Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02553154 1997-03-12
INFORMATION DISPLAY SYSTEM
This invention relates to an information transmission and display system and
in
particular to an information display system for displaying advertising and
general news
information in elevators and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In most urban centers, exposure to infonmation such as advertising information
and current news inforniation has become an accepted part of everyday life.
Apart from
newspapers, magazines and television, mass advertising information is
presented by way
of billboards and more recently pixelboardsr"", which are capable of
displaying relatively
simple animated pictures and textual information. However as with most
information and
in particular with respect to advertising information, it is more effective to
have both a
I 5 captive audience and a well-targeted group in order to maximize the
effectiveness and
impact of the information conveyed. Most urban centers have a large number of
major
once complexes. These office complexes include multi-storied buildings
serviced by
elevators and large common areas providing a heretofore unexploited
environment for
presentation of advertising and news information. Display systems for these
environments should amongst others have the ability to target specific
audiences with the
information they present, respond quickly and easily to information changes,
and provide
a consistent high quality image and information content.
To date, information display systems for elevators are capable of pt~esenting
at
most the floor number, a floor directory of tenants and in some cases simple
text based
news information. Eor example, United States patent no. 4,995,479 to Fujiwara,
describes
a display apparatus for an elevator in which information regarding the
operating
conditions of the elevator is displayed along with "general" information, such
as news
and weather. A display unit is provided within the elevator cab and includes a
display
area for displaying text along side a picture display area for displaying
predetenmined
graphic images. Predetermined pieces of information are assembled and assigned
a
number indicative of a priority for that piece of information. The information
is selected
to be displayed according to the priorities assigned. Limitations of this
system are that
CA 02553154 1997-03-12
the messages are not easily updateable and information is restricted to basic
text and
primitive graphic data. Furthermore. the system does not provide for an easily
updateable real time information delivery and display system.
In United States patent no. 5,056,629 to Tsuji, et al., a display apparatus
for an
S elevator is described, in which information concerning news, weather, etc.,
is displayed
on a display screen located within the elevator cab. The information is
selected to he
displayed at predetermined times. The device described in this patent allows
for the
information displayed to be corrected (i.e. other information displayed)
through inputs
made remotely from the elevator cab, for example, tcorn a caretakers roam or a
portable
computer. Once again this patent discloses a simple scrolling message display
system,
which although updateable via a remote computer, requires extensive user
intervention to
constantly update the displayed messages. Furthermore, the display of the
information is
dependent to some extent on the operational parameters of the elevator.
In United States patent no. S,48S,897 to Matsumoto, et al., an elevator
display
I 5 system is disclosed in which the operational information of the elevator,
in particular a
floor indicator, is superimposed on a background image on a display screen.
The
background image is described as being a plurality of still pictures assigned
to the
different floors at which the elevator stops or different kinds of animations
assigned to
the different floors. Once again, this patent does not disclose a method of
simultaneously
altering the information in a series of elevators independent of a particular
elevator
operational state.
Thus, based on the current state of the art regarding elevator and foyer
display
systems, there is a need for a system for displaying real time information
content targeted
to a specific audience and which provides that the information is centrally
coordinated
2S and disseminated. Furthermore, currently available systems do not provide a
system that
is completely site addressable with the potential for a building, including
multiple
elevator banks within a building, to have its own unique daily program.
Furthermore,
there is a need for a system that is capable of communicating on a daily basis
new
information relevant to tenants or users of the building and which is capable
of replacing
the relatively ineffective paper and poster notification methods currently in
use along
with the associated manpower costs. Furthermore there is a need for a system
that makes
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CA 02553154 1997-03-12
use of display technology that offers highly legible, easily understandable
stills, animated
graphics, pictures and videos.
There is also a need for a display system that is both flexible that can be
installed
in existing elevator banks and can provide an advertiser impact close to the
point of
purchase and can effectively target an exn~emely attractive market place and
which does
not necessarily require extensive government regulatory approval.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention seeks to provide in an information display system an
information
display apparatus and a method for easily updating displays in the system such
that
information composed at a centralized location may be easily presented at the
displays.
It is an object of the present invention to provide general information
display units
which may be located in elevator cabs and waiting areas.
A further object of the invention is to facilitate remote control and
automated
1 S information updates, simultaneously, to a number of display units located
in elevator cabs
and waiting areas.
A further object of the invention is to provide time sensitive information to
the
display units, and to provide such information independent of elevator
operation.
