COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHODS
Computerized apparatus useful for obtaining and presenting information to users. In one embodiment, the computerized apparatus includes a display device and speech recognition apparatus configured to receive user speech input and enable performance of various tasks, such as obtaining desired information relating to an entity, maps or directions, weather, news, or any number of other topics. In one variant, a plurality of data is received by the computerized apparatus from a remote server via a network interface; the received data can then be searched or otherwise utilized to provide the user with the desired information.
This application is a divisional of and claims priority to co-owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/733,098 filed Jan. 2, 2013 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, which is a continuation of and claims priority to Ser. No. 13/369,850 filed Feb. 9, 2012 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,447,612; which is a continuation of and claims priority to co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/711,692 filed Feb. 24, 2010 and entitled “ADAPTIVE INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS AND METHODS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,117,037; which is a continuation of and claims priority to co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/506,975 filed Aug. 17, 2006 and entitled “SMART ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,711,565; which is a divisional of and claims priority to co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/935,957 filed Sep. 7, 2004 and entitled “SMART ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,693; which is a divisional of co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/651,451 filed Aug. 29, 2003 and entitled “SMART ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,071; which is a continuation of co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/330,101 filed Jun. 10, 1999 and entitled “SMART ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,175, each of the foregoing incorporated into the present application by reference in its entirety.
This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/703,666 filed Feb. 10, 2010 entitled “Adaptive Advertising Apparatus and Methods”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,065,155; Ser. No. 12/704,431 filed Feb. 11, 2010 entitled “Adaptive Advertising Apparatus and Methods”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,078,473; Ser. No. 12/711,692 filed on Feb. 24, 2010 entitled “ADAPTIVE INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS AND METHODS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,065,156; Ser. No. 13/364,194 filed Feb. 1, 2012 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,285,553; Ser. No. 13/362,902 filed Jan. 31, 2012 and entitled “ADAPTIVE INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,370,158; Ser. No. 13/357,487 filed Jan. 24, 2012 and entitled “ELECTRONIC INFORMATION ACCESS SYSTEM AND METHODS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,301,456; Ser. No. 13/404,606 entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,290,781; Ser. No. 13/404,980 entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,296,146; Ser. No. 13/404,853 entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,290,778; and Ser. No. 13/405,046 entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION PRESENTATION METHODS” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,296,153, each filed on Feb. 24, 2012; Ser. No. 13/406,408 entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION SELECTION AND DOWNLOAD APPARATUS AND METHODS” filed on Feb. 27, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,311,834; and Ser. No. 13/410,080 entitled “NETWORK APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR USER INFORMATION DELIVERY” filed Mar. 1, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,285,551, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This application is also related to co-owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/728,512 filed Dec. 27, 2012 and entitled “SMART INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”; Ser. No. 13/728,715 filed Dec. 27, 2012 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,682,673; Ser. No. 13/737,833 filed Jan. 9, 2013 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,706,504; Ser. No. 13/737,853 filed Jan. 9, 2013 and entitled “TRANSPORT APPARATUS WITH COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,719,037; Ser. No. 13/746,266 filed Jan. 21, 2013 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,781,839; Ser. No. 13/750,583 filed Jan. 25, 2013 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,712,777; Ser. No. 13/752,222 filed Jan. 28, 2013 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,719,038; Ser. No. 13/753,407 filed Jan. 29, 2013 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHODS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,676,587; Ser. No. 13/755,682 filed Jan. 31, 2013 and entitled “INTELLIGENT ADVERTISING METHODS”; and Ser. No. 13/758,898 filed Feb. 4, 2013 and entitled “INTELLIGENT ADVERTISING APPARATUS”, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This application is also related to co-owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/488,239 filed on Sep. 16, 2014 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/488,235 also filed on Sep. 16, 2014 and entitled “TRANSPORT APPARATUS WITH COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/491,880 filed on Sep. 19, 2014 entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION PRESENTATION APPARATUS”; Ser. No. 14/493,198 filed on Sep. 22, 2014 entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION APPARATUS”, Ser. No. 14/493,209 filed on Sep. 22, 2014 entitled “PERSONNEL TRANSPORT DEVICE WITH COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”, and Ser. No. 14/496,879 filed on Sep. 25, 2014 and entitled “COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AND DISPLAY APPARATUS”; each also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of personnel transport apparatus, and specifically to elevators and similar devices for transporting people from one location to another which incorporate various information technologies.
2. Description of Related Technology
Elevators and similar personnel transport devices (such as moving walkways or shuttles) are important aspects of modern urban life. Commonly used in office buildings, airports, shopping malls, and other large structures, these devices transport large numbers of people and equipment between two locations on a routine basis. Elevators in particular are widely used throughout the world.
Depending on loading, a person may spend up to several minutes on an elevator during travel between floors. Significant amounts of time may also be spent waiting for the elevator to arrive when called. This time is usually “dead” from the standpoint that very little can be accomplished or very few tasks undertaken during these few minutes. However, often times an individual may require information which will be of use after leaving the elevator. For example, the person may wish to obtain travel information such as directions to the nearest airport or public transportation node, or the location of a nearby restaurant. Weather-related information or traffic reports may also be useful. A plethora of different types of information, including financial data, breaking news headlines, sports scores and the like may also be of interest to one waiting for or riding on an elevator or other transport device.
An associated problem relates to determining the location of a person, firm, or store within a building when unfamiliar. Building directories are often posted in the lobby of the building, yet these require the user to manually or visually locate the name of the person, firm, or store which they are looking for, and remember the location information associated therewith. Additionally, such directories often do not provide precise location information, but rather merely a floor number and/or suite number. The user often times does not have a graphical representation of the desired location in relation to the elevators, thereby resulting in additional wasted time in finding the location once off of the elevator. Even if a graphical display is provided, it often requires the user to spatially orient themselves to determine relative location.
Security is also a concern when riding elevators late at night or to remote locations. Many elevator systems are used partly or entirely within parking garages, which often may be sparsely populated at off hours. People are all too frequently assaulted or robbed when departing from elevators under such conditions. Unfortunately, existing elevator systems do not have the facility to provide the occupant(s) with the ability to selectively observe the area immediately surrounding the elevator doors on one or more destination floors, or otherwise take precautions to enhance their security.
Another problem associated with existing elevator systems relates to their loading capacity. Often, especially at peak use hours such as during the noon hour, the call buttons for several different floors within a building will be activated, and elevator cars which are at or near their loading capacity will respond. With no additional room available in the elevator, the person depressing the call button on a given floor is left to wait for the elevator doors to close, depress the call button again, and wait for another (hopefully partially vacant) car to arrive. This process not only delays the person waiting for the car, but also those on the elevator car(s), and those waiting on other floors.
