Patents Examined by Diem M Tran
  • Patent number: 11713216
    Abstract: A safety exit assembly for an elevator car and an elevator system. The safety exit assembly includes: a door panel, which is configured to open and close a safety exit of the elevator car, and which has an upper surface and a lower surface; a moving assembly, which includes a guide block provided on a lower surface of the door panel, and a guide rail which guides the door panel to move downward and translate through a cooperation with the guide block; a drive assembly, which drives the door panel to reciprocate along the guide rail; and a locking assembly, which includes an unlocking element provided on an upper surface of the door panel; wherein the unlocking element is electrically connected to the drive assembly, and an unlocking action of the unlocking element triggers the drive assembly to drive the door panel to move until the safety exit is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Zhuo Chen
  • Patent number: 11702317
    Abstract: A force application assembly, an elevator and a method of elevator rescue. The force application assembly is provided for applying a force to an elevator car when the elevator car and a counterweight are in a balanced state, and the force application assembly includes: a first attachment portion, which is configured to be removably attached to an elevator hoistway; a second attachment portion, one end of which is removably fixed relative to the elevator car or the counterweight, and which is configured to be at least partially elastic; an actuation portion connected between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion, wherein the first attachment portion is configured to be fixed relative to the actuation portion, and the second attachment portion is configured to be movable relative to the actuation portion; and an operation portion, which is associated with the actuation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Yunkang Shi, Zhenyan Tong, Wei Wang, Min Wang
  • Patent number: 11697573
    Abstract: A storage system (500) for an elevator hoistway access ladder (300) includes a landing doorway (502) comprising a door column (504) and a landing door (506). The door column (504) includes a rotating support (501) for storing the hoistway access ladder (300), and the rotating support is rotatable relative to the door column (504).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Jean-Emile Rocher, Vincent Lopez
  • Patent number: 11691852
    Abstract: The present invention includes a height raising member body mountable to an upper end of a frame disposed above an entrance of a car that moves up and down through an elevator shaft, in which a rail for guiding a car door in an opening and closing direction and a pulley for use in opening and closing drive of the car door are mounted to the frame. The height raising member body characteristically includes: a base part connectable to the frame; and a supporting part capable of supporting the motor at a position upward away from the base, the motor being configured to drive the pulley via a belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: FUJITEC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Kashiwakura
  • Patent number: 11691849
    Abstract: An elevator safety device includes: a lower beam; and an emergency stop device mounted parallel to the lower beam in order to perform an emergency stop of an elevator car, wherein the lower beam includes: a first side member; a second side member disposed opposite the first side member; a front support member configured to be coupled to and to support front portions of the first side member and the second side member; and a rear support member configured to be coupled to and to support rear portions of the first side member and the second side member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: HUMAN NT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hoo Geun Bae
  • Patent number: 11679958
    Abstract: A safety gear arrangement for an elevator system, comprising a safety gear mechanism comprising at least one wedge portion of the safety gear arrangement, wherein, in a normal position, the at least one wedge portion is retracted and, in an operated position, extended by a first spring element for acting on a guide rail of the elevator system, and a triggering device comprising an electromagnet, a second spring element, an actuating member, and an excitation power input, wherein the electromagnet is arranged, while being supplied with excitation power, to maintain the actuating member in an untriggered position against the second spring element, and the actuating member is arranged to operate the safety gear mechanism in response to moving of the member from the untriggered to a triggered position due to the second spring element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Janne Laine, Veijo Manninen, Tuukka Korhonen, Matti Rasanen, Jorma Mustalahti, Ville Myyrylainen, Tarvo Viita-Aho, Henri Wenlin
  • Patent number: 11673773
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, an elevator system including: a beam climber system configured to move an elevator car through an elevator shaft by climbing a first guide beam that extends vertically through the elevator shaft, the first guide beam including a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the beam climber system including: a first wheel; a second wheel; a first traction belt wrapped around the first wheel and the second wheel, the first traction belt being in contact with the first surface; and a first electric motor configured to rotate the first wheel, wherein the first traction belt is configured to rotate when the first wheel rotates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Justin Billard, Randy Roberts, Kiron Bhaskar, Kyle B. Martin
