- 1 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant/s: Walter Bachmann Actual Inventor/s: Walter Bachmann Address for Service is: SHELSTON IP 60 Margaret Street Telephone No: (02) 9777 1111 SYDNEY NSW 2000 Facsimile No. (02) 9241 4666 CCN: 3710000352 Attorney Code: SW Invention Title: METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTROMECHANICALLY OPERABLE MODULE Details of Associated Provisional Application No. 2007906971 dated 19 Dec 2007 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: File: 55594AUP00 Ia METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTROMECHANICALLY OPERABLE MODULE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for providing an 5 electromechanically operable module, such as an electromechanically lockable cabinet. Embodiments of the invention have been particularly developed for providing a multi drawer lockable cabinet wherein multiple drawers are concurrently progressed from a locked state to an unlocked state by the operation of an electromechanical actuator and/or electronic validation device. Although the invention is described hereinafter with 10 particular reference to such applications, it will be appreciated that the invention is applicable in broader contexts. BACKGROUND Any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such background art is widely known or forms part of 15 common general knowledge in the field. Lockable cabinets traditionally make use of key-operated locking mechanisms. However, across a range of other fields, in recent times there has been a general shift away from the use of conventional key-operated locking mechanisms, with preferences generally tending towards electromechanical access control means, such as swipe cards, proximity 20 readers, and the like. The application of such electromechanical access control means to cabinets has been slow. Where such application has occurred, it has typically been in the context of high-cost high-complexity devices. In particular, the usual approach has been to provide an electromechanically operated locking device on each compartment of a multi compartment cabinet, and provide circuitry for operating those locking devices 25 individually from a central control point. The cost and complexity of such solutions has limited the technology's widespread adoption in the consumer market, particularly for the sorts of cabinets intended for use in a home or office environment. There is a need in the art for improved methods and apparatus for providing an electromechanically lockable cabinet.
2 SUMMARY One embodiment provides a lockable module including: a frame for supporting a plurality of compartments; a locking bar movably mounted to the frame, the locking bar being movable 5 between a first position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in a locked configuration and a second position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in an unlocked configuration; and an actuator that is responsive to an unlock signal for moving the locking bar from the first position to the second position thereby to concurrently progress each of the 10 compartments from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the plurality of compartments includes at least one slidably mounted drawer. One embodiment provides a lockable module 1 wherein the plurality of compartments includes a plurality of slidably mounted drawers. 15 One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the locking bar is, when in the first position, configured to abuttingly engage with each of the drawers thereby to prevent slidable opening of the drawers. One embodiment provides a lockable module including an electronic validation device that is responsive to the successful validation of an access request for providing the 20 unlock signal. One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the electronic validation device includes a swipe card reader for reading data indicative of an access request from a complementary swipe card. One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the electronic validation 25 device includes a proximity card reader for reading data indicative of an access request from a complementary proximity card. One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the electronic validation device includes a keypad for accepting data indicative of an access request. One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the electronic validation 30 device includes a biometric sensor for accepting data indicative of an access request.
