CN212488793U - Key ring and key ring management device - Google Patents

Abstract

Key ring and key ring management device. The key ring includes: a key holder including two ends; a housing, the key holder being connected to the housing and being movable relative to the housing between a fixing position, in which both ends of the key holder are inserted into the housing, and a disengaged position, in which at least one end of the key holder can leave the housing; a key holder locking device movable between a locking position in which at least one end of the key holder is locked into or onto the housing and a releasing position in which at least one end of the key holder is removable from the housing; and a controller disposed within the housing and electrically and/or communicatively coupled to the key holder locking device to control movement of the key holder locking device between the locked position and the released position.

Description

Key ring and key ring management device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of key management, and in particular, to a key fob, a key fob management apparatus, a key fob management method, a key fob management system, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background

Many rental companies or intermediary companies today need to keep keys for many rentals, real estate. Most typically, many property owners will delegate the handling of a property broker when selling or renting a house, where the keys of the house are given to the property broker for management and the broker is authorized to see the house with the keys.

However, the personal custody of keys by authorized brokers may lead to various problems and risks, such as the easy loss and inability to retrieve a key after loss, the inability to monitor and track keys and users of keys, the borrowing of keys by unauthorized persons, and the like. These problems and risks can cause significant economic losses to the owners and serious negative impacts to the intermediary companies.

To avoid or mitigate the above-mentioned problems or risks, centralized management of these keys is required. The prior art has disclosed a number of methods and apparatus for centrally managing keys. For example, CN109741504A discloses a key management box, a key fob, a key management device and a key management method capable of centrally managing keys, EP2597626a1 discloses a key management box, CN106228661A discloses a portable key management box, a key management system and a use method, and CN107997414A discloses a modular key locker based on RFID technology. The above-described problems and risks remain with the devices, systems, and methods for centrally managing keys disclosed in these prior art.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide improved apparatus, systems, and methods for centralized management of keys.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a key fob for detachably holding one or more keys, the key fob comprising: a key holder including two ends; a housing, the key holder being connected to the housing and being movable relative to the housing between a secured position, in which both ends of the key holder are inserted into the housing, and a disengaged position, in which at least one end of the key holder is able to exit the housing; a key holder locking device movable between a locking position in which at least one end of the key holder is locked into or onto the housing and a releasing position in which at least one end of the key holder is removable from the housing; and a controller disposed within the housing and electrically and/or communicatively coupled to the key holder locking device to control movement of the key holder locking device between the locked position and the released position.

According to the first aspect described above, the key holder further comprises a key holder ejection device that elastically urges the key holder in a direction to eject the key holder from the housing, so that the key holder ejection device can push the key holder out of the housing when the key holder locking device is in the release position to release the key holder.

According to the first aspect described above, the key holder has the first leg, the second leg, and the connecting portion connecting the first leg and the second leg, the key holder locking device includes the actuator and the lock member that can be driven by the actuator to move between the lock position where the lock member is engaged with the lock member engaging portion to prevent the key holder from moving from the fixing position to the disengagement position, and the release position where the lock member is disengaged from the lock member engaging portion to allow the key holder to move from the fixing position to the disengagement position.

According to the first aspect described above, the lock piece engaging portion is provided on the first leg and/or the second leg at a position opposed to the lock piece when the key holder is in the fixed position.

According to the above first aspect, the actuator is a rotary driver that drives the locking member through at least a part of the cam surface thereof to move the locking member between the locking position and the releasing position; or the actuator is a linear drive driving the locking member between the locking position and the release position.

According to the above first aspect, the key holder locking device further comprises a biasing member for biasing the locking member toward the first leg and/or the second leg provided with the locking member engaging portion. The biasing element may comprise a resilient biasing element, such as a spring.

According to the first aspect described above, the lock piece engaging portion is a smooth concave portion, and the portion of the lock piece that engages with the lock piece engaging portion is a smooth convex portion that is complementary in shape to the smooth concave portion.

According to the first aspect described above, the key fob further comprises a key holder position sensor for detecting at least the fixed position and the disengaged position of the key holder and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder to the controller.

According to the first aspect described above, the key fob further comprises a key holder locking device position sensor for detecting at least a locking position and a release position of the key holder locking device and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder locking device to the controller.

According to the first aspect, the key ring further comprises a positioning device for detecting the position of the key ring, and the positioning device sends the detected position information to the controller.

According to the first aspect above, the key fob further comprises a wired and/or wireless communication device electrically connected to the controller.

According to the first aspect, the key fob further includes a power source.

According to the first aspect described above, the key fob further comprises a housing anti-tamper feature that is permanently broken in response to the housing being opened and/or sends a signal to the controller indicating that the housing is being opened unauthorizedly and/or is configured to prevent the first and second housing components of the housing from being re-assembled together after the housing anti-tamper feature is permanently broken.

According to the first aspect described above, the housing tamper-evident feature comprises first and second housing tamper-evident features respectively provided on the first and second housing parts, the first and second housing tamper-evident features snap together when the first and second housing parts are connected to one another to form the housing such that separation of the first and second housing parts from one another causes permanent destruction of at least one of the first and second housing tamper-evident features.

According to the first aspect described above, the key fob further comprises a key holder tamper-evident feature that is permanently broken in response to the key holder being moved to the disengaged position when the key holder locking means is in the locked position and/or sends a signal to the controller indicating that the key holder is unauthorised opened.

According to the first aspect, the key ring further comprises: a key holder position sensor for detecting at least a fixed position and an unlocked position of the key holder and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder to the controller; and a key holder locking device position sensor for detecting at least a locking position and a releasing position of the key holder locking device and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder locking device to the controller; wherein the controller is configured to determine that the key holder is unauthorized opened and/or in an abnormal state in response to receiving the signal that the key holder is in the disengaged position and receiving that the key holder locking device is in the locked position.

According to the first aspect above, the key fob further comprises a visual indicator and/or an audible indicator electrically connected to the controller.

