Patent ID: 8857569

Claim:
An elevator access control system comprising: an access monitoring device operable to detect the presence of non-authorized individuals within a secure area including an elevator landing and to produce a breach signal upon a detection of one or more non-authorized individuals within the secure area; an access system controller in communication with the access monitoring device and configured to initiate a security alert phase upon receiving the breach signal; and an elevator system controller configured to, monitor each elevator car during the security alert phase to identify each elevator car having a respective door at the landing with an open door status, and for each elevator car with a corresponding door at the landing having or achieving an open door status during the security alert phase, allow the door at the landing to open that is at least one of: opening at the beginning of the security alert phase, closing and subsequently reopening at the beginning of the security alert phase, or arriving at the landing during the security alert phase to open, and prevent user operation of the respective elevator car and maintain the respective door at the landing open for a remainder of the security alert phase.