Field

The present invention relates to methods and computer program products related to passenger interaction with elevators and apartment control systems. More particularly, the invention relates to methods that change the settings of an apartment based on an elevator call made by a user.

Background

Modern apartments can be controlled by computerized apartment control systems. Home or office appliances such as toasters, stoves, dishwashers, refrigerators, TV:s, copy machines, desktop computers, alarm systems, and fixed apartment appliances such as air conditioning systems, electric outlets and electric locks can be connected to an apartment control server with a data interface which allows the apartment control systems to at least partly control the operation of these appliances. Users may operate the apartment control system for example via a user interface located somewhere in the apartment.

This partial control may for example include the possibility of turning power on or off in the appliance or changing the settings of the device. Even an appliance which is not connected directly to the apartment control system may be indirectly controlled through the system if the device is connected to an electric outlet which can be switched on and off by the apartment control system. When a person leaves or arrives at an apartment or office, certain settings often have to changed. Many persons want, or are required, to turn off appliances, lock doors or turn on alarm systems when they leave their home or office. When they return, some settings should again be changed. These changes can be accomplished through an apartment control system. However, people sometimes forget to change all settings that need to be changed, and new users may not find all the required settings if they are unfamiliar with the control system. Even if they do remember to change the required settings, some persons will feel a strong need to return and check if the coffee machine, for example, is really turned off. The act of checking can become a compulsion for some people.

Description of the related art Document US2016195859 discloses an loT system with sensors which measure a local condition affected by a local device in a user's home, and an loT hub which determines if the local device has been accidentally left on and, if so, turns off the local device. Summary

An object of this disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus to alleviate the problems that forgetfulness, compulsion and technical unfamiliarity can cause in apartment control systems. The objects of the present invention are achieved with methods according to claims 1 and 7, and with computer program products according to claims 13 and 14. Additional embodiments of the invention are presented in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect, a method described in this disclosure is performed by an apartment control application running on a computer system. The method influences the operation of at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance in a first apartment. Said first apartment is equipped with a first apartment control system controlled by the apartment control application. The apartment control application is configured to: - store in the computer system a presence indicator, and

- store in the computer system a first apartment setting table which comprises one or more different first apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance, wherein said values correspond to one or more different values of the presence indicator, and

- influence the operation of the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance in the first apartment.

In this first aspect the method comprises the steps of: - receiving an elevator call indication signal,

- adjusting the value of the presence indicator based on the elevator call indication signal, and

- retrieving from the first apartment setting table one or more first apartment setting values which correspond to the adjusted value of the presence indicator, and

- influencing the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance so that it corresponds to the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values. According to a second and aspect, the step of influencing the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance comprises the step of turning off power from the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance or reducing the power consumption of the electrical appliance. According to a third and aspect, the step of influencing the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance comprises the step of turning on power in the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance.

According to a fourth aspect, the elevator call indication signal is configured to indicate one of two or more elevator call types, and the one or more first apartment settings in the first apartment setting table further depend on the elevator call type, and the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values also correspond to the elevator call type received by the apartment control system in the elevator call indication signal. According to a fifth aspect, the elevator call indication signal is configured to indicate one of two or more user absence durations, and the one or more first apartment settings in the first apartment setting table further depend on the user absence duration, and the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance also correspond to the user absence duration received by the apartment control application in the elevator call indication signal.

According to a sixth aspect, the apartment control application is also configured to: - store in the computer system one or more neighbor presence indicators for one or more neighboring apartments, wherein the neighboring apartments are located in the same building as the first apartment, and the method also comprises the steps of:

- receiving neighbor elevator call indication signals,

- adjusting the values of the one or more neighbor presence indicators based on the received neighbor elevator call indication signals, wherein the one or more first apartment setting values in the first apartment setting table further depend on the one or more neighbor presence indicators, and the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values also correspond to the adjusted values of the one or more neighbor presence indicators. According to a seventh aspect, a method described in this disclosure is performed by an elevator call application running on a portable computer in a user device. The method influences the operation of at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance in an apartment. Said apartment is equipped with an apartment control system which is at least partly controlled by the elevator call application.

