Patents Examined by Marlon T. Fletcher
  • Patent number: 11691847
    Abstract: A travel blocking apparatus for blocking the movement of a car movably disposed in a hoistway. The travel blocking apparatus includes a flapper mechanism attached to the car and configured, when deployed, to extend an arm outside of an outer side periphery of the car and a prop device disposed in the hoistway and configured to contact the arm when said arm is extended so as to stop the car from moving downwardly in the hoistway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: TK Elevator Corporation
    Inventors: Russell Duke, Alan Parker, Malcom Ray Nooner
  • Patent number: 11673766
    Abstract: Systems, computer-implemented methods, and computer program products that can facilitate elevator analytics and/or elevator optimization components are provided. According to an embodiment, a system can comprise a memory that stores computer executable components and a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory. The computer executable components can comprise a prediction component that can predict a current destination of an elevator passenger based on historical elevator usage data of the elevator passenger. The computer executable components can further comprise an assignment component that can assign the elevator passenger to an elevator based on the current destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gauri Karve, Tara Astigarraga, Eric Miller, Kangguo Cheng, Fee Li Lie, Sean Teehan, Marc Bergendahl
  • Patent number: 11676565
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of automatically preparing a MIDI file based on a target MIDI file comprising respective note information about each of a plurality of target notes and a source MIDI file comprising respective note information about each of a plurality of source notes. Each note information comprises pitch information defining a pitch of the note. The method comprises ranking the plurality of target notes based on the pitch of each target note. The method also comprises, for each of the ranked target notes, removing the pitch information from the note information of the target note. The method also comprises, for each of the ranked target notes, replacing the removed pitch information with pitch information of a corresponding source note, whereby the target note has the same pitch as the corresponding source note, forming a plurality of new notes of a new MIDI file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Spotify AB
    Inventors: François Pachet, Pierre Roy
  • Patent number: 11673767
    Abstract: An elevator system 2 is provided which comprises: a hoistway 6 accessible by at least one hoistway door 10a, 10b, 10c; at least one elevator car 4 located in the hoistway 6; a hoistway door switch 12a, 12b, 12c associated with the at least one hoistway door 10a, 10b, 10c; at least one inspection switch 16; at least one emergency stop switch 18; and an elevator controller 24. The elevator controller 24 is configured to monitor the hoistway door switch 12a, 12b, 12c, the inspection switch 16 and the emergency stop switch 18 and to prevent inspection mode operation of the elevator car 4 until at least one change of state is detected of each of the hoistway door switch 12a, 12b, 12c, the inspection switch 16 and the emergency stop switch 18.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Ralph S. Stripling, Sven Knuth
  • Patent number: 11661311
    Abstract: An elevator system (2) comprises an elevator car (10) configured for traveling along a hoistway (4) between a plurality of landings (8); and at least one passenger sensor (20) provided at least one of the landings (8). The at least one passenger sensor (20) is configured for detecting passengers (26) being present within a predefined detection zone (28) at the respective landing (8) by detecting a detection signal (30b) reflected by a reflecting building structure (22, 24) of the respective landing (8), and for providing a corresponding sensor signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Derk Pahlke
  • Patent number: 11661310
    Abstract: Floor content information of an elevator is described. According to an embodiment, a device is disclosed, comprising: a processor; a storage comprising a set of instructions; wherein the set of instructions cause the processor to: Receive a destination floor of the elevator; Receive information describing content of the destination floor, wherein the content identifies the content located within the destination floor; Based on the destination floor and the information describing the content of the destination floor, display a data notification to at least one user using the elevator travelling to the destination floor. According to other embodiments, an elevator, a method and a computer program product is described along with the features of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jukka Salmikuukka
  • Patent number: 11657789
    Abstract: A sensing system for a keyboard. Each key sensor comprises passive and active resonant circuits. The passive resonant circuit has a resonant frequency and the active resonant circuit excites the passive resonant circuit at the resonant frequency. A sensor driver drives the active resonant circuit with an RF drive signal, a multiplexing system multiplexes the drive signal such that simultaneously driven key sensors are separated by at least (k?1) keys, and a detector detects a level of RF signal from a driven key sensor for sensing a position and/or velocity of a key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: SONUUS LIMITED
