Patents Assigned to Inventio
  • Patent number: 6105738
    Abstract: An apparatus for braking an elevator includes a storage tank (1) supplying a pressure medium (1.1) under low pressure through a line (2) to a brake cylinder (5) of a brake unit (BE). An adjustable restrictor (3) and a valve (4) are connected in series in the line (2) A piston (10) slides in the brake cylinder (5) between actuated and unactuated positions and has an attached brake lining (6) for engaging a traction sheave (8) of the elevator. A yoke (9) is attached to the brake cylinder (5) and piston pin (11) attached to the piston (10) slides in the yoke. A compression spring (12) acts between the yoke (9) and the piston (10) to move the piston to the actuated position and generate the required force for the braking and holding of the traction disc (8). The valve (4) is opened to release the pressure medium (1.1) from the brake cylinder (5) and allow the spring (12) to move the piston (10) to the actuated position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Jules J. Christen
  • Patent number: 6102163
    Abstract: An elevator system control box is mounted on an elevator car above or below a car door. The mounting position of the control box makes it possible for a service technician to reach elevator drive system components, such as a travel regulation unit, safety circuits, an optional drive regulation unit, a frequency inverter, etc., mounted in the control box conveniently standing at hand or eye level at a floor with the shaft doors opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Christoph Liebetrau, Utz Richter, Kaspar Schindler
  • Patent number: 6098759
    Abstract: A hydraulic elevator having a hydraulic jack which acts directly on the elevator car. To reduce the amount of building work associated with this elevator concept, the hydraulic jack projects through the car floor into the car. The jack and the car are fastened together at the car floor by a supporting plate attached to the jack cylinder. If the jack is fitted with a mechanical synchronization device, the ends of the ropes or chains which until now have been fastened to the building also pass upwards through the car to a crossbeam to which they are fastened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Eileen W. Rossman, Karl B. Orndorff, Scott C. Conrey
  • Patent number: 6092630
    Abstract: An arresting brake device with triggering equipment for elevators provides different braking effect in upward and downward directions of travel. The device includes a tiltable rocker, as a barrier element, provided with an articulated two-point bearing in yielding joint pans. The rocker is operatively connected with a movable brake shoe and is, on actuation by triggering equipment, tilted by entraining members up to an abutment beyond or ahead of its dead center according to the direction of travel of an elevator car in upward or downward directions. By the tilting movement, one or the other yielding joint pan is pushed against a biased adjustable compression spring and the movable brake shoe and a fixed brake shoe are accordingly urged against a guide rail. The compression springs, which are arranged in a spring block, can each be biased separately in a variable manner by a respective setting screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Peter Wendel, Theodor Wuest, Herbert Bachmann, Josef Muff
  • Patent number: 6087600
    Abstract: This keypad for the input of control commands comprises a membrane keypad, a carrier, a keypad base and a key module. The switching operation, initiated by keys, takes place in a closed unit in the form of a carrier which encloses the keypad base and the membrane keypad. The switching contacts are located within the membrane keypad which is sealed against moisture, whereby the actual performance of the switching command take place within the sealed membrane keypad, switching plungers of the keypad base having only an actuating function. The sealed unit in the form of the carrier considerably eases installation in that the keypad base and the membrane keypad can be pre-installed in the carrier at the factory the key module can be placed over them at the installation site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Meinolph Kaufmann, Ernst Schwarz, Hugo Felder
  • Patent number: 6082520
    Abstract: An escalator or moving walkway has an inclined balustrade superstructure extending along the sides of a step or pallet belt between a first story and a second story. The upper edge of the balustrade has a handrail, which is fastened to a balustrade profile member, which is supported by a balustrade support. The balustrade profile member is connected to a base by means of an oblique extending inner facing. Illuminating equipment for illumination of the belt is arranged at the base, and supports portions of at least one of the balustrade base and superstructure. The illumination equipment is flush with the base to provide a continuous facing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Gerhard Kleewein, Walter Thierer
  • Patent number: 6070700
    Abstract: An operating system placed on the cabin door is shown with a continuous line in rest position and with a dotted line in working position. An arrow marked with a (Y) indicates a horizontal movement undertaken by the operating system in the Y-direction and an arrow marked by (X) indicates a horizontal movement undertaken by the operating system in the X-direction. The X/Y movement of the operating system is produced by an actuator and motive mechanics. On a shaft door is placed an operating cam upon which the operating system rests. Operating system sensors measure the distance to the shaft door and the operating cam. An electromagnet of the operating system produces the necessary force for coupling of cabin door to shaft door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Heinz-Dieter Nagel