According to the first aspect above, the key fob further comprises a memory that stores one or any of the following information: identity information for uniquely identifying the key fob; usage information of the key fob; information of a key on the key holder; information of the time allowed to use the key fob.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a key ring management device for managing the above-mentioned key ring, the key ring management device comprising: a box body; at least one key fob holder disposed in the box and releasably holding the key fob, the key fob holder having a key fob locking device movable between a locked position in which the key fob is locked in the key fob holder and an open position in which the key fob is removable from the key fob holder; and a control device disposed within the case and electrically connected to the key fob locking device to control movement of the key fob locking device between the locked and unlocked positions.

According to the second aspect, the control device is in communication and/or electrical connection with the key fob via an interface provided in the key fob holder.

It should be understood that reference to a communication connection in this disclosure includes various wired or wireless communication connections.

According to the second aspect, the key ring management device further comprises a key ring ejecting device, wherein the key ring ejecting device elastically pushes the key ring in the direction of ejecting the key ring from the key ring accommodating seat, so that the key ring ejecting device can push the key ring out of the key ring accommodating seat when the key ring locking device is in the open position.

According to the second aspect described above, the key fob locking device comprises a key fob locking device actuator and a key fob locking device locking member, the key fob locking device locking member being drivable by the key fob locking device actuator to move between the locking position in which the key fob locking device locking member cooperates with a key fob locking device locking member cooperating portion on the housing of the key fob to lock the key fob in the key fob receiving seat and the opening position in which the key fob locking device locking member is separated from the key fob locking device locking member cooperating portion to allow removal of the key fob from the key fob receiving seat.

According to the second aspect described above, the key fob locking device actuator is a rotary actuator and cooperates with the key fob locking device lock by at least part of its cam surface to drive the key fob locking device lock between the locked position and the open position; or the key fob locking device actuator is a linear actuator.

According to the second aspect described above, the key fob locking device lock comprises at least one substantially L-shaped locking arm, a first end of the at least one substantially L-shaped locking arm cooperating with and driven by the key fob locking device actuator, a second end of the at least one substantially L-shaped locking arm being arranged at both sides of the housing of the key fob parallel to the direction in which the key fob is released from the key fob receiving seat; wherein in the locked position of the key fob locking device lock, the second end of the at least one generally L-shaped locking arm enters into the key fob locking device lock mating portions on the two sides of the housing of the key fob to lock the key fob in the key fob receiving seat; and wherein in the open position of the key fob locking device lock, the second end of the at least one generally L-shaped locking arm clears the key fob locking device lock mating portion to allow the key fob to be released from the key fob holder.

According to the second aspect described above, the key fob locking device further comprises a resilient return member that is compressed and urges the key fob locking device locking member towards its locking position when the key fob locking device locking member is in the open position.

According to the second aspect, the key ring management device further comprises a key ring position sensor, wherein the key ring position sensor is used for at least detecting whether the key ring is positioned in the key ring accommodating seat and sending a signal indicating whether the key ring is positioned in the key ring accommodating seat to the control device.

According to the second aspect above, the key fob management device further includes one or any more of: a wired communication device and/or a wireless communication device; fingerprint recognition means and/or face recognition means and/or image scanning means; a visual indicator and/or an audible indicator; a display screen; and a user input device.

According to the second aspect, the key ring management device further comprises a memory, the memory storing one or any more of the following information: identity information for uniquely identifying the key fob management device; usage information of the key fob management device; address information of the key fob management device; information of a key fob that is correlated with the key fob management device; information of keys on a key fob associated with the key fob management device; the key ring management device comprises a key ring accommodating seat, a key ring storage seat and a key ring storage seat, wherein the key ring accommodating seat is arranged in the key ring accommodating seat; information of time allowed to use the key fob management device.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of managing the key fob described above, the key fob being stored in the key fob management apparatus described above, the method comprising: receiving a key borrowing request of a user, wherein the key borrowing request comprises identity information and information of a key to be borrowed of the user; verifying identity information of the user; and responding to the passing of the identity information verification of the user, determining the identity information of the target key ring management device where the key to be borrowed is located according to the identity information of the target key ring where the key to be borrowed is located, and sending an instruction for popping up the target key ring to the target key ring management device.

According to the above third aspect, the method further comprises: and in response to the identity information of the user is not verified, sending a prompt and/or storing the identity information of the user and/or the identity information of the target key ring.

According to the third aspect, the identity information of the user comprises one or more of: fingerprint information, facial image information, two-dimensional code information, and/or sound information.

According to the above third aspect, the method further comprises: after the instruction of ejecting the target key ring is sent, the position information of the key ring is received and recorded.

According to the above third aspect, the method further comprises: comparing the position information of the target key ring with the target address information of the target key ring, and responding to the fact that the position information of the target key ring deviates from the target address information, and sending out warning information; and/or comparing path information defined by a plurality of position information of the target key ring with the target address information, and issuing warning information in response to determining that the path information of the target key ring deviates from the target address information.

According to the third aspect, the method further comprises a key ring returning step, wherein the key ring returning step comprises: detecting key ring identity information inserted into a key ring accommodating seat of the key ring management device; verifying identity information of the inserted key ring; in response to the verification of the identity information of the key fob passing, issuing an indication to lock the key fob and associating the identity information of the key fob with the identity information of the inserted key fob receiving seat.

According to the above third aspect, the method further comprises: in response to the verification of the identity information of the key fob failing, issuing an indication to eject the inserted key fob by the key fob management device and/or issuing a warning message.

According to the third aspect, verifying the identity information of the inserted key fob comprises verifying whether the identity information of the key fob is the identity information of the key fob associated with the key fob management device.

According to the third aspect, the method further comprises a key fob lending step, the key fob lending step comprising: receiving a key ring lending request, wherein the key ring lending request comprises identity information of a lending requester and identity information of a user associated with a target key ring to be lent; verifying the identity information of the user and the identity information of the borrowing requester; and in response to the verification of the identity information of the user and the identity information of the lending requester, associating the identity information of the lending requester with the target key ring.

According to the above third aspect, the method further comprises a key holder opening step including: receiving an opening request for opening the key holder, wherein the opening request comprises identity information of a user and key ring identity information corresponding to the key holder to be opened; verifying identity information of a user; and responding to the verification of the identity information of the user, and sending an opening instruction for opening the key holder to the key ring corresponding to the identity information of the key ring according to the identity information of the key ring.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a key fob management system comprising: a processor; and a memory storing a program comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the above method.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable storage medium storing a program, the program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the above-mentioned method.