A further object of the invention is to provide an information and advertising
presentation in a relatively easily understandable manner utilizing a
relatively
high-resolution display capable of displaying amongst others, picture quality
advertising
and information graphics and all manner of information display including still
images, 2-
D and 3,d computer animations and full motion video and which may be easily
integrated into existing elevator cabs and waiting areas.
2S In accordance with this invention there is provided a device for displaying
information in at least one elevator cab, the device comprising:
a display means including a display screen located in each elevator cab said
display adapted to receive and display information on said screen;
a building server located in the building in which each elevator cab is
located, the
building server being adapted to communicate information to each display
means; and
a central server remotely located firom the building servers,
CA 02553154 1997-03-12
wherein the information to be displayed is transmitted from the central server
to
the building servers and then to the display means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent
from the following discussion of preferred embodiments of the invention and
which are
described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
like elements have been assigned like numerals and wherein:
Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a network configuration of an information
display system according to an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 shows a network configuration for a specific aspect of the general
network configuration;
Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of a display unit;
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the information flow from a central control
to
a display;
Figure 5 is a flow chart showing the operation including updated and control
of
the display;
Figure 6 shows a front view of an information display monitor;
Figure 7 is a flow diagram showing the update of advertising information to
the
display; and
Figure 8 is a further flow diagram showing the update of information to the
display.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to figure 1, a schematic network architecture is shown generally by
numeral 100. The network includes a centralized control center or system
server 110
which communicates via suitable communication links 112, with city control
center
servers 114. Each city may include one or more servers 114, however each
server 114
has associated, therewith, a number of buildings in a given city. The group of
buildings
serviced by the city server 114 is identified by reference numeral 116.
Although a single
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city server 114 is shown per city group, this may include more than one city
server within
a given city.
The city servers 114 then communicate in turn with individual buildings within
its
group 116 via a communication links, for example via a telephone line, a
wireless
communication, infrared or any suitable communication link. Within each
building, for
convenience is located a further setw~er denoted a building server 120 which
is then
responsible for communicating with the individual elevator banks within the
building. A
display unit 210 is located within each elevator bank for displaying the
information
communicated thereto. In a further embodiment of the invention, the central
server may
be configured to communicate directly with the building servers and not
necessarily via
the city servers.
The architecture of the network within a building is shown in greater detail
with
reference to figure 2. Referring to figure 2, an office complex includes one
or more
buildings 200. The buildings 20U are serviced by one or more elevator cabs
210. Within
each elevator cab is located a display means 212 which is a self contained
unit including
a flat screen display 310, typically a liquid crystal display, a
microprocessor 312, a mass
storage device 314, a memory(R.AM) 31 S and a power supply 316 as shown in
figure 3.
The building server 220 is connecaed to each display means 212 within each
elevator cab
via a cable 230 which may be included within the bundle of cables already
provided to
the elevator cab. In a further embodiment, however, the display and the
building may
include wireless communication devices. As it is anticipated the present
system will be
retrofitted into existing elevators, the use of a wireless communication link
between the
display and the building server is desirable as the existing wiring to the
elevator may be
di~cult to access. Furthermore, by providing a display which is separate to
the existing
elevator control system obviates the need to obtain authorization from
elevator service
companies to perform maintenance or updates on the information display system.
By providing individual servers 220 within a building which are individually
and
uniquely addressable allows in addition to common information to be received
by all
other buildings, but the ability to add additional individualized information
pertaining to
a specific building to the general information content. For example, a
building landlord
might include with the regular programming information, information on
interruptions
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due to maintenance, emergency procedures, vacancies, etc. Also, with the
proliferation
of shops within building complexes, advertising information for these
businesses may
also be easily included with the building specific information. However, it
may be seen
that because the buildings are serviced by centralized city server I 14, the
bulk of the
information displayed is synchronized with each building and the building
specific
information will not interrupt the information transmitted to other buildings
within the
network, while still maintaining centralized control and delivery of
generalized
information to the other elevator display units within the city.
In figure 3, a detailed block diagram of the display device is shown generally
by
numeral 300. The display device includes an electronic communication means 3I
8 such
as an Ethemet card or other suitable network protocol card. The communication
means
318 may also support RF, or infrared signals. The display also includes a
computer 312,
memory 3 I5, mass storage device 314 (such as a hard disk drive) and a
suitable power
supply 316. A display screen 31 () is also provided for displaying relevant
information,
most typically this is a color liquid crystal display as used for example in
laptops. The
display unit components are encased in a suitable housing (not shown) which
may be
customized to be esthetically integrated with the elevator cab interior.
In a further embodiment of the invention, information to be displayed on the
display screen is transmitted to the building servers 220 and then transmitted
in real time
according to a schedule stored on the building servers 220 to the displays.
