Effecting communication bridge with elevator system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10865069-B2
Application number	US-201916561853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2019
Priority date	Sep 18, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is an elevator system having an elevator including a controller, wherein the controller is configured to communicate over a plurality of networks with a plurality of devices, the plurality of networks including a first network and a second network and the plurality of devices including a first device and a second device, the first device being within or proximate the elevator, wherein the plurality of devices are configured to communicate over a third network, and wherein, while the plurality of devices are communicating over the third network, the controller selectively effects a communications bridge over the plurality of networks between the plurality of devices and supersedes the communication over the third network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An elevator system comprising
an elevator including a controller, wherein the controller is configured to communicate over a plurality of networks with a plurality of devices,
the plurality of networks including a first network and a second network and the plurality of devices including a first device and a second device,
the first device being within or proximate the elevator,
wherein the plurality of devices are configured to communicate over a third network,
wherein, while the plurality of devices are communicating over the third network, the controller selectively effects a communications bridge over the plurality of networks between the plurality of devices and supersedes the communication over the third network, and
wherein the controller obtains a communications address for the second device from the first device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first network, the second network and the third network apply mutually different protocols and communicate on mutually different frequencies.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the first network is a personal area network, the second network is a wide area network, and the third network is a cellular network.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein after effecting the communications bridge, the controller selectively terminates the communications bridge to resume communications between the plurality of devices over the third network or terminate communications between the plurality of devices.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the elevator includes an interactive panel and prior to effecting the communications bridge, the controller receives a first request through the panel to effect the communications bridge.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein prior to terminating the communications bridge, the controller receives a second request through the interactive panel to terminate the communications bridge.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller applies VoIP over the second network to effect the communications bridge.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to receive a plurality of first requests from a respective plurality of first devices including the first device that are within or proximate the elevator to effect a respective plurality of mutually independent communications bridges with a respective plurality of second devices including the second device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the controller is configured to independently effect and terminate the respective plurality of communications bridges.

10. A method of effecting a communications bridge with an elevator system, the elevator system comprising
an elevator including a controller, wherein the controller is configured to communicate over a plurality of networks with a plurality of devices, the plurality of networks including a first network and a second network and the plurality of devices including a first device and a second device, the first device being within or proximate the elevator, wherein the plurality of devices are configured to communicate over a third network,
wherein, while the plurality of devices are communicating over the third network, the method comprise the controller selectively effecting the communications bridge over the plurality of networks between the plurality of devices and supersedes the communication over the third network,
wherein the controller obtains a communications address for the second device from the first device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first network, the second network and the third network apply mutually different protocols and communicate on mutually different frequencies.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first network is a personal area network, the second network is a wide area network, and the third network is a cellular network.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein after effecting the communications bridge, the controller selectively terminates the communications bridge to resume communications between the plurality of devices over the third network or terminate communications between the plurality of devices.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the elevator includes an interactive panel and prior to effecting the communications bridge, the controller receives a first request through the panel to effect the communications bridge.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein prior to terminating the communications bridge, the controller receives a second request through the interactive panel to terminate the communications bridge.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the controller applies VoIP over the second network to effect the communications bridge.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to receive a plurality of first requests from a respective plurality of first devices including the first device that are within or proximate the elevator to effect a respective plurality of mutually independent communications bridges with a respective plurality of second devices including the second device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the controller is configured to independently effect and terminate the respective plurality of communications bridges.

Assignees

• Otis Elevator Co

Inventors

• Kottur Guru Charan
• Dhumal Tejas Arunrao
• Swami Aditya

Classifications

• B66B1/3461 Primary

  between the elevator control system and remote or mobile stations · CPC title

• H04W4/33

  for indoor environments, e.g. buildings · CPC title

• B66B1/3446 Primary

  Data transmission or communication within the control system · CPC title

• B66B1/3423

  Control system configuration, i.e. lay-out · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title