Drawings

The technical solution of the present disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, wherein:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a key fob according to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the key fob shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the key holder in a disengaged position;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows the key holder in a fixed position;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a key fob management device according to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a perspective view showing one key fob receiving seat in the key fob management device shown in fig. 7, into which a key fob is inserted and locked;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the key fob locked in the key fob holder;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the key fob being ejected from the key fob receiving station;

figures 12 and 14 show a perspective view of the key fob locking device in a locked state;

figures 13 and 15 show a perspective view of the key fob locking device in a released state; and

fig. 16 shows a flow chart of a method according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Specific details of the present disclosure are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Structures, elements, and their operation well known to those skilled in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the technical solutions described and claimed in the specification. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the technical solutions described and illustrated in the present description are not limiting examples, and that specific structural and functional details disclosed are representative and exemplary. Modifications and variations may be made to these aspects without departing from the scope of protection defined in the claims.

A particular feature, structure, or characteristic described or illustrated in connection with one embodiment may be combined in whole or in part with features, structures, or characteristics of one or more other embodiments to yield new aspects.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1 to 6, there is provided a key fob 100 for detachably holding one or more keys 110, the key fob 100 comprising: a key holder 120, said key holder 120 being substantially U-shaped and having a first leg 121, a second leg 122 and a connecting portion 123 connecting said first leg 121 and second leg 122; a housing 130, said key holder 120 being connected to said housing 130 and being movable with respect to said housing 130 between a fixed position (as shown in fig. 1, 5 and 6) in which both said first leg 121 and said second leg 122 of said key holder 120 are inserted into said housing 130, and a disengaged position (as shown in fig. 3 and 4) in which said second leg 122 of said key holder 120 can be moved away from said housing 130 while said first leg 121 remains inside said housing 130. It should be understood that in the disengaged position, both the first leg 121 and the second leg 122 of the key holder 120 may also be clear of the housing 130.

Key fob 100 also includes key holder locking device 140, the key holder locking device 140 being movable between a locked position (see fig. 5 and 6) in which the key holder 120 is locked to the housing 130 and a released position (see fig. 3 and 4) in which the key holder 120 is movable from the housing 130.

It should be understood that although in fig. 1-6, key holder locking device 140 is located within housing 130, key holder locking device 140 may also be located outside of housing 130, such as on key holder 120. The present disclosure does not limit the position of the key holder locking device 140 as long as the key holder 120 can be locked and released with respect to the housing 130.

As shown in fig. 2 to 6, the key holder locking device 140 includes an actuator 141 and a locking member 142 that is driven by the actuator 141 to move between the locking position and the releasing position, and the first leg 121 is provided with a locking member engaging portion 121a that engages with the locking member 142. In the present embodiment, the locking piece engaging portion 121a is a smooth concave portion, and the portion of the locking piece 142 that engages with the locking piece engaging portion 121a is a smooth convex portion complementary in shape to the smooth concave portion. In the locking position (see fig. 5 and 6), the smooth convex portion of the locking piece 142 engages with the locking piece engaging portion 121a to prevent the key holder 120 from moving from the fixing position (shown in fig. 1, 5 and 6) to the disengagement position (shown in fig. 3 and 4), and in the release position (see fig. 3 and 4), the smooth convex portion of the locking piece 142 is separated from the locking piece engaging portion 121a to allow the key holder 120 to move from the locking position (shown in fig. 1, 5 and 6) to the disengagement position (shown in fig. 3 and 4).

In this embodiment, the lock piece engaging portion 121a is provided on the first leg 121 at a position opposite to the lock piece 142 when the key holder 120 is in the fixed position (as shown in fig. 1, 5, and 6), so that the key holder 120 can be locked by the key holder locking means 140 only when the first leg 121 and the second leg 122 are inserted into the corresponding holes in the housing 130 and reach their fixed positions, respectively. Thereby avoiding a possible erroneous locking situation, for example, when only the first leg 121 is inserted into the corresponding hole in the housing 130 while the second leg 122 is located outside the housing 130 (since the key holder 120 can be turned about the first leg 121 as a pivot axis in the disengaged position shown in fig. 3 and 4), even when the first leg 121 is inserted into the housing 130 to the same depth as that shown in fig. 5 and 6, the key holder 120 cannot be locked in the housing 130 because the locking piece engaging portion 121a does not oppose the smooth convex portion of the locking piece 142. This may indicate to the user that the key lock 120 is not properly locked and that further adjustment of its position and angle is required in order to properly lock.

Note that "smooth" here means that the cross section of the locking piece engaging portion 121a and the smooth convex portion is a shape without edges, such as a circle, an ellipse, a parabola, and the like, instead of a rectangle, a triangle, and the like having edges. By providing the smooth concave portion (the locking piece engaging portion 121a) and the smooth convex portion, it is possible to securely lock the key holder 120 to the housing 130 while preventing the locking piece 142 from being jammed in the locking piece engaging portion 121a due to the key holder 120 being pulled by an external force.

Although fig. 2-6 show only the first leg 121 having a lock member engaging portion 121a provided thereon for locking the key holder 120 within the housing 130, it will be appreciated that a similar lock member engaging portion may be provided on the second leg 122.

As shown in fig. 2 to 6, the actuator 141 is a rotary driver, such as a motor, which drives the locking member 142 through at least a part of the cam surface 141a thereof to move the locking member 142 between the locking position and the releasing position. It should be understood that the actuator 141 may also be a linear drive, such as a linear motor, to directly drive the locking member 142 between the locking position and the releasing position.

