Timed advertising in elevators and other shuttles

• US 5,606,154 A
• Filed: 01/13/1995
• Issued: 02/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Inventors: Doigan, Lloyd D., Henley, Randy G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NAPPI, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US08/372,625
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 187/392, 187/396, 187/391, 187/397
• US Class Current: 187/396
• 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

One or more messages, such as an ad, is selected and played to potential passengers at a shuttle landing, such as an elevator corridor, waiting for a car to respond to a call, the ad being selected to play completely within the time estimated for the car to respond to the call. In an elevator or other shuttle car, one or more ads are selected having a playing time less than the time it takes to reach the next scheduled landing stop. Ads are arranged in groups of ranges of playing times or are selected in series until the time is exhausted, or both. The car load and the identification of the ads (if they are completed) are recorded for billing purposes. Ads are prevented from playing while passengers enter and exit the cars (except for passengers traveling in the opposite direction from those whose call started the playing of an ad). Other criteria such as time of day, day of week, load in the car, and landing (floor) of the system can be used to limit ad selection. A background program may be played when ads are not playing, if desired.

Claims

1. A method of selecting and playing messages in an elevator system for conveying passengers in which a hall call is initiated by activating a corresponding hall call button, and having a controller for causing elevator cars to respond to such hall call, including providing access to cars through a hall door in an elevator corridor, comprising;

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, at least one of said messages having a duration different from at least another of said messages;

estimating the time remaining before the elevator system will provide access through said hall door;

selecting, from said plurality of messages, a message having a duration less than said estimated remaining time; and

playing the selected message in the vicinity of and within the perception of passengers in said elevator corridor while said hall call registered for said floor is unanswered.

2. A method of selecting and playing messages in an elevator car which is associated with call devices for identifying selected floors to which passengers request to be delivered, and associated with a controller for causing said car to move to said floors to deliver said passengers and for causing said car to respond to hall calls assigned to said car to pick up passengers at related floors, comprising:

estimating, during a floor-to-floor run of said car, the time remaining for said car to advance to a first scheduled stop to either discharge or pick up passengers and providing a time signal indicative thereof;

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, each message having a playing time of a known duration;

comparing the time indicated by said time signal with the playing time duration of one or more of said messages;

selecting one of a plurality of said messages that have a playing time duration less than the duration indicated by said time signal based on a criterion other than its duration; and

playing in said car said selected one message.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein said playing step includes selecting successive messages on a rotating basis.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the time of selecting the message.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the time of day of selecting the message.

6. A method according to claim 4 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the day of the week in which the message is selected.

7. A method according to claim 2 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the load in said car at the time when said message is selected.

8. A method of selecting and playing messages in an elevator car which is associated with call devices for identifying selected floors to which passengers request to be delivered, and associated with a controller for causing said car to move to said floors to deliver said passengers and for causing said car to respond to hall calls assigned to said car to pick up passengers at related floors, comprising:

estimating, during a floor-to-floor run of said car, the time remaining for said car to advance to a first scheduled stop to either discharge or pick up passengers and providing a time signal indicative thereof;

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, each message having a playing time of a known duration;

comparing the time indicated by said time signal with the playing time duration of one or more of said messages;

playing in said car a selected one of said messages that has a playing time duration less than the duration indicated by said time signal; and

at a predetermined point in time related to the conclusion of said run, recording an indication of the fact that said message has completed playing, if it has, or alternatively, turning off said message.

9. A method of selecting and playing messages in an elevator car which is associated with call devices for identifying selected floors to which passengers request to be delivered, and associated with a controller for causing said car to move to said floors to deliver said passengers and for causing said car to respond to hall calls assigned to said car to pick up passengers at related floors, comprising:

estimating, during a floor-to-floor run of said car, the time remaining for said car to advance to a first scheduled stop to either discharge or pick up passengers and providing a time signal indicative thereof;

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, each message having a playing time of a known duration;

comparing the time indicated by said time signal with the playing time duration of one or more of said messages; and

playing in said car a selected one of said messages that has a playing time duration less than the duration indicated by said time signal; and

at a predetermined point in time related to the conclusion of said run, turning off said message if said message has not completed playing, or alternatively, recording an indication of the fact that said message has completed playing, if it has, together with an indication of the load in said car.

10. A method of selecting and playing messages in an elevator car which is associated with call devices for identifying selected floors to which passengers request to be delivered, and associated with a controller for causing said car to move to said floors to deliver said passengers and for causing said car to respond to hall calls assigned to said car to pick up passengers at related floors, comprising:

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, each message having a playing time of a known duration;

at the start of a floor-to-floor run of said elevator car, estimating the time required for said car to advance to a first scheduled stop to either discharge or pick up passengers and providing a run time signal indicative thereof;

providing a plurality of threshold signals, each of said messages corresponding to one of said threshold signals, each of said threshold signals having a plurality of messages corresponding thereto, each one of said threshold signals indicative of the fact that a message corresponding thereto has a playing duration equal to or less than a duration corresponding to said one threshold signal;

comparing the time indicated by said run time signal with the durations indicated by said threshold signals and identifying one threshold signal having the largest corresponding duration which is less than or equal to the duration indicated by said run time signal;

selecting one message from among the plurality of messages associated with said one threshold signal; and

playing in said car said one message.

