Patent ID: 8069958

Claim:
A method of responding to a report of a malfunction, in an elevator ( 49 ) powered from a source ( 62 ) and having at least one controller ( 56 - 58 ), without human intervention at the site of the elevator, which method is characterized by one or more of: (a) causing said one or more controllers, upon determining a malfunction, to temporarily interrupt ( 66 a , 66 b ) the power from said source; (b) causing said controller to perform diagnostic routines and in response to a corresponding indication from said diagnostic routines, causing said controller to reboot ( 150 ) itself; and (c) providing a remote elevator monitor ( 50 ) at the site of said elevator which monitors operational parameters of said elevator, including reports of malfunctions, and communicates ( 52 , 84 , 86 ) said reports of malfunctions and at least some others of said operational parameters to a central elevator monitor and control station ( 51 ), remote from said elevator site, and in response to a report of malfunction ( 23 , 24 ) (i) determining at said central station if the elevator is running ( 100 ) or if the power from said source is outside limits ( 104 ) of voltage or phase and in such cases causing no further response to the report of malfunction, (ii) determining at said central station if the malfunction is in controller software ( 106 ) and if so remotely communicating from said central station a power-on-reset ( 108 ) to said elevator, (iii) determining at said central station if a malfunction is due to failure ( 118 ) of a non-safety-critical component and if so disabling ( 120 ) said component from said central station, (iv) remotely commanding ( 124 ), by communication with said elevator from said central station, one or more functions of said elevator one or more times and/or in different ways to determine ( 130 ) at said central station if said elevator can be brought into operation, or (v) determining at said central station when on-site service is required ( 123 , 132 ) and providing from said central station instructions ( 115 , 136 ) for a mechanic concerning the most likely cause of the malfunction and action most likely to remedy the malfunction.