and services. Advertising is so prevalent that consumers are, figuratively speaking, awash in a sea of competing messages. As a defense, many learn to ignore much of what is directed at them. For example, the convenient wireless "clicker" allows a television viewer to quickly and simply mute television commercials or change channels during commercials. In response, advertisers must target those groups of consumers most likely to be interested, or to have the means, to purchase certain goods and services, and to address the targeted consumers with particularly engaging ads. Advertising, like much else in today's economy, is highly competitive. New avenues and approaches to attracting the consumer's attention are always in demand.
• a network of displays in elevators for directing advertising to elevator occupants has recently been proposed. Audiences can be targeted based largely on the physical location of the elevator. For example, an elevator in a building in a financial district routinely and predictably provides a certain audience, as does an elevator in a building in a manufacturing district, though those audiences are different and advertising can be provided accordingly. More important to the advertisers is that the consumers are captive, and an audience for the advertising, at least for a brief period of time, is guaranteed. It is proposed to network the elevator displays using the Internet and to control the displays with server computers accessible via the Internet and with building servers located in each building, or proximate a complex of buildings, having elevators.
• the building servers include a memory that stores information for display by the elevator displays and provides, according to a schedule, that information to each elevator display.
• the building servers can track the frequency of use of each elevator, the occupancy, and the floors frequented and tailor the advertising accordingly. Sensors can provide feedback on the traffic carried in each elevator.
• the building servers can also typically track the revenues to be collected from each advertiser based on the above factors, and the information from each building server collected by the central Internet server for billing purposes.
• U.S. Patent No. 5,844,181 discloses a display apparatus that facilitates a simultaneous display of advertising and general news information to elevator occupants.
• the information is broadcast from a remote control center and includes advertising and general information updates that are transmitted to and stored in a display memory and subsequently displayed on a display screen of the display apparatus according to a remotely modifiable program schedule.
• the display apparatus is updated to have a copy of the latest broadcast schedule and automatically displays a day's programming according to the most current broadcast schedule.
• the display apparatus of the elevators are each individually addressable, thus allowing groups of displays to be simultaneously updated from a remote centralized location with new information.
• WO 99/36341 features a system for displaying video information to passengers of an elevator in accordance with a playlist.
• the video information can include combinations of video advertising, real-time general information and building-related information.
• the system disclosed in this patent application typically includes an elevator display unit having a display monitor for displaying video information to the passengers and a local building server which receives scheduling information over a data communication path. In accordance with the scheduling information, the local building server generates the playlist.
• the proposed systems typically employ at least one server per building or complex of buildings having elevators, and can requires a high capacity, full time Internet connection, such as a dedicated Tl or DSL line to the building server.
• a dedicated Internet connection can be expensive, and it can also be expensive to install and "wire" the server computers and to install a dedicated network between the elevator displays and the building server computers.
• a relatively small group of networked computers having a server in communication with several clients e.g., the elevator displays
• the expense and upkeep of proposed systems could very well limit their use.
• the proposed systems tend to favor a "top down” or “broadcast” approach geared to enhancing revenue to an entity that has contracted with building or elevator owners for control of the displays in a large number of elevators.
• the entity sells "airtime” on the displays and manages the display of the various ads on the displays, reaping fees for so doing.
• Individual building or elevator owners can be left with little control over the advertising displayed on their elevators or access to advertising revenues.
• the proposed systems are interesting and may very well represent an advance in the art of advertising, improvements that reduce cost and provide more opportunities and control to the various parties whose cooperation is necessary to present this advertising, such as building or elevator owners, would be useful and welcome. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the foregoing deficiencies of the prior art.
• the invention provides a system for providing and/or facilitating the provision of selected information to elevator occupants.
• the system can include the following: a server computer and at least one elevator computer, where the server computer includes the following: a server central processing unit (CPU); server memory including at least random access memory (RAM); and an electronic communication apparatus for communication over the Internet.
