Functionality is disclosed herein for producing articles with multiple color inks. A method of decorating, printing, or otherwise producing articles with multiple color inks includes continuously refilling an ink reservoir with multiple color inks in a sequential manner, and continuously applying the multiple color inks from the ink reservoir onto articles of manufacture to create decorated articles of manufacture.

The invention relates to an elevator system that has a number of elevator operating devices which are arranged on floors of a building and which are connected to an elevator controller. At least one first elevator operating device is permanently assigned to a single destination floor such that inputting an elevator call on the first elevator operating device generates a destination call comprising data that specifies the floor on which the first elevator operating device is arranged as the boarding floor and the destination floor which is permanently assigned to the first elevator operating device as the destination floor. The first elevator operating device has a housing in which a display device, an input device, and a controller are arranged, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the elevator controller and actuates the display device such that the display device displays the destination floor which is permanently assigned to the first elevator operating device and confirms the elevator call on the first elevator operating device after the elevator call is input using the input device.

According to one aspect, there is provided a method for predicting floor information for a destination call. The method comprises storing, in a memory, destination call history entries about destination calls made by a user, each destination call history entry comprising a time stamp and a source and destination floor pair for a destination call; detecting an intention of the user to make a new destination call; and predicting a destination floor for the new destination call based on the current time and the stored destination call history entries of the user.

According to an aspect, there are provided a mobile device for wireless people flow management. The mobile device comprises at least one processor; at least one memory; and a near field communication, NFC, reader; wherein the at least one memory comprises program code which, when executed on the at least one processor causes the mobile device to receive, from the NFC reader, information encoded in an NFC tag associated with a specific location in a building; determine control information to trigger at least one state change associated with the location based on the information encoded to the NFC tag; and send the control information to a control system of the building.

An illustrative example elevator system includes at least one elevator car that is moveable along a hoistway. An elevator controller is configured to respond to a communication from a portable device indicating a desire for the at least one elevator car to be placed in a maintenance mode and indicating a location of desired hoistway access. The controller automatically moves the elevator car to a determined positon based on the communication. That position corresponds to the location of the desired hoistway access. The controller performs at least one automated procedure to place the elevator car in the maintenance mode. The controller provides an indication to the portable device that the elevator car is in the determined position and that the automated procedure has been completed.

One embodiment provides a method for optimizing schedules of a plurality of elevators in a building having a plurality of floors, including: receiving, from a user, an indication requesting that an elevator from the plurality of elevators stop at a particular floor, wherein each of the plurality of elevators has a schedule comprising floors where the elevator will stop; identifying the number of users in the elevator waiting area of each of the particular floors where an indication requesting a stop has been received; and updating, in view of the identified number of users at each of the particular floors, the schedule for the plurality of elevators to optimize the stops for the plurality of elevators, wherein the updating comprises dynamically routing the plurality of elevators upon (i) receipt of indications and (ii) identification of the number of users at each of the particular floors.

One or more techniques for remotely operating one or more elevators by one or more computing devices are disclosed. A control board is communicatively coupled to the elevator and one or more computing devices connected with the control board using one or more communication means. The computing device comprises a memory, and a processor coupled with the memory and configured to establish a connection with the control board using the one or more communication means, receive one or more information from the control board, wherein the one or more information comprises at least one of location of the elevator, a number of elevators, a number of buttons present in each elevator and a layout of the buttons present inside the elevator, and wherein buttons present inside the elevator control one or more operations of the elevator, remotely control the elevator based on the received information.

A slider has a drum with alternating alpha and beta grooves, first stacked pulleys, and second stacked pulleys. First and second end pulleys are at opposite ends of the slider. A line wraps as a loop from the last beta groove, around the first end pulley, to the last alpha groove, back and forth around the first stacked pulleys, off the first alpha groove, around the second end pulley, to the first beta groove, back and forth around the second stacked pulleys, and back to the last beta groove. When the drum or the end pulleys are driven, the difference in circumferences of the grooves causes the slider to move toward one of the first or second end pulleys.

Building systems and method of using elevators in buildings are described. The systems include a robot-use elevator system having an elevator car moveable along an elevator shaft of a building, a controller configured to receive requests associated with the elevator system and configured to control operation of the elevator system, and a robot configured in communication with the controller and configured to perform actions within the building, the robot configured to travel within the building in the elevator car. The elevator car is operated using parameters outside limits intended for human use of an elevator car.

An elevator trip based on destinations and activity parameters of a user is planned by a system having an elevator controller of an elevator installation, a storage device storing building plan data and a route planning computer. The user's trip inquiry, including a desired destination and a desired activity parameter, is received by the planning computer. Building plan data is read from the storage device by the planning computer. The current location of the user is determined by the planning computer, which calculates at least one route proposal based on the user's location, the destination and the activity parameter. The route proposal is communicated to the user. Upon receipt of a confirmation that the user selected the route proposal, a control signal identifying a boarding floor and a destination floor is transmitted by the planning computer to the elevator controller. The elevator installation is controlled according to the control signal.