Date: June 10, 1999
`Page 1
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`ASSISTANT COMIVIISSIONER FOR PATENTS
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`PATENT
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`Case Docket No. RFG.008A
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`1 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20231
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`66/W90IIIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
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`ATTENTION: APPLICATION BRANCH
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`Sir:
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`Transmitted herewith for filing is the patent application of
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`Inventor(s): ROBERT F. GAZDZINSKI
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`For: “SMART” ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD
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`Enclosed are:
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`(X)
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`24 sheet(s) of drawings.
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`(X) A verified statement to establish small entity status under 37 CFR 1.9 and 37 CFR 1.27.
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`(X) Declaration by inventor(s).
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`(X) Return prepaid postcard.
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`FOR
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`Basic Fee
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`CLAIMS AS FILED
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`NUMBER
`FILED
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`NUMBER
`EXTRA
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`RATE
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`FEE
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`Total Claims
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`40 - 20 =
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`Independent Claims
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`6
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`- 3 =
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`20
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`X
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`3 X
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`If application contains any multiple dependent claims(s), then add
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`TOTAL FILING
`FEE
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`(X) A check in the amount of $720 to cover the filing fee is enclosed.
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`$380
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`$11
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`$40
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`$130
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`$380
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`$220
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`$120
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`$0
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`$720
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`9..
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`x-‘
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`Robert F. Gazdzinski
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`Registration No. 39,990
`Attorney of Record
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`WVR 2002
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`Volkswagen v. WVR
`|PR2016-O01 56
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`1
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`Applicant or Patentee: Robert F. Gazdzinski
`Application or Patent No.:
`Filed or Issued:
`For: “SMART” ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD
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`Attorney's Docket No.: RFG.008A
`Page 1
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`VERIFIED STATEMENT (DECLARATION) CLAIMING SMALL-ENTITY STATUS
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`I, the undersigned, do hereby declare that:
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`[X]
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`I am an independent inventor as defined in 37 CFR 1.9(c) for purposes of paying reduced fees to the Patent and
`Trademark Office with regard to the invention described in the patent or application identified above.
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`The individual, concern or organization identified above has not assigned, granted, conveyed or licensed, and is under no
`obligation under contract or law to assign, grant, convey or license, any rights in the invention to any person who would not
`qualify as an independent inventor under 37 CFR l.9(c) if that person had made the invention, or to any concern which would not
`qualify as a small business concern under 37 CFR l.9(d) or a nonprofit organization under 37 CFR 1.9(e).
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`If the rights held by the above—identified individual, concern or organization are not exclusive, each individual, concern or
`organization having rights in the invention are identified below. Each such individual, concern or organization must file separate
`verified statements averting to their status as small entities.
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`*NOTE: Separate verified statements are required from each named person, concern or organization having rights to the
`invention averring to their status as small entities. (37 CFR 1.27).
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`FULL NAME:
`ADDRESS:
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`[ ] INDIVIDUAL
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`[ ] SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN
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`[ ] NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
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`FULL NAME:
`ADDRESS:
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`[ ] INDIVIDUAL
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`[ ] SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN
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`[ ]NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
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`I acknowledge the duty to file, in this application or patent, notification of any change in status resulting in loss of entitlement to
`small-entity status prior to paying, or at the time of paying, the earliest of the issue fee or any maintenance fee due after the date
`on which status as a small entity is no longer appropriate. (37 CFR 1.28(b)).
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`I hereby declare that all statements made herein of my own knowledge are true and that all statements made on information and
`belief are believed to be true; and further that these statements were made with the knowledge that WIIIf|.lI false statements and the
`like so made are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under section 1001 of Title 18 of the United States Code, and that
`such willful false statements may jeopardize the validity of the application, any patent issuing thereon, or any patent to which this
`verified statement is directed.
