Support system for maintenance contract of elevator

• US 7,194,415 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2001
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Building Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Building Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hamada, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FISHER, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US09/801,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20020173970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,202 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

A system is provided for predicting a load degree of a customer'"'"'s elevator from the information about the customer'"'"'s building and elevator, creating and displaying the maintenance plan according to the load degree, and selecting a proper maintenance plan in consideration of the load degree of the customer'"'"'s elevator and the customer'"'"'s needs.

Claims

1. A support system to allow a consumer to obtain an offer of a plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance, comprising:

a load prediction database storing load-values of previously known elevator sites, the load-values being stored in relation to values of a plurality of predetermined site-characteristics known to affect load-values;

a maintenance contract database storing terms of maintenance contracts, ones of the terms being stored in relation to predetermined-load-values;

a consumer input unit to poll a consumer to input site-values of at least a sub-plurality of the predetermined site-characteristics, pertaining to a consumer elevator site for which the offer of the plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance is desired;

a load predicting-unit to utilize inputted site-values and the load prediction database, to automatically predict a site-load-value of the consumer elevator site;

a maintenance plan setup-unit to utilize the predicted site-load-value and the maintenance contract database to automatically assemble the plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans, with each termed commercial maintenance contractual plan having a different total failure occurrence probability; and

a maintenance plan selecting-unit to allow the consumer to select a desired termed commercial maintenance contractual plan from said plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans.

2. A support system as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a maintenance plan adjusting-unit to allow the consumer to adjust a desired termed commercial maintenance contractual plan from said plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans.

3. A support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a termed commercial maintenance contractual plan includes terms regarding at least one of:

component parts replacement intervals;

check-up intervals; and

, clean-up intervals for the consumer elevator site.

4. A support system to allow a consumer to obtain an offer of a plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance, comprising:

a load prediction database storing load-values of previously known elevator sites, the load-values being stored in relation to values of a plurality of predetermined site-characteristics known to affect load-values;

a maintenance contract database storing terms of maintenance contracts, ones of the terms being stored in relation to predetermined-load-values;

a consumer input unit to poll a consumer to input site-values of at least a sub-plurality of the predetermined site-characteristics, pertaining to a consumer elevator site for which the offer of the plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance is desired;

a load predicting-unit to utilize inputted site-values and the load prediction database, to automatically predict a site-load-value of the consumer elevator site;

a maintenance plan setup-unit to utilize the predicted site-load-value and the maintenance contract database to automatically assemble the plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans, with each termed commercial maintenance contractual plan having a different total failure occurrence probability; and

a maintenance plan selecting-unit to allow the consumer to select a desired termed commercial maintenance contractual plan from said plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans,

wherein the load predicting-unit predicts the site-load-value of the consumer elevator site, by utilizing a load-value of at least one of the previously known elevator sites having values of the plurality of predetermined site-characteristics which most closely match the inputted site-values of the consumer elevator site,

wherein the plurality of predetermined site-characteristics known to affect load-values, include at least one site-characteristic selected from a list of;

a site geographical-location;

an area-size of the site;

a number of floors of the site;

a number of users of the site; and

, a use-type of the site; and

at least one elevator-characteristic selected from a list of;

a designed elevator-capacity of the site;

an elevator running speed of the site;

a number of installed elevators at the site; and

, hours of operation of elevators of the site, and

wherein the predicted site-load-value from the load predicting-unit, includes at least two elevator-load-values selected from a list of;

a monthly running time load value;

a monthly running distance load value; and

, a monthly door open/close times load value.

5. A support system to allow a consumer to obtain an offer of a plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance, comprising:

a load prediction database storing load-values of previously known elevator sites, the load-values being stored in relation to values of a plurality of predetermined site-characteristics known to affect load-values;

a maintenance contract database storing terms of maintenance contracts, ones of the terms being stored in relation to predetermined-load-values;

a consumer input unit to poll a consumer to input site-values of at least a sub-plurality of the predetermined site-characteristics, pertaining to a consumer elevator site for which the offer of the plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance is desired;

a load predicting means to utilize inputted site-values and the load prediction database, for automatically predicting a site-load-value of the consumer elevator site;

a maintenance plan setup means to utilize the predicted site-load-value and the maintenance contract database, for automatically assembling the plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans, with each termed commercial maintenance contractual plan having a different total failure occurrence probability; and

a maintenance plan selecting-unit to allow the consumer to select a desired termed commercial maintenance contractual plan from said plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans.