The elevator call application is configured to store in the portable computer a presence indicator, and store in the portable computer an apartment setting table which comprises one or more different apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance. Said values correspond to one or more different values of the presence indicator.

The method according to this seventh aspect comprises the steps of receiving an elevator call request as input from the user of the user device, and, in response to receiving the elevator call request, sending to the elevator a corresponding elevator call signal, adjusting the value of the presence indicator based on the elevator call request, and retrieving from the apartment settings table one or more apartment setting values for the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance which correspond to the adjusted value of the presence indicator, and sending to the apartment control system an apartment adjustment request comprising the retrieved one or more apartment setting values. According to an eighth aspect which is linked to the seventh aspect, the step of influencing the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance comprises the step of turning off power from the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance or reducing the power consumption of the electrical appliance. According to a ninth aspect which is linked to the seventh aspect, the step of influencing the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance comprises the step of turning on power in the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance.

According to an tenth aspect which is linked to the seventh aspect, the elevator call request is configured to indicate one of two or more elevator call types, and the one or more first apartment settings in the first apartment setting table further depend on the elevator call type, and the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance also correspond to the elevator call type received by the elevator call application in the elevator call request.

According to an eleventh aspect which is linked to the seventh aspect, the elevator call request is configured to indicate one of two or more user absence durations, and the one or more first apartment settings in the first apartment setting table further depend on the user absence duration, and the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance also correspond to the user absence duration received by the elevator call application in the elevator call request. According to a twelfth aspect, the elevator call application is also configured to store in the portable computer one or more neighbor presence indicators for one or more neighboring apartments. The one or more neighboring apartments are located in the same building as the first apartment. The method performed by the elevator call application then also comprises the steps of receiving neighbor elevator call indication signals and adjusting the values of the one or more neighbor presence indicators based on the received neighbor elevator call indication signals. The one or more first apartment setting values in the first apartment setting table further depend on the one or more neighbor presence indicators, and the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values also correspond to the adjusted values of the one or more neighbor presence indicators.

According to a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product for enabling temporary interaction between a user device and an apartment control system is provided. The computer program product comprises computer-executable code that, when executed by a computing device or a computing system, performs steps according to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and/or sixth aspects presented above. According to a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product for enabling temporary interaction between a user device and an elevator or an elevator group is provided. The computer program product comprises computer-executable code that, when executed by a computing device or a computing system, performs steps according to the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth aspects presented above. Brief description of the drawings

In the following the invention will be described in greater detail, in connection with preferred embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, in which

Figures la - lb illustrate a building where a user makes an elevator call which is transmitted to an apartment control system.

Figure 2a illustrates a method performed by an apartment control application.

Figure 2b illustrates a method performed by an elevator call application.

Figures 3a - 3b illustrate a building where a user makes an elevator call which is transmitted to an apartment control system. Detailed description

As used herein, the terms computer and computer system refer to physical or virtual computational entities capable of enhancing information and to perform computational tasks. The term computer system refers to one entity or a group on entities configured to operate jointly with capabilities for running an application.

The apartment control system may comprise an apartment control application running on a computer. The computer may be present in the same building as the apartment where the appliances are located, or it may be a cloud-based service located somewhere else. In either case, the user interface of the apartment control system may be a control panel located in the apartment or a user interface application which runs on a portable computer such as a phone or a tablet. The user interface may allow the user to send instructions to the apartment control application for changing the settings of the apartment.

The computer where the apartment control application runs may alternatively be a portable user device, such as a phone, a tablet or any other portable computer. As used herein, the term application refers to a proprietary software enabling a computer or computer system to perform a particular computer-implemented task or tasks. The application software contains such instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes a computing device to perform tasks. The application may also be referred to as a software application, application program, application software, or app, for example. In at least some of the example embodiments, system software providing a platform for running the application can be considered functionally similar to the application, or as a part of the application. Alternatively or complementarily, a set of instructions based on a mark-up language may also be considered an application. The application may be used on a computer or computing device, in several such devices, on a server or several servers. The application may utilize cloud computing.

As used herein, a "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus or device. The computer readable medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus, device or propagation medium. A non- exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer-readable medium can include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette or memory device, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fibre, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM).

