Patent ID: 8145744

Claim:
A system for remote status readings, comprising: an elevator communication network comprising a plurality of stationary electromagnetic induction loops wired together; a central controller linked to the communication network; and a plurality of peripheral devices linked to the central controller through the communication network, each of the plurality of peripheral devices associated with a respective one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops, each of the plurality of peripheral devices being stationary relative to the respective one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops, each peripheral device having an instantaneous status belonging to a plurality of possible statuses, the controller being operative to periodically scan the peripheral devices to read their respective instantaneous statuses, each peripheral device having a display element displaying information pertinent to all of the plurality of peripheral devices, the communication network linking the peripheral devices to the controller and communicating with the peripheral devices by inductive coupling through the electromagnetic induction loops, each of the peripheral devices being powered by inductive coupling with the associated one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops of the communication network wherein each of the peripheral devices receives power through a same one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops through which the peripheral device communicates.