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`NAME OF PERSON SIGNING: Robert F. Gazdzinski
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`TITLE OF PERSON (if not an owner or individual):
`ADDRESS OF PERSON SIGNING: 5862 D Mission Center Road, San Diego, CA 92123
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`
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`SIGNATURE:
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`ENTITY
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`DATE:
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`ég/0 [F2
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`2
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`RFG.008A
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`PATENT
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`“SMART” ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD
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`Background of the Invention
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`1.
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`Field of the Invention
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`The present invention relates to the field of personnel transport apparatus, and specifically to
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`elevators and similar devices for transporting people fiom one location to another which incorporate
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`various information technologies.
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`2.
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`Description of Related Technology
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`Elevators and similar} personnel transport devices (such as moving walkways or shuttles) are
`important aspects of modezn urban life. Commonly used in office buildings, airports, shopping
`malls, and other large tructures, these devices transport large numbers of people and equipment
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`between two locations on a routine basis. Elevators in particular are widely used throughout the
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`world.
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`Depending on loading, a person may spend up to several minutes on an elevator during
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`travel between floors. Significant amounts of time may also be spent waiting for the elevator to
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`arrive when called. This time is usually “dead” from the standpoint that very little can be
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`accomplished or very few tasks undertaken during these few minutes. However, often times an
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`individual may require information which will be of use after leaving the elevator. For example, the
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`person may wish to obtain travel information such as directions to the nearest airport or public
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`transportation node, or the location of a nearby restaurant. Weather-related information or traffic
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`reports may also be useful. A plethora of different types of information, including financial data,
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`breaking news headlines, sports scores and the like may also be of interest to one waiting for or
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`riding on an elevator or other transport device.
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`An associated problem relates to determining the location of a person, firm, or store within a
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`building when unfamiliar. Building directories are ofien posted in the lobby of the building, yet
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`these require the user to manually or visually locate the name of the person, firm, or store which
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`they are looking for, and remember the location information associated therewith. Additionally,
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`such directories often do not provide precise location information, but rather merely a floor number
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`and/or suite number. The user often times does not have a graphical representation of the desired
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`location in relation to the elevators, thereby resulting in additional wasted time in finding the
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`location once off ofthe elevator. Even if a graphical display is provided, it often requires the user to
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`spatially orient themselves to determine relative location.
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`Security is also a concern when riding elevators late at night or to remote locations. Many
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`elevator systems are used partly or entirely within parking garages, which often may be sparsely
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`populated at off hours. People are all too frequently assaulted or robbed when departing from
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`elevators under such conditions. Unfortunately, existing elevator systems do not have the facility to
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`provide the occupant(s) with the ability to selectively observe the area immediately surrounding the
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`elevator doors on one or more destination floors, or otherwise take precautions to enhance their
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`security.
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`Another problem associated with existing elevator systems relates to their loading capacity.
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`Often, especially at peak use hours such as during the noon hour, the call buttons for several
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`different floors within a building will be activated, and elevator cars which are at or near their
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`loading capacity will respond. With no additional room available in the elevator, the person
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`depressing the call button on a given floor is left to wait for the elevator doors to close, depress the
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`call button again, and wait for another (hopefully partially vacant) car to arrive. This process not
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`only delays the person waiting for the car, but also those on the elevator car(s), and those waiting on
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`other floors.
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`In addition to the foregoing, many elevators must have a means of restricting access to
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`certain floors during certain time periods while not interfering with other operations. These
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`elevators generally also include means by which certain users may gain access to the resnicted
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`floors, such as a magnetic striped card which is inserted into a card reader on the elevator. However,
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`such card readers are prone to wear and having to re-swipe the card several times in order to obtain
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`access. Furthermore, as the card wears due to repeated swiping or bending (such as when left in the
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`pocket ofthe individual carrying the card), the card will be more prone to failure and will eventually
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`require replacement. Also, such cards are prone to unauthorized use. Someone stealing or finding
`the lost card can simply insert it into the card reader ofthe elevator and gain access to the restricted
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`floor(s).