3 One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the actuator includes an electromechanically operated deadbolt that is coupled to the locking bar for moving the locking bar from the first position to the second position. One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the deadbolt extends to 5 move the locking bar from the first position to the second position. One embodiment provides a lockable module wherein the electromechanically operated deadbolt is a solenoid deadbolt. One embodiment provides a method for providing electromechanical locking functionality to a mechanically lockable module having a plurality of compartments, the 10 module including a locking bar that is movable between a first position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in a locked configuration and a second position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in an unlocked configuration, the method including the steps of: mounting an actuation assembly to the module, the actuation assembly including an 15 actuator that is responsive to an unlock signal for progressing a movable component from a first location to a second location; coupling the moveable component to the locking bar, such that progression of the movable component from the first location to the second location moves the locking bar from the first position to the second position thereby to concurrently progress each of the 20 compartments from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. One embodiment provides a method wherein the actuation assembly includes an electronic validation device that is responsive to the successful validation of an access request for providing the unlock signal. One embodiment provides a method wherein the actuation assembly includes a 25 electromechanical deadbolt assembly having a conventional locked state and a conventional unlocked state, wherein the locking bar is maintained in the first position when the solenoid deadbolt is in the conventional unlocked state. One embodiment provides a method including the steps of: modifying an electromechanical deadbolt assembly having a conventional locked 30 state and a conventional unlocked state, such that the conventional locked state becomes an 4 operational unlocked state and the conventional unlocked state becomes an operational locked state, thereby to provide the actuation assembly. One embodiment provides a method wherein the electromechanical deadbolt assembly includes a solenoid deadbolt assembly. 5 One embodiment provides a lockable module including: a frame for supporting at least one compartment; a locking bar movably mounted to the frame, the locking bar being movable between a first position wherein the at least one compartment is maintained in a locked configuration and a second position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in an 10 unlocked configuration; and an actuator that is responsive to an unlock signal for moving the locking bar from the first position to the second position thereby to progress the at least one compartment from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. One embodiment provides a lockable module including: 15 a plurality of compartments; and a single electromechanical deadbolt for concurrently progressing the plurality of compartments from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration. One embodiment provides a lockable module including: a plurality of compartments; and 20 a single electromechanical device for concurrently mechanically progressing the plurality of compartments from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration. One embodiment provides a locking bar for a module, the locking bar including: a body that is movably mountable in the module for movement between a first position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in a locked 25 configuration and a second position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in an unlocked configuration; and a portion on the body that is adapted for coupling to an actuator that is responsive to an unlock signal for moving the locking bar from the first position to the second position thereby to concurrently progress each of the compartments from the locked configuration 30 to the unlocked configuration.
5 One embodiment provides a method for modifying an access control device having an actuator that is responsive to an unlock signal for moving from a primary position to a secondary position, the method including: modifying the actuator for coupling to a locking bar according to claim 21. 5 One embodiment provides an actuation assembly for a module, the module including a frame for supporting a plurality of compartments, the actuation assembly including: a body that is mountable to the module; a validation device on the body for receiving data indicative of an access request; 10 an actuator that is: configured to be mechanically coupled to a locking bar that is movably mounted to the frame, the locking bar being movable between a first position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in a locked configuration and a second position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in an unlocked configuration; 15 and electrically coupled to the validation device for receiving an unlock signal from the validation device, the actuator being responsive to the unlock signal for moving the locking bar from the first position to the second position thereby to concurrently progress each of the compartments from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. 20 Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but 25 may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, 30 with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 6 FIG. I schematically illustrates a lockable module, in the form of a cabinet, according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the operation of a locking bar according to one embodiment. 5 FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a locking bar according to one embodiment. FIG. 4A is a partially cut-away front view showing a portion of a lockable module according to one embodiment in an unlocked configuration. FIG. 4B is similar to FIG. 4A, showing a locked configuration. 10 FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of a solenoid and part of a locking bar used for the embodiment of FIG. 4A. FIG. 6A is a partially cut-away front view showing a portion of a prior art lockable module in an unlocked configuration. FIG. 6B is similar to FIG. 4A, showing a locked configuration. 15 FIG. 6C is a partially cut-away front view corresponding to FIG. 6A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Described herein are methods and apparatus for providing an electromechanically operable module. For example, some embodiments take the form of electromechanically lockable cabinets, whilst others take the form of components for lockable cabinets (such as 20 locking bars, actuators, validation devices, and so on) and methods for providing lockable cabinets (including methods for modifying existing cabinets). In overview, a general theme underlying the present embodiments is to provide a cabinet that is lockable/unlockable by electromechanical means, as opposed to a conventional "lock-and key" arrangement. To that end, use is made of an actuator that is responsive to an unlock 25 signal for unlocking a cabinet. One embodiment provides a lockable cabinet including a frame for supporting a plurality of compartments. A locking bar is movably mounted to the frame, the locking bar being movable between a first position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in a locked configuration and a second position wherein each of the plurality of compartments is maintained in an unlocked configuration. 