In addition to the foregoing, many elevators must have a means of restricting access to certain floors during certain time periods while not interfering with other operations. These elevators generally also include means by which certain users may gain access to the restricted floors, such as a magnetic striped card which is inserted into a card reader on the elevator. However, such card readers are prone to wear and having to re-swipe the card several times in order to obtain access. Furthermore, as the card wears due to repeated swiping or bending (such as when left in the pocket of the individual carrying the card), the card will be more prone to failure and will eventually require replacement. Also, such cards are prone to unauthorized use. Someone stealing or finding the lost card can simply insert it into the card reader of the elevator and gain access to the restricted floor(s). It is also noted that since access is restricted to certain floors typically during late-night or weekend hours, HVAC and lighting systems are typically turned off or dormant in order to conserve energy. Hence, when the user arrives at one of these restricted access floors, several minutes are typically spent turning on the HVAC, lights, and any other number of electrical devices. Some systems require the user to insert their magnetic strip card in a separate reader, such as in the control room for the HVAC (which is typically located on a different floor), in order to initiate equipment operation. This is obviously time consuming and cumbersome.
Lastly, there is often an element of discomfort associated with riding an elevator car, especially when several individuals are present in the car. Due in part to minimal space within the car and nothing to occupy the occupants attention visually, there is a natural tendency for one to stare up, down, or forward at the door of the elevator, or at the visual floor indicators so as to avoid prolonged eye contact with the other occupants.
Heretofore, many of the technologies necessary to address the aforementioned issues have not been available or, alternatively, have been cost or space prohibitive to implement. However, recent advances in data networking, thin or flat panel display technology, personal electronics, and speech recognition and compression algorithms and processing have enhanced the viability of such features from both technological and commercial perspectives.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an improved elevator system and method of operation which will reduce the time spent waiting for and travelling on the elevator car, reduce the frustration associated with repeated stops at different floors, and allow the occupants of the elevator (as well as those waiting for the car) to use their time more efficiently and obtain needed information. Additionally, such an elevator system would enhance the security of the occupants upon egress, and allow for automatic recognition of an individual in order to provide access to certain restricted locations and initiation of certain functions such as lighting and HVAC.
2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention satisfies the aforementioned needs by providing an improved elevator information and control system and method of operating the same.
In one aspect, a method of enabling a user to locate an entity is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes: receiving, at a computerized information apparatus, a plurality of data from a server, the plurality of data relating to a plurality of entities and received via at least a network interface of the computerized information apparatus; storing the plurality of data on a storage device of the computerized information apparatus; receiving a user's speech input via a microphone of the computerized apparatus, the user's speech input comprising at least part of a name of the entity; digitizing the speech input; utilizing at least one speech recognition algorithm to evaluate the digitized speech input so as to at least identify the at least part of the name therein; using the identified at least part of the name to identify at least one matching entity, the identification of the at least one matching entity comprising accessing at least a portion of the received and stored plurality of data; and displaying a visual representation of a location associated with the at least one matching entity on a display device of the computerized apparatus, the visual representation also including a visual representation of at least a portion of immediate surroundings of the location.
In another aspect, a computerized apparatus configured to enable a user to locate an entity is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes: a wireless network interface; a display device; a microphone; speech digitization apparatus in signal communication with the microphone; processor apparatus in data communication with at least the wireless network interface; a data storage device in data communication with the processor apparatus; power supply apparatus; and computerized logic in data communication with the processor apparatus.
In one variant, the computerized logic is configured to: receive data from a remote server via at least the wireless network interface, the received data comprising data relating to a plurality of entities; store the received data on the storage device of the computerized apparatus; receive a user's speech input via the microphone; digitize the received speech input using at least the speech digitization apparatus; utilize at least one speech recognition algorithm to evaluate the digitized speech input so as to identify at least one word therein; use the identified at least one word to identify at least one matching entity, the identification of the at least one matching entity comprising access of at least a portion of the received stored data; and display a visual representation of a location associated with the at least one matching entity, including at least some surroundings thereof, on the display device.
In another embodiment, the apparatus includes: a wireless interface; a display device; a microphone; speech digitization apparatus in signal communication with the microphone; processor apparatus in data communication with the speech digitization apparatus and the wireless interface; a data storage device in data communication with the processor apparatus; and at least one computer program.
In one variant, the at least one computer program is configured to, when executed: download data from a server to the computerized apparatus, the data relating to and limited to a particular geographic area only, the particular geographic area including the user's current location; store the data on the storage device of the computerized apparatus; receive a user's speech input via the microphone; digitize the speech input using at least the speech digitization apparatus; cause utilization of at least one speech recognition apparatus in data communication with the speech digitation apparatus to evaluate the digitized speech input so as to identify at least one word therein; use the identified at least one word to identify a plurality of matching entities, the identification of the plurality of matching entities comprising access of at least a portion of the downloaded and stored data; advise the user of the plurality of matching entities;
thereafter, receive an input from the user, the input causing or enabling identification of one of the plurality of entities as the entity which the user desires to locate; and display a graphical representation of a location associated with the one entity, including surroundings thereof, on the display device.
In another aspect, a method of enabling a user to locate an entity utilizing a computerized apparatus is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes: receiving data relating to a given geographic area from a server in data communication with a network, the computerized apparatus also being in data communication with the network; storing the received data locally on the computerized apparatus; subsequently retrieving at least a portion of the stored received data; and without further access to the server, utilizing the retrieved data to cause display on the display device of a visual representation of a location associated with a business entity to which the user wishes to navigate, the visual representation comprising a visual representation of the location and at least the immediate surroundings thereof.
Reference is now made to the drawings listed above, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
It is noted that while the system and methods of the invention disclosed herein are described primarily with respect to an elevator car, certain aspects of the invention may be useful in other applications, including, without limitation, other types of personnel transport devices such as trains or shuttles or moving walkways, or stationary devices such as kiosks within the lobby or elevator waiting areas of a building. As used herein, the term “building” is meant to encompass any structure, whether above ground or underground, permanent or temporary, used for any function.
General DescriptionReferring now to
As shown in
In the present embodiment, CELP-based voice data compression is also utilized for transmission and storage of voice data. CELP algorithms in general are useful for converting analog speech to a compressed digital format which is more rapidly and easily manipulated and stored within a digital system using less bandwidth and memory. CELP algorithms and low bit rate vocoder technology are well known in the signal processing art, and accordingly will not be described further herein. Note that as used herein, the term CELP is meant to include any and all variants of the CELP family such as, but not limited to, ACELP, VCELP, and QCELP. It is also noted that while CELP is used as the basis of compression within the system 100, other types of compression algorithms and techniques, whether based on companding or otherwise, may be used. For example, PCM (pulse code modulation) or ADPCM (adaptive delta PCM) may be employed, as may other forms of linear predictive coding (LPC).
