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Let me out before you come in

 Elevator occupancy detection and announcement
  (+8, -1)
(+8, -1) 		  [vote for,
against]

If modern elevators do not continuously weigh their cars they should. I suspect they do though because, somehow, they know when to cancel extra calls--made from their interior panel--after the last person gets off. This way, pranksters can't instruct the car to stop at every floor on a 80 story building.

So, assuming that they do weigh their cars and know whether a car is occupied or not, I propose that the occupancy be announced on a annunciator panel at each elevator lobby. Hopefully, this information will prevent people from instantly bolting into the car without first letting the occupant get out; a behavior that I frequently see.

—bristolz, Aug 13 2004

I'm confused, but would rather take the stairs anyway. http://www.halfbake...elligent_20Elevator
[blissmiss, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

[link]






       When I exit an elevator and someone's diving in, I relish the chance to solidly collide with him and scold "let them out first" as I walk away. When else can I do that?
—phundug, Aug 13 2004
   

       I've been collided with one too many times.
—bristolz, Aug 13 2004
   

       This a great idea! They don't have weight sensors that I've ever heard of though. It could also use stop-n-go lights to let people on and off, turn up ventalation when a bunch of people are crammed in it, lots of things. Good stuff!!! Croossants for you!
—Around TUIT, Aug 13 2004
   

       "Current occupancy: 3.24 passengers"   

       I don't know about all elevators, but I've been on some that won't go because there's too much weight on board. One was in a building, the other on a ship. It seems like all would have some sort of weighing device (may not have the necessary resolution to implement this without retrofit).   

       My wife was complaining about this very behavior just a few days ago. You're not my wife, are you?   

       +
—half, Aug 13 2004
   

       I suppose you've never noticed that bristolz switches his online messenger status to 'away' everytime your wife goes to make you a cup of tea?
—spiritualized, Aug 13 2004
   

       that was a most confusing sentence.
—po, Aug 13 2004
   

       Nope, hadn't noticed that (actually, it always says "offline"). Are you saying that [bristolz] is my wife and that you or I have a bit of gender confusion or that she is a he that my wife goes to see while ostensibly making a cup of tea?   

       Considering this excellent idea further, would it suffice to simply light up a lobby-side indicator light at the floor upon the elevator's arrival if that floor's button has been selected from the panel inside the elevator?   

       It could be a "someone on the elevator is planning to get off on this floor so please be courteous and allow them to exit the elevator before you enter the elevator" light.
—half, Aug 13 2004
   

       I'm still trying to work it out
—hippo, Aug 13 2004
   

       Yes, [half], that is exactly as it should be. The specific lobby indicator should only light if the occupant has indicated that they are going to that floor. This scheme could fail, though, if a person gets aboard a car while it's enroute to an externally called floor and, upon seeing that the elevator is already going to the desired floor, doesn't push the interior button.
—bristolz, Aug 13 2004
   

       Sorry, I didn't follow that. I don't know how they would know that the car was going to their destination floor if the interior button wasn't pressed.   

       I was just thinking that the weighing process maybe wasn't needed. If the interior button for the floor on which I'm waiting was pressed, a light would tell me that someone(s) will probably be exiting at my floor before I enter. If you want to know how many somebodies, my approach will not do the job.
—half, Aug 13 2004
   

       Well, imagine an empty elevator car is on the 5th floor, you are on the 4th floor and I am on the 1st floor. You call the car to the 4th floor and just after that I call the car to the 1st floor.   

       When the elevator car arrives at the 4th floor, you get in and see that the button for the 1st floor is already lit because I called it. You don't bother to push the 1st floor button and the system does not announce your occupancy to me as it arrives on the 1st floor.   

       I slam into you and break both of your legs.   

       One way around this would be to not have the car illuminate the destination floor buttons if called externally but I think that would seem very strange to the occupants.
—bristolz, Aug 13 2004
   

       I see. I was not aware of the interior buttons lighting according to external calls. They do? Or was that part of your enhancement?
—half, Aug 13 2004
   

       I *think* they do. . . .
—bristolz, Aug 13 2004
   

       I'm fairly sure that they don't, at least it sounds strange to me that they would.
—half, Aug 13 2004
   

       Ah, you are right. I just had someone go check for me. Another theory blown by stupid ol' reality. So, yes, an internal call is all the information that is needed.
—bristolz, Aug 13 2004
   

       //They don't have weight sensors that I've ever heard of though// Some of the elevators here in Los Angeles that I've had the misfortune to ride in do have weight sensors and they let out a shrill beep if the weight exceeds 2000 lbs. or whatever the limit is. But do people pay attention to it? No. They cram in even tighter and let at least 2 more people in, then press the "close doors" button. What I don't understand is why the elevator still operates when the weight limit is exceeded.   

       But I do like your idea, [bristolz]. [+]
—Machiavelli, Aug 13 2004
   

       Would also work for airlocks. I'm always bumping into people at airlocks.
—Worldgineer, Aug 13 2004
   

       This is completely brilliant. You can use pizzoelectric so that you can still have the big surprise elevator empty movie scene
—theircompetitor, Aug 14 2004
   

       If called to floor from inside, light "Passengers Disembarking" sign above external door of called floor.   

       Yes, 'tis good. It could even serve as a warning to people walking past the elevator on that floor.   

       You could still use the weight factor to turn the sign off if the car empties out.
—waugsqueke, Aug 14 2004
   

       Unfortunately, [bristolz], whilst I like your idea, I don't believe it would make much difference (except perhaps in the UK, where jumping the queue is a capital offence). Even elevators with windows seem to suffer from the same affliction: everyone crowds around the door, and any occupant has to squeeze through to get out. It's as though they are afraid that the elevator will somehow leave without them.
—Ling, Aug 14 2004
   

       The weight clearing the requests feature is what makes her solution complete. I think that would allow the indicator light to be sufficiently credible in the long term to be actually functional. There would still be the occasional false indicator when someone pushes the wrong floor, but that should be minimal.   

       I'm also not seeing any reason why the reverse of this could not be implemented. When the external call is issued, a "Passenger Embarking" sign could light up on the inside of the elevator upon arrival at the floor.   

       I'd bet that modern elevator controls would be able easily detect this condition and, with a minimum of modification, manifest these indicator signals.   

       <visualizes bristolz madly typing away at the uspto web site>
—half, Aug 14 2004
   

       <whilst furiously downing cups of tea>
—spiritualized, Aug 14 2004
   

       I think that somewhere, maybe in the help file, we should just list that [bristolz] is a *she.*
—RayfordSteele, Aug 14 2004
   

       I am with [bristolz] for a good idea.
But really I'm with [phundug].
anyway, 'maximum load 8 persons' is sizeist.
—gnomethang, Aug 14 2004
   

       I remember an idea here once, bad though it was, that addressed this same issue. Their resolution was for the "about to be dismounter", to release a rather gaspy, nearly lethal, quite loud, and rather obvious, flatulance offensive attack.   

       Not only did it prevent the oncomers from coming in before your departure, but it opened up a wider corrider for you to daintily depart, with your head held high, of course.
—blissmiss, Aug 14 2004
   

       The metro lifts in London have separate entrance and exit doors, and are constructed so that the exit doors open about two seconds before the entrances.
—supercat, Aug 14 2004
   

       Every time I see this idea I start thinking of "Let me out before you come in" sung to the tune of "Wake me up before you go go" - I think this tune should be used in the Lift Etiquette Public Information Films which will be based on this idea.
—hippo, Aug 15 2004
   

       They never seem to have this problem on star trek.   
      
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