The present disclosure discusses primarily "apartments" controlled by an "apartment control system". The word apartment refers here to a set of interconnected rooms in a building where an elevator is present. The apartment can, but does not necessarily have to be, a domestic residence which is somebody's home. The apartment can alternatively be an office for performing work, or a place where other activities, pertaining for example to hobbies or religious practice, can be carried out. The considerations of this paragraph apply to every aspect presented in this disclosure.

The apartment control system which is controlled by the apartment control application can influence and adjust the operation of an electrical outlet, for example through a relay set which can turn power on and off from said electrical outlet. Alternatively or complementarily, the apartment control system can influence and adjust the operation of an electrical appliance directly if the appliance is connected to the system with a communication interface which gives the system access to the settings of the appliance. The appliance may for example be an oven, a dishwasher, a washing machine, a television, a water tap, an alarm system, an air conditioning system, a copy machine, a coffee machine or any other comparable appliance. The influencing / adjusting which the apartment control system performs may comprise turning the appliance on or off or switching the appliance from a high-power state to a low- power state or turning off the water supply from the device. The options described in this paragraph apply to every aspect presented in this disclosure.

The presence indicator is a setting which can be changed and read by the apartment control application. The value of the presence indicator may for example indicate the number of users currently present in the apartment. If only one user uses the apartment, the presence indicator may be a binary home / away variable which simply indicates if the lone user is present in the apartment or absent from the apartment. If multiple users use the same apartment, the presence indicator may be a counter which indicates the number of users currently present in the apartment. The presence indicator may, but does not necessarily have to, indicate which users are currently present and which are not.

Correspondingly, a neighbor presence indicator may indicate the number of persons currently present in one or more neighboring apartments located in the same building.

It is in some buildings possible to leave the building without using the elevator. Keeping track of elevator calls may consequently not always be a fully accurate method for calculating the number of users currently present in an apartment. The presence indicator may therefore alternatively be a variable which indicates a relationship between previously received inbound (persons arriving) and outbound (persons leaving) elevator calls. In setting up the apartment control system, a user or administrator can select their preference for how changes in the presence indicator should be interpreted by the apartment control system. Statistics on how many people use the stairs and how many use elevators may allow the presence indicator to be used as a reasonably accurate approximation for the number of users currently present in the apartment. When the value of this approximate presence indicator is small (for example below 5), the elevator call application or the apartment control system may request confirmation from a user who makes an elevator call as to whether or not said user is the last person who leaves the apartment. The value of the presence indicator may then be set to zero if the user confirms that he or she is the last.

The apartment control system may be configured to update and adjust the value of the presence indicator based on an elevator calls, but it may also update the indicator based on other input, for example data from an entrance monitoring system which keeps track of persons moving into and out of the apartment. The presence indicator options described in the four preceding paragraphs apply to every aspect presented in this disclosure, and they also apply to the neighbour presence indicator.

The apartment setting table may store, for each of the one or more electrical outlets and electrical appliances, several device parameters which relate to said outlet / appliance. These device parameters may also be called setting values. Depending on the outlet or appliance, these device parameters may comprise either binary on / off states or numerical values which range from a minimum value to a maximum value. Each on / off parameter or numerical value specified in the apartment setting table is an available setting which the apartment control system can select and apply to the corresponding device so that the parameter in question is set to the selected value in the device in question.

The apartment setting table may also contain two or more values for the presence indicator. Each value of the presence indicator may be associated with a specific device parameter for each of the one or more electrical outlets and electrical appliances in the apartment, so that the apartment setting table forms a matrix which defines which setting should be applied to each of the one or more outlets and appliances when the presence indicator takes on a given value. The options pertaining to the apartment settings table described in the two preceding paragraphs apply to every aspect presented in this disclosure. The values which are stored for the presence indicator in the apartment setting table do not necessarily have to be linked to every device parameter which the apartment control system can adjust. For example, the apartment control system may be connected to the television so that the settings of the television can be changed through the apartment control system, but the television settings may nevertheless be excluded from the matrix where the different values of the presence indicator are listed. Setting values which relate to other appliances - for example parameters relating to the lamps and the stove - may be included in the table. The apartment control system may then be configured to adjust the settings of these appliances based on the presence indicator, but the settings of the television will not be changed when the presence indicator changes. The options described in this paragraph apply to every aspect presented in this disclosure.

