A computerized information apparatus useful for providing information to a user via a display. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a processor apparatus, and speech input apparatus, touch screen input and display apparatus, and at least one computer program configured to run on the processor apparatus, the at least one program being configured to provide a user with contextually relevant content without an affirmative request for such content, but rather based on context divined from one or more free form words spoken by the user, whether while searching for information or otherwise. In one variant, the context determination is performed by a remote networked server after having been provided digitized speech samples via wireless interface. In another variant, the context is determined based on soft function key inputs from the user while requesting information. A virtual database structure enabling rapid context determination is also disclosed.

A computerized information and display apparatus useful for providing information to a user via a display. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a processor apparatus, touch screen input and display device, and speech input apparatus, and at least one computer program configured to run on the processor apparatus, the at least one program being configured to enable an user to intuitively operate the apparatus to rapidly converge on a desired organization or entity which they wish to locate, via speech input of only a name or a part of a name. The information and display apparatus is particularly useful in time-pressured mobile transport vehicle environments, and when the user is unfamiliar with the operation of the apparatus.

A visitor can receive guidance (e.g., movement directions) through a portable electronic device. The visitor can read an information-containing tag with the electronic device to input location information into the device. With the electronic device, the visitor can then select one or more destinations. The device then provides directions to the visitor for the one or more destinations.

An elevator arrangement for an elevator includes a hoisting machine and a maintenance panel. The hoisting machine is arranged in an elevator hoistway, and configured to move an elevator car within the elevator hoistway via a hoisting rope arrangement. The maintenance panel includes components for at least one of control and service of at least one operation of the elevator arrangement. The maintenance panel is configured to slide out from a landing wall into a landing doorway of the elevator arrangement.

Apparatus useful for obtaining and displaying information. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a wireless network interface, touch screen input and display device, and speech processing apparatus configured to receive user speech input and enable performance of various tasks via a remote entity, such as obtaining desired information relating to a desired entity or organization In one implementation, user touch input on the input and display device is converted to spatial or geographic coordinates, and imagery relating to those coordinates is provided to the user on the same device.

An apparatus for controlling a position of an elevator in a hoistway includes a fixed belt and a dynamic leveling control module adapted for attachment to the elevator and coupled to the fixed belt. The control module includes a position encoder coupled to the fixed belt, a processor electrically connected to the position encoder, and a communications interface electrically connected to the processor and adapted for communication with an elevator controller for the elevator. The control module determines a velocity, a position, and an acceleration of the elevator in response to a count signal output from the position encoder, and calculates a dynamic slowdown distance relative to an elevator landing for each elevator stop. The control module communicates the dynamic slowdown distance to the elevator controller to initiate slowdown of the elevator. The control module determines a new value of said dynamic slowdown distance for each elevator stop.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method for elevator call allocation in an elevator system. The method comprises receiving charge information associated with an energy storage of an elevator car from each of a plurality of elevator cars of the elevator system; receiving an elevator call to a floor providing a charging arrangement for the energy storages; and allocating the elevator call to an elevator car of the plurality of elevator cars at least partly based on the charge information received from each of the plurality of elevator cars.

According to an example embodiment, a method (200, 200) for managing access to a control network of a people flow system (101) is provided, where the people flow system (101) includes a passenger conveyor system (101) and a conveyor system controller (110), where the site control network (105) communicatively couples the conveyor system controller (110) to a network coordinator (120) and to one or more further apparatuses (130), the method comprising: admitting (202), by the network coordinator (120), the one or more further apparatuses (130) to the site control network (105) via carrying out a respective pairing procedure with each of said one or more further apparatuses (130) based on a predefined shared secret; adding (204), by the network coordinator (120), a respective device identifier, ID, of each further apparatus (130-k) to a list of apparatuses admitted to the site control network (105); transmitting (206) said list from the network coordinator (120) to an external entity (110, 150) for storage therein; and creating (208, 208), following a loss of site network control information in the network coordinator (120), a restored site control network (105) in one of the network coordinator (120) or the replacement network coordinator (120), said creating (208, 208) comprising receiving (208a, 208a) said list from the external entity (110, 150); and automatically admitting (208b, 208b) an apparatus to the restored site control network (105), provided that said apparatus has its device ID included in said list and has a knowledge of the predefined shared secret.

The controller according to the invention is a controller for optimizing the leveling process (leveling) of an elevator car at a stopping point for an elevator having an elevator controller which controls the stop of the car at a stopping point as a function of a specified distance X to the stopping point, wherein the controller is designed, during each of at least two, in particular at least three journeys, to record a set of at least one same measured value, to determine a change dX or a changed distance X as a function of the set of the current journey and at least one past journey and to output the changed value X or the difference dX to the specified distance X.

An elevator management device includes a database, a processor, and a communication unit. The database is configured to store a first identification number corresponding to a first layer representing a group of multiple buildings, a second identification number corresponding to a second layer representing one of the multiple buildings, a third identification number corresponding to a third layer representing multiple elevators in the one building, and a fourth identification number corresponding to a fourth layer representing one of the multiple elevators, the elevator management device receives an authentication key and an elevator control request via the communication unit, and the processor is configured to verify whether the received authentication key is an authentication key generated by the elevator management device and transmit the request to an elevator control terminal when a verification is made that the received authentication key is an authentication key generated by the elevator management device.