As illustrated in
The DSP 125 of the present embodiment is a Texas Instruments TMS320C6x VLIW digital signal processor or equivalent, although it will be recognized that other types of processors may be used. The ‘C6x DSP is chosen for its speed and capability, thereby allowing for real-time speech recognition. The central processor 106 and associated motherboard architecture (e.g., northbridge, southbridge, etc.) is optimally an Intel Pentium II®-based design, although others, such as the AMD K600-series processors, may be used in place of the Pentium II®. The aforementioned USB is also advantageously used with the Pentium architecture.
The information and control system keypads 116 and displays 113 (
The touch-screen display 113 generates a variety of different messages or display formats based on the user's input and query. These messages and formats are stored as digital data on the storage device 108 (and temporarily in video RAM 107) which is accessed by the processor 106. The display devices 113 of the present embodiment are low profile capacitive LCD touch screen devices of the type well known in the art, although other types of displays, including “flat” cathode ray tubes, plasma, or TFT displays may be used. Such displays optimally limit the amount of space required external to the interior volume of the elevator car to accommodate the system 100 of the present invention. Furthermore, it is noted that a non-touch sensitive display (not shown) may be used with the aforementioned input device 102 if desired, the latter acting as the sole input device (other than the speech recognition module 104 and associated microphone 118).
In the embodiment of
As shown in
In an alternative embodiment, data may be transferred between the elevator cars 180 and the remote server 170 via a wireless interface 310 (
It will be appreciated that many different arrangements for the disposition of various components within the system, including, inter alia, the processor/motherboard, storage devices, server, and memory (and the transfer of data and signals there between) are possible, all of which are encompassed within the scope of the present invention.
Building Directory Sub-SystemThe operation of the building directory sub-system is now described in greater detail with reference to the logic diagram of
Upon entering the elevator, the user initiates the “Building Directory” function of the system by pressing a function key 122 on the keypad 116 or touch display 113. The keypad 116 and/or key 122 may be labeled with an appropriate label such as “Building Directory” or the like. Upon depressing the function key 122, a signal is generated which prompts the system to respond with an audible and/or visual query to the user, depending on how the system is pre-configured. For an audible query, the sub-system of the present embodiment retrieves a pre-stored CELP (or other compressed format) data file from one of the storage devices 108, 110 and converts that file to an analog audio representation of voice via the speech synthesis module 112 and processor 106. Speech synthesis technology is well known in the signal processing arts, and accordingly will not be discussed further herein. The audio signal from the synthesis module 112 is applied to the amplifier and audio speaker 111 to generate a voice prompt, such as “Name?”. Alternatively, or simultaneously if desired, the system 100 retrieves a separate data file from the storage device 108, 110 which represents the current building directory. The building directory data file contains a plurality of entries relating to tenants in the building where the system 100 is located. Each entry is parsed into data fields which contain, inter alia, the firm or entity name, its location (such as floor and suite number), and a list of the first and last names of all persons employed there. The processor 106 (and associated graphics co-processor 109 with video RAM 107) initiate the display of all retrieved data entries in the directory file on the display device 113 in a convenient format, such as an alphabetical list from which the user can select their desired option. The user may then speak the specific name of the party they wish to find, or select the name using the touch display 113 or other input device (such as a track ball; not shown). When the user speaks the name of the party desired, the speech recognition module 104 takes the analog signal from the microphone 118 and converts it to a digital format by way of the DSP 125 and compression algorithm, as previously described. The directory file is retrieved (if not already done), and the digitized and coded speech compared to the contents of the directory file to find any matches. Any matching fields within the entries of the data file are provided to the user, either audibly via the speech synthesis module 112 and speaker 111 using prompts, or visually via the display 113. In the present embodiment, audible prompts for a single matching entry are of the form: “[Name], [Company], located at Suite X on Floor Y”. For multiple matching entries, the audible prompts are produced in a sequential, predetermined order (such as the numerical sequence number of the entries within the directory file). For example, the first matching entry (alphabetically) would be synthesized in the foregoing form, followed by the second entry, etc. Upon hearing the desired match in this voice activated embodiment, the user simply states “Stop”, to choose the entry desired. At this point, a separate audio prompt is generated (such as “Select (floor number) Floor?”) which prompts the user to either select the floor number associated with the matched directory item and terminate their session (such as by stating “yes”), or continue on with the next entry (such as by stating “no”) until all entries are exhausted. The directory sub-system is programmed to store in memory 110 and “remember” previous files retrieved within a given user's session so as to not repeat the same selections during that same session. For example, if there are five “Smith” entries in the directory file, and the user enters the query “Smith”, the sub-system will select a different “Smith” entry on each subsequent user query during the same session until the correct Smith is located or all matching entries have been exhausted. In the present embodiment, a session is defined as the time period between two successive selections of the “Building Directory” function key 122, or the expiration of a predetermined period of time without a user input after selection of that function. The sub-system is also optionally programmed to allow the user to append defining information to the initial query statement to form a Boolean search statement. For example, if the first “Smith” selected by the sub-system is not the desired one, the user may then append the query by saying “ABC Corporation” or “John” in response to the next “Select (floor number) Floor?” query by the sub-system. The sub-system will then recognize the new entry, and search all fields in all “Smith” entries to locate those listings having both the name “Smith” and “ABC Corporation” (or “John”), using Boolean “AND” logic. The user will then be prompted again to “Select (floor number) Floor?”. If no matching entries are found, the sub-system will either notify the user to this effect, such as using an audio message such as “No matches found”, or will display or announce the nearest approximation of the query based on a confidence rating. The confidence rating is calculated, for example, by the processor 106 running an algorithm; such confidence rating calculation algorithms are well understood, and indicate the quality of the match using a numeric value or index.
As used herein, the term “match” includes any predetermined criteria for correlating one piece of data to another. For example, the building directory sub-system may be programmed to consider two pieces of data a “match” when all bits with the exception of the least significant bit (LSB) are identical. Many such criteria are possible, and all are considered to be within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. Furthermore, partial matches, such as when the user enters one word which is matched within several different entries of the directory file, may be used as the basis for an appended search, as described below.
The directory file described above also optionally has a location graphic data file appended or linked thereto, which is retrieved from the storage device 108, 110 or the server 170. The location graphic file is displayed on the display device 113 as a floor map graphic 502 illustrating the location of the selected person or firm 504 on that floor in relation to the elevator cars 180, as illustrated in
The directory system 200 of the present embodiment also optionally includes directory files for nearby office buildings or establishments, thereby alerting the user through visual or audible prompt that they are in the wrong location once a match is confirmed by the user.
