A method of operating an elevator system includes presenting a credential at a security panel disposed at an elevator system landing of a public area of a building. If the presented credential is correct a contact between the security panel and an elevator control system is opened. Opening of the contact allows for placement of a call via the elevator control system for an elevator car to the landing. An elevator system includes one or more elevator cars located in one or more hoistways. An elevator control system controls movement of the elevator cars. A security panel is operably connected to the elevator control system and located at an elevator system landing. Presenting a correct credential at the security panel opens a contact between the security panel and the elevator control system thus initiating a call of an elevator car of the one or more elevator cars to the landing.

An elevator system may include an elevator car that is configured to transport a passenger between floors of a building as well as a sensor system in the elevator car that is configured to detect a passenger's location, orientation, and/or height. The elevator system may further include a touchscreen that can display a virtual car operating panel at a location on the touchscreen that is based on the location, orientation, and/or height of the passenger. The virtual car operating panel may be configured to receive input from the passenger regarding a destination floor. The touchscreen may be configured to display a virtual car operating panel for each passenger based on each passenger's location, orientation, and/or height on the elevator car.

A retrofit interface apparatus interfaces with a target device to provide the target device with touchless user input. The apparatus comprises: a touchless sensing system comprising one or more sensors responsive to touchless input made by a human user and for generating one or more corresponding sensor input signals; a controller connected to receive the one or more sensor input signals from the touchless sensing system and configured to generate, based on the one or more sensor input signals, a corresponding control signal; and the controller connectable to the target device to bypass a touch-based input of the target device and to provide the control signal as an input to an existing control system of the target device to thereby cause the control system of the target device to operate the target device based on the control signal.

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 computerized information apparatus useful for providing information to a user via a display. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a processor apparatus, and first wireless interface, radio frequency apparatus, and at least one computer program configured to run on the processor apparatus, the at least one program being configured to enable functions within a transport device including remote control of environment functions (e.g., HVAC, lighting, imagery capture) based on authentication of a user carrying a portable radio frequency device.

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 system and method for lobby crowd control dispatching in a multi-car ropeless lift (MCRL) system is provided. The method includes receiving, at a controller, a call request for a transport device in the lobby from a user using a destination device, generating, using a processor of the controller, a call assignment based on a crowd parameter, controlling, using the processor of the controller, the transport device based on the crowd parameter, and transmitting, from the controller, the call assignment to the user using the destination device. The system includes a transport device that arrives and departs from the lobby, a destination device that receives a call request from a user for the transport device in the lobby, and a controller that is communicatively connected to the transport device and the destination device.

A method for automatically dispatching an elevator 110 based on a user's location is provided. The method includes querying a device 104 to determine a user's source floor and confirming the user's source floor. The method also includes querying the device to suggest the user's destination floor based on a history of destination floors traveled to by the user; and confirming the user's destination floor.

A method for allocating elevators including reading, via one or more reading devices, identification data from one or more access cards associated with passengers until a desired termination condition is fulfilled; forming a passenger group based on the identification data such that the passenger group is formed only if the reading reads the identification data associated with two or more of the passengers, the passenger group containing the passengers therein; registering one or more destination calls to the passenger group, the one or more destination calls having at least one or more destination floors associated therewith; and allocating one or more of a plurality of elevators to the passenger group to transport the passengers belonging to the passenger group from a departure floor to the one or more destination floors.

An elevator control system prompts a person using the elevator to select a floor if they forget to do so after entering the elevator. The elevator control system detects the presence of a person in an elevator car, counts the time that passes starting from when the person is detected, and issues an alert when the time counted exceeds a given threshold and a floor call button has not been pressed within that time.