• the server memory includes a content database for aiding provision to the elevator computer of the selected information.
• the elevator computer can include the following: an elevator computer central processing unit (CPU); elevator computer memory including at least elevator computer RAM; a second electronic communication apparatus including a modem, typically for having phone calls placed thereto; and a display for displaying information to elevator occupants.
• the elevator computer can include programming instructions stored in the elevator computer memory for execution by the elevator computer CPU for the following: detecting a phone call placed to the modem; responsive to the detecting, initiating communication with the server computer via the second electronic communication apparatus; receiving information responsive to communication between the computers, the information at least one of including the selected information or facilitating the provision of the selected information to elevator occupants; and at least one of displaying the information on the display for viewing by elevator occupants and storing the information in the memory.
• the phone call can be considered a "phone home" signal that prompts the elevator computer to establish communication with the server computer to receive the information for display, and which can be used to allow nearly immediate updating of information to the elevator computer.
• the elevator computer can also include programming instructions for initiating communication with server computer according to a schedule for receiving scheduled updates of information for display to elevator occupants.
• the invention thus advantageously need not require a costly full-time connection to the Internet.
• the system of the present invention may be implemented at reduced cost.
• the server computer is located remote from the elevator and from the building in which the elevator is housed, and provides information for display to a number of elevators in different buildings.
• the server computer can host a web site that allows a user to select information via the content database for provision to the elevator computer for communication to elevator occupants.
• the present invention also includes additional aspects, such as methods for providing information to elevator occupants, as set forth in the disclosure below.
• FIGURE 1 illustrates generally a system according to the invention for providing information to elevator occupants
• FIGURE 2 illustrates in more detail one manner in which the system of FIGURE 1 can operate to display information to elevator occupants
• FIGURE 3 illustrates the incorporation of a diagnostic monitor unit, often used to monitor the performance of an elevator or elevators, into the system of FIGURE 1.
• FIGURE 1 illustrates generally a system 10 for providing information to elevator occupants.
• the system 10 includes a server computer 12 having a server central processing unit 14 (CPU); server memory that can include RAM 16, read only memory (ROM) 18 and a hard drive 20; and an electronic communication apparatus 24 for communicating, as indicated by reference number 26, with the Internet, which is indicated schematically by reference numeral 28.
• the Internet 28 is an interconnected network of computers that literally spans the globe, and that can include dedicated backbone transmission lines, satellite communication up-links and down-links, portions of the public telephone network, and various gateway and router computers and sophisticated switching apparatus.
• the server computer 12 includes a content database 34 representative of information available for display to elevator occupants and can also host a website 38 that includes at least one page for access using a standard browser.
• the system 10 also includes at least one elevator computer 60 for disposition with an elevator 50 for providing the information to elevator occupants.
• the elevator computer includes an elevator computer central processing unit (CPU) 62; a display 64 for communication of the information to elevator occupants; elevator computer memory that can include RAM 66, ROM 68 and a hard drive 70; and an electronic communication apparatus
• the electronic communication apparatus 72 for communicating with another computer using one or both of the Internet 28 and the public telephone network 82.
• the electronic communication apparatus 72 includes a modem
• the elevator computer 60 uses the modem 73 and the public telephone network 82 to access the Internet 28 via an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 84.
• ISP Internet Service Provider
• the system 10 can also include the user access computer 100, which can include a CPU 102, memory including RAM 104 and ROM 106, as well as a hard drive memory 108; a display 110; and an electronic communication apparatus 112 for communicating with other computers, typically over one or both of the Internet 28 and the public telephone network 82, as indicated by reference number 114.
• the user computer 100 can also include a user- input element 115 that includes one or more of a keyboard, mouse, light pen, or tablet and digitizer, for example.
• the user computer 100 will typically be an IBM or Apple Personal Computer suitable for running a browser program and accessing the Internet 28.