  • Patent number: 6065570
    Abstract: The invention concerns a control system for a plurality of groups of lifts (G1-G5), according to which system the passenger can input his destination at any destination call input device (TE) without having to know which group of lifts (G1-G5) serves the desired storey. In this way, in large buildings in which, for structural reasons, the ranges of storeys served by individual groups of lifts (G1-G5) are disposed adjacent one another in a confused manner, the passenger's search for the appropriate lift is facilitated. The multiple groups control system always selects the most favorable lift from all the available lifts and, when the storey ranges served by a plurality of groups of lifts (G4-G5) overlap, the selection is made from all the possible lifts. If the passenger has to change lifts, the connecting lift is shown on a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Paul Friedli, Miroslav Kostka, Kurt Steinmann
  • Patent number: 6062346
    Abstract: Call register and indicating equipment for elevators for the input of destination calls includes a call register and indicating device (1) having a key (2) for inputting a destination call for each selected one of a plurality of floors (F0, F1, F2, F3, F4). Arranged near the keys (2) are designation fields (3) that can be provided with written characters of an associated firm and/or symbols. After input of the desired floor call, the assigned elevator and its position are made known immediately on a display (4). By this call register and indicating equipment, all information necessary for finding the desired destination of travel and the correct elevator are made available to the passenger at the point of input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Paul Friedli, Ernst Woschitz
  • Patent number: 6056088
    Abstract: Monitoring equipment for an elevator drive control includes two modules, a safety circuit sensor system and a motor-switching and/or brake-switching circuit, wherein the monitoring of a safety circuit and the consequential actions resulting therefrom takes place exclusively by means of electronic components while avoiding electrically conductive separating locations. By the use of electronic components, electromechanical switching elements, which have electrically conductive separating locations, can be dispensed with. In addition, an appreciable reduction in the noise level is achieved, since switching noises no longer arise. This has an advantageous effect particularly in the case of elevator installations without a machine room. Furthermore, the manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced and a high security and reliability of the monitoring equipment can be ensured by the use of usual electronic components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Bernhard Gerstenkorn
  • Patent number: 6044955
    Abstract: A travelling walkway for conveying of persons, comprises sections with different speeds and with varying speeds, is formed from pivotably interconnected and driven carriers, wherein the length distances between the carriers are variable and step elements, which overlap one another in running direction of the travelling walkway and are displaceable relative to one another, are present on the carriers. Link chains, which are arranged parallel in longitudinal direction and which are transversely connected at the joints by means of step plates to form an articulated lattice variable in length and width, are used as carriers. Lateral guides and guide rollers produce the stretching and pushing together of the articulated lattice required by changes in width. Grooved and smooth drive belts move the articulated lattice at different speeds as necessary. The articulated lattice is horizontally deflected at both ends of the travelling walkway by means of a circulating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Anderzej Stawniak
  • Patent number: 6044933
    Abstract: A drive system for a hydraulic elevator installation (1) without a machine room including an electric motor (15), a hydraulic pump (16), an oil tank (17), valves (18) and a control apparatus (19) mounted in a cabinet (10). The cabinet (10) can be mounted in direct connection with an elevator shaft (2), for example near a shaft door (6), or at any desired location, preferably in the proximity of traffic routes, in work areas or even in passageways, where good accessibility is guaranteed. A double sound insulation of the cabinet (10) and of the oil tank (17) containing the electric motor (15) and the hydraulic pump (16) damps the noise level of the drive system to the extent that the cabinet (10) can be placed at virtually any desired location without the noise developed by the drive system being disturbing in surrounding spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Kjell Johansson, Per Folkesson
  • Patent number: 6043999
    Abstract: A digital control in line angle coordinates for a regulated power input device in which the line angle (.epsilon.) is determined from measured line voltages (U1M, U2M) by means of a coordinate transformation of the rotary field, in Cartesian coordinates and subsequent arctan calculation (ATAN). From this, under circumstances of a heavily disturbed line angle (.epsilon.) the line frequency is computed. In this, under circumstances, the strongly varying frequency information is limited to a plausible band of variations before the frequency is filtered and a relatively smooth running line angle (.epsilon.) can be calculated therefrom. In order to avoid an erroneous integration, the calculated line angle integrator is set at every phase-zero-crossing to the corresponding angle value. With this line angle (.epsilon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Jurgen Ehrenberg, Zhiping David Fan