6. A support system as claimed in claim 5, comprising:

a maintenance plan adjusting-unit to allow the consumer to adjust a desired termed commercial maintenance contractual plan from said plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans.

7. A support system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the load predicting means is for predicting the site-load-value of the consumer elevator site, by utilizing a load-value of at least one of the previously known elevator sites having values of the plurality of predetermined site-characteristics which most closely match the inputted site-values of the consumer elevator site.

8. A support system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of predetermined site-characteristics known to affect load-values, include at least one site-characteristic selected from a list of:

a site geographical-location;

an area-size of the site;

a number of floors of the site;

a number of users of the site; and

, a use-type of the site; and

at least one elevator-characteristic selected from a list of;

a designed elevator-capacity of the site;

an elevator running speed of the site;

a number of installed elevators at the site; and

, hours of operation of elevators of the site.

9. A support system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the predicted site-load-value from the load predicting-unit, includes at least two elevator-load-values selected from a list of:

a monthly running time load value;

a monthly running distance load value; and

, a monthly door open/close times load value.

10. A support system as claimed in claim 5, wherein a termed commercial maintenance contractual plan includes terms regarding at least one of:

component parts replacement intervals;

check-up intervals; and

, clean-up intervals for the consumer elevator site.

11. One or more machine-readable medium containing a support system to allow a consumer to obtain an offer of a plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance, the medium containing a load prediction database, a maintenance contract database, and at least one sequence of instructions that, when executed, causes a machine to effect:

a consumer input unit to poll a consumer to input site-values of at least a sub-plurality of the predetermined site-characteristics, pertaining to a consumer elevator site for which the offer of the plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance is desired;

a load predicting-unit to utilize inputted site-values and the load prediction database, to automatically predict a site-load-value of the consumer elevator site;

a maintenance plan setup-unit to utilize the predicted site-load-value and the maintenance contract database to automatically assemble the plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans, with each termed commercial maintenance contractual plan having a different total failure occurrence probability; and

a maintenance plan selecting-unit to allow the consumer to select a desired termed commercial maintenance contractual plan from said plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans,

wherein the load prediction database storing load-values of previously known elevator sites, the load-values being stored in relation to values of a plurality of predetermined site-characteristics known to affect load-values; and

wherein the maintenance contract database storing terms of maintenance contracts, ones of the terms being stored in relation to predetermined-load-values.

12. The medium as claimed in claim 11, comprising the at least one sequence of instructions that, when executed, causes the machine to effect:

a maintenance plan adjusting-unit to allow the consumer to adjust a desired termed commercial maintenance contractual plan from said plurality of termed commercial maintenance contractual plans.

13. The medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the load predicting-unit predicts the site-load-value of the consumer elevator site, by utilizing a load-value of at least one of the previously known elevator sites having values of the plurality of predetermined site-characteristics which most closely match the inputted site-values of the consumer elevator site.

14. The medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of predetermined site-characteristics known to affect load-values, include at least one site-characteristic selected from a list of:

a site geographical-location;

an area-size of the site;

a number of floors of the site;

a number of users of the site; and

, a use-type of the site; and

at least one elevator-characteristic selected from a list of;

a designed elevator-capacity of the site;

an elevator running speed of the site;

a number of installed elevators at the site; and

, hours of operation of elevators of the site.

15. The medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the predicted site-load-value from the load predicting-unit, includes at least two elevator-load-values selected from a list of:

a monthly running time load value;

a monthly running distance load value; and

, a monthly door open/close times load value.

16. The medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein a termed commercial maintenance contractual plan includes terms regarding at least one of:

component parts replacement intervals;

check-up intervals; and

, clean-up intervals for the consumer elevator site.

17. The medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the machine is a server using the internet to provide the support system to allow the consumer to obtain an offer of the plurality of selectable termed commercial maintenance contracts for elevator maintenance, via the internet.