Users may configure the apartment setting table, particularly the desired relationship between the presence indicator and the setting values of each device - according to their own wishes. When the presence indicator changes, the apartment control application may adjust the settings in the manner specified in the apartment setting table. Alternatively, the apartment setting table may be predetermined by the system provider without user input. These options also apply to every aspect presented in this disclosure.

In the method specified in the first aspect in the summary given above, the apartment control system stores in the computer a first apartment setting table which comprises one or more different first apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance. As discussed above, these values correspond to one or more different values of the presence indicator. When the apartment control application receives an elevator call indication signal, it adjusts the value of the presence indicator based on the elevator call indication signal. It then retrieves from the first apartment setting table one or more first apartment setting values which correspond to the adjusted value of the presence indicator, and influences the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance so that it corresponds to the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values.

The step of "influencing the operation of an electrical outlet or electrical appliance" may alternatively be called the step of "adjusting" the operation of said outlet or appliance. As described in more detail below, this influencing / adjusting may for example comprise turning off power, turning on power, or changing a setting in said outlet or appliance.

Figure la illustrates schematically a building where a user 18 uses an apartment control system. In this case the apartment control system includes an apartment control application 11 which runs on a cloud server. The apartment control system further may optionally include an elevator call appliance 14 inside the apartment, or an elevator call button on a control interface in the apartment, through which the user can order an elevator. In this case, the elevator call indication signal 141 may be sent from this appliance / button 14 in the apartment control system to the apartment control application 11 either wirelessly through a WIFI or mobile network connection or via a wired network connection.

Alternatively, no elevator call appliance or button may be present in the apartment, but the user 18 may use a portable user device 12 to make the elevator call. The user device 12 may be a phone, a tablet or any other portable computer device. An elevator call application may be installed on the user device. The elevator call application may be a user application provided in a mobile device which transmits the user's elevator calls to an elevator or an elevator group. In this case the elevator call indication signal 121 may be sent from the user device directly to the apartment control application 11 for example through WIFI or mobile network connection.

The apartment control system may comprise an apartment control unit 13 in the apartment. The apartment control unit 13 is an electrical hardware device which is connected to electrical outlets and appliances in the apartment, such as the electrical outlet 131. This connection may facilitate data transfer to appliances which are run by appliance control software, so that the apartment control unit can simply transmit a setting to the appliance which the appliance control software then implements. Alternatively, the connection between the apartment control unit 13 and the electrical outlet or appliance may simply comprise an electrical connection. The apartment control unit 13 may comprise a switchboard to which one or more outlets or appliances are connected, so that electric power can be turned off and on from each individual electrical outlet or appliance.

In the method illustrated in Figure la, the user 18 is leaving the apartment and sends an elevator call indication signal 121 to the apartment control application. The apartment control system is connected to an elevator control unit 15, which initiates an elevator call sequence based on the request made by the user 18 in the elevator call indication signal, so that elevator car 150 is transferred to the correct floor. The elevator call indication signal does not necessarily have to pass through the apartment control system on its way to the elevator control unit - it could alternatively be sent separately to the elevator control unit 15 and to the apartment control application 11. The elevator may also be equipped with call units 151 and 152 in the stairway and inside the carriage 150.

Figure lb illustrates a situation where the user arrives at the building where the apartment is located. As in figure la, the user can send an elevator call indication signal 121 to the elevator control unit 15 either directly or indirectly. The indirect option is illustrated. Regardless of whether or not the elevator call indication signal 121 passes through the apartment control application 11 on its way to the elevator control unit 15 or not, this signal is sent to the apartment control application 11 so that the settings of the apartment can be changed. The elevator call indication signal 121 may be sent from the user device 12 directly to the apartment control application 11 for example through WIFI or mobile network connection. A door 17 in the building may be equipped with an electronic lock unit or passage monitoring unit 16 which is connected with a wireless or wired network connection to the elevator control unit 15. An elevator call indication signal 161 may alternatively be transmitted from the unit 16 to the elevator control unit when the user 18 opens the door 17 and enters the building. The elevator call indication signal 161 may in this case also be transmitted to the apartment control application 11, and the apartment control system may then adjust the settings of the apartment.