30 The actuator is responsive to the unlock signal for moving the locking bar from the first 7 position to the second position thereby to concurrently progress each of the compartments from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. The term "electromechanically lockable", as used herein, refers to a situation where locking and/or unlocking occurs subject to the operation of a powered device. This allows 5 such locking/unlocking to occur subject to processing of data, such as the validation of an access request. A particular distinction is made with respect to purely mechanically lockable cabinets, where locking and/or unlocking occurs subject to a mechanical procedure only, such as the turning of a physical key. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a lockable module according to one embodiment, in 10 the form of a cabinet 101. Cabinet 101 includes a frame 102 for supporting a plurality of compartments, these presently taking the form of slidably mounted vertically spaced drawers 103. Each drawer 103 includes a respective handle 104 for allowing a user to outwardly slide and thereby open that drawer. A locking bar 105 is movably mounted to the frame 102. This locking bar is movable between a first position and a second position, 15 as schematically illustrated by arrow 106. This movement is in a plane generally normal to the axis along which the drawers are slidable. In FIG. 1, the locking bar is shown in the first position. When locking bar 105 is maintained in the first position, each of drawers 103 are maintained in a locked configuration. That is, outward sliding movement is prevented, and 20 as such the drawers are not able to be opened. When locking bar 105 is maintained in the second position, each of drawers 103 is maintained in an unlocked configuration. In this configuration, the drawers are able to be opened (for example, a given drawer is opened by pulling its handle 104. In some embodiments a secondary locking mechanism prevents opening of one or 25 more of the drawers although the locking bar is in the second position. For example, it is known for some cabinets to include a safety feature to restrict the opening of multiple drawers concurrently. It will be appreciated that such an approach assists in reducing risks associated with a cabinet falling over due to inappropriate weight distribution caused by the opening of multiple drawers. Such approaches are implemented in some embodiments 30 of the present invention. However, from a terminology perspective, it is considered that a 8 drawer is maintained in the "unlocked configuration" whenever locking bar 105 is in the second position, irrespective of the operation of secondary locking mechanisms. Although drawers 103 are illustrated as being of uniform height, this need not be the case. Additionally, in some embodiments the cabinet includes one or more 5 compartments that are not lockable by way of the locking bar. Cabinet 101 includes an electromechanical actuator 108, in this case being a linear actuator. This actuator is responsive to an unlock signal for moving locking bar 105 from the first position to the second position. This has the effect of concurrently progressing each of the compartments from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. 10 Although examples described herein use the example of a cabinet including compartments in the form of vertically spaced drawers, it will be appreciated that other forms of cabinet are present in further embodiments. These include, but are not limited to cabinets having either or both of slidably openable compartments (such as drawers, where the sliding is substantially horizontal) and hingedly openable compartments (such as 15 lockers). Compartments are spaced horizontally and/or vertically. It will be recognized that the geometric configuration of a locking bar will vary depending on the nature of cabinet. However, on the basis of the common general knowledge and teachings herein, one skilled in the art will recognize how to design an appropriate locking bar (particularly a locking bar that provides the necessary functionality based on the movement of a liner 20 electromechanical actuator). Actuator 108 is coupled to an electronic validation device 109, and is responsible for providing the unlock signal. In overview, a user provides to validation device 109 data indicative of an access request. Validation device 109 validates this access request to determine whether or not an unlock signal should be provided to actuator 108. 25 Specifically, an unlock signal is only provided in the case of successful validation. In the case of failed validation, no such signal is provided and the compartments remain in the locked configuration. In the present embodiment actuator 108 and validation device 109 are provided by an actuation assembly 110. In the illustrated embodiment, this actuation assembly is 30 mounted to cabinet 101, with mounting hardware concealed within the cabinet such that dismounting requires access to the inside of the cabinet. In some embodiments this 9 mounting is performed as part of a retrofitting exercise, as discussed further below. In some embodiments the actuation assembly is integral with cabinet 101, optionally being provided wholly or partially within the cabinet. A power supply (not shown), which may include either or both of a local power source (such as a battery) and a connection to an 5 external power source (such as mains power), is provided to allow operation of the actuation assembly. The term "validation device" should be read to include any device that is capable of processing an access request and, subject to that processing, either providing or not providing an unlock signal. For example, a validation device might include any device 10 having a processor coupled to a memory module, an input, and an output. A signal indicative of an access request is received via the input, processed by the processor in conjunction with the memory module, and an unlock signal selectively provided by way of the output. The term "unlock signal" should be afforded an equally broad interpretation, 15 covering any means by which an actuator might be controlled. In some cases the unlock signal is a digital signal indicative of an instruction. In other embodiments it is a variation in power, voltage and/or current. In some cases it is an analogue signal. In some cases the unlock signal is defined by an absence of signal (e.g. a "lock signal" is continually provided, and the unlock signal is defined by an absence of the lock signal). 20 Generally speaking, validation includes processing the access request to determine whether predefined conditions are satisfied for successful validation. For example, successful validation may occur where an alphanumeric string identified from an access request corresponds to an alphanumeric string stored in onboard memory maintained by the validation device. Several examples of validation devices used in various 25 embodiments are considered below. * In some embodiments the validation device includes (or operates in conjunction with) a reader device for reading an identifier provided by a portable substrate. This identifier is indicative of the access request. For example, the reader device might be configured to read an identifier carried by way of a magnetic strip, 30 barcode, RFID tag (or other proximity-based tag), smartcard, USB key (or other flash memory device), or the like.