• the system 10 can also include a diagnostic monitoring computer 150 which, as with the other computers discussed, includes a CPU 152; memory that can include RAM 154 and ROM 156, respectively, as well as a hard drive memory 158; a display 162; and an electronic communication apparatus 160 for communicating with other computers, typically over one or both of the public telephone network 82 and the Internet 28.
• a diagnostic monitoring computer 150 monitors the operation of the elevators, such as elevator 50, typically via communication with a diagnostic interface unit 204 (shown in FIGURE 3) disposed with the elevator 50. Should the monitoring of an elevator, such as the elevator 50, indicate that service is required, service personnel can be dispatched as required to service the elevator.
• the functionality of the diagnostic monitoring computer 150 and the server computer 12 are combined, such that one computer, such as the server computer 12, serves to perform the functions of the diagnostic monitoring computer 150.
• the computers 12, 60, 100 and 150 can include an electronic communication apparatus 24, 72, 112, and 160 respectively.
• the term "electronic communication apparatus”, as used herein, refers to apparatus that facilitates electronic communication with another computer using a selected interconnection mechanism, such as the public telephone network, or the Internet, and a selected communication protocol, such as V.90 or V.32, or in the case of the Internet, TCP/IP.
• an electronic communication apparatus can include a modem and/or a network card such as an Ethernet card for accessing a network that is in communication with other computers, such as over an intranet or the Internet 28.
• Electronic communication apparatus also includes circuitry that provides parallel, serial, Scsi, USB, Firewire and other such ports known in the art, and protocols such as Appletalk.
• the content database 34 of the server computer 12 aids the provision of selected information to the elevator computer 60 for display by the display 64.
• the content database 34 will typically represent various advertising materials that can be in the form of audio files, video files, picture files and text, for example. Also included can be various applets for provision to elevator computers (to be described later) and to be run locally for providing information to elevator occupants.
• the content data base 34 can include information stored locally, that is, on the memory of the server computer 12, and can also include links or pointers to information available elsewhere, such as on other sites on the Internet 28.
• the content database 34 and/or the website 38 can also include provision for directing streaming information, such as audio or video, to the elevator computer 60.
• the web site 38 facilitates selection of information via the content database, and can offer various menus, dialog boxes, property sheets, buttons, hypertext links and the like, distributed on various web pages, to allow the user to efficiently review the information represented by the content database 34 and make appropriate selections for provision to an elevator computer.
• the website 38 allows a user to access the server computer 12 via a browser program running on the user computer 100 and to use the browser to interactively select information via the content database 34 for display to elevator occupants of the elevator 50.
• the website 38 also should include provision for the user to identify the elevator computer that should receive the selected information.
• the website 38 can be implemented using various programming techniques and languages, such as Java and HTML, known in the art, and concomitant programming instructions resident in the memory of the server computer 12.
• FIGURE 2 illustrates one manner in which the system 10 can operate in accordance with the invention.
• a user accesses the website 38 of the server computer 12 via an appropriate program, such as a browser. Proceeding to block 124, the user selects information for display on the display 64 of the elevator computer 60. and can provide other information related to the selected information, such as the schedule for display, etc., that facilitates the display of the selected information. The user also identifies the particular elevator computer that is to display the selected information, as indicated by block 126. Proceeding to block 128, a telephone call is placed to the modem 73 of the electronic communication apparatus 72 of the elevator computer 60.
• the "phone home" telephone call can be placed by the user computer 100 or some other computer, such as the server computer 12 using a modem (not shown in FIGURE 1) and the public telephone network 82, as indicated by connection 121 shown in FIGURE 1, or could conceivably be placed manually.
• this "phone home" telephone call is placed by the user via the user computer 100 to the modem 73.
• the telephone call is detected, as indicated by block 130.
• the elevator computer 60 can detect this telephone call by sensing a predetermined number of rings, such as one ring followed by a hang-up. Responsive to the detecting of the telephone call, the elevator computer 60 will initiate communication, using the Internet 28, between the server computer 12 and the elevator computer 60, as indicated by block 132.
