Patents Examined by Jeffrey Donels
  • Patent number: 11613445
    Abstract: According to an aspect, a method includes monitoring a plurality of vibration data by a vibration monitoring beacon and determining that the vibration monitoring beacon has been installed at a service location based on detecting an installation characteristic signature in the vibration data. The vibration monitoring beacon can transition into a learning mode based on determining that the vibration monitoring beacon has been installed at the service location. The method can also include monitoring for a learning mode termination event and transitioning the vibration monitoring beacon from the learning mode to a normal operation mode based on detecting the learning mode termination event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Tadeusz Pawel Witczak, Craig Drew Bogli, Derk Oscar Pahlke, Yrinee Michaelidis
  • Patent number: 11602840
    Abstract: A medical system includes a manipulator arm including a movable distal portion, a proximal portion coupled to a base, and joints between the distal portion and the base. A processor coupled to the manipulator arm performs operations including calculating a first movement of the joints in a null-space of a Jacobian of the manipulator arm, the first movement being calculated in accordance with a first objective for arm-to-patient collision avoidance. The operations further include calculating a second movement of the joints in the null-space, the second movement being calculated in accordance with a second objective for arm-to-arm collision avoidance, and combining at least the first and second movements into a combined movement in a manner allowing the first objective to overpower the second objective, and driving the joints to effect the combined movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventor: Arjang Hourtash
  • Patent number: 11597630
    Abstract: The disclosure defined by this invention relates to an electronic control facility for a stairlift. The control facility includes an installation mode in which a number of steps to be undertaken at the time of installation of the stairlift are defined. The control facility also includes a user mode in which the operation of the stairlift is controlled by a user. According to the invention, the control facility is configured so that the user mode cannot be entered until all steps in the installation mode have been completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Stannah Stairlifts Limited
    Inventors: Martin Thomas Piper, Paul Alexander Cook, Nigel Titchener
  • Patent number: 11591183
    Abstract: Methods and systems for enhancing sensor operation are provided. Aspects includes obtaining, by a primary sensor, primary sensor data associated with an electrical mechanical system, obtaining, by at least one secondary sensor, secondary sensor data associated with the electrical mechanical system, and analyzing the primary sensor data responsive to a determination of a predetermined state of the electrical mechanical system based on the secondary sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Peter Liaskas, Nikola Trcka, Sandeep Sudi, Leslie Lamontagne
  • Patent number: 11572251
    Abstract: A system for elevator door sensor fusion, fault detection, and service notification is provided. The system includes a processor and a memory including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include monitoring outputs of a plurality of sensors. It is determined whether the outputs of the plurality of sensors follow an expected pattern. Based at least in part on determining that the outputs of the plurality of sensors do not follow the expected pattern: identifying a sensor in the plurality of sensors that is not following the expected pattern, and transmitting a notification indicating that the sensor is exhibiting unexpected behaviour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Walter Thomas Schmidt, Abdelilah Sakti, Michael J. Tracey
  • Patent number: 11565910
    Abstract: Provided is an elevator device, including: a cage; a car entrance frame including: entrance columns provided at a car entrance of the cage; and an entrance top plate provided on a top side of the car entrance; a car door configured to open and close the car entrance; a projector, which is provided to the car entrance frame so as to be capable of projecting information onto an image display surface provided at a landing when the car door is opened upon arrival of a car at the landing; and a control device configured to control respective operations of the car door and the projector. When the control device controls the car door to open, the control device controls the projector to project the information onto the image display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Okuda
  • Patent number: 11560288
    Abstract: To make it possible to comprehensively predict the movement of people by associating an elevator control system in a facility such as a building and an external system other than this system with each other and thereby provide a new service that has not existed before.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Hatori, Masayasu Fujiwara, Akira Omachi, Takamichi Hoshino, Satoru Toriyabe, Manabu Kato, Atsuya Fujino, Wataru Toriumi
  • Patent number: 11551651
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for segmenting musical compositions are described. Discrete, musically-coherent segments (such as intro, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, and the like) of a musical composition are identified. Distance measures are used to evaluate whether each bar of a musical composition is more like the bars that directly precede it or more like the bars that directly succeed it, and each respective series of musically similar bars is assigned to the same respective segment. Large changes in the distance measure(s) between adjacent bars may be used to identify boundaries between abutting musical segments. Computer systems and computer program products for implementing segmentation are also described. The results of segmentation may advantageously be applied in computer-based composition of music and musical variations, as well as in other applications involving labelling, characterizing, or otherwise processing music.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Obeebo Labs Ltd.