As shown in fig. 4 and 6, the key holder locking device 140 further includes a biasing member 143 for biasing the locking member 142 toward the first leg 121 provided with the locking member engaging portion 121 a. The pushing member 143 includes a push rod 143a, a shutter 143b provided at one end of the push rod 143a and contacting the locking member 142, and an elastic member 143c provided around the push rod 143 a. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the actuator 141 drives the pushing member 143 by a part of the cam surface 141a thereof, and the pushing member 143 pushes the locking member 142 to engage the smooth convex portion of the locking member 142 with the locking member engaging portion 121a, thereby positioning the locking member 142 at the locking position; when the actuator 141 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in fig. 6 to the position shown in fig. 4, the partial cam surface 141a thereof no longer applies a force to the pressing member 143, and then the stopper 143b no longer applies a force to the locking member 142, so that the locking member 142 can be separated from the locking member engaging portion 121a, thereby allowing the key holder 120 to move to the disengagement position.

It should be understood that although fig. 4 and 6 show the pushing element 143 and the locking member 142 as two separate elements, the pushing element 143 and the locking member 142 may be an integral element. Furthermore, the elastic member 143c may be omitted because the elastic member 143c serves to increase or decrease the pushing force of the push rod 143a to the locking member 142.

The key fob 100 further includes a key holder ejection device (not shown) that resiliently urges the key holder 120 in a direction to eject the key holder 120 from the housing 130 such that the key holder 120 can be pushed out of the housing 130 when the key holder locking device 140 is in a release position to release the key holder 120. For example, the key holder eject device may be a spring that is compressed by the first leg 121 and/or the second leg 122 when the key holder 120 is in the fixed position (as shown in fig. 1, 5, and 6).

As shown in fig. 2, key fob 100 according to the present disclosure further includes a controller 150 disposed within housing 130 and electrically and/or communicatively coupled to key holder locking device 140 to control movement of key holder locking device 140 between the locked and released positions.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the key fob 100 also includes a key holder position sensor 160 for detecting at least the secured position and the disengaged position of the key holder 120 and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder 120 to the controller 150. For example, the key holder position sensor 160 may determine whether the key holder 120 is in the fixed position or the disengaged position by detecting the position of the first leg 121 and/or the second leg 122.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the key fob 100 may further include a key holder locking device position sensor (not shown) for detecting at least the locking and releasing positions of the key holder locking device 140 and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder locking device 140 to the controller 150.

As a possible embodiment, the key fob 100 further comprises a positioning device (not shown) for detecting the position of the key fob 100, which transmits the detected position information of the key fob to the controller 150. It should be understood that the positioning device may include, but is not limited to, a GPS system, a beidou system, a GLONASS system ("GLONASS" system), or a Galileo system ("Galileo" system), and may also be a device that acquires position information based on a communication base station, WiFi, or the like.

In addition, in order to enable the key fob 100 to, for example, receive external instructions and transmit its own data information (e.g., location information) and the like to a remote management system, the key fob 100 may further include a wired communication device and/or a wireless communication device electrically connected to the controller 150 and a power source (e.g., a battery) to power the key fob 100.

As a possible implementation, the key fob 100 may also include a housing anti-tamper feature (not shown) that is permanently broken in response to the housing 130 being opened and/or sends a signal to the controller 150 indicating that the housing 130 is opened without authorization. As a possible embodiment, the housing anti-tamper part may also be configured to prevent the first and second housing parts 131, 132 of said housing 130 from being assembled together again after the housing anti-tamper part has been permanently broken.

As a possible embodiment, said housing anti-tamper means comprises a first and a second housing anti-tamper means provided on said first and second housing part 131, 132, respectively, which snap together when said first and second housing part 131, 132 are connected to each other to form a closed housing 130, such that said first and second housing part 131, 132 are separated from each other causing permanent destruction of at least one of the first and second housing anti-tamper means. For example, the first and second housing anti-tamper components may be hooks that can snap into each other in a direction in which the first and second housing components 131, 132 snap, such that when the first and second housing components 131, 132 are separated in a direction opposite to the direction of snap, at least one of the first and second housing anti-tamper components will break.

Similarly, the key fob 100 may also include a key holder tamper-evident feature (not shown) that is permanently broken in response to the key holder 120 being moved to the disengaged position when the key holder locking device 140 is in the locked position and/or sends a signal to the controller 150 indicating that the key holder is unauthorized to be opened.

In addition to being able to determine whether the housing and key holder are unauthorized to open by the housing tamper-evident feature and key holder tamper-evident feature described above, alternatively or in addition, the controller 150 may be configured to determine that the key holder 120 is unauthorized to open and send a warning signal to an administrator of the key fob 100 or a remote server in response to receiving a signal from a key holder position sensor that the key holder 120 is in the disengaged position and receiving a signal from a key holder locking device position sensor that the key holder locking device 140 is in the locked position.

It will be understood that the construction and operation of the various sensors described above are known per se to those skilled in the art and therefore will not be described in detail herein.

As a possible implementation, the key fob 100 may further include a visual indicator (e.g., one or more indicator lights that may emit different colors of light) and/or an audible indicator (e.g., a speaker) electrically connected to the controller 150 for communicating a notification related to the status of the key fob 100. The status of the key fob 100 includes, but is not limited to: the key holder 120 and/or housing 130 of the key fob 100 being opened without authorization, such as by a constantly lit red indicator light; a low battery for the key fob 100, such as by a flashing green light; the key fob 100 is in an abnormal use state, such as the key fob 100 being out of position from a predetermined use position, such abnormal use state may be indicated by a flashing red indicator light, and so forth. For those situations in which serious consequences may be encountered (e.g., unauthorized opening of the key holder 120 and/or housing 130, or deviation of the key fob 100 from the intended use position, etc.), a sharp noise or voice announcement may be used to alert a person in the vicinity of the key fob 100 while the red indicator light is indicating.

In addition to indicating the various states of the key fob 100 via visual and/or audible indicators as described above, the various states and information of the key fob 100 may be transmitted to a remote server, a manager of the key fob 100, an owner of the keys carried by the key fob 100, etc. via a wired or wireless network connection for recording and viewing the state and information of the key fob 100, e.g., the manager of the key fob 100, the owner of the keys carried by the key fob 100, etc. may view the state of the key fob 100, the location it is in, information of the broker who is borrowing the key fob, etc. in real time.