The user's session is terminated, or a new query initiated, when the “Building Directory” function key 122 is again depressed, after a predetermined time period without a user input, or upon the occurrence of some other event as desired.
Network InterfaceThe information system 100 described above may also include other functional aspects. As illustrated in
The information and control system 100 may also be programmed to provide information via the display unit(s) 113 on a rotating basis without the need for user intervention. For example, a given display unit 113 may be programmed to display a summary of local weather for the next five days (such as that shown in
Referring again to
Referring now to
As shown in
Referring now to
The composite signal 812 from the integrator 813 is correlated using the processor 814 to a known weight using a proportionality or scaling constant stored in memory 815, and ultimately to a first estimate of the number of occupants within the car by way of another scaling constant also stored in memory 815. For example, if a total pressure reading equating to 1500 lbs. (after null calibration) was obtained from the summing amplifier 810, it could be correlated to an occupancy of ten persons, assuming that the average person weighs 150 lbs. and that their distribution within the car was uniform.
However, such “average” cases of weight and distribution thereof within the car 180 do not always occur, since often times people riding in the car may have significant disparities in size and weight, or may be transporting heavy objects. Furthermore, weights which are not an integer multiple of the scaling constant present the system with an ambiguity that must be resolved; i.e., how to round fractional amounts of a person. Accordingly, to address these situations, the first embodiment of the sub-system 800 of the present invention compares the foregoing first occupancy estimate to the number of different sensors 806 supplying a non-zero signal to the summing amplifier 810 as measured by a counter circuit 811. The number of sensors 806 supplying a non-zero signal is used as a lower limit on the occupancy estimate. Additionally, the number and disposition of sensors 806 within the car 180 are chosen to provide the sub-system 800 with information regarding the distribution of weight therein. For example, the elevator car 180 of the present embodiment is equipped with sixteen sensors positioned in a 4×4 array of four rows and four columns, each sensor 806 being centered within its fractional ( 1/16th) area of the flooring, as shown in
Hence based on the foregoing, the sub-system 800 would need to resolve the ambiguity between (i) the first estimate calculated based purely on weight and a predetermined scalar quantity; (ii) the maximum theoretical number of occupants based on weight sensor data; and (iii) the minimum theoretical number of occupants based on weight sensor data. To resolve this ambiguity, the sub-system 800 of the present embodiment imposes the restriction that any entity atop a sensor producing a signal proportional to less than an arbitrary lower threshold (say, 50 lbs. in the present example) which is adjacent to another sensor producing a non-zero signal is part of the same entity atop that adjacent sensor. In the foregoing example, sensor “11” registers only 40 lbs. of weight, and is adjacent to both sensors “10” and “14”, which have non-zero output. Hence, the signal output from sensor “11” is assumed to be part of the same entity which is atop sensors “10” or “14”. Since no other sensors in the foregoing example registered less than the assumed threshold of 50 lbs., all other sensors are presumed to have a distinct entity atop them. Hence, the corrected maximum number of entities calculated by the system (Omaxc) is reduced from 6 to 5. Note that once a sensor having a weight value less than the threshold is “paired” with another adjacent sensor, that adjacent sensor can not be paired with any others, thereby preventing double-counting. This restriction also addresses the instance where the measured weight on a given sensor of interest is above the lower threshold value, yet is due to two entities each located on adjacent sensors as well as the sensor of interest.
To further assist in resolving occupancy estimate ambiguity, the foregoing information is also correlated with the number of different floors selected within the elevator on the selection panel 820. Specifically, the number of different floors selected on the elevator car selection panel are used as a second lower limit or occupancy minimum, Ominp. Using the preceding example, if the sub-system 800 detects that five different floors were selected, the system would recognize the presence of five persons, one corresponding to each different floor selected. It is assumed that the instance wherein one person selects multiple floors (such as through inadvertent or mistaken floor selection) would occur infrequently, and would also not be of any significance since the number of people actually on the elevator in such instances would always be less than the estimate derived by the system, thereby affording more space within the car than estimated. In the converse situation, for example when the first occupancy estimate or maximum estimate indicate the presence of several different persons, yet the number of different floors selected is fewer, the system does not set the fewer number of floors equal to the number of occupants, since the additional weight is likely represented by additional passengers getting off at the same floor(s), or few passengers having cargo or other weighty objects with them in the elevator.
Lastly, the sub-system 800 utilizes (i) the first occupancy estimate OE, (ii) the corrected occupancy upper limit Omaxc determined by the number of sensors 806 with non-zero output that exceed the predetermined threshold value, (iii) first occupancy minimum Omins as determined by the number of adjacent sensor pairs, and (iv) second occupancy minimum Ominp as determined by the number of floors selected within the car 180, to produce a final occupancy estimate. Specifically, this final occupancy estimate Of is the greater of the first occupancy estimate, corrected occupancy upper limit, the first occupancy minimum, and the second occupancy minimum. In the foregoing example, these quantities are 4.33 persons, 5 persons, 3 persons, and 5 persons; hence, Of equals 5 persons. Note that the highest value is chosen for conservatism; this all but eliminates instances of the elevator car stopping at a floor with an active call signal when no additional room exists, yet does not so under-utilize the car's capacity so as to be grossly inefficient.
As a second example of the operation of the capacity sensing sub-system 800, consider if 16 children each having a weight of 75±20 lbs. (and an average weight of 75 lbs.) were present in the previously described elevator car. The total combined weight would equal 1200 lbs., and therefore OE would equal 1200/150 or 8. If OE alone were used in this instance, it would severely overestimate the remaining capacity of the elevator car. Next, assume each child to take up the space associated with one sensor, whether individually or in combination; hence, Omaxu would equal 16, and Omins would equal 8. Since no sensors 806 would register less than the assumed threshold value of 50 lbs. (i.e., each sensor would be associated with one whole child or one-half of two children), Omaxc would equal Omaxu. If 2 different floors were selected by the 16 children, then Ominp would equal 2. Hence, in this example, Of would equal Omaxu or 16 persons, which matches the actual occupancy exactly.
Note that due to the reduced size of children as compared to the average adult, it may be possible to have somewhat more children than adults within a given floor space of the elevator car; however, this effect is considered minimal since a child is generally much shorter than the average adult, and hence grows disproportionately in height as opposed to width (the latter relating to floor space required to accommodate them). Stated differently, there is a minimum of floor space that any free-standing human requires; this value can be estimated and built into the sensor array design of the present invention.
