Patent ID: 8602168

Claim:
An elevator operation method, comprising: in an elevator shaft in which are disposed first and second elevator cage pairs, moving a first elevator cage of the first elevator cage pair downwardly along a first vertical side in the elevator shaft while moving a second elevator cage of the first elevator cage pair upwardly along a second vertical side in the elevator shaft, the first and second vertical sides including a change zone intermediate upper and lower ends of the first and second vertical sides; and while the first elevator cage of the first elevator cage pair is moving downwardly and the second elevator cage of the first elevator cage pair is moving upwardly, and after the first elevator cage of the first cage pair at least partially passes the second elevator cage of the first elevator cage pair in the change zone, moving the first elevator cage of the first cage pair from the first vertical side of the elevator shaft to the second vertical side of the elevator shaft and moving the second elevator cage of the first elevator cage pair from the second vertical side of the elevator shaft to the first vertical side of the elevator shaft.