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`It is also noted that since access is restricted to certain floors typically during late-night or
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`weekend hours, HVAC and lighting systems are typically turned off or dormant in order to conserve
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`energy. Hence, when the user arrives at one of these restricted access floors, several minutes are
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`typically spent turning on the HVAC, lights, and any other number of electrical devices. Some
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`systems require the user to insert their magnetic strip card in a separate reader, such as in the control
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`room for the HVAC (which is typically located on a different floor), in order to initiate equipment
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`operation. This is obviously time consuming and cumbersome.
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`Lastly, there is often an element of discomfort associated with riding an elevator car,
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`especially when several individuals are present in the car. Due in part to minimal space within the
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`car and nothing to occupy the occupants attention visually, there is a natural tendency for one to
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`stare up, down, or forward at the door of the elevator, or at the visual floor indicators so as to avoid
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`prolonged eye contact with the other occupants.
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`Heretofore, many of the technologies necessary to address the aforementioned issues have
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`not been available or, alternatively, have been cost or space prohibitive to implement. However,
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`recent advances in data networking, thin or flat panel display technology, personal electronics, and
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`speech recognition and compression algorithms and processing have enhanced the viability of such
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`features from both technological and commercial perspectives.
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`Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an improved elevator system and method of
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`operation which will reduce the time spent waiting for and travelling on the elevator car, reduce the
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`frustration associated with repeated stops at different floors, and allow the occupants of the elevator
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`(as well as those waiting for the car) to use their time more efficiently and obtain needed
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`information. Additionally, such an elevator system would enhance the security of the occupants
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`upon egress, and allow for automatic recognition of an individual in order to provide access to
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`certain restricted locations and initiation of certain fimctions such as lighting and HVAC.
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`2. Summary of the Invention
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`The present invention satisfies the aforementioned needs by providing an improved elevator
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`information and control system and method of operating the same
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`In a first aspect, the present invention provides an improved elevator information and
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`control system which enables an user to rapidly locate a desired firm or individual. In a first
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`embodiment, the system includes an interactive building directory having a speech recognition
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`system and other input device such as a touch pad. The user utilizes the input device to activate the
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`system, and then speaks the name of the firm or individual whose location is desired. A speech
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`generation algorithm and processor generates speech (and/or a graphical representation via a
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`minimum profile flat panel display) based on data retrieved from a database per the user’s request.
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`The user is also prompted to determine if they desire to select the floor of the firm or individual that
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`they were trying to locate. The user then may use the speech recognition system, or alternatively the
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`aforementioned input device,
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`to respond. The database also maintains data on other nearby
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`buildings in case the user is at the wrong location.
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`In a second aspect of the invention, the information and control system further includes a
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`network interface that
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`is coupled to the aforementioned input and display devices. In one
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`embodiment, the network (e.g., Internet) interface is configured to provide rapid access to a Variety
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`of web sites or URLs of interest, such as those providing local weather, directions from the elevator
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`to local points of interest, stock market quotations, breaking news headlines, etc. Preset functions
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`are provided which enable the user to access, download, and display the desired information with a
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`single actuation of the input device. A plurality of different input/display devices are disposed
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`within the smart elevator to allow multiple occupants to obtain information simultaneously.
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`In a third aspect of the invention, the smart elevator includes one or more data terminals
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`which are compatible with personal electronic devices (PEDS) so as to allow an occupant of the
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`elevator to download a predetermined or adaptively determined “package” of data for later retrieval
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`or use. Such data may include news, weather, financial data,
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`listings of building tenants, firm
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`resumes, parking rates, hours of operation, and the like. In one embodiment, the download of data
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`is initiated automatically upon the insertion of the PED into the data terminal, thereby reducing the
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`time necessary to download to a
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`In a fourth aspect of the invention, the information and control system includes a sensor
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`array and logic which detects the loading of the elevator car and selectively bypasses floors when
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`the car’s capacity is met, unless the floor is selected by one of the occupants of the car. In one
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`embodiment, the flooring of the elevator car is equipped with piezoelectric sensors that generate
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`signals based on the pressure applied to them. This pressure is correlated to the weight and location
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`of the occupants in the car, and with the number of different floors selected, to derive an estimate of
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`the occupancy. When the capacity of the elevator is reached as determined by this estimate, any
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`subsequent call signals feceived by the system are routed to another available car.