This
embodiment provides for a relatively less expensive display within each
elevator cab as it
is not required that the displays include a processor or storage device.
Furthermore, in
some instances where space in a elevator cab is at a premium it is more
advantageous to
implement this embodiment.
Referring to figure 4, the flow of information from the centralized control
center
110 to the individual displays within the elevator cab is shown generally by
numeral 400.
The control center referred to previously in figure 4 includes a system server
computer
410 which gathers information pages for transmission to the various building
servers.
These information pages may include amongst other, traffic reports, subway or
train
schedule updates, news clippings such as business and tinancial news, stock
market
updates, sports, weather and any other information of relevance to all or
specific cities.
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CA 02553154 1997-03-12
In addition, the information rnay include building updates which is
information specific
to a specific building or groups of buildings within a city or across cities.
For example, in North America, it is not unusual of for a single real estate
company to own various office complexes in different cities. Should it be
desired that
building information is to be provided to all their buildings, this
information may be
complied at the system server site and appended to the existing general
information.
Because all building servers are individually addressable from the system
server, the
specific information destined for the requisite buildings may be communicated
to their
respective displays without effecting the information being displayed in other
buildings.
l0 Once delivered to the building server, the information is relayed to the
appropriate
displays via the internal communication links of the building that as
mentioned earlier
may include wired, wireless or infrared links. In this manner, a display unit
in any
location can be reached from a central control point and information provided
thereto in a
consistent and timely manner. Furthermore, since the displays are individually
addressable, advertising, information and scheduling updates are addressed to
specific
displays only when and where appropriate.
Once the relevant information has been communicated to the appropriate display
apparatus in the elevator cabs, the information is processed by the computer
within the
display apparatus and then forwarded to the display screen. Referring to
figure 6, the
display screen may be divided into two general areas, namely an information
display area
and an advertisement display area. Thus, both types of information may be
simultaneously displayed. A different number of display areas within a given
screen may
also be implemented.
Referring to figure 5, information to be displayed on the screen is
transmitted to
the display apparatus as described earlier along with a broadcast schedule.
The broadcast
schedule determines when the next information or advertisement information is
to be
displayed and in what sequence they are is to be displayed. As may be seen in
figure 8,
the processor within the display apparatus checks the broadcast schedule and
based
thereon, directs the appropriate information from the mass storage device to
the display
screen which then displays the information in the appropriate area of the
screen. While
the appropriate infornation is being displayed on the screen, the processor
performs a
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constant check of the date and time and then performs a check for any changes
in the
broadcast schedule. Changes in the broadcast schedule may include changes in
content
of information to be displayed or times at which the information is to be
displayed or
both. If there has been a change in any of the information content or the
scheduled times
of display of the information, the appropriate information is loaded as per
the revised
schedule and displayed on the screen with reference to the sequence in figure
S.
A similar check for changes in the content and time sequence display of the
advertising information is performed as indicated in figure 7. Thus, it may be
seen that
concurrent to the display of current advertising and current information, the
display
apparatus checks for updates to the advertising or the information content and
schedule
and loads the next appropriate advertising or information content for display.
When the
currently displayed advertisement or general information content has completed
displaying the next scheduled advertisement or information is thus displayed.
This
sequence of events thus provides for seamless change of information and
advertising.
Further, there can be an unlimited number of information screens scheduled for
display which may be further displayed in any combination and for any
predetermined
length of time. The information displayed may include high quality computer
generated
graphics or picture quality static images displayed for a predetermined period
of time,
videos, animations or any combination of information. Furthermore, there is
also
provided in an alternative embodiment the facility for including sound with
the images.
In the above embodiment, the information to be displayed on the screens is
uploaded from the building server computer to the individual display units in
the elevator
cab, where the information is then processed according to the schedule
included with the
information. In another embodiment, the information may be fed in real time
from the
building server to the display unit and where the display apparatus does not
store any
significant amount of information thereon. Furthermore, the display apparatus
may also
provide for the return of diagnostic or maintenance information back to the
server in
order that the display unit may be monitored remotely without the need for
maintenance
personnel intervention, thus further reducing the overall cost of the system.
Thus it may be seen that the information display system of the subject
invention
may be implemented in various forms. Although the embodiments are shown with
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reference to specific examples, other modifications may be possible. For
example, an
embodiment of the present invention may equally well be utilized in subway
cars,
hospitals, trains or other similar places. These and other modifications to
the variations
upon the preferred embodiments are provided for by the present invention, the
scope of
which is limited only by the following claims.
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