When the capacity of the elevator car 180 is reached, either by total sensed weight or by the maximum number of occupants allowed (a predetermined value) as estimated by the sub-system 800, any subsequent call signals received by the elevator control circuit 830 are routed to another available car based on inputs received from a micro-controller 817. In this fashion, the fully loaded car bypasses those floors with people desiring to get on the elevator, unless those floors are selected by one or more of the occupants of the car 180.
Similarly, as each successive floor selected by occupants of the elevator car 180 is reached (as based on an door open sensor 850 within the elevator control logic, or other indicia), the sub-system 800 recalculates the first occupancy estimate OE, the corrected occupancy upper limit Omaxc, the first occupancy minimum Omins, and the second occupancy minimum Ominp and produces a new final occupancy estimate Of based thereon. Hence, occupancy estimation according to this embodiment is an ongoing and dynamic process.
Monitoring and Security Sub-SystemReferring now to
The features described above can also be “locked out” during certain periods of the day (such as during busy morning or afternoon hours) when many people ride the elevators and the viewing, override, security, and lighting functions are generally not needed. For example, programming of the processors 106 within each elevator car in an office building could institute the monitoring/override function from the hours of 6 pm until 8 am and during weekends. Such programming can be reconfigured using the remote system server 170 and associated input device 171, as shown in
In an alternate embodiment (
Referring again to
In addition to the aforementioned “early warning” features, the present invention also optionally includes the capability by which the user can select the specific location on the floor of interest to which they will be traveling from inside the elevator car, thereby enabling additional lighting, video surveillance, or other features. In one embodiment, shown in
The operation of the foregoing functions is best illustrated by the example of a parking garage in the basement of an office building, in which a user has parked during late night hours. Such garages typically are located on the ground level or basement of the building and are open to pedestrian access, thereby making them more accessible to criminals. During late night or weekend hours, these garages are also often deserted. When the user enters the elevator car 180 on a higher floor within the building, they first select the floor number to which they desire to travel, in this case the garage (“G”) level. The user may then depress the “Video” function key 1110 followed by the “G” key on the keypad 116 (or touch screen 113) to monitor the video camera output at the door of the elevator 1106 on the garage level, as well as any motion or IR sensors 1140, 1150 located thereabouts. Assuming no indications of danger are present, the user then depresses the “Safety” function key 1111, which displays a map or plan view 1402 of the floor selected in relation to the elevator doors 1106. The user then touches the map 1402 in the general area where their car is parked, which activates the lighting in the zones between the elevator doors and the selected location if not already activated, and initiates a direct video feed to the building security office 1125 (or other desired location) from the video cameras 1102, 1310 covering those zones. These functions may be put on a timer or controlled by another input (such as the timeout of a motion sensor 1140 in the area) such that the monitoring functions are ceased at an appropriate time or upon the occurrence of a desired event. The system may also be programmed to handle multiple zones on the same floor (such as when multiple passengers on the elevator car 180 are parked on the same level), or multiple zones on different floors.
Identification and Access Sub-SystemReferring now to
In the embodiment of
In the event that multiple RFID tags 1502 are present on the car 180, yet multiple occupants carrying such tags wish to go to a single location (such as if one person with authorization for access to floor “A” is accompanying persons with authorization for other floors only), the other tag holders need only not authenticate the non-desired floors, at which point the system will refuse access to those floors, and not generate a call signal via the micro-controller 1513. Hence, people may only egress the elevator on the authenticated floor(s), or the lobby.
Additionally, the access sub-system 1500 can optionally notify security (and/or the destination floor) of the user's destination and identity, and maintain a record of access. Such notification may be useful for monitoring the location of individuals within the building, and/or advance warning of the arrival of a particular person. Furthermore, such security records can be used to archive the history of access to particular areas during certain periods of time. The records may be maintained on a remote central server 170, or locally within the access system 1500 itself.
The user may also optionally perform other functions such as lighting and environmental control from the elevator car 180 using the access sub-system 1500. Specifically, in one embodiment, the authenticated user is provided a display 1700 with several predetermined function keys 1702, 1704 disposed thereon, as shown in
Lastly, the user may also use their RFID tag 1502 to permit the information and control system 100 of the present invention to pre-configure the PED download function described above upon receipt of an authenticated RFID signal. Specifically, the access sub-system 1500 “remembers” each individual user's selected download configuration by storing a data file at an address on the storage device 108, 110 or server 170 referenced within the aforementioned security access database 1510. As described above, each time the tag 1502 authenticates the reader 1504 and the tag emits it's RFID signal (which is subsequently decrypted by the reader 1504), the access control sub-system 1500 attempts to match the user's ID to one located within the access database 1510. Upon a successful match, the access sub-system 1500 also retrieves the download configuration file from the address referenced in the database 1510 associated with that user ID, and stores it in local memory or storage 110, 108. Upon user authentication with the appropriate password via the input device 102, the information and control system 100 transfers the download configuration file from memory 110, 108, whereby the user may receive the pre-configured download simply by inserting their PED 704 into the data terminal 702 associated with the authenticating input device 102. Note that when multiple users with distinct RFID tags 1502 are present in the elevator car, the sub-system 1500 only transfers the download configuration file to the control system 100 for those users completing password authentication, and then only to the data download terminal 702 associated with the authenticating input device 102. Hence, multiple people within the elevator car 180 may authenticate and download data simultaneously, if desired (assuming that the elevator car is equipped with multiple data download terminal/input device pairs).
Adaptive Advertising Sub-SystemReferring now to
In prompt mode, the speech of one or more passengers on the elevator car 180 is sampled and analyzed in real time to determine the general topic of conversation between the passengers.
The system is further configured such that if multiple image data files are requested by the processor 106, such as may occur when two different sets of people within the elevator car 180 are discussing two unrelated topics, each different image data file is allocated to a different available display 113 within the elevator car. For audio, only one data file is converted and played at any given time to avoid confusion. Furthermore, the sampling rate of the system may be set at a low frequency, such as once every 60 seconds, or only when the given elevator car 180 is in operation, so that a given image is maintained for an appropriate period of time on the displays 113.
In the event that a word is recognized by the advertising sub-system which includes two or more sub-file address references (such as for the word “trademark”, which may have connotations relating to both intellectual property law and business), the sub-system allocates each of the ambiguous references to a separate display (up to the existing number of unused displays 113 at that time), and then attempts to resolve the ambiguity by waiting for the next word which is matched within one of the sub-files 1842 (
In an alternate embodiment of the prompt mode (
As an example of the alternative embodiment of
In the case of multiple tenants residing on one floor, the sub-system 1800 can be programmed to display images pertinent to each tenant on the floor based on a selection routine. In one embodiment, if multiple unrelated tenants occupy a given floor, and that floor is selected by a person entering the elevator at the lobby, the sub-system 1800 will pick image data relating to the different tenants on a rotating basis such that each subsequent time that same floor is selected, an image appropriate to a different tenant will be retrieved and displayed. Alternatively, the selection may be made random, or even be coupled to the speech recognition module 104 to weight one choice over the other(s). Many other arrangements are possible, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the invention disclosed herein.