The elevator control unit could also optionally store presence indicators based on elevator calls. These presence indicators could be apartment- specific, or they could be general presence indicators which only estimate how many people are in the building. The elevator control unit could be connected to various apartment control units in the building. The air conditioning, heating or security settings of the building may be updated and applied to all apartments in the building based on a general presence indicator which may for example estimate the number of people that are currently present in the building. In other words, some of the analysis steps ascribed to the apartment control system above could alternatively be performed by the elevator control unit. The elevator control unit may then influence some building-wide settings or apartment-specific settings based on that analysis.

Figure 2a illustrates the method steps performed by the apartment control application: (211) receive an elevator call indication signal, (212) adjust the value of the presence indicator based on the elevator call indication signal, (213) retrieve from the first apartment setting table one or more first apartment setting values which correspond to the adjusted value of the presence indicator and (214) influence the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance so that it corresponds to the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values. Steps 213 - 214 do not necessarily always follow after 212 every time the presence indicator is updated. In an apartment with multiple users, the apartment control application can for example be programmed not to move on to steps 213 - 214 when the presence indicator is adjusted from 5 to 4. The apartment control application can be programmed to move to carry out steps 213 - 214 for example only when the adjusted value of the presence indicator is zero.

The benefit of passing the elevator call signal onward to the apartment control system (in addition to sending it to the elevator control unit) is that users do not have to remember to make changes in the apartment settings every time they leave their home, and users who leave an office do not need to check if they are the last person present, nor do they need to remember what settings the last person should apply. Users simply call an elevator when they want to leave the apartment, and the apartment control application takes care of the rest.

Similarly, when a user arrives at home, she will not wonder why her appliances don't work before realizing that they are turned off - the apartment control application has already turned them on when she entered the building and made the elevator call. The first user to arrive at the office does not have to turn on every appliance - the apartment control application already took care of that based on her elevator call.

More generally, an apartment control system which utilizes elevator calls to update a presence indicator, and updates apartment settings based on that indicator, can save energy and increase safety without burdening users with any extra energy-saving or safety procedures that they should all remember. Users can adjust the settings of the apartment control system if they so wish, but they can alternatively or intermittently pay no attention to the operations of the apartment control system and simply let it operate in the background based on the elevator calls that users make.

Furthermore, once the system has been set up with their desired settings, users no longer need to worry about whether or not they remembered to adjust any specific setting when they left the apartment - if they know that took they took the elevator on their way down, then they also know that the setting was changed. Users may also be able to connect to the apartment control system remotely via their user device, so that they can check the present settings of their apartment from anywhere. In the second aspect mentioned in the summary above, the step of influencing the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance may comprise the step of turning off power from the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance or reducing the power consumption of the electrical appliance. This step may be for example be carried out when the adjusted value of the presence indicator shows that zero persons are (or will soon be) present in the apartment. In other words, the step can be performed when a user leaves the apartment and the presence indicator is adjusted from one to zero.

The step of turning off power from the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance may for example include the step off turning off power from every electrical outlet to which a fire-risk appliance is connected and/or turning off power from a specific fire-risk appliance itself. Fire-risk appliances include for example ovens, toasters and other electrical kitchen appliances, especially when they are adjacent to paper rolls, as well as any other appliance which could be at risk of overheating due to electrical failure. The step of reducing the power consumption of an electrical appliance could for example be applied to an air conditioner or electric ventilation system. These appliances can often be operated with lower effect when nobody is present in the apartment, but they are not necessarily turned off completely.

On the other hand, the step of turning off power from an electric outlet or appliance could also be performed when a user arrives at the apartment and the presence indicator is adjusted from zero to one. An alarm system could for example be turned off.