  • Patent number: 6041565
    Abstract: A door frame having a threshold element (1), a pair of door posts (2) and a lintel element (3) connected together mechanically positively and non-detachably in pluggable manner. Tongues (28, 30, 32, 34) of the lintel element (3) are plugged into slots (37, 38, 39, 40) of the door posts (2) and an additional element (45) is pushed at the door post end onto the tongues. Thereafter, the additional element (45) is moved downwardly, wherein tongues (47, 49, 50, 51) of the additional element detent in slots (29, 31, 33, 35) of the lintel element (3). The upward movement of the additional element (45) is prevented by a tongue (44) that is bent into a recess (42) of the door post (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Raymond Reitz, Patrick Dubreuil
  • Patent number: 6039151
    Abstract: A braking device is arranged around a piston of a hydraulic elevator drive and serves for locking of the piston carrying an elevator car or a cable pulley by engaging at least two brake arms, each rotatable around axes. The brake arms are actuated by a brake drive having a brake cylinder with a plunger biased by hydraulic fluid to release the brake arms. In response to a pressure drop in the brake cylinder, or at an unauthorized downward motion of the elevator drive piston, the brake arms are closed by the brake drive and the elevator drive piston is prevented from moving. A brake control circuit connected to a power supply actuates the brake drive and includes a buffer battery backup in case of failure of the power supply and a storage capacitor backup in case of failure of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Cary J. Ringel, James L. Murphy
  • Patent number: 6032763
    Abstract: A carriage for supporting an elevator car includes a drive unit, a spaced generally parallel support unit and a pair of lower yokes connecting the units. The carriage is movable along a pair of spaced apart generally vertical tracks. The drive unit includes a motor driving a drive axle with a respective drive wheel mounted at each end of the axle which wheels roll along the tracks. The support unit includes a support axle with a respective support wheel mounted at each end of the axle and a clamping device by which friction forces of the drive wheels and of the support wheels are produced on the tracks. The working range of the clamping device can be read off of an indicator. A respective immobilizing equipment is arranged at each side of the lower yoke by which the elevator car can be releasably connected with the track at a desired position along the travel path during assembly of the elevator system and/or during maintenance operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Utz Richter, Christoph Liebetrau, Albrecht Morlok
  • Patent number: 6029778
    Abstract: A control panel for a lift cage is in the form of a wall element which is engageable with adjacent wall elements to form a continuous, smooth wall surface particularly resistant to vandalism. The control panel has opposed doubly bent edges having slots which engage pins extending outwardly from the edges of the adjacent wall elements. The control panel may be easily installed between the adjacent wall elements by a horizontal insertion followed by a dropping of the control panel into an end position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Jose Luis Lacarte Estallo
  • Patent number: 6029708
    Abstract: A pulsation noise damper has an axially symmetrical housing (4) forming a chamber (3) in which pressurized hydraulic fluid flowing in an elevator system hydraulic line can expand. For the collection of contaminates in the hydraulic fluid a filter (6) is arranged at one of a pair of input/output openings (5) formed the housing (4). A pair of compression elements (7), each in the shape of an elastic bellows, are positioned in end openings (4a) formed in the housing (4) and the stiffness of each is selectively adjusted by a movable pressure plate (8) coupled to a fastening element (9). In this way the pulsation noise damper can be adapted to various levels of pulsation energy. The compression elements (7) are retained by end caps (1) attached to the housing by fasteners (2) and the fastening elements (9) extend through the end caps and are fixed by nuts (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Charles P. Spell, II, Terry D. Holmes, Dean Chow
  • Patent number: 6021871
    Abstract: An apparatus for opening and closing a car door and a shaft door of an elevator installation includes an entraining system (E) arranged at the car door and a cooperating locking mechanism (L). The entraining system (E) has a pair of spreadable entraining cams (1, 2) connected to first and second levers (3.1, 3.2) forming a parallelogram. A stationary guide rail (4.1) on the car has an entry cam (4) which receives a roller (5) on the entraining cam (1) to spread the parallelogram against a tension spring (6) and into engagement with first and second shaft lock rollers (7a, 7b) on the floor door to couple the doors together. The locking mechanism (L) has a transmission lever (8) attached to one entraining cam (2) and pivotally connected to a locking rocker (9) carrying a support roller (10). The locking rocker (9) also is pivotally connected with a catch (11) having a lug (11.2) that detents with a stationary lock plate (13) on the car to prevent opening of the car door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Bodo Grabner
  • Patent number: D420189
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Gerhard Kleewein, Walter Thierer