Referring now to
It is noted that the aforementioned speech-related adaptive advertising modes (
Alternatively, the aforementioned network interface 300 of
As an example of anecdotal adaptation, consider the case where the user selects the ‘Weather” function key on the keypad 116 (or touch screen 113). The sub-system 1800 retrieves and displays the desired weather information on the display device, while also retrieving and displaying advertising graphics relating to weather (such as for a local television station's weather reports) on an advertising placard or banner on the same or another display. If the user then selects another function key 114, the sub-system 1800 retrieves another advertising graphic file relating to the newly chosen function.
In a statistical adaptation, the choice of function keys 114 by each successive user adds to a data file which is generated by a statistical algorithm miming on the processor 106. The algorithm calculates and stores a running total of the number of times each function key 114 (or each functional category) is selected over a predetermined period. Advertising graphics are displayed on the display unit(s) 113 in proportion to this statistic. For example, if the “Weather” function key were actuated five times as often as the “Stock Quotes” key over a given interval, the sub-system 1800 could be programmed to retrieve and display weather-related advertising on average five times as often as financial advertising
Note that the foregoing anecdotal and statistical adaptation embodiments may also be used together. For example, the sub-system 1800 could be programmed to display advertising on a statistical basis during periods of non-use, while displaying advertising anecdotally during use. Many other variants are also possible.
It is noted that while various aspects of the invention disclosed herein are described in terms of specific embodiments (and logic diagrams) of methods and processes, other embodiments of these methods and processes are possible consistent with the invention. For example, certain steps in the disclosed methods may be deleted, and/or additional steps added. Furthermore, the order of performance of steps may in many cases be permuted, or multiple steps disclosed as being performed in series may be performed in parallel, and vice versa. The embodiments disclosed herein are therefore considered merely illustrative of the broader methods claimed herein.
While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Claims
1-40. (canceled)
41. A method of enabling a user to locate an entity, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a computerized information apparatus, a plurality of data from a server, the plurality of data relating at least to a plurality of entities and received via at least a network interface of the computerized information apparatus;
- storing the plurality of data on a storage device of the computerized information apparatus;
- receiving a user's speech input via a microphone of the computerized apparatus, the user's speech input comprising at least part of a name of the entity;
- digitizing the speech input;
- utilizing at least one speech recognition algorithm to evaluate the digitized speech input so as to at least identify the at least part of the name therein;
- using the identified at least part of the name to identify at least one matching entity, the identification of the at least one matching entity comprising accessing at least a portion of the received and stored plurality of data; and
- displaying a visual representation of a location associated with the at least one matching entity on a display device of the computerized apparatus, the visual representation also including a visual representation of at least a portion of immediate surroundings of the location.
42. The method of claim 41, wherein the receiving of the plurality of data via at least the network interface comprises utilizing a processor of the computerized information apparatus to access the server, the access causing the plurality of data to be transmitted to the computerized apparatus.
43. The method of claim 41, wherein the plurality of data comprises data relating to a plurality of entities disposed within a particular geographic area.
44. The method of claim 43, wherein the particular geographic area comprises a predetermined geographic area, the predetermined area not being selected by the user.
45. The method of claim 43, wherein the particular geographic area comprises a predetermined geographic area, the predetermined area selected without input of the user.
46. The method of claim 45, wherein:
- the computerized information apparatus is part of a transport device within which the user is conveyed, the transport device comprising a wireless network interface in communication with the computerized information apparatus, the receiving the plurality of data from the server being conducted using at least the wireless interface; and
- the predetermined geographic area is selected based the transport device being operated only within the geographic area.
47. The method of claim 41, wherein the received plurality of data comprises data indicative of a location for each of respective ones of the plurality of entities, and the method further comprises presenting to the user information indicating a location of the at least one matching entity.
48. The method of claim 41, wherein the digitizing comprises using an algorithm running locally on the computerized information apparatus.
49. The method of claim 48, wherein the using of the at least one speech recognition algorithm comprises using an algorithm running locally on the computerized information apparatus, the algorithm running locally on the computerized apparatus using at least one of (i) a Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based algorithm utilizing at least phoneme recognition, and/or (ii) neural network (NN)-based algorithm utilizing at least phoneme recognition.
50. The method of claim 48, wherein the using of the at least one speech recognition algorithm comprises using an algorithm running locally on the computerized information apparatus, the algorithm running locally on the computerized apparatus using a digital signal processor (DSP) and a library or dictionary comprising a plurality of phonemes or strings of phonemes.
51. The method of claim 41, wherein the displaying a visual representation of a location associated with the at least one matching entity on a display device of the computerized apparatus further comprises displaying a visual representation of one or more entities immediately proximate the at least one matching entity.
52. The method of claim 51, wherein the displaying the visual representation of the location comprises rendering at least a portion of a building or structure within which the at least one matching entity is disposed.
53. The method of claim 52, wherein the rendering at least a portion of a building comprises rendering the at least portion using a graphics processor of the computerized information apparatus.
54. The method of claim 51, wherein the receiving, at a computerized information apparatus, a plurality of data from a server comprising receiving the plurality of data via a wireless interface of the computerized information apparatus, the wireless interface operative according to an IEEE 802.11 standard.
55. The method of claim 41, wherein:
- the using the identified at least part of the name to identify at least one matching entity comprises:
- accessing at least a portion of the received and stored plurality of data;
- searching the received and stored plurality of data using the at least part of the name, the searching identifying a plurality of entities within the having the at least part of the name associated therewith;
- providing the user with information indicating the identified plurality of entities;
- receiving a subsequent input from the user causing selecting of one of the identified plurality of entities; and
- wherein the displaying a visual representation of a location associated with the at least one matching entity on a display device of the computerized apparatus comprises displaying a visual representation of a location associated with the selected one of the identified plurality.
56. The method of claim 55, wherein the display device comprises a touch screen input and display device and the providing the user with information indicating the identified plurality of entities comprises providing the user with a visually perceptible listing on the display device, and the receiving the subsequent input from the user causing selection comprises receiving a user input via a touch screen of the touch screen input and display device.
57. The method of claim 55, wherein the providing the user with information indicating the identified plurality of entities comprises providing the user with a sequence of audible prompts, the prompts each comprising at least a portion of a name of the respective entity.
58. The method of claim 57, wherein the prompts each further comprise at least a portion of an address associated with the respective entity.