In the third aspect mentioned in the summary above, the step of influencing the operation of the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance comprises the step of turning on power in the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance. An alarm system or a vacuuming robot can for example be turned on when the last person leaves the apartment and the presence indicator is adjusted to the value zero. The step of influencing or adjusting the operation of an electrical appliance could alternatively comprise the step of changing a setting in said appliance. For example, if the apartment comprises solar windows, the windows could be set to absorb more sunlight - and thereby produce more electricity - when the user leaves the apartment and adjusted back to greater a greater degree of transparency when the user returns to the apartment.

In the fourth aspect mentioned in the summary above the elevator call indication signal may be configured to indicate one of two or more elevator call types, and the one or more first apartment settings in the first apartment setting table may depend also on the elevator call type. The retrieved one or more first apartment setting values may thereby also correspond to the elevator call type received by the apartment control system in the elevator call indication signal. In general, elevator call types can be categorized at least as follows:

- Landing call: a call that indicates only a departure floor and direction information.

- Destination call: a call that indicates both a departure and a destination floor. Landing calls and destination calls can both be transmitted to the apartment control application as elevator call indication signals. However, the apartment control application may be configured not to adjust the presence indicator if it receives an elevator call indication signal which indicates that a destination call has been made to destination floor which is not an exit floor. If a user for example makes a destination call where the destination floor is the attic, then there may be no need to influence the operation of electrical outlets or appliances because the user will likely be returning soon. By including more information in elevator calls, the elevator call types can also be given additional categorizations. The user may for example be offered the opportunity to indicate the duration of her absence when making an elevator call. That is, when leaving the apartment for only a short time, the user may select a short-term-absence elevator call. When leaving for a longer time, the user may select a long-term-absence elevator call.

More precisely, in the fifth aspect mentioned in the summary above the elevator call indication signal may be configured to indicate one of two or more user absence durations. The one or more first apartment settings in the first apartment setting table may be linked to different values of the user absence duration, so that the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance correspond to the user absence duration received by the apartment control application in the elevator call indication signal (in addition to the value of the presence indicator, which they also correspond to).

In other words, the user absence duration may form an additional dimension in the matrix formed by the apartment setting table. As an example, the apartment setting table may for example comprise a first set of apartment settings values which correspond to a short-term absence lasting less than an hour. These apartment setting values may for example determine that lights in the apartment are turned off and the door lock is closed, but nothing more. The apartment setting table may also comprise a second set of apartment settings values which correspond to an intermediate-term absence lasting less than 24 hours. These apartment setting values may for example (alternatively or complementarily to the variables already mentioned with reference to the first set) determine that power is turned off from possible fire-risk appliances and the alarm system is turned off. The apartment setting table may also comprise a third set of apartment settings values which correspond to a long-term absence lasting more than 24 hours. These apartment setting values may for example (alternatively or complementarily to the variables already mentioned with reference to the first and second sets) determine that the air conditioning is turned off and the temperature is turned down, and that water inlets are closed. As before, the user may configure the number of absence duration levels and the corresponding settings in the way that she prefers, or the table may be configured by a system operator. In the sixth aspect mentioned in the summary above the apartment control application is also configured to store in the computer system one or more neighbor presence indicators. The neighboring apartments are located in the same building as the first apartment. The method then also comprises the steps of receiving neighbor elevator call indication signals and adjusting the values of the one or more neighbor presence indicators based on the received neighbor elevator call indication signals. The one or more first apartment setting values in the first apartment setting table further depend on the one or more neighbor presence indicators, and the retrieved one or more first apartment setting values also correspond to the adjusted values of the one or more neighbor presence indicators. The corresponding method may alternatively be performed by an elevator call application running on a portable computer.

In other words, the neighbor presence indicators may form an additional dimension in the matrix formed by the apartment setting table. The apartment setting table may for example comprise a first set of apartment settings values which correspond to less than 10 people present in the building, another second set of apartment setting values which correspond to 10-100 people being present, and a third set of apartment setting values which correspond to more than 100 people being present in the building. The settings which differ between the first, second and third sets may concern appliances which contribute to a collective technical purpose throughout the building, such as a ventilation or heating system which comprises as a local ventilation / heating appliance in each apartment. In the method specified in the seventh aspect in the summary presented above, the presence indicator and the apartment setting table are stored in a portable computer which can be carried by a user. An elevator call application running on the portable computer updates the presence indicator based on the elevator calls the user makes, retrieves the corresponding settings from the table and transmits those settings to an apartment control system. The elevator call application can thereby indirectly influence the operation of at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance in an apartment equipped with the apartment control system. As in the previous embodiments, the presence indicator is stored in the portable computer and the apartment setting table comprises one or more different apartment setting values for the least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance. Said values correspond to one or more different values of the presence indicator. Figure 2b illustrates the steps performed by the elevator call application, which include: (221) receiving an elevator call request as input from the user of the user device where the elevator call application is running,