In addition, the key fob 100 may also include a memory (not shown) that may store other information for the key fob in addition to the identity information used to uniquely identify the key fob. For example, the memory of the key fob 100 may store usage information of the key fob, such as a key for indicating whether the key fob is a key for holding a house for rental or a house for sale, by which different control rules, such as lending rules, returning rules, etc., may be formulated for different key fobs. For another example, the memory of the key fob 100 may also store information about the time the key fob is allowed to be used, thereby preventing the key fob from being used (e.g., loaned) during non-use times of the key fob 100. For another example, the memory may store information of a key on the key holder, and the information of the key on the key holder may be, for example, an ID of the key, for example, an ID of a specific room of a specific building of a specific cell or an ID of a store in which the key is described.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 7 to 15, there is provided a key fob management device 200 for managing the key fob 100 described above. The key fob management device 200 includes: a case 210; a plurality of key fob holders 220, the key fob holders 220 being disposed in the case 210 and fixed to the fixing bars 211 in the case 210 and releasably holding the key fob 100, the key fob holders 220 having key fob locking devices 240, the key fob locking devices 240 being movable between a locked position (see fig. 10) in which the key fob 100 is locked in the key fob holders 220 and an unlocked position (see fig. 11) in which the key fob can be removed from the key fob holders 220; and a control device 230, wherein the control device 230 is disposed in the case 210 and electrically connected to the key fob locking device 240 to control the movement of the key fob locking device 240 between the locked position (see fig. 10) and the unlocked position (see fig. 11). The control device 230 is communicatively and electrically connected to the interface 170 of the key fob 100 via an interface 231 disposed in the key fob holder 210.

As shown in fig. 9 to 13, the key fob management device 200 further includes a key fob ejection device 250 having a spring, the key fob ejection device 250 elastically pushing the key fob 100 in a direction to eject the key fob 100 from the key fob receiving seat 220 such that the key fob ejection device 250 can push the key fob 100 out of the key fob receiving seat 220 when the key fob locking device 240 is in an open position (see fig. 11, 13, and 15) releasing the key fob 100.

The key fob management device 200 further includes a separately provided key fob location sensor (not shown) for at least detecting whether the key fob 100 is located in the key fob holder 220 and sending a signal to the control device 230 indicating whether the key fob 100 is located in the key fob holder 220. Alternatively or additionally, the control device 230 may determine whether the key fob 100 is in the key fob receiving seat 220 by detecting the position of the key fob ejection device 250, and/or the control device 230 may determine whether the key fob 100 is in the key fob receiving seat 220 by detecting the contact status of the interface 231 with the interface 170 of the key fob 100.

By using at least two different ways to determine whether the key fob 100 is in the key fob receiving seat 220, it can be more accurately determined whether the key fob 100 is in the key fob receiving seat 220, avoiding false detections when one of the detection ways fails or is subject to fraud by unauthorized personnel. For example, an unauthorized person may push the key fob shooter 250 with debris, and if only determining whether the key fob 100 is in the key fob receiving seat 220 by detecting the position of the key fob shooter 250 is employed, a false detection will result, and the unauthorized person may use the key fob 100 without any restriction. In contrast, if it is determined whether the key fob 100 is located in the key fob receiving seat 220 by detecting the position of the key fob ejector 250 and the contact state of the interface 231 with the interface 170 of the key fob 100, it is easy to recognize the above-mentioned behavior of an unauthorized person and obtain a more accurate determination result.

As shown in fig. 8-15, the key fob locking device 240 includes a key fob locking device actuator 241 and a key fob locking device lock formed of a pair of generally L-shaped locking arms 242. The key fob locking device actuator 241 is a rotary actuator and cooperates with at least a portion of its cam surface 243 with a pair of generally L-shaped locking arms 242. It should be understood that the key fob locking device actuator 240 may also be a linear actuator.

The pair of substantially L-shaped locking arms 242 is movable between the locked position (see fig. 8, 10, 12 and 14) and the open position (see fig. 11, 13 and 15) by a cam surface 243 of the key fob locking device actuator 241. Specifically, as shown in fig. 10 to 15, the first end parts 2421 of the pair of substantially L-shaped locking arms 242 are engaged with and synchronously driven by the cam surfaces 243 of the key buckle locking device actuator 241, and the second end parts 2422 of the pair of substantially L-shaped locking arms 242 are disposed at both sides of the housing 130 of the key buckle 100 in parallel with the direction in which the key buckle is ejected from the key buckle receptacle, and in the locking position of the key buckle locking device lock (see fig. 8, 10, 12 and 14), the second end parts 2422 of the pair of substantially L-shaped locking arms 242 enter the grooves (key buckle locking device lock engaging parts) 180 on both sides of the housing 130 of the key buckle 100 to lock the key buckle 100 in the key buckle receptacle 220. In the open position of the key fob locking device locks (see fig. 11, 13, and 15), the second ends 2422 of the pair of generally L-shaped locking arms 242 clear the recess 180 to allow the key fob ejector 250 to release the key fob 100 from the key fob receptacle 220.

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, the pair of substantially L-shaped locking arms 242 of the key buckle locking device 240 are further provided with resilient return members 244. When the generally L-shaped locking arm 242 is in the open position (fig. 15), the resilient return 244 is compressed and urges the first end 2421 of the generally L-shaped locking arm 242 toward the latched position (fig. 14) of the generally L-shaped locking arm 242.

As a possible embodiment, the cam surface 243 is shaped such that the first end portions 2421 of the pair of generally L-shaped locking arms 242 do not exert any rotational torque on the cam surface 243 in the locked position (fig. 14) and the open position (fig. 15). In this way, in both the locked position and the open position, the cam surface 243 is in a static position, so that no additional structure needs to be provided to keep the key fob locking device 240 in both the locked position and the open position. This not only simplifies the structure of the key fob locking device 240 but also improves the reliability of its locking and unlocking.

Although a pair of generally L-shaped locking arms 242 are shown in fig. 12-15, it should be understood that only an odd number (e.g., 1, 3, 5, etc.) of generally L-shaped locking arms 242 may be provided, and that more pairs (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc.) of generally L-shaped locking arms 242 may be provided.