10 * In some embodiments the validation device includes (or operates in conjunction with) a user-input device, such as keypad, touch screen, or the like. The user provides an access request by interacting with this user input device, for example by entering an access code, username/password combination, answering a question 5 communicated by way of a display, or the like. * In some embodiments the validation device includes (or operates in conjunction with) one or more biometric sensors for obtaining biometric information from a user (such as fingerprints/iris information/voice information/etc). This biometric information essentially forms part of an access request. 10 e In some embodiments the validation device includes (or operates in conjunction with) an input for receiving a signal from a remote device, such as a cell phone, PDA, laptop/desktop computer, or the like. It will be appreciated that this is not an exclusive list, and that in further embodiments other validation devices are used. These and other examples of validation 15 devices will be recognized generally from the field of access control. In fact, as discussed further below, some embodiments of the present invention leverage hardware inherently adapted for access control functionalities. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 respectively provide a schematic side and top views illustrative of the manner by which locking bar 105 operates in one embodiment. In this example, 20 drawer 103 includes a sidewall 201, and a formation 202 extends laterally from this sidewall. In some embodiments this formation is (or forms part of) a steel drawer rail for facilitating sliding movement of the drawer with respect to the frame (thereby to facilitate opening and closing via slidable movement). In other embodiments, such a formation serves an alternate purpose, or is provided specifically for the purpose of interacting with 25 the locking bar. As shown by arrow 106, in the first position (indicated by dashed lines) locking bar 105 is configured to abuttingly engage with formation 202, thereby to prevent slidable opening of that drawer. In the second position (indicated by solid lines) the drawer is free to be opened. In embodiments where a vertically extending locking bar is similarly 30 laterally located with respect to a plurality of like drawers (as shown in FIG. 1) it will be 11 appreciated that movement between the first and second position locks/unlocks those drawers concurrently. In some embodiments the locking bar interacts with a portion of the drawer other than a formation at the sidewall. For example, in some embodiments the locking bar 5 interacts with the sidewall directly, with a formation provided at a rear wall of the drawer, with the rear wall of the draw directly, with a formation provided at a front wall of the drawer, or with the front wall of the draw directly. It will be appreciated that, within the scope of the present disclosure, there is a wide range of further possible approaches for providing abutting engagement between a drawer and locking bar. Furthermore, although 10 movement of the illustrated locking bar includes both a vertical and horizontal component, in other embodiments there is only a single one of these components. For example, in one embodiment the locking bar moves only vertically, and is keyed (or includes protruding locking tabs) along one edge in manner to provide engagement with the drawers only when in the first position. 15 FIGs. 4A and 4B illustrate a similar embodiment in more detail. In overview, a cabinet 401 includes a frame 402 for supporting a plurality of compartments (not shown), such as vertically spaced drawers. An actuation assembly 403 is mounted to the frame, and includes a validation device 404 for providing an unlock signal to an actuator 405. This actuator is mechanically coupled to a locking bar 406, and is configured to progress 20 the locking bar between a first position (shown in FIG. 4A) wherein the cabinets are maintained in a locked configuration, and a second position wherein the cabinets are maintained in an unlocked configuration (shown in FIG. 4B). In this embodiment, validation device 404 includes a swipe card reader for reading data indicative of an access request from a magnetic strip provided on a swipe card. The 25 swipe card is inserted into an aperture 408, and data indicative of the access request read. This data is processed to validate the access request. In the case of successful validation, an unlock signal is provided to actuator 405. A set of LED lights 409 provides output to the user to indicate events such as "failed validation", "failure reading magnetic strip" and "successful validation". 30 Actuator 405 includes an electromechanical linear actuator that moves along a vertical axis. For the sake of the present example, actuator 405 includes a solenoid 410, 12 such as is common in the context of solenoid deadbolts. In its default state, solenoid 410 is maintained in the configuration of FIG. 4A (such that the compartments are locked). Upon the receipt of an unlock signal from validation device 404, the solenoid progresses along its axis to the configuration of FIG. 4B (such that the compartments are unlocked). 