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`In a fifth aspect of the invention, the aforementioned display device within the car may be
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`configured to provide a video display of the area immediately surrounding access to the elevator on
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`certain floors, such as parking garages. The user can over—ride the car stopping at that floor if
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`desired, contact security, and/or initiate temporary additional lighting in the area via a series of fixed
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`or “soft” function keys. A motion sensor is also optionally used to provide the elevator user with
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`information regarding the presence of moving objects in areas adjacent to but out of view of the
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`video units. When accessing a parking garage or structure, the user may also input the location of
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`their car using additional function keys; lighting and security monitoring of the path between the
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`elevator and the car is then initiated to enhance user safety.
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`In a sixth aspect of the invention, an RFID tag and reader system is employed to uniquely
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`identify occupants and provide them access to certain floors. RFID monitors with limited ranges are
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`placed in certain locations near the elevator access points. These monitors interrogate the RFID tags
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`and initiate a call signal for specific floor during after-hours operation. The user is then required to
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`authenticate via a password input via the input device located inside elevator. The elevator system
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`can optionally notify security (and/or the destination floor) of the individual’s destination and
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`identity, and maintain a record of access. The user may also optionally perform other fimctions such
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`as lighting and environmental control from the elevator. The user’s RFID tag may also be
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`programmed to interface with the aforementioned PED data download device such that the tag pre-
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`configures the system for download.
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`In an seventh aspect of the invention, the aforementioned display devices and information
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`and control system are programmed to provide adaptive advertising or information display. In one
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`embodiment, the speech recognition system previously described is used to select and display
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`information based on one or more parameters including statistical or anecdotal sampling of the
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`speech patterns of the occupants. Alternatively, information entered via the aforementioned input
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`device (and network interface) may be used as a determinant in the adaptive advertising system.
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`Brief Description of the Drawings
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`Fig. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the information and control system of the
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`invention, showing those components local to each elevator car.
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`Fig. 2 is a plan View of a first embodiment of the interface panel of the information and
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`control system of Fig. l, including the touch keypad and the display device.
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`Fig. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the information and control system network
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`architecture.
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`Fig. 4 is a logic diagram illustrating the operation of one embodiment of the building
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`directory sub-system of the invention.
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`Fig. 5 is a plan View of one embodiment of a building directory sub-system graphic location
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`file, as shown on the display device ofthe information and control system.
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`Fig. 6a is a plan View of one embodiment of a network input device having dedicated
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`function keys thereon.
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`Figs. 6b and 6c illustrate one embodiment of an exemplary coordinated graphic weather
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`display according to the present invention.
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`Fig. 7 is a plan View of one embodiment of the PED data download terminal of the
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`invention.
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`Fig. 8 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the capacity sensing sub-system according
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`to the present invention.
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`Fig. 9 is a plan View of one embodiment of the elevator floor sensor array used in
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`conjunction with the capacity sensing sub-system of Fig. 8.
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`Fig. 10 is a logic diagram illustrating the method of operation of the capacity sensing sub-
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`system of Fig. 8.
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`Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the monitoring and security sub-
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`system of the present invention.
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`Fig. 12 illustrates one embodiment of the elevator car touch panel used in conjunction with
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`the monitoring and security sub-system of Fig. 11.
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`Fig. 13 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the monitoring and security sub-
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`system of the present invention.
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`Figs. 14a and 14b are plan views of one embodiment of the parking and video monitoring
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`displays, respectively, of the monitoring and security sub-system of Fig. 11.
