Information distribution system for use in an elevator

• US 7,156,211 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2005
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Captivate, LLC
• Original Assignee: Gannett Satellite Information Network Incorporated (Gannett Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Newville, Todd A., DiFranza, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US11/211,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20060021827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 187391-397, 187/247, 187/414
• US Class Current: 187/396
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/34 Details , e.g. call counting devices, data transmission from car to control system, devices giving information to the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/00 Applications of devices for indicating or signalling operating conditions of elevators
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/008 Displaying information not related to the elevator, e.g. weather, publicity, internet or TV

Abstract

The invention features a system for displaying video information to passengers of an elevator in accordance with a play list defining a sequence of messages. The video information messages can include combinations of digital advertising, “real-time” general information, as well as, building-related information. The system includes an elevator display unit having a display monitor for displaying video information to the passengers, and a local server which, receives scheduling information associated with the video information over a data communication path and, in accordance with the scheduling information, generates a play list used to display at the elevator display unit.

Claims

1. An elevator display system for use with an elevator in a building, the elevator display system comprising:

an elevator display unit having a display monitor positioned within the elevator to display video information to passengers within the elevator; and

a local server which receives scheduling information associated with the video information over a data communication path and, in accordance with the scheduling information, generates a play list used to display the video information at predetermined times for display at the elevator display unit.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface for generating the scheduling information received by the local server.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the video information includes a text message and the play list includes:

a start date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor;

an end date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor; and

a day segment indicating a portion of a day the text message is displayed on the display monitor.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the text message is in HTML format.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user interface is remote from said local server and communicates with said local server over a data communications path.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the data communications path comprises the Internet.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the data communications path comprises a dial-up modem.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the data communications path comprises a local area network.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the play list comprises a building operations play list, and wherein the video information and scheduling information used to generate the building operations play list relate to building operations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the local server further receives a production server play list from a production server, remote from said local server, over a data communication network, said production server play list associated with general and commercial information for display on the display unit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the local server includes a parser which generates a local building play list from the production server play list and the building operations play list.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising the production server which generates said production server play list associated with the general and commercial information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the production server includes:

a production server database for storing building-related data, general information-related data, and commercial information-related data; and

a scheduling module which retrieves the data from the production server database and generates the additional scheduling information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the general information-related data and the commercial information-related data include addresses from where the general and commercial information, respectively, can be retrieved over the data communication path.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the production server further includes a building loader interface through which data is passed between the production server and the local server;

the building loader interface encrypting the data passed between the production server and the local server and authenticating that the local server is associated with the system.

16. A method of displaying video information on an elevator display unit, the method comprising:

providing to a local server, scheduling information associated with video information to be displayed;

generating, from the scheduling information, a play list associated with the video information; and

generating a display for viewing at the elevator display unit the video information at predetermined times in accordance with the scheduling information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the play list is performed with a graphical user interface.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the video information includes a text message and the scheduling information includes:

a start date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor;

an end date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor; and

a day segment indicating a portion of a day the text message is displayed on the display monitor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user interface is remote from said local server and communicates with said local server over a data communications path.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the play list is a building operations play list, the video information and scheduling information used to generate the building operations play list relating to building operations.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the providing step further includes receiving at the local server a production server play list from a production server, remote from said local server, over a data communication network, said production server play list associated with general and commercial information for display on the display unit.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein generating the play list includes parsing a local building play list from the production server play list and the building operations play list.