Abstract: An elevator system has a plurality of elevator cars traveling upwardly in one hoistway and downwardly in an adjacent hoistway, the cars being propelled in a series of overlapping segments, each segment including a pair of couplers roped to counterweights and driven by elevator traction machines. A variant uses a closed loop rope with a pair of couplers to transfer elevator cars from a counterweighted coupler of one segment to a counterweighted coupler of an adjacent segment. An upper passenger landing moves cars on overhead trolleys and a lower passenger landing moves cars on dollies to take them from a hoistway through unloading and loading stations and back to another hoistway. The elevator car roller guides are releasable to permit lateral movement of cars to and from landings. A latched spring buffer and/or a LEM decelerate and accelerate unbalanced counterweights.

Abstract: Each of a pair of vertically and horizontally adjacent hoistways has an elevator car coupler roped through a traction machine to a counterweight so as to be able to raise and lower the elevator car within the related hoistway. A transition section joins the upper end of the lower hoistway with the lower end of the upper hoistway. A pair of guide rails are disposed on each side of the elevator system, including the upper hoistway, the transition section and the lower hoistway. Elevator cars are guided from the top of the upper hoistway to the bottom of the lower hoistway and/or vice versa by one of the pairs of rails. Power in the transition section is provided by a pair of LEMs, one on each side of the hoistways.

Abstract: A flag signaling system for conveying information. Colored flags are slidably attached to a cassette. The flags can be extended to positions away from the cassette as a means of communicating information. Symbols can also be printed on the flags, thereby expanding the information carried by the flags. The flags can be produced in a variety of colors and are easily replaceable if the user so desires. Although there are standard primary and designer colors for the slides, there are over 400 designer colors to select on a custom basis. Different flag units will be manufactured by a variety of conventional and modern techniques, such as laser cutting and injection molding.