Accommodating visually handicapped in elevator up-peak channeling
First Claim
1. A method of accommodating visually handicapped persons in an elevator system serving a plurality of floors of a building, in which up-peak channeling assigns successive cars loading passengers at a lobby floor to serve only a sector containing a specific group of contiguous floors, each car being conditioned to accept car calls only for floors within the assigned sector, comprising:
- (a) transmitting an electromagnetic radiation signal from a device worn by a visually handicapped person when said handicapped person is within said building seeking elevator service; and
(b) in response to receipt of said signal, conditioning at least one elevator car at said lobby to accept car calls for any floor which said elevator car is capable of serving.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In an elevator system utilizing up-peak channeling which displays the floors of the sectors to be served by each elevator during its next trip, visually handicapped persons alert the system by means of a signal transmission from a portable device, and are then enabled to enter a car call for any floor in the building. An embodiment with a lobby receiver enables calls to any floor in the next several elevators which may leave the lobby floor. An embodiment with receivers in every car enables calls to any floor in a car which receives the signal.
20 Citations
8 Claims
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1. A method of accommodating visually handicapped persons in an elevator system serving a plurality of floors of a building, in which up-peak channeling assigns successive cars loading passengers at a lobby floor to serve only a sector containing a specific group of contiguous floors, each car being conditioned to accept car calls only for floors within the assigned sector, comprising:
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(a) transmitting an electromagnetic radiation signal from a device worn by a visually handicapped person when said handicapped person is within said building seeking elevator service; and (b) in response to receipt of said signal, conditioning at least one elevator car at said lobby to accept car calls for any floor which said elevator car is capable of serving. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An elevator system, including a bank of elevators operable during up-peak in a channeling mode in which each elevator is assigned to serve only a sector of contiguous floors and each elevator is conditioned to accept car calls only for destination floors within the assigned sector, comprising:
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a portable device to be worn by a visually handicapped person for supplying an electromagnetic signal transmission indicating the presence of said visually handicapped person; one or more receivers related to said bank of elevators; and means responsive to receipt of said signal transmission by said one or more receivers for conditioning at least one elevator car which is about to leave the lobby to accept car calls for any floor which said elevator car is capable of servicing. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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Specification