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`Fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the identification and access sub-
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`system ofthe present invention.
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`Fig. 16 is a logic diagram illustrating the operation of the identification and access sub-
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`system of Fig. 15.
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`Fig. 17 is a plan view of one embodiment of a utility services selection display associated
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`with the identification and access sub-system of Fig. 15.
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`Fig. 18a is a logic diagram illustrating the operation of a first embodiment of the prompt
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`mode of the adaptive advertising sub-system ofthe invention.
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`Fig. 18b illustrates the library data file structure used in conjunction with the advertising
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`sub-system of the invention.
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`Fig. 18c is a logic diagram illustrating the operation of a second embodiment of the
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`advertising sub-system of the invention.
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`Fig. 18d is a logic diagram illustrating the operation of a third embodiment of the adaptive
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`advertising sub-system of the invention.
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`Fig. 19 is a logic diagram illustrating the operation of a fourth embodiment of the adaptive
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`advertising sub-system of the invention.
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`Description of the Invention
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`Reference is now made to the drawings listed above, wherein like numerals refer to like
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`parts throughout.
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`It is noted that while the system and methods of the invention disclosed herein are described
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`primarily with respect to an elevator car, certain aspects of the invention may be useful in other
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`applications, including, without limitation, other types of personnel transport devices such as trams
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`or shuttles or moving walkways, or stationary devices such as kiosks within the lobby or elevator
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`waiting areas of a building. As used herein, the term “building” is meant to encompass any
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`structure, whether above ground or underground, permanent or temporary, used for any function.
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`General Description
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`Referring now to Figs.
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`1 and 2, one embodiment of an improved elevator information
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`system is generally described. As shown in Fig. 1, the system 100 includes an input device 102,
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`speech recognition (SR) module 104, central processor 106 with associated motherboard 121, video
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`RAM 107, non-volatile storage device 108 containing a database (not shown), graphics co-
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`processor l09, volatile or dynamic storage device 110 with associated DMA module 139, audio
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`amplifier and speaker module 111, speech synthesis module 112, micro-controller 123, PCI slots
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`147, and display device 113. The system also includes a serial bus with universal asynchronous
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`receiver transmitter (UART) 117 or alternatively universal serial bus (USB), as described in greater
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`detail below with respect to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 2, the input device 102 of the present
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`embodiment is a touch-sensitive keypad and/or display screen of the type well known in the
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`electrical arts. The input device 102 includes a variety of different fimctional keys 114 on a keypad
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`116 (and/or on a touch-sensitive display screen 113, as described below) which allow the user to
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`initiate a query of the database either manually Via the keypad 116, display device 113, or audibly
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`through the speech recognition module 104.
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`As shown in Fig. 1, the speech recognition module 104 of the present invention includes a
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`high quality, high SNR audio microphone 118, analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 141, and linear
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`predictive coding (LPC)-based spectral analysis algorithm run on a digital signal processor 125
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`having associated SR module RAM 127. It will be recognized that other forms of spectral analysis,
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`such as MFCC (Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients) or cochlea modeling, may be used.
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`Phoneme/word recognition in the present embodiment is based on HMM (hidden Markov
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`modeling), although other processes such as, without limitation, DTW (Dynamic Time Warping)
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`or NNs (Neural Networks) may be used. Myriad speech recognition systems and algorithms are
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`available, all considered within the scope of the invention disclosed herein.
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`In the present embodiment, CELP-based voice data compression is also utilized for
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`transmission and storage of voice data. CELP algorithms in general are useful for converting analog
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`speech to a compressed digital format which is more rapidly and easily manipulated and stored
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`within a digital system using less bandwidth and memory. CELP algorithms and low bit rate
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`vocoder technology are well known in the signal processing art, and accordingly will not be
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`described fiirther herein. Note that as used herein, the term CELP is meant to include any and all
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`variants of the CELP family such as, but not limited to, ACELP, VCELP, and QCELP. It is also
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`noted that while CELP is used as the basis of compression within the system 100, other types of
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`compression algorithms and techniques, whether based on companding or otherwise, may be used.
