Information distribution system for use in an elevator
View Patent ↗The invention features a system for displaying video information to passengers of an elevator in accordance with a play list defining a sequence of messages. The video information messages can include combinations of digital advertising, “real-time” general information, as well as, building-related information. The system includes an elevator display unit having a display monitor for displaying video information to the passengers, and a local server which, receives scheduling information associated with the video information over a data communication path and, in accordance with the scheduling information, generates a play list used to display at the elevator display unit.
1. An elevator display system for use with an elevator in a building, the elevator display system comprising:
an elevator display unit having a display monitor positioned within the elevator to display video information to passengers within the elevator; and
a local server which receives scheduling information associated with the video information over a data communication path and, in accordance with the scheduling information, generates a play list used to display the video information at predetermined times for display at the elevator display unit.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface for generating the scheduling information received by the local server.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the video information includes a text message and the play list includes:
a start date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor;
an end date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor; and
a day segment indicating a portion of a day the text message is displayed on the display monitor.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the text message is in HTML format.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the user interface is remote from said local server and communicates with said local server over a data communications path.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data communications path comprises the Internet.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data communications path comprises a dial-up modem.
8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the data communications path comprises a local area network.
9. The system of claim 3 , wherein the play list comprises a building operations play list, and wherein the video information and scheduling information used to generate the building operations play list relate to building operations.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the local server further receives a production server play list from a production server, remote from said local server, over a data communication network, said production server play list associated with general and commercial information for display on the display unit.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the local server includes a parser which generates a local building play list from the production server play list and the building operations play list.
12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising the production server which generates said production server play list associated with the general and commercial information.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the production server includes:
a production server database for storing building-related data, general information-related data, and commercial information-related data; and
a scheduling module which retrieves the data from the production server database and generates the additional scheduling information.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the general information-related data and the commercial information-related data include addresses from where the general and commercial information, respectively, can be retrieved over the data communication path.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the production server further includes a building loader interface through which data is passed between the production server and the local server; the building loader interface encrypting the data passed between the production server and the local server and authenticating that the local server is associated with the system.
16. A method of displaying video information on an elevator display unit, the method comprising:
providing to a local server, scheduling information associated with video information to be displayed;
generating, from the scheduling information, a play list associated with the video information; and
generating a display for viewing at the elevator display unit the video information at predetermined times in accordance with the scheduling information.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein generating the play list is performed with a graphical user interface.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the video information includes a text message and the scheduling information includes:
a start date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor;
an end date on which the text message is displayed on the display monitor; and
a day segment indicating a portion of a day the text message is displayed on the display monitor.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the user interface is remote from said local server and communicates with said local server over a data communications path.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the play list is a building operations play list, the video information and scheduling information used to generate the building operations play list relating to building operations.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the providing step further includes receiving at the local server a production server play list from a production server, remote from said local server, over a data communication network, said production server play list associated with general and commercial information for display on the display unit.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein generating the play list includes parsing a local building play list from the production server play list and the building operations play list.