Time controlled lock system

Abstract

A lock system, comprising at least one off-line lock and at least one key, e.g. as a key card with encoded data, said lock including an electro/mechanical locking mechanism which can be affected by the key, and a key reader enabled to read the encoded data on the key, memorize said data and compare these data with data stored in the key reader for the purpose of, depending of certain comparable data, affecting the locking mechanism. The data used in the system comprise user identification, lock identification, valid time window and also override criteria e.g. time related criteria for invalidating prior used keys.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a lock system intended for locking rooms to which a limited number of persons are permitted access over a spaced period of time. Such rooms may include hotel rooms, cabinet rooms on ferries and cruise liners, safes and drink cabinets in such guest rooms and other facilities in hotels, lodging properties and ships. The system may also be advantageously used in other type of buildings such as office or other commercial buildings.

PRIOR ART

Conventional locks and keys are not totally satisfactory security devices for such rooms since the keys can be readily stolen or copied. Moreover, the holder of the key is often prone to forget to return it or he may misplace it so the key may be lost when his, or hers, allotted period has expired.

In order to overcome the mentioned disadvantages, especially for hotel rooms, there are several types of card operated locks on the market where the card and lock code can easily be changed for each guest. The electronically operated locks can be operated in a way that the code is automatically changed by issuing a new card to the guest. It is most often operated by the means of a digital code magnetically encoded on the card. The lock reads the code when inserted in the lock and the card informs the lock to accept the new card, or reject it and/or reject the present valid card. Locks of that type are described in e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,447; European Patent No. 122,244; European Patent Application No. 43270; or U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,343.

These prior art lock systems are encumbered with several disadvantages especially when used in hotels and cruise liners where it must be possible to authorize a guest to open a given lock for a specific period of time.

The guest may lose his card or decide to leave the hotel before the end of said period of time. It should therefore be possible in a simple manner to issue a new card for opening the same lock and automatically cancelling the former card before the expiration of said specified period of time. Prior art lock systems also have their shortcomings when there are several card issuing stations geographically apart. A hotel could have e.g. a check-in station at the airport and another at the hotel. A cruise liner could have check in stations ashore and aboard the ship.

In such cases it is desired, as the card issuing stations do not communicate with each other, that one of the stations has override criteria implemented in the code, and it is also desirable to have the opportunity to change this override criterion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this present invention is to provide an improved lock system of the aforementioned kind, which has an improved utility and provides a more simple way of issuing new cards at any time and at different issuing stations not in communication,issuing keys far in advance issuing.

Looked upon as a sequence number (necessary when the lock channel is not free) is time, an ideal sequence number as it is universal and consequently does not need synchronizing between issuing stations.

For example, a travel agent may issue a card in January for a guest valid from the 4th to 6th of July and give the card to the potential guest in January. If this customer later decide not to use the room, the hotel can easily invalidate the card by issuing a new card with a later issuing date and for the same time window. The hotel does not need to have the prior issued card returned.

All key issuings may be done at the time the rooms are booked far in advance and the hotel can avoid the problems of a queue of people waiting for checking in at the front desk. This feature will be very advantageous especially for ferries and cruise ships.

The use of IT (Issuing Time) as OC (Override Criterion) will be advantageous by Resort Hotels where booking and card issuing very often will be done in advance. If, in such a situation, we have a "No show" (customer does not come), the booker will issue a new card for a new guest and due to the later IT he will thus invalidate the prior card when the present card is used the first time. ST is preferably used where the guests arrive in "batches" (ferries, cruise liners, charter hotels, vacation centra, or similar, and in connection with e.g. a ferry operating according to a strict time schedule common for all travellers.

For a normal hotel or motel the ST and IT will normally be close to simultaneous.

The access bit map system will be used if a card holder is given access to several doors in addition to his rented room in a hotel. For example, on the access bit map on his card will then be encoded e.g. Room 303 and Doors A, D, C and E where door A may be to the parking lot, door D to the swimming pool etc.

