Remote elevator destination dispatch and authorization system and method with secured ble beacons and security fall-back

1 . A method for registering a car registration request with an elevator controller for an elevator, comprising:

providing a beacon adapted to transmit an identifier that is a one-time password;

transmitting said identifier such that said identifier is adapted to be received by a mobile application to confirm proximity of the mobile application to an elevator, such that the mobile application is then adapted to generate a car registration request for an elevator;

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request;

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller;

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein said identifier is a time-based one-time password.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein said mobile application is adapted to transmit said identifier, said method further comprising:

receiving said identifier from said mobile application prior to receiving said car registration request; and

transmitting a set of at least one authorized floor to said mobile device such that said mobile device is adapted to generate said car registration request.

4 . The method of claim 1 further comprising a cloud-hosted service that performs the following steps of the method:

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

5 . The method of claim 4 further comprising a middleware component that facilitates communication between said cloud-hosted service and said elevator controller, wherein said middleware component performs the following steps of the method:

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller; and

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation.

6 . A method for authorizing access to at least one otherwise-secured floor associated with an elevator, comprising:

providing a beacon adapter to transmit an identifier that is a one-time password;

transmitting said identifier such that said identifier is adapted to be received by a mobile application to confirm proximity to an elevator;

receiving said identifier from said mobile application wherein said mobile application is adapted to communicate said identifier to a cloud-hosted service; and

generating an elevator kiosk authorization from said cloud-hosted service that is adapted to be received by an elevator controller and/or an elevator kiosk such that access is authorized to at least one otherwise-secured floor associated with said elevator kiosk.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein, after initial registration, a user of said mobile application is not required to interact with said mobile application to cause said mobile application to communicate said identifier to said cloud-hosted service.

8 . The method of claim 6 wherein said identifier is a time-based one-time password that is transmitted by a beacon.

9 . The method of claim 6 further comprising a middleware component that facilitates communication between said cloud-hosted service and an elevator controller and/or said elevator kiosk.

10 . A method for registering a car registration request with an elevator controller for an elevator, comprising:

receiving a car registration request from a mobile application;

determining whether a user of said mobile application has hit a daily car call threshold before generating said transaction ID;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request if the user has not hit said daily car call threshold;

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller;

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application;

wherein said transaction ID is not generated if the user has hit said daily car call threshold.

11 . The method of claim 10 further comprising:

prior to receiving said car registration request from said mobile application, transmitting a set of at least one authorized floor to said mobile device such that said mobile device is adapted to generate said car registration request.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein a location of said mobile device is used to determine said set of at least one authorized floor.

13 . The method of claim 11 wherein said car registration request includes a floor selection.

14 . The method of claim 10 further comprising a cloud-hosted service that performs the following steps of the method:

receiving a car registration request from a mobile application;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising a middleware component that facilitates communication between said cloud-hosted service and said elevator controller, wherein said middleware component performs the following steps of the method:

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller; and

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation.

16 . A method for registering a car registration request with an elevator controller for an elevator, comprising:

transmitting an identifier that is adapted to be received by a mobile application situated on a device such that the mobile application is adapted to generate a car registration request that includes a floor selection when said device is motion-activated by a user of said device or alternatively without requiring any confirmation by a user of said mobile application;

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request;

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller;

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

17 . The method of claim 16 wherein said identifier is a time-based one-time password that is transmitted by a beacon.

18 . The method of claim 16 further comprising a cloud-hosted service that performs the following steps of the method:

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

19 . The method of claim 18 further comprising a middleware component that facilitates communication between said cloud-hosted service and said elevator controller, wherein said middleware component performs the following steps of the method:

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller; and

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation.

20 . A method for registering a car registration request with an elevator controller for an elevator, comprising:

providing a mobile application that enables a user to activate a home button such that the mobile application identifies a set of at least one authorized destination floor for which the user may register a call;

transmitting an identifier that is adapted to be received by said mobile application;

from said mobile application, transmitting said identifier and a car registration request that is comprised of a floor selection by a user of said mobile application;

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request;

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller;

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

21 . The method of claim 20 wherein said identifier is a time-based one-time password that is transmitted by a beacon.

22 . The method of claim 20 wherein said home button associated with said mobile application is selected from the group consisting of physical home buttons and virtual home buttons.

23 . The method of claim 20 further comprising a cloud-hosted service that performs the following steps of the method:

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

24 . The method of claim 23 further comprising a middleware component that facilitates communication between said cloud-hosted service and said elevator controller, wherein said middleware component performs the following steps of the method:

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller; and

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation.

25 . A method for registering a car registration request with an elevator controller for an elevator, comprising:

transmitting an identifier that is adapted to be received by a mobile application situated on a device;

either before or after transmission of said identifier, transmitting a suggested car registration request to said mobile application;

upon motion-activation of said device or alternatively without requiring any confirmation by a user of said mobile application, transmitting said identifier and said car registration request, or a different car registration request, which are collectively hereafter referred to as said car registration request;

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request;

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller;

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

26 . The method of claim 25 wherein said identifier is a time-based one-time password that is transmitted by a beacon.

27 . The method of claim 25 further comprising a cloud-hosted service that performs the following steps of the method:

receiving said car registration request;

generating a transaction ID that is associated with said car registration request; and

using said transaction ID to relay said elevator car allocation to said mobile application.

28 . The method of claim 25 further comprising a middleware component that facilitates communication between said cloud-hosted service and said elevator controller, wherein said middleware component performs the following steps of the method:

registering said transaction ID with said car registration request on an elevator controller; and

receiving a car allocation message that comprises said transaction ID and an elevator car allocation.

29 . The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of collecting data related to said car registration request to facilitate formation of a future suggested car registration request.

30 . The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of transmitting said future car registration request to said mobile application a next time it is predicted that said user needs an elevator.