The key fob management device 200 may also include wired and/or wireless communication devices (not shown) electrically connected to the control device 230 for receiving external signals, such as instructions from a remote server, and for sending signals, such as information indicating the status of the key fob management device 200, the key fob 100, etc., to an administrator of the key fob management device 200 or to a remote server.

The key fob management device 200 may also include a fingerprint recognition device and/or a facial recognition device and/or an image scanning device electrically connected to the control device 230 for collecting identity information of a user operating the key fob management device 200 for proper authorization, authentication, etc.

The key fob management device 200 can also include a visual and/or audible indicator 260 electrically connected to the control device 230 to provide a visual or audible indication to the user. In addition, the key fob management device 200 can also include a display screen 270 and a user input device (not shown), such as a keyboard, a mouse, a two-dimensional code scanner, an identification card reader, etc., that are electrically connected to the control device 230. It should be understood that the display 270 may be a touch sensitive display, thereby functioning as a user input device.

Similar to the key fob 100, the key fob management device 200 may also include a memory (not shown) that may store other information for the key fob management device 200 in addition to the identity information used to uniquely identify the key fob management device 200. For example, the memory of the key fob management device 200 may store usage information of the key fob management device 200, for example, a key fob indicating whether the key fob management device 200 is used for holding keys for houses for rental or for holding keys for houses for sale, and by using the usage information, different control rules, such as loan rules, return rules, and the like, may be established for different key fob management devices 200. For another example, the memory of the key fob management device 200 may store information on the time permitted to use the key fob management device 200, thereby preventing the key fob from being lent from the key fob management device 200 during the non-use time of the key fob management device 200. In addition, the memory may also store, for example: address information of the key fob management device 200, for example, address information of a store in which the key fob management device 200 is located; information of a key fob associated with the key fob management device 200; information of keys on a key fob with which the key fob management device 200 is associated; whether the key fob 100 is in each key fob receiving seat 220 of the key fob management device 200, and so on.

According to the present disclosure, there is also provided a method of managing a key fob 100, the key fob 100 being stored in the key fob management device 200. As shown in fig. 16, the method includes: receiving a key borrowing request of a user at step S100, wherein the key borrowing request comprises identity information and information of a key to be borrowed of the user; at step S110, the identity information of the user is verified; in step S120, in response to the verification of the identity information of the user, determining the identity information of the target key ring management device where the key to be borrowed is located according to the identity information of the target key ring where the key to be borrowed is located, and sending an instruction to pop up the target key ring to the target key ring management device; and at step S130, in response to the identity information of the user not being verified, sending a prompt and storing the identity information of the user and the identity information of the target key ring. According to the present disclosure, the identity information of the user includes one or more of: fingerprint information, facial image information, two-dimensional code information, and/or sound information.

In the above method according to the present disclosure, only an authorized person is allowed to acquire the key fob 100 from the key fob management device 200 by verifying one or more biometric information including fingerprint information, facial image information, two-dimensional code information, and sound information. In addition, when an unauthorized person attempts to acquire the key fob 100 from the key fob management device 200, it is possible to record the identity information of the unauthorized person and the information of the key fob he attempted to acquire to retrieve at a later time when it is needed.

It should be understood that, at step S120, the identity information of the user and the identity information of the target key fob may also be recorded so as to query the identity information of the person who is using the target key fob.

In addition, at step S120, after the key fob ejection command is transmitted, the location information of the key fob is received and recorded so as to track the location information of the key fob taken away. Further, step S120 may further include comparing the location information of the key fob with the target address information of the key fob, and issuing a warning message in response to determining that the location information of the key fob deviates from the target address information. Here, the destination address information refers to address information of a lock (or a house) corresponding to a key carried by the destination key ring.

Alternatively or additionally, step S120 may further include comparing path information defined by a plurality of location information of the key fob with target address information of the key fob, and issuing a warning message in response to determining that the path information of the key fob deviates from the target address information.

It should be appreciated that, in addition to detecting whether a borrowed key fob is properly used based on target address information of the target key fob (e.g., the house address corresponding to the key carried by the target key fob), the method according to the present disclosure may also determine whether a borrowed key fob is properly used by monitoring the time of key lending. For example, if it takes 30 minutes for traffic time from the location of the key fob management device 200 to the destination address information of the destination key fob and the normal room-viewing time is 1 hour, when it is detected that the time for which the key is lent has significantly exceeded the normal traffic time and room-viewing time described above, it may be determined that the key fob is improperly used and a warning message is issued.

According to the disclosure, the method further comprises a key fob management device registration step comprising: receiving a key ring management device registration request, wherein the key ring management device registration request comprises key ring management device identity information and key ring accommodating seat identity information associated with the key ring management device identity information; verifying the key ring management device identity information; and responding to the verification of the key ring management device identity information, recording the key ring management device identity information and key ring containing seat identity information associated with the key ring management device identity information.

According to the present disclosure, the method further comprises a key fob registration step comprising: receiving a key ring registration request, wherein the key ring registration request comprises key ring identity information; and/or detecting key ring identity information of a key ring inserted into a key ring accommodating seat of the key ring management device; verifying the key ring identity information; and responding to the verification of the key ring identity information, and associating the key ring identity information with the key ring management device identity information and the key ring containing seat identity information of the key ring containing seat into which the key ring is inserted.

According to the present disclosure, the method further comprises a key fob return step, the key fob return step comprising: detecting a key fob inserted into a key fob receiving seat of the key fob management device; verifying identity information of the inserted key ring; in response to the verification of the identity information of the key fob passing, issuing an indication to lock the key fob and associating the identity information of the key fob with the identity information of the inserted key fob receiving seat. In the key fob returning step, in response to the failure of the key fob identification information verification, issuing an indication to eject the inserted key fob by the key fob management device and/or issuing a warning message.

Alternatively, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the key fob returning step may include: locking the key fob in response to the key fob being inserted into the key fob receiving seat; verifying identity information of the inserted key ring; in response to the verification of the identity information of the key fob, associating the identity information of the key fob with the identity information of the inserted key fob holder. In addition, in the key fob returning step, in response to the failure of the verification of the key fob identification information, an instruction to eject the inserted key fob by the key fob management device is issued and/or a warning message is issued. In this embodiment, since the key fob is locked upon detection of the insertion of the key fob, it is ensured that the interface in the key fob holder is reliably communicatively and electrically connected to the interface of the key fob in order to read the identity information of the key fob, then to perform a verification and to carry out a corresponding operation depending on the result of the verification.