• the elevator computer 60 will dial out using the modem 73, and via the public telephone network 82, the ISP 84 and the Internet 28, will access the server computer 12. Responsive to communication between the elevator computer 60 and the server computer 12, such as the elevator computer 60 identifying itself to the server computer 12, the elevator computer receives information, typically including the selected information, such as from the memory of the server computer 12, or from other computers indicated by the server computer 12, as indicated by blocks 134 and 136. As discussed above, the information received by the elevator computer 60 can include scheduling information for determining when selected information is to be displayed, the number of times the selected information is displayed, etc., as largely specified by the user when accessing the web site 38.
• the elevator computer 60 includes programming instructions stored in the memory thereof and for execution by the elevator computer CPU 62 for performing at least the following: detecting a phone call placed to the modem 73 of the electronic communication apparatus 72; responsive to the detecting, initiating communication with the server computer 12; responsive to communication between the computers, receiving information; and at least one of displaying the information on the display 64 of the elevator computer 60 and storing the information in the memory of the elevator computer 60.
• the present invention advantageously provides for the use of the "phone home" telephone call to the elevator computer 60 that prompts the elevator computer 60 to connect to the server computer 12 to receive information.
• One advantage of such a technique is that many existing elevators already have a modem associated with the elevator, and the present system can be more readily implemented.
• the present invention can allow the selection via the content database 34 of information to be displayed, and the display of that selected information on the display 64 of the elevator computer, without the use of an intermediate building server that is in constant communication with a server computer 12, such as over the Internet 28.
• the elevator computer 60 can include appropriate programming instructions for performing some or all of the instructions typically performed by the building servers of the proposed systems. New information can be provided to the elevator computer 60 automatically at scheduled intervals, and then displayed by the elevator computer 60 according to a display schedule. For example, the elevator computer 60 can automatically communicate with the server computer 12 at selected times for facilitating the reception of selected information for display as well as other information, such as a playlist, for scheduling the display of the display information.
• the information is downloaded from the server computer 12 to the elevator computer 60; however, the server computer 12 can also provide instruction to the elevator computer 60 for receiving the information from a source other than the server computer 12. If desired, provision can be included for the scheduled real time display, of streaming video or audio received from a computer memory other than that of the elevator computer.
• the streaming information can be displayed simultaneously with information previously stored on the elevator computer memory, such as on different portions of the display 64 of the elevator computer 60.
• the streaming information can be real time, as from a source generating the information relatively contemporaneously with the display of the information.
• programming instructions stored in the memory of the elevator computer 60 can, at selected or predetermined intervals, cause the elevator computer 60 to electronically communication with the server computer 12 for receiving information for display on the display 64 of the elevator computer 60.
• the present invention allows an economical method for doing so via the placement of the "phone home" telephone call to the modem 73 of the electronic communication apparatus 72 of the elevator computer 60.
• each elevator computer need not have its own modem; the elevator computer 60 can include a electronic communication apparatus 72 that communicates over a network to share a modem with other elevators. Each such electronic communication apparatus that shares the modem can be deemed to include such a modem for the purposes of definition herein.
• FIGURE 3 illustrates an example of a an electronic communication apparatus 72 including a modem 73 that is not disposed in or on the elevator 50.
• the elevator 50 is shown as disposed in the elevator shaft 202.
• the machine room above the elevator shaft 202 often houses a diagnostic interface unit 204 that monitors the performance of the elevator 60.
• the diagnostic interface unit 204 can communicate over a network, as indicated by reference number 74, with the elevator computer 60.
• the diagnostic interface unit 204 can establish communication via the modem 73 and the public telephone network 82 with the diagnostic monitoring computer 150.
• the diagnostic monitoring computer 150 or an operator thereof, can then contact appropriate service personnel to be dispatched to the elevator needing service.
• elevator computers such as elevator computer 60, communicate with the modem 73 via the network 74 for also receiving the "phone home" signal that signals the elevator computer to establish communication with the server computer 12 for receiving information.