    Inventors: James Hastings Clark, John Michael McAuliffe
  • Patent number: 11649136
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a conveyance apparatus within a conveyance system is provided. The method including: obtaining a starting location position probability distribution of the conveyance apparatus within the conveyance system; detecting motion of the conveyance apparatus away from the probable starting location for a period of time; determining a distance traveled by the conveyance apparatus during the period of time; determining a direction of motion of the conveyance apparatus during the period of time; and determining a probability of the conveyance apparatus being at each of a plurality of possible destination locations at a conclusion of the period of time in response to the starting location position probability distribution and at least one of the distance traveled, the direction of motion, and the period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Tadeusz Pawel Witczak, Nikola Trcka, Lindsay Wos, Oleh Shvets, Andrzej Bohonos, Lukasz Majchrzak, Pawel Drzycimski
  • Patent number: 11649138
    Abstract: An illustrative example embodiment of an elevator system monitoring assembly includes a wind detector configured to detect wind in a hoistway and to provide a wind detector output regarding the detected wind. A processor is configured to receive the wind detector output, determine whether at least one characteristic of the detected wind satisfies at least one predetermined criterion corresponding to an effect on the elevator system, and provide an indication of at least one of the satisfied criterion and the effect on the elevator system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Yisug Kwon, Daniel Pahng
  • Patent number: 11639283
    Abstract: A floor position detection device of an elevator installation, and a method for generating a floor signal, includes a sensor unit and an evaluation unit for generating the floor signal with two states. The states are “in the range of the floor” and “outside the range of the floor”. The sensor unit includes a first Hall effect sensor generating a first floor position characteristic value and a second Hall effect sensor generating a second floor position characteristic value. The evaluation unit generates the floor signal on the basis of a comparison between the first and the second floor position characteristic values. The evaluation unit verifies whether the first and/or second floor position characteristic value is higher than a first threshold value and generates the floor signal on the basis of the result of the verification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Eric Birrer, Thomas Hartmann
  • Patent number: 11636836
    Abstract: Provided is a method for processing audio including: acquiring an accompaniment audio signal and a voice signal of a current to-be-processed musical composition; determining a target reverberation intensity parameter value of the acquired accompaniment audio signal, wherein the target reverberation intensity parameter value is configured to indicate a rhythm speed, an accompaniment type, and a performance score of a singer of the current to-be-processed musical composition; and reverberating the acquired vocal signal based on the target reverberation intensity parameter value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: BEIJING DAJIA INTERNET INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiguang Zheng, Chen Zhang
  • Patent number: 11635934
    Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying the most impactful moments or segments of music, which are those most likely to elicit a chills effect in a human listener. A digital music signal is processed using two or more objective processing metrics that measure acoustic features known to be able to elicit the chills effect. Individual detection events are identified in the output of each metric based on the output being above or below thresholds relative to the overall output. A combination algorithm aggregates concurrent detection events to generate a continuous concurrence data set of the number of concurrent detection events during the music signal, which can be calculated per beat. A phrase detection algorithm can identify impactful segments of the music based on at least one of peaks, peak-proximity, and a moving average of the continuous concurrence data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: MIIR Audio Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger Dumas, Jon Beck, Aaron Prust, Gary Katz, Paul J. Moe, Daniel J. Levitin
  • Patent number: 11634300
    Abstract: A method for detecting an entry into an elevator car of an elevator system by a passenger uses a mobile device carried by the passenger. The mobile device has at least one, but in particular a plurality of sensors, with which the mobile device detects and evaluates measured values. An entry into the elevator car is then detected on the basis of comparing the measured values with at least one stored signal pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Christian Studer, Martin Kusserow, Reto Tschuppert, Zack Zhu
  • Patent number: 11636837
