Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The invention relates to an electronic map for
selectively displaying routes to vaious locations in a building
such as a shopping mall.
Maps having a plastic, back-lit display are commonly
used in shopping centres to indicake the location of shops,
washroom facllities, public telephones, etc. Such maps are
often difficult to read, involving colour or numberirlg schemes
sometimes too complex to permit a particular facility to be
easily located. Additionally, these maps may have to be
replaced or refinished when ownership of a particular store
changes. Accordingly, the invention provides a directory and
map which in various embodlments seeks to overcome one or more
problems associated with such prior art maps.
The invention therefore provides a directory console
and mount for a multi-level building, said building having at
least two floors, said console being located on one floor of
said building and comprising:
(a) a first floor plan map of said one floor of said
building and a separate second floor plan map of the
other floor of said building, said first floor plan
map including a display of the location of said
console, each floor plan map displaying a plurality of
stations on its associated floor, each floor plan map
further dlsplaying paths connecting said stations and
access means for use in movement be-tween said floors,
said display of said access means including a display
of the direction of movement from said one floor to
said other floor,
(b) a plurality of path 1ndicator lights each in a first
colour for indicating, when llluminated, a path from
sald console to a selected station,
(c) a plurality of station indicator lights one for each
station and each of a different colour from said first
colour, for illuminating a selected station,
(d) a direction indicator light for illuminating said
display of said access means,
(e) a directory ldentifying the stations displayed on each
of said floor plan maps,
(f) a keyboard at which a particular station on eit-her of
said floor plan maps can be selected,
(g) station indicating means responsive to the selection
on said keyboard of a particular station for
illuminating on the floor plan map on which said
station is displayed the station light associated with
such station,
(h) and path indicating means responsive to the selection
on said keyboard of a said particular station on said
second floor plan map for illuminating on the first
floor plan map those path indicator lights which
define a path extending from said console to said
access means, and for illuminating on the second floor
plan map those path indicator lights defining a path
extending from said access means to said particular
station, and for illuminating said direction indicator
light at said access means.
The term "keyboard" as used in this specification
includes any collection of switches, whether push button, toggle
or rotary, which can be selectively operated to produce a signal
- 3A -
, ~
indicative of a particular station, as well as a conventional
key pad bearing alphanumeric characters and adapted to generate
coded signals Lndicative of particular stations.
Advantages and objects of the invention will become
more apparent from a description below of a preferred
embodiment, taken together with drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a computer directory
system and map embodying the invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a user control console with a
directory and keyboard for activating the directory system;
Fig. 3 is a block diagram representing the basic
components of the computer directory system; and,
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of floor plans displayed by
the computer directory system.
Reference is made to Fig. 1 which illustrates a
computer directory system generally indicated by the reference
~ 4 ~
numeral 10~ The directory s~stem lQ comprises à housing 12
provided with a display panel 14, video display unit
(cathode ray tubel 15, and a user input console 16. The
display 14 is formed of a transluscent plastic sheet bearing
floor plans of the building in which the directory system 10 is
to be located. The display panel 14 is of the type commonly
~ound ~n shQpping centres, back~l;t with lights located
within the housing 12 to provide a bright, attractive display.
The user input console displays a directory 18
i~ndicating a plurality of stations (stores, washrooms,
publ;'c telephones etc.l. The directory 18 is preferrably
constructed of a plurality of metal or plastic strips each
bearing a description identifying a particular station, and
affixed in a conventional manner to the user input console 16.
The strips are preferrably removably affixed to accommodate
changes in ownership of particular stores or relocations.
However~ it will be apparent from the description of the
computeri`zed operation below, that some such changes can be
accommodated by a reprogramming of the directory system 10
w~thout physical changes to the structure itself.
In the view of Fig~ 2 the directory listing is
diagrammatically illustrated by a plurality of horizontal
lines~ A number of aligned push buttons 20 are illustrated
in a similar manner. Each item in the directory listing is
associated with one such push button 20, and selection of
that particular push button 20 generates a signal (an open
or closed c;'rcuit~, associated with the particular station
selected~ ~dditionally, a numerical key pad 22 is provided
on which coded si~nals can be composed. These coded signals
~ 5 ~ 57
can be axranged to correspond to digital codes associated
with.each.d~rectory listing (and displayed adjacent to each
listingL so that a part~cular station can be selected by
keying ~ts code~ instead of pressi`ng a particular button 20.
However, such a function would be redundant, and the principle
function of the key pad 22 is to permit the composition of
category codes selected from a category listing 24.
On location, a user might consult the category
l~sting 24 to determine what stores provide a particular
service, The code corresponding to that service would be
composed on the numerical key pad 22, and stores providing
such services could then be displayed on the video display
unit 15. A particular store could then be located in the
directory listing, and the corresponding push button 20
pressed to activate the directory system 10 to display
the location of the store and to simultaneously display
a route extending to the store. It will be appreciated
that to perform the above functions it is not necessary to
provide both the push buttons 20 and key pad 22. All store
locations and category listings can be digitally coded,
or alternatively all can be associated with particular push
buttons 20. The numerical coding system involving the key
pad 22 is particularly useful with the category listing 24,
as chan~es in or expansion of the category listing 2~ can
then be readi`ly accommodated by reprogramming the directory
system 10 without requiring extensive changes in the physica:L
layout o~ the user input console 16.
