Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of controlling the operation of an elevator car door, said method comprising the steps of: (a) opening the elevator car door; (b) maintaining the door in the open position for a predetermined time period; (c) detecting for the presence of passenger traffic flow at the end of the predetermined time period; and (d) repeating steps (b) through (d) if passenger traffic flow is detected; otherwise, (e) begin closing the door of the elevator car.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is about one second.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the value of the first predetermined time period after the car stops is based on whether the elevator car stopped in response to a car call, a hall call or a coincident call.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
99 words
The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of: (a) opening the elevator car door; (b) maintaining the door in the open position for a first predetermined time period; (c) detecting for the presence of passenger traffic flow; (d) maintaining the door in the open position for a second predetermined time period if passenger traffic flow is detected; (e) repeating steps (c) through (e) if passenger traffic flow is detected and if the door has been maintained in the open position for less than a predetermined maximum time period; (f) otherwise, begin closing the door of the elevator car.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the first predetermined time period is about one second.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the value of the first predetermined time period is based on whether the elevator car stopped in response to a car call, a hall call or a coincident call.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 4, 5 or 6 wherein the second predetermined time period is about 1 second.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 4, 5, 6 or 7 wherein the predetermined maximum time period is about 10 seconds.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 4, 5, 6 or 7 wherein the value of the predetermined maximum time period is based on whether the elevator car stopped in response to a car call, a hall call or a coincident call.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 4, 5, 6 or 7 wherein the predetermined maximum time period is based on a predicted door dwell time, the predicted door dwell time being based on a predicted number of passengers to be boarding and deboarding the elevator car.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
114 words
The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: obtaining historical information of passenger boarding rates at the floor; predicting, based on said historical boarding information, the number of passengers which will board the elevator car at the floor; obtaining historical information of passenger deboarding rates at the floor; predicting, based on said historical deboarding information, the number of passengers which will deboard the elevator car at the floor; determining the predicted door dwell time, based on the predicted number of passengers which will board and deboard the elevator car at the floor; and assigning a value to the predetermined maximum time period based on the value of the predicted door dwell time.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
92 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining the predicted door dwell time further comprises the steps of: determining the passenger load of the elevator car before the elevator car arrives at the floor; predicting spare capacity of the elevator car, based on a predetermined total elevator car capacity and the determined passenger load; and determining the predicted door dwell time, based on said predicted number of deboarding passengers which will board and deboard the elevator car at the floor, the predicted spare capacity and the predetermined total car capacity.