5 The nature of the unlock signal varies depending on the nature of the solenoid. Solenoids of this nature are commonly used in deadbolt applications, and are defined as "failsafe" and "non-failsafe". In the case of failsafe solenoid deadbolts, the deadbolt is locked when energized and unlocked when not energized. In the case of non-failsafe solenoid deadbolts, the deadbolt is unlocked when energized and locked when not 10 energized. This follows through to the present application. That is: e For a failsafe cabinet (i.e. one where the compartments are locked in the case of a power failure), the solenoid should be maintained in the configuration of FIG. 4A when not energized, and maintained in the configuration of FIG. 4B when energized. 15 0 For a non-failsafe cabinet (i.e. one where the compartments are unlocked in the case of a power failure), the solenoid should be maintained in the configuration of FIG. 4A when energized, and maintained in the configuration of FIG. 4B when not energized. In some embodiments of a failsafe cabinet, the unlock signal includes a supply of 20 current which is used to energize solenoid 410, and in doing so cause it to progress from the configuration of FIG. 4A to that of FIG. 4B. This current is provided for a predetermined period to maintain the cabinet in the unlocked state for the duration of that period. This period might be defined in terms of time (for example a matter of second or minutes), or in terms of an event (the activation of a "lock" button, the closing of all 25 compartments, etc). In one embodiment, the cabinet remains in an unlocked state for a period during which a swipe card remains in the swipe card reader. That is, the cabinet unlocks when a valid swipe card is inserted, and locks responsive to removal of that swipe card. In another embodiment, a "two-swipe" approach is used, whereby a swipe card is used to progress the 30 cabinet from the locked state to the unlocked state, and from the unlocked state to the 13 locked state. That is, a user swipes an appropriate card to unlock the cabinet, and later re swipes that card to lock the cabinet. Solenoids suitable for the present purposes, and associated wiring techniques, will be known to those skilled in the art. It will be appreciated that conventional solenoid S technology is suitable for the present purposes, for example in the field of solenoid deadbolt technology. Although various examples described herein deal with the use of solenoids, this is for the sake of example, only and should not be regarded as limiting in any way. In some embodiments other uses of magnetism and/or resilient bias are present. In another 10 example, the unlock signal drives an electric motor which directly or indirectly moves the locking bar. In the present embodiment, upward movement of the actuator results in vertically upward and horizontally sideward movement of locking bar 406. It will be appreciated that it is the sideward component of the movement that is most responsible for the 15 locking/unlocking of compartments. In the present arrangement locking bar 406 includes a catch 420 that is maintained in an aperture 421 formed in solenoid 410. FIG. 5 provides a sectional view orthogonal to that of FIG. 4A to show the solenoid and locking bar in more detail. It will be appreciated that aperture 421 extends horizontally though solenoid 410 along an axis substantially 20 parallel to the plane of the locking bar such that the locking bar is able to slide along that axis with respect to the solenoid. A guide pin 422 is provided on frame 402 for engaging with a guide track aperture 423 formed in locking bar 406 such that vertical movement of the solenoid is converted to both vertical and horizontal movement of the locking bar. Furthermore, edge 424 of the locking bar is profiled to guide the locking bar horizontally 25 with respect to the solenoid. In the present embodiment catch 420 is of a lesser lateral dimension with respect to the lower portion of locking bar 406. This assists in containing diametrical size requirements on the solenoid, whilst maintaining integrity in the overall locking functionality. 30 In some embodiments the geometry of guide track 423 is mirrored about a horizontal axis. It will be appreciated that, in such an arrangement, the relationship 14 between solenoid positions and locked/unlocked compartment configurations are reversed with respect to the illustrated example. Such a guide track geometry is able to convert a conventional failsafe solenoid deadbolt assembly for use in a non-failsafe cabinet. However, it will be appreciated that firmware modifications may be necessary in respect of 5 an existing valuator device provided in the actuator assembly such that successful validation progresses the solenoid from the configuration of FIG. 4B to that of FIG. 4A (i.e. opposite to the illustrated example). Furthermore, it will be appreciated that similar considerations apply in the event that the solenoid is installed upside-down with respect to the present examples. 