  • Patent number: 11673771
    Abstract: According to an aspect, there is provided an elevator car parking brake comprising brake pads and an actuator configured to move the brake pads with respect to a guide rail. The elevator car parking brake further comprises levers, each having an associated brake pad; and at least one screw associated with the actuator and rotatably fixed to at least one lever via at least one attaching member. In a braking operation, the actuator is configured to rotate the at least one screw in a first direction with respect to the at least one attaching member, thus causing the levers with the brake pads to move towards the guide rail. In a brake release operation, the actuator is configured to rotate the at least one screw in a second direction with respect to the at least one attaching member, thus causing the levers with the brake pads to move away from the guide rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Antti Koskinen, Hilkka Hamalainen, Timo Vlasov, Mikko Puranen, Antti Saarelainen, Henri Wenlin
  • Patent number: 11673774
    Abstract: An elevator system and a support column assembly. The elevator system includes a support column, with the bottom end thereof connected to a bottom mounting base, and the top end thereof connected to a top mounting base; a counterweight arranged in the support column; a car having a through hole penetrating in a vertical direction, wherein the car is arranged around the support column via the through hole; and a traction assembly, wherein the car is connected to the counterweight via the traction assembly, and the car and the counterweight reciprocate along the length direction of the support column under the traction of the traction assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Zhe Zhang, Hong Fu, Zhixue Li
  • Patent number: 11673770
    Abstract: An illustrative example embodiment of an elevator governor includes a rotatable governor mechanism, a tension sheave, and a tension frame associated with the tension sheave. The tension frame has a mass configured to bias the tension frame and the tension sheave under an influence of gravity. A damper is configured to resist vertical movement of the tension frame relative to a fixed surface in a first condition and to allow vertical movement of the tension frame relative to the fixed surface in a second, different condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Richard L. Hollowell
  • Patent number: 11673781
    Abstract: A fork for an industrial vehicle such as a forklift, and a method of making the same. The fork includes an elongate body portion, a toe portion, and, optionally, a heel portion. The elongate body portion may be formed in any length and coupled to the toe portion (and optionally, to the heel portion) to form a fork.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: HYSTER-YALE GROUP, INC.
    Inventor: Robert C. Dunigan
  • Patent number: 11667504
    Abstract: A fork for an industrial vehicle such as a forklift, and a method of making the same. The fork includes an elongate body portion, a toe portion, and, optionally, a heel portion. The elongate body portion may be formed in any length and coupled to the toe portion (and optionally, to the heel portion) to form a fork.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: HYSTER-YALE GROUP, INC.
    Inventor: Robert C. Dunigan
  • Patent number: 11661324
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprises an operator compartment, a compartment tower, a multi-field scanning tool, and mechanisms that facilitate movement along a travel plane in a warehouse. The tool establishes a scan field, and, within scan field bounds, an occupancy detection field and an obstacle detection field. Tool scanning hardware is configured to generate the scan field from a point of origin that is elevated relative to the operator compartment and to expand the scan field such that it intersects the operator compartment and extends laterally beyond lateral edges of the operator compartment such that the occupancy detection field falls within the operator compartment, the obstacle detection field falls outside of the operator compartment, and the multi-field scanning tool is configured to indicate the presence of an occupant in the occupancy detection field and obstacles in the obstacle detection field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Franz Pöschl, Timothy A. Wellman, Stefan Hanneman, Martin Okroy, Stefan Sauer, Jess Donnely
  • Patent number: 11655124
    Abstract: The present invention provides a support jig for assembling an elevator car including; a first member including a first member body configured to be detachably fixed to a car rail having a front surface and a rear surface and vertically extending in a shaft to guide the ascending and descending of the elevator car on the front surface side, and a mount part on which a component of the elevator car is mountable; and a second member including a second-member fixing part configured to be detachably fixed to the car rail, and a support part extending from the second-member fixing part and configured to support the mount part of the first member from below.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: FUJITEC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Kashiwakura