`For example, PCM (pulse code modulation) or ADPCM (adaptive delta PCM) may be employed, as
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`5 may other forms of linear predictive coding (LPC).
`As illustrated in Fig. 1, signals generated by the microphone 118 are digitized by the ADC
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`141 and processed using the aforementioned speech recognition algorithm and the DSP 125 to
`produce digital representations of the user’s speech. The speech library or dictionary stored within
`the SR module memory 127 is used by the DSP 125 to match phenome strings resulting from the
`10 LPC analysis with known words. Once a “mate ” is identified, the central processor 106 and/or
`micro-controller 123 implement the desired functionality, such as retrieving one or more data files
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`from the storage device 108 for display on the display device 113.
`The DSP 125 of the present embodiment is a Texas Instruments TMS320C6x VLIW digital
`signal processor or equivalent, although it will be recognized that other types of processors may be
`used. The ‘C6x DSP is chosen for its speed and capability, thereby allowing for real-time speech
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`recognition. The central processor 106 and associated motherboard architecture (e.g., northbridge,
`southbridge, etc.) is optimally an Intel Pentium lI®—based design, although others, such as the
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`AMD K600-series processors, may be used in place of the Pentium II®. The aforementioned USB
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`is also advantageously used with the Pentium architecture.
`The infomiation and control system keypads 116 and displays 113 (Fig. 2) are placed at
`waist and eye level, respectively, within the elevator car 180 to facilitate easy access and viewing by
`the user, and limit the amount of incidental contact by passengers in the elevator. A plurality of
`different input/display devices are optimally disposed within the smart elevator to allow multiple
`occupants to obtain information simultaneously. A capacitive “touch keypad” is used as the input
`device 102 in the present embodiment to increase input device longevity and thwart vandalism.
`Specifically, since the function keys 114 on the keypad 116 do not have a mechanical actuating
`device (such as a spring and set of electrical contacts) which will wear with time, they will as a
`general rule last longer. Additionally, since the keypad 116 has no openings in the vicinity of the
`individual keys, any incidental contact with deleterious substances such as cleaning fluids will not
`alfect the operation of the system or degrade its longevity. Similarly, vandalism is discouraged,
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`since there are no openings or other access points present within the interior of the elevator car. The
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`keypad 116 may also be covered with a protective coating of the type well known in the art without
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`affecting the operation of the panel, since, if properly chosen, such a coating merely acts as a
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`dielectric for the capacitor formed between the underlying contacts and the user. It will be
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`recognized, however, that any number of input devices, including “mechanical” keypads, trackballs,
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`light pens, pressure sensitive “touc ” keypads, or the like may be used in conjunction with the
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`present invention if so desired. The touch keypads 116 are, in the present embodiment, mounted
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`flush with the vertical wall surfaces 177 of the elevator car so as to make them as physically
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`unobtrusive as possible.
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`The touch-screen display 113 generates a variety of different messages or display formats
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`based on the user’s input and query. These messages and formats are stored as digital data on the
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`storage device 108 (and temporarily in video RAM 107) which is accessed by the processor 106.
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`The display devices 113 of the present embodiment are low profile capacitive LCD touch screen
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`devices of the type well known in the art, although other types of displays, including “flat” cathode
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`ray tubes, plasma, or TFT displays may be used. Such displays optimally limit the amount of space
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`required external to the interior volume of the elevator car to accommodate the system 100 of the
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`present invention. Furthermore, it is noted that a non-touch sensitive display (not shown) may be
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`used with the aforementioned input device 102 if desired, the latter acting as the sole input device
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`(other than the speech recognition module 104 and associated microphone 118).
