Elevator control wherein the closest available car serves demand

Claim 1

IN AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM FOR A STRUCTURE HAVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY-SPACED FLOORS, A PLURALITY OF ELEVATOR CARS, MEANS MOUNTING THE ELEVATOR CARS FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE STRUCTURE TO SERVE THE FLOORS DOWN FLOOR CALL REGISTERING MEANS OPERABLE FOR REGISTERING A CALL FOR ELEVATOR SERVICE IN THE DOWN DIRECTION FROM EACH OF A PLURALITY OF SAID FLOORS, UP FLOOR CALL REGISTERING MEANS OPERABLE FOR REGISTERING A CALL FOR ELEVATOR SERVICE IN THE UP DIRECTION FROM EACH OF A PLURALITY OF SAID FLOORS, CAR CALL REGISTERING MEANS FOR EACH OF THE ELEVATOR CARS OPERABLE FOR REGISTERING A CALL FOR EACH OF A PLURALITY OF SAID FLOORS WHICH MAY BE DESIRED BY LOAD IN THE ASSOCIATED ELEVATOR CAR, SELECTING MEANS FOR SELECTING THE NEXT ONE OF THE ELEVATOR CARS TO LEAVE A PREDETERMINED ONE OF SAID FLOORS IN A PREDETERMINED ONE OF SAID DIRECTIONS; SEPARATE FIRST CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH OF THE CARS, EACH OF THE FIRST CONTROL MEANS HAVING A FIRST CONDITION WHEN ALL OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS ARE PRESENT: THE ASSOCIATED CAR IS (1) AWAY FROM SAID PREDETERMINED FLOOR, AND (2) HAS NO REGISTERED CAR CALL, EACH OF THE FIRST CONTROL MEANS HAVING ANOTHER CONDITION WHEN ANY OF SAID FACTORS THEREFOR IS ABSENT; A SEPARATE SECOND CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH OF THE CARS, EACH OF THE SECOND CONTROL MEANS HAVING A FIRST CONDITION WHEN THE ASSOCIATED CAR IS AT THE PREDETERMINED FLOOR BUT IS NOT SELECTED BY THE SELECTING MEANS, SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH CAR HAVING ANOTHER CONDITION WHEN THE ASSOCIATED CAR IS SELECTED BY THE SELECTING MEANS; SEPARATE THIRD CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH OF THE CARS EACH OF THE THIRD CONTROL MEANS HAVING A FIRST CONDITION WHEN THE ASSOCIATED CAR IS SELECTED BY THE SELECTING MEANS AND HAVING ANOTHER CONDITION WHEN SUCH CAR IS NOT SO SELECTED; AND SCANNING MEANS FOR SCANNING EACH OF THE FIRST CONTROL MEANS, THEN EACH OF THE SECOND CONTROL MEANS AND THEN EACH OF THE THIRD CONTROL MEANS UNTIL IT REACHES ONE OF THE CONTROL MEANS IN THE FIRST CONDITON; AND AVAILABLE CAR ASSIGNING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO ARRIVAL OF SAID SCANNING MEANS AT THE LAST-NAMED CONTROL MEANS TO SELECT THE FIRST AVAILABLE ELEVATOR CAR IN THE FOLLOWING SEQUENCE: (A) AN ELEVATOR CAR LOCATED AT A FLOOR OTHER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED FLOOR, HAVING NO REGISTERED CAR CALL; (B) AN ELEVATOR CAR LOCATED AT SAID PREDETERMINED FLOOR WHICH IS NOT SELECTED BY SAID SELECTING MEANS AS THE NEXT CAR TO LEAVE SUCH FLOOR; (C) AN ELEVATOR CAR SELECTED BY SAID SELECTING MEANS AS THE NEXT CAR TO LEAVE SAID PREDETERMINED FLOOR.