10 It will be appreciated that the example of FIG. 4A and 4B is well suited to cabinets including compartments in the form of drawers, as dealt with further above. In one such embodiment, the locking bar extends vertically within the cabinet, supported by the frame, with clearance at the top and bottom, adjacent a front corner of the cabinet. The frame includes a guide means for keeping the locking bar substantially parallel to the front faces 15 of the drawers. Movement of the locking bar between the first and second positions is, in this manner, in a plane parallel to the front faces of the drawers. FIGs. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate a prior art cabinet 601, generally as described in the immediately preceding paragraph, including a locking bar 602. This cabinet includes various features present in examples considered further above, and similar reference 20 numerals are used. However, cabinet 601 is not configured to be locked/unlocked by electromechanical means. Rather, it includes a mechanical lock assembly 603. A complementary key is inserted into assembly 603 and turned to move a pivot pin 604 through an angle of approximately 180 degrees. As shown in FIG. 6A and 6B, the movement of this pin progresses the locking bar in a manner to lock/unlock the cabinet, 25 substantially in a similar manner to examples considered above. One embodiment provides a method for retrofitting a cabinet such as cabinet 601 to make use of an electromechanical actuator assembly. This method initially includes removing assembly 603 (which includes pin 604). This exposes an aperture in the front of the cabinet, which is optionally sealed with an appropriate plug. Locking bar 602 is then 30 replaced with a locking bar 406, or modified such that it can be mechanically coupled to an appropriate actuator (for example, in the manner shown in FIG. 5). In this manner, the 15 locking bar extends vertically beyond the conventional top of the cabinet at region 605. An actuator assembly is mounted to the top of the cabinet at region 605 (in some embodiments the locking bar is coupled to the actuator assembly prior to mounting of either component to the cabinet). This essentially converts cabinet 601 to a cabinet having 5 the functionality of cabinet 401. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that this is achieved in a straightforward and cost effective manner. As foreshadowed, in some embodiments existing access control equipment is used to provide an actuation assembly as described herein. For example, an existing electromechanical locking assembly for a door may be used. In one example, a 10 conventional solenoid deadbolt and associated validation device is used. These are mounted within a secure container, which is able to be mounted to an existing cabinet, substantially as shown in the example of FIG. 4A. The existing solenoid piston is replaced with a modified solenoid piston having corresponding dimensions, but modified to include an aperture or other formation for coupling to the locking bar (for example by way of an 15 aperture 420 for receiving a catch 421). The disclosure above deals with various methods and apparatus for providing an electromechanically lockable cabinet. Embodiments of these are particularly advantageous as a result of their inherent simplicity. For example, there is no need to provide electrical wiring throughout a cabinet, or expensive actuation assemblies at each of the 20 compartments. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining", analyzing" or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a an electronic computing device, that manipulates and/or 25 transforms data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other data similarly represented as physical quantities. In a similar manner, the term "processor" may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data, e.g., from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that, e.g., may be stored in registers and/or 30 memory.
16 It should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This 5 method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on 10 its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following 15 claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. 20 As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner. 25 In the claims below and the description herein, any one of the terms comprising, comprised of or which comprises is an open term that means including at least the elements/features that follow, but not excluding others. Thus, the term comprising, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to the means or elements or steps listed thereafter. For example, the scope of the expression a device comprising A and 30 B should not be limited to devices consisting only of elements A and B. Any one of the terms including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that 17 also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising. Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term coupled, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to direct connections only. The terms "coupled" and 5 "connected," along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Thus, the scope of the expression a device A coupled to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other 10 devices or means. "Coupled" may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further 15 modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted 20 to methods described within the scope of the present invention.