The computer directory system 10 is illustrated in
block diagram form in the view of Fig. 3. The system 10
comprises t~o maps (floor plans~ 26~ 28 of two levels of a
building (these maps 26, 28 are illustrated in greater
detail in the view of Fig. 4)- Also shown are the video
display 15 and user input console 16. A computex 30, which
can ~e an appropriately programmed micro processor with
memor~, coordinates the operation of the directory system
lQ.
The computer 30 responds to the pushing of the
buttons 20 or the composition of the digital code on the
key pad 22. When a particular button is pushed, the computer
30 aetermines which station has been selected, and through
map interface circuitry 31 indicates on the maps 26, 28 the
location of the station and also a route extending from the
location of the system 10 to the selected station. Light
emitting diodes (LEDls) are used as visual indicators,
physically located in the maps 26, 28. The map interface
circuitry 31 consequently includes electxonic drivers for
selectively act;vating the LED's to indicate stations and
routes.
When an item on the category listing 24 is coded
on the key pad 22, the computer 30 selects from memory the
particular stations corresponding to the selected category
(for example all shoe stores if the shoe category is selected),
displays these stores on the video display 15, and simult-
aneously indicates the store locations by flashing LED'~
on the map. As mentioned above, the user can then refer to
the directory 18 to locate one of the stations so displayed,
and press the button 20 associated with the station to
obtain a visuAl indication of the route to the station on
~ 7 ~ 57
the ~aps 26~ 28,
The operat~on of the computer 30 is pro~rammed or
re~ulated by means of an erasable programmable read only
memory (EPROM) era~a~le under ultra violet light. Instruc-
tions placed ~n the EPROM effectively associate each
particular button 20 with a particular location tindicated
by a LED) on the maps 26, 28, which LE~ ' 5 are to be activated
to indicate the route to a particular location in response
to the pressing of one of the buttons 20, and which LED's
are to be activated and flashed to indicate particular
stations in response to the composition of a category code
on the key pad 22.
A hard~wired interface between the user input
console 16 and maps 26, 28 could be provided. However, one
advantage obtained by use of the computer 30 and EPROM
(or other programmable interfaces) is that extensive changes
to the maps 26, 28, directory 18 and category listing 24 can
be avoided with changes in store ownership and services.
A variety of changes can be accommodated by
reprogramming the EPROM. For example, if the display unit 10
is moved, the computer 30 can effectively be reprogrammed
to recognize a new location starting point on the directory
maps 26, 28 (but LED's must of course be provided to represent
all stations in the building, including any station where
the display unit 10 might be located). In a similar manner,
changes in store location can be reprogrammed, as can be
changes in the category listing 24 when services available
in the building change.
A ke~ board 32 is provided to permit input of text
~2~ 7
-- 8 --
to he displayed on the video unit 15. The text contemplated
will typically be commercial announcements or announcements
of events occuring in the building in which the building
directory system 10 is located.
Fig, 4 illustrates in detail the maps 26, 28.
Rectangles within the maps 26, 28 generally indicate
particular stations, and the open spaces between the
rectangles represent corridors. Dark circles located in
the centre of the rectangles represent LED' S used to indicate
pa~ticular stations~ and dark circles located in corridor
~reas represent LEDIs used to indicate routes between
particular $tations. The LED ' s used to indicate particular
stations are preferrably of a first colour (~or example,
yello~l, and those used to indicate routes are preferrably
of a second colour (,for example red). The location of the
directory system 10 is illustrated on the map 26 at the
position 34, also by a LED.
To illustrate how the directory system 10 would
be used to 'locate a store and a route to a store, it will be
assumed that a user wishes to locate a particular store 36
(,which is located on level 2 of the structure). The user
presses the button 20 associated with the particular store
36 in the directory 18 at the user input console 16. The
selection is detected by the computer 30 which then
activates the LED 38 to indicate, the location of the selected
store, At the same time LED' S 40 are activated on map 26
to indicate a path extending from the location of the
directory 34 to a sta~r~ell 42, and a direction indicator
44 is then illuminated to indicate that one is to take the
_ 9 T~
stairwell 42 up, A strin~ o~ LED~s extending between LED's
46, 48 on map 28 are activated to indicate the continuation
of the desired route from the top of the stairwell 42 to
an entrance 50 of the store 36.
Only two maps 26, 28 have been indicated for the
purposes of illustration~ It will be apparent that a
plurality of m~ps could be used, and if necessary, a complex
path extending along various levels of a structure can be
indicated,
A particualr directory system comp.rising an
electronic map embodying the invention has be illustrated.
It will ~e appreciated that changes of a workshop nature
can bP made in the directory system illustrated, and that
a va~iety of systems adapted to particular applications can
be constructed without departing from the scope and spirit
of the invention.