11. A method of selecting and playing messages in an elevator car which is associated with call devices for identifying selected floors to which passengers required to be delivered, and associated with a controller for causing said car to move to said floors to deliver said passengers and for causing said car to respond to hall calls assigned to said car to pick up passengers at related floors, comprising:

estimating, during a floor-to-floor run of said car, the time remaining for said car to advance to a first scheduled stop to either discharge or pick up passengers and providing a time signal indicative thereof;

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, each message having a playing time of a known duration;

comparing the time indicated by said time signal with the playing time duration of one or more of said messages;

playing in said car one of said messages that has a playing time duration less than the duration indicated by said time signal; and

upon completion of playing of said one message, prior to said car reaching said first scheduled stop, repeating said estimating step, said comparing step and said playing step.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said playing step includes playing each of said plurality of messages no more than once during each floor-to-floor run of said elevator.

13. A method of selecting and playing messages in an elevator car which is associated with call devices for identifying selected floors to which passengers request to be delivered, and associated with a controller for causing said car to move to said floors to deliver said passengers and for causing said car to respond to hall calls assigned to said car to pick up passengers at related floors, comprising:

estimating, during a floor-to-floor run of said car, the time remaining for said car to advance to a first scheduled stop to either discharge or pick up passengers and providing a time signal indicative thereof;

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, each message having a playing time of a known duration;

comparing the time indicated by said time signal with the playing time duration of one or more of said messages;

noting reversals in the direction of travel of the elevator; and

playing in said car one of said messages that has a playing time duration less than the duration indicated by said time signal, each of said plurality of messages being played only once for each reversal of the direction of travel of the elevator.

14. A method of selecting and playing messages in the elevator corridors of a building served by an elevator system having hall call devices with which passengers may request elevator service at a corresponding floor of the building, and having a controller for causing an elevator car to move between floors of the building to answer hall calls and respond to passenger'"'"'s requests for service, comprising:

estimating, in response to a passenger initiating a request for service in an elevator service corridor, the time required for an assigned car to respond to said request for service at said elevator corridor and providing a time signal indicative thereof;

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, each message having a playing time of a known duration;

comparing the time indicated by said time signal with the playing time duration of one or more of said messages;

playing in said elevator corridor one of said messages that has a playing time duration less than the duration indicated by said time signal.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on a criterion other than its duration.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein said playing step includes selecting successive messages on a rotating basis.

17. A method according to claim 15 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the time of selecting the message.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the time of day of selecting the message.

19. A method according to claim 17 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the day of the week in which the message is selected.

20. A method according to claim 15 wherein said playing step includes selecting a message based on the floor of the building on which said message is to be played.

21. A method according to claim 14 further comprising the step of:

at a predetermined point in time related to the car arriving at said one floor, recording an indication of the fact that said message has completed playing, if it has, or alternatively, turning off said message.

22. A method according to claim 14 wherein said playing step comprises:

providing a plurality of threshold signals, each of said messages corresponding to one of said threshold signals, each one of said threshold signals indicative of the fact that a message corresponding thereto has a duration equal to or less than a duration corresponding to said one threshold signal;

comparing the time indicated by said time signal with the durations indicated by said threshold signals and identifying the threshold signal having the largest corresponding duration which is less than or equal to said time signal; and

playing in said elevator corridor one of said messages that corresponds to said threshold signal.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein each of said threshold signals has a plurality of messages corresponding thereto and said playing step includes selecting one message from among the plurality associated with one of said threshold signals.

24. A method according to claim 14 further comprising:

upon completion of playing said one message, repeating said estimating step, said comparing step and said playing step.

25. A method according to claim 14 wherein said playing step includes playing each of said messages no more than once during the time for a car to respond to each request.

26. A method of selecting and playing messages in a shuttle system for conveying passengers in which a call to a landing is initiated by activating a landing call button, and having a controller for causing cars to respond to such requests, including providing access to cars through a landing door in a shuttle corridor, comprising:

providing a plurality of predetermined messages, at least one of said messages having a duration different from at least another of said messages;

estimating the time remaining before the shuttle system will provide access to passengers to be served through said landing door;

selecting, from said plurality of messages, a message having a duration less than said estimated remaining time; and

playing the selected message in the vicinity of and within the perception of said passengers to be served in said shuttle corridor while said landing call registered for said landing is unanswered.