The black list system could be used to prevent access to certain rooms both for guests and employees. For example, one of the employees could e.g. be denied access to the wine cellar.

An example of useing the weekday bit map could be a charter trip by boat and hotel. It is not unusual that one company runs both ferries and hotels, and in that case a trip could consist of a cabin on boat A on Monday, a two nights stay at the hotel Tuesday and Wednesday and a cabin on boat B for the return on Thursday. Similar arrangements could also be advantageous for hotel chains and for permanent travellers. In this case the weekday bit map will be encoded on the card with validity for: Door-A-property-X-Monday. Door-B-property-Z-Tuesday-Wednesday. Door-C-property-Y-Thursday.

Claims

1. In a lock system including at least one lock and at least one key which is adapted to hold encoded data, the lock having an electrical/mechanical lock mechanism which can be operated by the key and also having means for reading the encoded key data, means for memorizing the key data and means for comparing the key data with data stored in the lock in order to operate the lock mechanism of the lock designated as operable by the key;

the lock and the key both having property codes encoded therein, the property codes of both the key and the designated lock being required to be the same before the key can operate the lock mechanism;

the key having a card identification number encoded thereon;

the key being encoded with a valid time period designated by start and stop work times, during which valid time period the key will be effective to operate at least one lock;

the key being effective to override and invalidate a key which had previously been effective to operate the designated lock;

the improvement comprising:

the key having an issue time encoded thereon at the time of issue; and

the system using time-related override criteria for invalidating the previous key when the key is inserted into the designated lock during the valid time period of the key and when the valid time period of the key overlaps with the valid time period of the previous key, said override criteria being based on a comparison of either the start work time of the keys or the issue time of the keys;

wherein when the start work times are used as the override criterion, a key with a later start work time will override a key with an earlier work time; and

wherein when the issue times are used as the override criterion, a key having a later issue time and a later start work time will override a key having an earlier issue time.

2. The lock system of claim 1 wherein the start work time of the key can e be between one minute and four years after the issue time.

3. The lock system of claim 1 wherein the stop work time of the key can be between one minute and four years after the issue time.

4. The lock system of claim 1 wherein the key further includes a system list encoded thereon corresponding to doors and groups of doors of the system which are operable by the key.

5. The lock system of claim 1 wherein each lock may contain a black list function which lists card identification numbers which corresponds to keys which will not operate the lock.

6. The lock system of claim 1 wherein the system includes more than one property and the key may have encoded data thereon to allow the key to operate designated locks at more than one property.

7. The lock system of claim 1 further comprising the lock having means for reading out the card identification numbers of the keys which have previously operated the lock for a period of time prior to the read-out.

8. The lock system of claim 1 wherein the key further includes an override inhibit function encoded thereon which prohibits the key from being overridden.

9. In a lock system including at least one lock and at least one key which is adapted to hold encoded data, the lock having an eletrical/mechanical lock mechanism which can be operated by the key and also having means for reading the encoded key data, means for memorizing the key data and means for comparing the key data with data stored in the lock in order to operate the lock mechanism of the lock designated as operable by the key, the improvement comprising:

a guest key having an access bit map function, said access bit map function listing doors and groups of doors of the lock system which are operable by the guest key such that the guest key operates more than one non-guest room while still operating one guest room door where said doors have different access code.

10. In a lock system including at least one lock and at least one key which is adapted to hold encoded data, the lock having an electrical/mechanical lock mechanism which can be operated by the key and also having means for reading the encoded key data, means for memorizing the key data and means for comparing the key data with data stored in the lock in order to operate the lock mechanism of the lock designated as operable by the key, the improvement comprising:

(a) a means for supplying said lock with card identification numbers which are in a black list and which will not operate the lock; and

(b) the lock having a black list function, said black list function listing card identification numbers which are in said black list and which correspond to keys which will not operate the lock even though said keys which are in said black list operate other locks.