Elevator hall call system including a programmable adaptable touch screen

An elevator hall call system comprising:

• a programmable, adaptable interface between passengers and a group of elevators serving a plurality of floors of a building, the interface allowing a passenger to place a call for service from outside of the elevators, the interface comprising at least one programmable touch screen that alternatively displays at least one of at least two patterns and responds differently to portions of said patterns being touched by persons in dependence on the meaning of said patterns, said patterns having
• one portion that includes buttons which identify utilization of at least two of the floors of the building, said utilization selected from (a) functions and (b) tenants located on respective floors, and
• another portion that includes buttons selected from (c) ten key destination call buttons, (d) up hall call and down hall call buttons, and (e) N-key destination buttons including one button per selectable floor;
• and
• a controller that causes said at least one touch screen to display one or another of said at least two patterns in dependence on at least one circumstance related to said elevators, said at least one circumstance including at least the identity of a particular passenger in the vicinity of said at least one touch screen, said controller entering a service call in response to any one of said buttons being touched.