Abstract: In one aspect there is provided a towel rack having a width and comprising a wall mounting bracket and a towel support frame. The wall mounting bracket is for fastening the towel rack to a wall. The towel support frame is supported by the wall mounting bracket and defines a perimeter thereabout and a plane therebetween. The length of the perimeter is longer than the width of the towel rack. The towel support frame may be secured in a drying configuration so as to orient said plane substantially perpendicular to the wall. When in the drying configuration, a towel may be positioned on the towel support frame substantially around said perimeter.

Abstract: A hydraulic elevator includes level sensors for establishing dead zones of different sizes and for changing the dead zone while the car is stopped at a floor. A controller selects the size of the dead zone, for purposes of relevel operations, based upon elevator operating state (e.g. doors open or closed, time of day, time since last run) or other parameters (excess oil temperature, motor temperature, or excess motor starts). The controller also selects an effective hysteresis value either to return the car to floor level or to move the car to a position above floor level. In this manner, the controller maintains a small dead zone, and returns the car to level, when the doors are open. When the doors are closed, a larger dead zone is selected to reduce the frequency of relevel operations. Moreover, under certain conditions, the car is moved, during releveling, to a position above the landing, to further reduce the number of required relevel operations over time.

Abstract: A traction elevator includes a safety mechanism for preventing unintended motion of the car. A trigger, when armed, is positioned in the path of bosses on the drive sheave or another sheave, such that any unintended rotation of the sheave causes actuation of the trigger and the consequent tripping of an emergency brake. Preferably, the trigger is armed whenever the car is stopped at a landing, and is also selectively armed responsive to elevator overspeed detection.

Abstract: An elevator door arrangement includes at least one door panel and means engaging upper and lower portions of the panel for guiding the upper and lower portions for parallel movement. The means for guiding the lower part of the panel includes a guide member coupled to the panel that projects through an elongated, narrow slot in the sill. In one embodiment, the sill has a guide channel below the slot, and the guide member has a guide element that slidingly engage the guide channel walls. In another embodiment, a cable relating device includes a section above the door and one below the door, connected for synchronous movement. The cable relating device is connected to the upper part of the panel and to the guide member for imparting parallel movement.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a digital selector system with position indicators in the hatch to provide signals indicative of nearest floor and signals when the car is level with a floor. At initiation of a run, the nearest floor is selected as target floor, and target distance, stored as an absolute distance between floors, is retrieved. Target distance is decremented as the car moves, by signals from a pulse generator. At periodic time intervals, ideal velocity is read from an acceleration look-up table, and used, along with the actual instantaneous target distance, to calculate a slowdown profile of velocity and distance for decelerating the car to the contract deceleration rate. The calculated profile is compared with a stored deceleration look-up table to determine critical car distances for making stopping decisions. The target floor and target floor distance advance, at critical car distances, one floor at a time until a stop call is received at a target floor.