In the key fob returning step, verifying the identity information of the inserted key fob comprises verifying whether the identity information of the key fob is the identity information of the key fob associated with the key fob management device. In this way, it is possible to prevent the wrong key fob from being inserted into the key fob management device, thereby resulting in the wrong key fob not being inserted.

According to this disclosure, the method further includes a key ring lending step, the key ring lending step including: receiving a key ring lending request, wherein the key ring lending request comprises identity information of a lending requester and identity information of a user associated with a target key ring to be lent; verifying the identity information of the user and the identity information of the borrowing requester; and in response to the verification of the identity information of the user and the identity information of the lending requester, associating the identity information of the lending requester with the target key ring. In this way, when multiple brokers borrow the same key fob in succession, the broker information that is using the key fob can be accurately recorded and the broker is prevented from lending the key fob to an unauthorized broker.

In addition, the key fob lending step may be restricted to being performed only in certain locations, for example the key fob lending step may be allowed to be performed only in one or more of the following locations:

1) at the key fob management device, since the key fob management device is typically located in a store, proper monitoring of key fob lending activities may be performed;

2) the method comprises the following steps of (1) arranging a key ring at a house corresponding to a key carried by the key ring;

3) the method comprises the following steps that a traffic route from a key ring management device to a house corresponding to a key carried by the key ring is taken.

The safety of key ring borrowing can be obviously improved by limiting the position of the key ring transferring step.

According to the present disclosure, the method further comprises a key holder opening step comprising: receiving an opening request for opening a key holder, wherein the opening request comprises identity information of a user and identity information of a key ring corresponding to the key holder to be opened; verifying identity information of a user; and responding to the verification of the identity information of the user, and sending an instruction for opening the key holder to the key ring corresponding to the identity information of the key ring according to the identity information of the key ring.

After the house corresponding to the key carried by the key ring is sold and rented, the key carried by the key ring needs to be replaced. In addition, during the sale and lease of the house, the keys carried by the key ring may need to be added or replaced. Therefore, it is necessary to unlock the key holder of the key buckle to operate the key carried by the key holder. According to the present disclosure, the user identity information needs to be verified when the key holder is opened, and only after the user identity information is verified, the key holder is allowed to be opened, thereby significantly improving the security of the key ring, and preventing the key ring from being opened by unauthorized persons, thereby resulting in the inability to monitor the use of the key carried by the key ring.

According to the present disclosure, there is also provided a key ring management system, the key ring management system comprising: a processor; and a memory storing a program comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the above method. Additionally, the present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the above-described method.

According to this disclosure, above-mentioned key ring identity information, key ring management device identity information, key ring hold a seat identity information can be can uniquely discern key ring, key ring management device, key ring hold any information of seat, and identity information can be identity information that can not falsify, also can be that repeated modification and write in the key ring, key ring management device, key ring hold the identity information in the seat.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the controller 150, the control apparatus 230, and the electronic device described above may be any computing device configured to perform processing and/or computing, and may be, but are not limited to, a workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, an in-vehicle computer, or any combination thereof. For example, the computing device may include a bus, one or more processors, one or more input devices, and one or more output devices. The one or more processors may be any type of processor and may include, but are not limited to, one or more general purpose processors and/or one or more special purpose processors (e.g., special purpose processing chips). The input device may be any type of device capable of inputting information to a computing device and may include, but is not limited to, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone, a fingerprint recognition device, an image recognition device, a voice recognition device, and/or a remote control. Output devices may be any type of device capable of presenting information and may include, but are not limited to, a display, speakers, a video/audio output terminal, a vibrator, and/or a printer. The computing device may also include or be connected with a non-transitory storage device, which may be any storage device that is non-transitory and that may enable data storage, and may include, but is not limited to, a magnetic disk drive, an optical storage device, solid state memory, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, an optical disk or any other optical medium, a ROM (read only memory), a RAM (random access memory), a cache memory, and/or any other memory chip or cartridge, and/or any other medium from which a computer may read data, instructions, and/or code. The computing device may also include a communication device. The communication device may be any type of device or system that enables communication with external devices and/or with a network, and may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and/or a chipset, such as a bluetooth (TM) device, an 1302.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax device, a cellular communication device, and/or the like.

It should also be understood that the foregoing method may be implemented in a server-client mode. For example, a client may receive data input by a user and send the data to a server. The client may also receive data input by the user, perform part of the processing in the foregoing method, and transmit the data obtained by the processing to the server. The server may receive data from the client and perform the aforementioned method or another part of the aforementioned method and return the results of the execution to the client. The client may receive the results of the execution of the method from the server and may be presented to the user, for example, through an output device.

Although embodiments or examples of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the methods, systems, and apparatus described above are merely exemplary embodiments or examples and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments or examples, but only by the claims as issued and their equivalents. Various elements in the embodiments or examples may be omitted or may be replaced with equivalents thereof. Further, the steps may be performed in an order different from that described in the present disclosure. Further, various elements in the embodiments or examples may be combined in various ways. It is important that as technology evolves, many of the elements described herein may be replaced with equivalent elements that appear after the present disclosure.

Claims (25)

1. A key fob (100) for removably retaining one or more keys, the key fob (100) comprising:

a key holder (120) comprising two ends;

a housing (130), the key holder (120) being connected to the housing and being movable relative to the housing (130) between a secured position, in which both ends of the key holder (120) are inserted into the housing (130), and a disengaged position, in which at least one end of the key holder (120) can be moved away from the housing (130);

a key holder locking device (140) movable between a locking position in which at least one end of the key holder (120) is locked into or onto the housing and a releasing position in which at least one end of the key holder (120) is removable from the housing (130); and

a controller (150) disposed within the housing (130) and electrically and/or communicatively connected to the key holder locking device (140) to control movement of the key holder locking device between the locked and released positions.