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic percussion instrument that can facilitate determination of contact of a detection target conductor with a head. An electronic percussion instrument includes: a tubular body portion with an end surface in an axial direction open; a head that covers the open end surface in the axial direction of the body portion and has a front surface adapted to be hit; and a capacitive sensor that has an electrode disposed on a rear surface side of the head, in which the head includes an electrically isolated conductive head, and no conductor connected to a reference potential point is provided between the front surface of the head and the electrode. In this manner, it is possible to facilitate determination of contact of the detection target conductor with the head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Yoshino
  • Patent number: 11634304
    Abstract: An elevator renewal construction method includes steps of: replacing an old control panel of an existing elevator with a new control panel; installing an auxiliary panel, which includes a communication converter to be connected to the new control panel, and which is formed separately from the new control panel; and connecting an old device including at least any one of an old hall device and an old car device, which has been placed in a communicable state with the old control panel of the existing elevator, into a communicable state with the new control panel via the communication converter, wherein the new control panel is configured to be communicable with the old device through an old communication system converted via the communication converter included in the auxiliary panel, the communication converter being configured to mutually convert a communication system between a new communication system and the old communication system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Seiji Okuda
  • Patent number: 11623843
    Abstract: An elevator inspection operation apparatus for performing an inspection operation for a car in a pit of an elevator includes: an operation mode selector switch configured to switch an operation mode between a normal operation and the inspection operation; a return switch, which is provided outside the pit of the elevator, and is to be manipulated when the operation mode is to be switched from the inspection operation to the normal operation; and a latching relay configured to be latched to an inspection operation side when the operation mode has been switched from the normal operation to the inspection operation by the operation mode selector switch, and to maintain a latched state until the return switch is manipulated when the operation mode has been switched from the inspection operation to the normal operation by the operation mode selector switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shingo Kondo, Takehiko Kubota
  • Patent number: 11615774
    Abstract: A generation system (100) of synthesized sound comprises: a first stage (1), wherein features (F) are extracted from an input raw sound and parameters of said features are evaluated; a second stage (2) wherein the evaluated parameters are used to create a plurality of physical models that are metrically evaluated in order to find the parameters of the best physical model, and a third stage (3) wherein the parameters of the best physical model are perturbed in order to create perturbed physical models and a metric evaluated of the perturbed physical models is performed to find the parameters of the best physical model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Inventors: Stefano Squartini, Stefano Tomassetti, Leonardo Gabrielli
  • Patent number: 11608250
    Abstract: A method and a device for monitoring an elevator car door acquire one or more distances based on light emitted toward the car door by a distance measuring device and reflected at the car door as a function of a current closed state of the car door. Information about the current closed state of the car door is derived solely by comparing the acquired distance with a previously acquired reference distance, and a signal which represents the information can be fed to a remotely arranged control center. The monitoring device can be installed as a retrofit component that is capable of working autonomously in existing elevator systems, does not need to receive any data from a controller of the car door or the elevator system and only requires a relatively simple data processing device that only needs to carry out a comparison of detected distance values with reference values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Reto Tschuppert, Martin Kusserow
  • Patent number: 11608246
    Abstract: A conveyance system includes a transmitter configured to generate a signal; a receiver configured to receive the signal; the transmitter and receiver located so that the signal passes through a passenger area of the conveyance system; a controller configured to receive a signal strength of the signal received at the receiver; the controller configured to determine a loading factor in the passenger area in response to the signal received at the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Enrico Manes
  • Patent number: 11597628
    Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling elevator systems are provided. The methods include receiving inputs from at least one interactive input device, wherein the inputs include elevator call requests, tracking one or more people located within a monitored area using at least one sensor, assigning elevator assignments to the one or more people based on at least one of the inputs from the at least one interactive input device and a grouping algorithm based on the tracking of the one or more people, and scheduling operation of at least one elevator car based on the elevator assignments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Zhen Jia, Hui Fang, Arthur Hsu, Alan Matthew Finn, Luca F. Bertuccelli