(222) sending to the elevator a corresponding elevator call signal, and

(223) adjusting the value of the presence indicator based on the elevator call request. The method then comprises the steps of (224) retrieving from the apartment settings table one or more apartment setting values for the at least one electrical outlet or electrical appliance which correspond to the adjusted value of the presence indicator, and (225) sending to the apartment control system an apartment adjustment request comprising the retrieved one or more apartment setting values. Steps 224 - 225 are not necessarily performed each time steps 221 - 223 are performed. The elevator call application may for example be programmed to perform steps 224 - 225 only if the adjusted value of the presence indicator is zero.

The user device can be any kind of user device described above, for example a phone or a tablet. The presence indicator and the apartment setting table can be configured according to any of the options previously presented.

It may be particularly useful to program the monitoring of the presence indicator and the associated steps of apartment control into an elevator call application if the apartment control system itself cannot be easily reprogrammed and integrated with an elevator call system in the manner indicated in figures la and lb.

Figures 3a - 3c illustrate embodiments where elevator call indication signals are also processed by an elevator control application which is separate from the apartment control application. The elevator control application may run on cloud server which may be the same cloud server where the apartment control application is run, or a different cloud server. In figures 3a - 3c reference numbers 31, 32, 321, 33, 331, 34, 341, 35, 350, 351 - 352, 36, 361, 37 and 38 correspond to reference numbers 11, 12, 121, 13, 131, 14, 141, 15, 150, 151 - 152, 16, 161, 17 and 18, respectively, in figures la - lb. In figures 3a - 3b the user who leaves the apartment makes an elevator call either on an elevator call application running on the portable computer 32 or from the elevator call appliance 34. This generates an elevator call indication signal 321 / 341 which is sent to an elevator control application 39 and transmitted to the elevator control unit 35. In figure 3a the portable computer 32 also transmits the elevator call indication signal 321 directly to the apartment control application 31. In figure 3b the elevator control application 39 transmits the elevator call indication signal 321 or 341 to the apartment control application 31. Figure 3c shows the corresponding procedure when the user arrives at the apartment and makes an elevator call either through the passage monitoring unit 36 or through the portable computer 32.

An apartment control system may for example comprise the software and physical connections needed for changing the settings of one or more electrical sockets or electrical appliances and it may be capable of receiving instructions from a portable user device, but it may not be connected to an elevator control system and there may be no possibility of store the presence indicator and apartment settings table in the apartment control application. The elevator call application in the portable user device can in such cases be programmed to perform all functions and method steps which were discussed earlier in this disclosure with reference to the apartment control application. The elevator call application can update the presence indicator based on elevator calls and send instructions to the apartment control system based on the adjusted settings which the application retrieves from the apartment setting table based on changes in the value of the presence indicator.

The eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth aspects presented in the summary correspond the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth aspects discussed above. All options that were discussed above with reference to the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth aspects apply also to the eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth aspects, respectively. The elevator call application may display the current value of the presence indicator and the current settings of the apartment to the user, so that the user can at any time check them.

A computer program product can be provided for enabling temporary interaction between a user device and an apartment control system. The computer program product may comprise computer-executable code that, when executed by a computing device or a computing system, performs steps according to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and/or sixth aspects presented above. A computer program product can be provided for enabling temporary interaction between a user device and an elevator or an elevator group is provided. The computer program product may comprise computer- executable code that, when executed by a computing device or a computing system, performs steps according to the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth or eleventh aspects presented above.

It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that as technology advanced, the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are therefore not restricted to the above examples, but they may vary within the scope of the claims.