• the elevator computer 60 can detect the phone call without answering the phone call.
• the elevator computer 60 can include programming for detecting a selected number of rings and upon receiving that selected number of rings, initiating communication with the server computer 12.
• the elevator computer 60 can include programming including instructions for answering the phone call and verifying that the phone call is being sent by an authorized or selected source, such as a particular user or user computer 100. If the phone call is answered, the user computer 100 can communicate to the elevator computer 60 information regarding the selected information to be received by the elevator computer 60, which can be complimentary to, or alternative to, an identification stored by the server computer 12 of the selected information for display, and/or of scheduling times, etc.
• the elevator computer 60 establishes communication with the server computer 12, the elevator computer 60 then communicates to the server computer 12 an identification of the information to be received.
• the server computer 12 then facilitates the provision of the selected information to the elevator computer 60.
• This technique can allow for greater security. and/or conserve resources of the server computer 12, in that an identification of the information to be received by the elevator computer 60 is not stored by the server computer 12 while the server computer 12 waits for the elevator computer 60 to establish communication responsive to the "phone home" telephone call.
• both the elevator and server computers can retain such an identification and, for example, a comparison can be made by one or both of the elevator and server computers. If the computers do not agree as to the information to be received by the elevator computer, an error has been made or other problem has arisen.
• the server computer 12 can then inform the user, such as by an automated e-mail message sent to the user computer 100, of the discrepancy.
• the user computer 100 can also provide particular information to both the server and elevator computers, such that when the elevator computer 60 establishes communication with the server computer 12, the information can be compared as a security measure. If the particular information does not agree, the elevator computer 60 does not receive information for display on the display thereof. The particular information need not be related to identifying the information to be received by the elevator computer 60 for display.
• the elevator computer 60 need not communicate with the server computer 12 using the modem 73 of the electronic communication apparatus 72 of the elevator computer 60.
• the electronic communication apparatus 72 of the elevator computer 60 can include a network card that connects the elevator computer 60 to an intermediate server computer, such as the intermediate server computer 200 shown in FIGURE 1 , which can be a building server computer.
• the intermediate server 200 can then facilitate the communication via the Internet 28 with the server computer 12 and pass the selected information to the elevator computer 60.
• an important feature of the present invention is the use of the "phone home" telephone call.
• This feature eliminates, or can help eliminate, the need for constant Internet communication between the elevator computer 60 and the server computer 12 or for constant communication between an intermediate building server computer 200 and the server computer 12, or can otherwise reduce the number of interconnected computers and the amount of time that they are interconnected.
• the foregoing is considered an advantage over many proposed systems and results in a simpler and more economical system for providing information to elevator occupants.
• the present invention can provide more of a subscriber- driven elevator display system, a "broadcast" approach can be useful at times.
• the present invention can include a provision that certain information be required to be displayed on selected or all elevator computers according to a fixed schedule or according to some time and frequency of display requirements set by the server computer 12, and that are not necessarily subject to full control by individual users associated with particular elevators or groups of elevators.
• a user or users may directly access the server computer 12 via a display and/or a user input element, such as a keyboard and/or a pointing and selecting apparatus, such as a mouse, light pen or the like, in communication with the server computer 12.
• the electronic communication apparatus of the server computer 12 can include a modem 73 for placing the "phone home" telephone call to elevator computers, such as the elevator computer 60.
• Patent is:

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• 2000
  • 2000-11-28 EP EP00983777A patent/EP1254068B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-11-28 JP JP2001545189A patent/JP4841783B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-11-28 KR KR1020027007038A patent/KR100731251B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-11-28 BR BR0016323-6A patent/BR0016323A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2000-11-28 CN CNB008170207A patent/CN1211271C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-11-28 DE DE60033696T patent/DE60033696T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-11-28 WO PCT/US2000/032397 patent/WO2001044095A1/en active IP Right Grant

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