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`In the embodiment of Figs. 1-2, the processor 106, video RAM 107, storage devices 108,
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`110, and other components (including necessary power supplies, not shown) are disposed within
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`equipment storage housings (not shown) located on the exterior of the elevator car 180 so as to be
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`invisible to the occupants thereof. This arrangement is used primarily to allow rapid access to and
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`processing of data by the system 100, thereby facilitating the rapid delivery of information to the
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`system user. Hence, the information and control system 100 of each elevator car is to a degree “self
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`contained”, with the exception of several common functions performed by a central server 170.
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`As shown in Fig. 3, the central server 170 is located remotely fiom the elevator cars and
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`connected to the elevator car “clients” 180 via a local area network architecture such as a bus, star,
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`ring, star/bus, or other similar topology. A bus topology is shown in Fig. 3. The network may
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`operate according to any number of networking protocols including, for example, ATM, Ethernet,
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`Gigabit Ethernet, IP, IP over ATM, or X.25. Connection cabling from the peripheral component
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`interconnect (PCI) slots 147 on each motherboard 121 carrying the network interface devices (such
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`as a LAN card) is run alongside the existing elevator power and control cables within the cable
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`bundle servicing each car.
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`In an alternative embodiment, data may be transferred between the elevator cars 180 and the
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`remote server 170 via a wireless interface 310 (Fig. 3) such as a direct sequence spread spectrum
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`(DSSS) or frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) system as specified by IEEE Standard
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`802.11.
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`It will be recognized, however, that any wireless interface capable of accommodating the
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`bandwidth requirements of the system 100 may be used. Optical networking architectures and
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`protocols (such as SONET) may also be used if desired; optical modulators and demodulators 320,
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`322 of the type well known in the data networking arts are employed for transferring data between
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`the server 170 and the client(s) 180 in such architectures.
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`It will be appreciated that many different arrangements for the disposition of various
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`components within the system, including, inter alia, the processor/motherboard, storage devices,
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`server, and memory (and the transfer of data and signals there between) are possible, all of which
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`are encompassed within the scope of the present invention.
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`Building Directory Sub-System
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`The operation of the building directory sub-system is now described in greater detail with
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`reference to the logic diagram of Fig. 4, and the components of Figs. 1-3. As used herein, the term
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`“building directory sub-system” refers to that collection of components, firmware, and software
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`within the information and control system 100 of Fig.
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`1 which perform the building directory
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`
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`fimctions as described in the following paragraphs.
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`Upon entering the elevator, the user initiates the “Building Directory” function of the system
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`by pressing a function key 122 on the keypad 116 or touch display 113. The keypad 116 and/or key
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`122 may be labeled with an appropriate label such as “Building Directory” or the like. Upon
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`depressing the function key 122, a signal is generated which prompts the system to respond with an
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`audible and/or visual query to the user, depending on how the system is pre-configured. For an
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`audible query, the sub-system of the present embodiment retrieves a pre-stored CELP (or other
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`compressed format) data file from one of the storage devices 108, 110 and converts that file to an
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`analog audio representation of voice via the speech synthesis module 112 and processor 106.
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`Speech synthesis technology is well known in the signal processing arts, and accordingly will not be
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`discussed further herein. The audio signal fiom the synthesis module 112 is applied to the amplifier
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`and audio speaker 111 to‘ generate a voice prompt, such as “Name?”. Alternatively, or
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`simultaneously if desired, the system 100 retrieves a separate data file from the storage device 108,
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`110 which represents the current building directory. The building directory data file contains a
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`plurality of entries relating to tenants in the building where the system 100 is located. Each entry is
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`parsed into data fields which contain, inter alia, the firm or entity name, its location (such as floor
`and suite number), and a list of the first and last names of all persons employed there. The
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`processor 106 (and associated graphics co-processor 109 with video RAM 107) initiate the display
`of all retrieved data entries in the directory file on the display device 113 in a convenient format,
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`such as an alphabetical list from which the