    Inventor: Colin P. Williams
  • Patent number: 11545121
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes at least one processor that, in accordance with a user operation on an operation unit, obtains lyric data and waveform data corresponding to a first tone color; inputs the obtained lyric data to a trained model so as to cause the trained model to output acoustic feature data in response thereto; generates waveform data corresponding to a singing voice of a singer and corresponding to a second tone color that is different from the first tone color, based on the acoustic feature data outputted from the trained model and the obtained waveform data corresponding to the first tone color; and outputs a singing voice based on the generated waveform data corresponding to the second tone color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Danjyo, Fumiaki Ota, Masaru Setoguchi, Atsushi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11542117
    Abstract: According to an aspect, there is provided a method for managing elevator cars in a multi-car elevator shaft system. The method comprises determining, by an elevator control entity, the optimum number of elevator cars for a given time of a day in the multi-car elevator shaft system; and commanding, by the elevator control entity, at least one elevator car into at least one elevator car storage or back to service from the at least one elevator car storage based on the determination, wherein elevator cars in the at least one elevator car storage act as standby elevator cars for the multi-car elevator shaft system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Marja-Liisa Siikonen, Janne Sorsa, Pentti Alasentie
  • Patent number: 11535494
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a door detection system may include a transmitter, a receiver, a reflector, and one or more processors. The transmitter positioned on an elevator car door transmits a signal towards a reflector on a hoistway door and the reflector reflects the signal towards the receiver when the hoistway door is properly positioned with respect to the elevator door. The one or more processors determine whether the hoistway door is properly positioned with respect to the elevator car door based on the reflected signal received by the receiver. If the hoistway door is not properly positioned, the elevator car is prevented from moving. If the hoistway door is properly positioned, the elevator car is free to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: G.A.L. Manufacturing Company, LLC
    Inventors: James Varon, Walter Glaser
  • Patent number: 11524876
    Abstract: An elevator door arrangement is monitored wherein the elevator door arrangement includes at least one door wing and an electric actuator for displacing the door wing in at least one of an opening direction and a closing direction during a door motion event. A method for performing the monitoring includes a learning phase and an application phase. During the learning phase, different types of door motion events are identified and for each type of event a reference motion event duration is determined. During the application phase, a door arrangement operation is observed such as to detect door motion events and the different types of door motion events are distinguished upon comparison of the reference motion event durations with actual motion event durations measured during the application phase. Using the method, door motion events in an elevator may be recognized and monitored in an automatic manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu, Jose Alberto Mancera Andrade
  • Patent number: 11524870
    Abstract: A method of operating an elevator system, for example operated by linear motors, wherein the elevator system includes a shaft system including at least one vertical elevator shaft, and a multiplicity of elevator cars which respectively have a plurality of functional components for carrying out different functions. The method provides that in a special operating mode of the elevator system, a first elevator car is assigned at least one auxiliary device, the auxiliary device providing a replacement function for at least one function of one of the functional components of the first elevator car, the corresponding function of a functional component of the first elevator car being replaced with the replacement function provided by the auxiliary device, and the elevator system continuing to be operated by using the replacement function provided. The invention furthermore relates to an elevator system configured for carrying out such a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: TK Elevator Innovation and Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Zerelles, Eduard Steinhauer, Marius Matz, Richard Thum
  • Patent number: 11518655
    Abstract: Elevator systems and methods are provided. The systems include an elevator car including an elevator car door interlock device operable to open and close elevator car doors and a plurality of landing doors located at landings, each landing door including a landing door interlock device operable to open and close a respective landing door. Each landing door interlock device is engageable by the elevator car door interlock device to operate the elevator doors. An elevator component inspection system having a detector to monitor the interlock devices obtains inspection data associated with the interlock devices. A control unit is configured to analyze the inspection data. The component inspection system captures images of the interlock devices using the detector, performs a database inquiry comparing the captured image against a database of interlock device states, and determines a state of the interlock devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Quentin Bezault
  • Patent number: 11511966
    Abstract: Provided is a derailment detection device for a counterweight of an elevator comprising: a wire suspended in parallel with a guide rail for the counterweight; a cylindrical member which has an arm portion connected to the counterweight and allows the wire to pass therethrough in a vertical direction; a detection target connected to a lower end of the wire; a photoelectric sensor which is provided on a fixed surface so as to be opposed to a lower surface of the detection target and measures a distance to the detection target; and a detection circuit electrically connected to the photoelectric sensor. The detection circuit detects that the counterweight runs off the guide rail based on the distance from the photoelectric sensor to the detection target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshiko Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 11508345
    Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating transactions of musical stems between users of an online gaming platform and mixing of the musical stems are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: store information regarding tracks; transmit a purchase request regarding a given stem; receive a notification of the assignment of the right to use the given stem, wherein the assignment is recorded on a blockchain; obtain the given stem, generate an arrangement based on one or more stored tracks and the given stem, and playing back the generated arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Mythical, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Edward McLafferty
  • Patent number: 11505431
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a cleaning head for cleaning a plurality of hoisting belts and/or at least one sheave of an elevator system is provided. The at least one sheave includes a plurality of grooves for receiving each of the hoisting belts. The cleaning head comprises a base plate and a plurality of wipers fixed to an upper end of the base plate to project outwards from the base plate. The cleaning head may be used to clean the plurality of hoisting belts at once and/or the plurality of grooves of the at least one sheave at once.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kato, Hirotomo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11505432
    Abstract: The present invention is a device for moving people or items on the Jewish Sabbath and certain Jewish holidays in a manner that is widely acceptable within Jewish Law through powering and controlling this invention with municipal water. The invention includes applying this technology to elevators, escalators, dumbwaiters, conveyors, stair lifts, porch lifts, and more. Within the invention are certain components and groups of components that are unique in their arrangement and purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Inventor: Charles Greenberg
  • Patent number: 11505434
    Abstract: Disclosed is an elevator system for a multi-level architectural structure, the elevator system having an elevator controller for an elevator in a hoistway, wherein the elevator controller effects a first determination of whether passengers or goods are in the elevator and effects a power mode for the elevator based on the first determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Putla Vasudev Dayasagar, Pradeep Miriyala, Devendar Gorenkala
  • Patent number: 11498809
    Abstract: Disclosed is an elevator system having a first sensor in communication with an elevator in a multi-level hoistway, wherein during an emergency the elevator instructs the first sensor to sense conditions and transmit sensor data representing the sensed conditions, and the transmitted sensor data is processed to obtain an image representing an intensity of hazard conditions on at least a subset of levels serviced by the multilevel hoistway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Rajinikanth Pusala, Sudharshan Karanam, Prasad Babu Lakshmipathy