59. The method of claim 57, wherein the subsequent user input comprises a verbal input, and the method further comprises receiving the subsequent user input after completion of one of the prompts.
60. The method of claim 57, wherein the subsequent user input comprises a verbal input, and the method further comprises receiving the subsequent user input after completion of one of the prompts.
61. The method of claim 55, wherein:
- the providing the user with information indicating the identified plurality of entities comprises providing the user with a visually perceptible listing on the display device; and
- the subsequent user input comprises a verbal input, and the method further comprises receiving the subsequent user input after display of at least a portion of the listing.
- wherein the information desired by the user comprises a location of the named organization or entity, and the computerized logic is configured to, based at least upon the search,
- generate at least one of an audible and/or visual output indicative of a business entity that is a nearest approximation of a match to the query, but not an exact match.
62. The method of claim 41, wherein the at least one matching entity comprises an entity having a name, a portion of which that is a nearest approximation of a match to the at least portion of the name, but not an exact match.
63. The method of claim 41, wherein the using the identified at least part of the name to identify at least one matching entity comprises (i) identifying a plurality of approximate but non-exact matches; (ii) determining at least a nearest approximation of a match to the at least portion of a name; and (iii) utilizing an entity associated with the determined nearest approximation of a match as the at least one matching entity.
64. The method of claim 63, wherein the determining at least a nearest approximation of a match comprises computing at least one metric for the plurality of approximate but non-exact matches, the at least one metric being used in determination of the nearest approximation, and the method further comprises:
- prompting the user to evaluate whether the at least nearest approximation of a match comprises the entity which the user desires to locate; and
- receiving a subsequent input from the user indicating that the nearest approximation of a match is desired by the user.
65. The method of claim 63, further comprising:
- prompting the user to evaluate whether the at least nearest approximation of a match comprises the entity which the user desires to locate; and
- receiving a subsequent input from the user indicating that the nearest approximation of a match is not desired by the user; and
- prompting the user to evaluate whether a next nearest one of the plurality of non-exact matches comprises the entity which the user desires to locate.
66. A computerized apparatus configured to enable a user to locate an entity, the apparatus comprising:
- a wireless network interface;
- a display device;
- a microphone;
- speech digitization apparatus in signal communication with the microphone;
- processor apparatus in data communication with at least the wireless network interface;
- a data storage device in data communication with the processor apparatus;
- power supply apparatus; and
- computerized logic in data communication with the processor apparatus, the computerized logic configured to: receive data from a remote server via at least the wireless network interface, the received data comprising data relating to a plurality of entities; store the received data on the storage device of the computerized apparatus; receive a user's speech input via the microphone; digitize the received speech input using at least the speech digitization apparatus; utilize at least one speech recognition algorithm to evaluate the digitized speech input so as to identify at least one word therein; use the identified at least one word to identify at least one matching entity, the identification of the at least one matching entity comprising access of at least a portion of the received stored data; and display a visual representation of a location associated with the at least one matching entity, including at least some surroundings thereof, on the display device.
67. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the at least one word is part of a name of the at least one matching entity.
68. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the received data comprises data indicative of a location for each of respective ones of the plurality of entities, and the computerized logic is further configured to determine a location of the at least one matching entity.
69. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the received data comprises data indicative of a location for each of respective ones of the plurality of entities, and the computerized logic is further configured to present to the user information indicating a location of the at least one matching entity.
70. The computerized apparatus of claim 69, wherein the presentation to the user comprises display of the information indicating a location on the display device.
71. The computerized apparatus of claim 70, wherein the display of the information indicating a location on the display device comprises display of at least a portion of an address of the at least one matching entity.
72. The computerized apparatus of claim 69, wherein the presentation to the user comprises generation of a plurality of human intelligible words, the generation performed by a speech synthesis apparatus in data communication with computerized logic.
73. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the received data is downloaded from a data storage associated with the remote server which is simultaneously accessible to a plurality of other similar computerized apparatus via respective ones of wireless network interfaces, the remote server comprising a client-server relationship with the computerized apparatus and the plurality of other similar computerized apparatus.
74. The computerized apparatus of claim 73, wherein the wireless network interface comprises an interface compliant with an IEEE-802.11 standard.
75. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the received data comprises a substantially unitary data file.
76. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the received data comprises data enabling the display of the visual representation of the location associated with the at least one matching entity.
77. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the visual representation of the location associated with the at least one matching entity further comprises a visual representation of one or more other entities proximate thereto, on the display device.
78. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the computerized logic is further configured to display, on the display device and concurrent with the visual representation of the location, a visual representation of at least a portion of directions to the location associated with the at least one matching entity, the visual representation of at least a portion of directions comprising at least a line or arrow which is differentiated from its background by at least one of luminosity and/or color.
79. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the visual representation of the location associated with the at least one matching entity further comprises a visual representation of one or more other entities proximate thereto, on the display device, the visual representation of the location comprising a rendering of at least a portion of a building or structure within which the location is disposed.
80. The computerized apparatus of claim 79, wherein the processor apparatus of the computerized apparatus comprises a central processor, a graphics co-processor, and a digital signal processor (DSP), and wherein the graphics processor is configured to perform at least a portion of the rendering of the at least portion of the building or structure, and the DSP is configured to perform at least one of (i) the digitization of the received speech input using at least the speech digitization apparatus; and/or (ii) utilization of the at least one speech recognition algorithm to evaluate the digitized speech input so as to identify at least one word therein.
81. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the data relating to a plurality of entities comprises data relating to a plurality of entities which are each disposed within a defined geographic area.
82. The computerized apparatus of claim 81, wherein the defined geographic area comprises a predetermined geographic area not having been affirmatively selected by the user.
83. The computerized apparatus of claim 82, wherein:
- the computerized apparatus is part of a transport device within which the user is conveyed; and
- the predetermined geographic area is selected based the transport device being operated only within the geographic area.
84. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, wherein the computerized apparatus is further configured to generate one or more hyperlinks relating to topics of interest to the user in their travels and display the one or more hyperlinks on the display device, and wherein the computerized apparatus is further configured to download information from a remote networked server to the computerized apparatus for display on the display device in response to the user activating the one or more hyperlinks, the downloaded information comprising current, periodically updated information relating to at least one of: (i) news: (ii) weather; and/or (iii) traffic reports.
85. The computerized apparatus of claim 84, wherein display device comprises a touch-screen display and input device, the one or more hyperlinks configured to allow the user to activate each hyperlink via a tactile input via the touch-screen device.
86. The computerized apparatus of claim 66, further comprising a plurality of second display devices, the plurality of second display devices being in data communication with a digital video apparatus, the plurality of second display devices having a substantially flat display screen and being disposed within and substantially physically integrated with a passenger compartment of a personnel transport device so as to enable individual ones of multiple persons within the compartment to visually perceive video data rendered on respective ones of the second display devices during operation of the personnel transport device.