  • Patent number: 11649139
    Abstract: An electronic safety actuator assembly for an elevator system includes a safety case vertically moveable relative to an elevator car. Also included is a safety brake disposed within the safety case. Further included is an electromagnet operatively coupleable to the elevator car. Yet further included is a link member operatively coupleable to the elevator car and to the safety brake. Also included is a magnet disposed between the electromagnet and the safety case, the magnet vertically moveable relative to the elevator car, the electromagnet switchable between an energized condition and an un-energized condition, one of the energized condition and the un-energized condition magnetically attracting the magnet to the electromagnet, the other of the energized condition and the un-energized condition magnetically repulsing the magnet away from the electromagnet, repulsion of the magnet moving the safety brake from a non-braking position to a braking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Juan Antonio Illan
  • Patent number: 11639284
    Abstract: A vertical lift system having a safety brake assembly (10) employing a pair of brakes attached to cables running vertically on each side of a guiderail (1). Each brake has a series of wedges (13, 14, and 15), including a braking wedge (14) that presses against the guiderail to brake downward motion of an elevator or lift basket upon an interruption in cable tension. A cable tension adjustment mechanism (3, 4 and 6) to equalize tension in the cables is also incorporated into the safety brake assembly. An electrical sensor (18) is also provided to disrupt power to the lift system upon slackening of a cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Inventor: George F. Becker
  • Patent number: 11634302
    Abstract: An elevator belt monitoring apparatus includes a housing for receiving an elevator belt and a plurality of blade contacts which are operable to pierce the belt and engage the spaced parallel cords arranged within the belt. A plurality of bridge contacts are connected with adjacent pairs of elevator belt cords and signal contacts are connected with cords at the outer edges of the belts. The signal contacts are connected with a monitoring device which sends and receives signals to the contacts to provide an indication of the condition or deterioration of the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Inventors: Reinhard Nolting, Marco Waldhoff, Niels Dallman, Christopher Smith
  • Patent number: 11629031
    Abstract: A structural member of guided fastening connection for an elevator guide rail includes a vertical docking plate, wherein a fixing side plate is welded on two sides of the vertical docking plate symmetrically, a fixing hole is provided on a side of the fixing side plates, an upright plugging plate is welded at two ends of the vertical docking plate symmetrically, the upright plugging plates are docked with a first buckling block on a side, the upright plugging plates are docked with a second buckling block on a side away from the first buckling blocks, the fixing side plates are welded with a lateral arc-shaped plate horizontally on a side away from the vertical docking plate, a turnover strut is provided between the lateral arc-shaped plates horizontally, a middle fixing rod is plugged within a top face of the lateral arc-shaped plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: CHANGSHU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Fusheng Zhang, Yang Ge, Lingyun Ma, Bo Huang, Jianxin Ding, Yong Ren, Benlian Xu
  • Patent number: 11613446
    Abstract: The present disclosure refers to an elevator system particularly for high buildings, comprising: an elevator car comprising one or more electrical service appliances; a counterweight; a power source housed into the counterweight; a hoisting cable connected at a first end to the elevator car and at a second end to the counterweight and comprising carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns, wherein the CNT yarns mechanically support the elevator car and the counterweight and are electric conductor from the power source to the electrical service appliances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Prysmian S.p.A.
    Inventors: Luca Giorgio Maria De Rai, Michelangelo Graziano, Donald Ray Parris
  • Patent number: 11608247
    Abstract: An elevator system caliper brake includes first and second brake levers each with a brake pad wherein the brake levers move the brake pads relative to one another along an actuation axis. The first brake lever is rotatably mounted at a stationary first mounting point at a housing of the brake, and the second brake lever is rotatably mounted at a second mounting point on an intermediate lever that is rotatably mounted at the brake housing. A tension element can be moved approximately parallel to an actuation axis and is connected to the brake levers at mounting points between the respective brake pads and the brake lever mounting points. A closing spring moves the first and second brake levers to decrease the distance between the brake pads and a linear spindle drive connected to the intermediate lever selectively counteracts the closing spring to increase the distance between the brake pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventor: Josef Husmann