87. The computerized apparatus of claim 86, wherein computerized apparatus is configured such that the rendering of the video data on the plurality of second display devices is substantially independent of the display of the visual representation of a location associated with the at least one matching entity, including at least some surroundings thereof, on the display device.
88. A computerized apparatus configured to enable a user to locate an entity, the apparatus comprising:
- a wireless interface;
- a display device;
- a microphone;
- speech digitization apparatus in signal communication with the microphone;
- processor apparatus in data communication with the speech digitization apparatus and the wireless interface;
- a data storage device in data communication with the processor apparatus; and
- at least one computer program, the at least one computer program configured to, when executed: download data from a server to the computerized apparatus, the data relating to and limited to a particular geographic area only, the particular geographic area including the user's current location; store the data on the storage device of the computerized apparatus; receive a user's speech input via the microphone; digitize the speech input using at least the speech digitization apparatus; cause utilization of at least one speech recognition apparatus in data communication with the speech digitation apparatus to evaluate the digitized speech input so as to identify at least one word therein; use the identified at least one word to identify a plurality of matching entities, the identification of the plurality of matching entities comprising access of at least a portion of the downloaded and stored data; advise the user of the plurality of matching entities;
- thereafter, receive an input from the user, the input causing or enabling identification of one of the plurality of entities as the entity which the user desires to locate; and display a graphical representation of a location associated with the one entity, including surroundings thereof, on the display device.
89. The computerized apparatus of claim 88, wherein:
- The display device comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) based display device;
- the user's speech input comprises a speech input relating to a name of an organization or entity which the user desires to locate;
- the download is performed via a wireless link established via the wireless interface between the computerized apparatus and the server, the server disposed outside of the particular geographic area;
- the computerized apparatus is further configured to display of a visual representation of directions to the location, the visual representation of directions comprising a differentiated arrow or line disposed thereon which shows the user a particular path to be followed, the differentiated arrow or line comprising an arrow or line that is different in at least one of color and/or luminosity;
- wherein the advisement to the user of the plurality of matching entities comprises at least one of: (i) a synthesis of audible signals comprising at least one human-intelligible word or phrase, and/or (ii) causing display of a listing of the plurality of possible matching entities on the touch-screen input and display device viewable by the user; and
- wherein the thereafter received user input comprises at least one of (i) a speech input; and/or (ii) a tactile input via an electromechanical key- or button-based input device of the computerized apparatus, the user input to select one of the plurality of matching entities.
90. The computerized apparatus of claim 89, wherein:
- the computerized apparatus is further configured to provide a synthesized speech output which is audible to the user and which comprises at least one word recognizable by the user and which aids the user in finding the location;
- the computerized apparatus is part of a transport device having a passenger compartment and configured to move from one location to another and carry one or more passengers, the microphone and capacitive touch-screen device each disposed at least partly within the passenger compartment and accessible to the user while operating the transport device;
- the computerized apparatus further comprise at least one video apparatus including at least one camera, the at least one video apparatus configured to generate video from outside the passenger compartment using the at least one camera, and provide the generated video to the computerized apparatus for display on the display device such that the user can view the video while operating the transport device and be made aware of one or more hazards that they cannot see directly from the passenger compartment while operating the transport device; and
- the computerized apparatus is further configured to enable establishment of an ad-hoc or temporary communication link with a portable personal electronic device of the user.
91. The computerized apparatus of claim 88, wherein:
- the computerized apparatus is further configured to provide a synthesized speech output which is audible to the user and which comprises at least one word recognizable by the user and which aids the user in finding the location;
- the computerized apparatus is part of a transport device having a passenger compartment and configured to move from one location to another and carry one or more passengers, the microphone and capacitive touch-screen device each disposed at least partly within the passenger compartment and accessible to the user while operating the transport device;
- the computerized apparatus further comprise at least one video apparatus including at least one camera, the at least one video apparatus configured to generate video from outside the passenger compartment using the at least one camera, and provide the generated video to the computerized apparatus for display on the display device such that the user can view the video while operating the transport device and be made aware of one or more hazards that they cannot see directly from the passenger compartment while operating the transport device; and
- the computerized apparatus is further configured to enable establishment of an ad-hoc or temporary communication link with a portable personal electronic device of the user.
92. A method of enabling a user to locate an entity utilizing a computerized apparatus, the method comprising:
- receiving data relating to a given geographic area from a server in data communication with a network, the computerized apparatus also being in data communication with the network;
- storing the received data locally on the computerized apparatus;
- subsequently retrieving at least a portion of the stored received data; and
- without further access to the server, utilizing the retrieved data to cause display on the display device of a visual representation of a location associated with a business entity to which the user wishes to navigate, the visual representation comprising a visual representation of the location and at least the immediate surroundings thereof.
93. The method of claim 92, wherein the computerized apparatus is part of a transport device which can move to and from various locations, and the receiving data relating to a given geographic area from a server in data communication with a network comprises receiving the data relating to the given geographic area via a wireless interface of the computerized apparatus that is in data communication with the network, the receiving being performed while the transport device is in motion.
94. The method of claim 92, wherein the utilizing the retrieved data to cause display on the display device of a visual representation of a location associated with a business entity to which the user wishes to navigate comprises:
- receiving a digital representation of a user speech input via a speech recognition apparatus of the computerized apparatus, the speech input comprising at least a portion of the name of the business entity;
- using a digital representation of the at least portion of the name to search the retrieved data; and
- based at least in part on a result of the search, utilizing a portion of the retrieved data to cause the display on the display device.
95. The method of claim 94, wherein the utilizing, based at least in part on a result of the search, a portion of the retrieved data to cause the display on the display device comprises accessing a linked data file comprising data enabling the display on the display device of the visual representation.
96. The method of claim 92, wherein the method further comprises:
- receiving a digital representation of a user speech input via a speech recognition apparatus of the computerized apparatus, the speech input comprising at least a portion of the name of the business entity; and
- using a digital representation of the at least portion of the name to search the stored received data; and
- wherein the subsequent retrieving of at least a portion of the stored received data comprises retrieving of the at least portion of the stored received data based at least on a result of the search.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 29, 2014
Publication Date: Jan 29, 2015
Inventor: Robert F. Gazdzinski (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 14/500,837
International Classification: B66B 3/00 (20060101); G10L 13/02 (20060101); G10L 15/22 (20060101); G06F 3/0482 (20060101); G06F 3/16 (20060101); G06F 3/0488 (20060101); G06F 3/14 (20060101); G10L 25/48 (20060101); G10L 21/10 (20060101);