2. The key fob (100) of claim 1, further comprising a key holder ejection device that resiliently urges the key holder (120) in a direction to eject the key holder (120) from the housing such that the key holder ejection device is capable of ejecting the key holder (120) from the housing when the key holder locking device (140) is in a release position to release the key holder.

3. The key fob (100) of claim 1, wherein the key holder (120) has a first leg (121), a second leg (122), and a connecting portion (123) connecting the first and second legs; and is

The key holder locking device (140) includes an actuator (141) and a lock member (142) that is movable by the actuator between a locking position in which the lock member (142) cooperates with the lock member engaging portion (121a) to prevent the key holder (120) from moving from the fixed position to the disengagement position and a releasing position in which the lock member (142) is separated from the lock member engaging portion (121a) to allow the key holder (120) to move from the fixed position to the disengagement position, the lock member (142) being provided on the first leg (121) and/or the second leg (122) with a lock member engaging portion (121a) that cooperates with the lock member.

4. The key fob (100) of claim 3, wherein the lock engagement portion (121a) is disposed on the first leg (121) and/or the second leg (122) at a position opposite the lock (142) when the key holder (120) is in the secured position.

5. A key fob (100) according to claim 3, wherein the actuator (141) is a rotary drive which drives the locking element (142) by means of at least part of its cam surface (141a) to move the locking element (142) between the locking position and the release position; or the actuator (141) is a linear drive driving the locking member (142) between the locking position and the releasing position.

6. Key ring (100) according to claim 3 characterized in that said key holder locking means (140) further comprises a biasing element (143) for biasing said locking element (142) towards said first leg (121) and/or second leg (122) provided with said locking element engaging portion (121 a).

7. The key fob (100) of claim 3, wherein the lock engagement portion (121a) is a smooth recess and the portion of the lock (142) that engages the lock engagement portion (121a) is a smooth protrusion of complementary shape to the smooth recess.

8. The key fob (100) of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the key fob (100) further comprises a key holder position sensor (160) for detecting at least a fixed position and a disengaged position of the key holder and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder (120) to the controller (150).

9. The key fob (100) of any of claims 1-7, further comprising a key holder locking device position sensor to detect at least a locked position and a released position of the key holder locking device (140) and to send a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder locking device (140) to the controller (150).

10. The key fob (100) of any of claims 1-7, further comprising a location device that detects a location of the key fob, the location device sending detected location information to the controller (150); and/or

A wired communication device and/or a wireless communication device electrically connected to the controller (150); and/or

A visual indicator and/or an audible indicator electrically connected to the controller (150).

11. The key fob (100) of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the key fob (100) further comprises a housing anti-tamper feature that is permanently destroyed in response to the housing being opened and/or sends a signal to the controller indicating that the housing (130) is opened without authorization; and/or the housing anti-tamper component is configured to prevent the first and second housing components (131, 132) of the housing (130) from being re-assembled together after the housing anti-tamper component is permanently broken.

12. The key fob (100) of claim 11, wherein the housing anti-tamper features include a first housing anti-tamper feature disposed on the first housing component (131) and a second housing anti-tamper feature disposed on the second housing component (132), the first and second housing anti-tamper features snap together when the first and second housing components are connected to one another to form the housing such that separation of the first and second housing components from one another causes permanent destruction of at least one of the first and second housing anti-tamper features.

13. Key ring (100) according to any of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the key ring (100) further comprises a key holder tamper-proof means which is permanently broken in response to the key holder (120) being moved to the disengaged position when the key holder locking means is in the locked position and/or sends a signal to the controller (150) indicating that the key holder (120) is unauthorizedly opened.

14. The key fob (100) of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the key fob (100) further comprises:

a key holder position sensor for detecting at least a fixing position and a release position of the key holder (120) and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder (120) to the controller (150); and

a key holder locking device position sensor for detecting at least a locking position and a releasing position of the key holder locking device (140) and sending a signal indicative of the detected position of the key holder locking device (140) to the controller (150);

wherein the controller (150) is configured to determine that the key holder (120) is unauthorized opened and/or in an abnormal state in response to receiving a signal that the key holder (120) is in the disengaged position and receiving that the key holder locking device (140) is in the locked position.

15. The key fob (100) of any of claims 1-7, wherein the key fob (100) further comprises a memory that stores one or any number of the following information:

identity information for uniquely identifying the key fob;

usage information of the key fob;

information of a key on the key holder;

information of the time allowed to use the key fob.

16. A key fob management device (200) for managing a key fob (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, the key fob management device (200) comprising:

a case (210);

-at least one key fob containing seat (220) arranged in the box (210) and releasably containing the key fob (100), the key fob containing seat (220) having a key fob locking device (240) movable between a locked position in which the key fob (100) is locked in the key fob containing seat (220) and an open position in which the key fob (100) can be removed from the key fob containing seat (220); and

a control device (230) disposed within the housing (210) and electrically connected to the key fob locking device (240) to control movement of the key fob locking device (240) between the locked and unlocked positions.

17. The key fob management device (200) according to claim 16, wherein the control device (230) is communicatively and/or electrically connected to the key fob (100) via an interface (231) provided in the key fob holder (220).

18. The key fob management device (200) of claim 16, further comprising a key fob ejection device (250), the key fob ejection device (250) resiliently urging the key fob in a direction to eject the key fob from the key fob receiving seat (220) such that the key fob ejection device (250) is capable of ejecting the key fob (100) from the key fob receiving seat (220) when the key fob locking device (240) is in an open position.

19. The key fob management device (200) of claim 16, the key fob locking device (240) comprising a key fob locking device actuator (241) and a key fob locking device lock, the key fob locking device lock being drivable by the key fob locking device actuator (241) to move between the locked position and the open position, in the locked position, the key fob locking device locking member cooperates with a key fob locking device locking member mating portion (180) on a housing (130) of the key fob (100) to lock the key fob (100) in the key fob receiving seat (220), in the open position, the key fob locking device lock is disengaged from the key fob locking device lock mating portion (180) to allow removal of the key fob (100) from the key fob receiving seat (220).

20. The key fob management device (200) according to claim 19, wherein the key fob locking device actuator (241) is a rotary actuator and cooperates with the key fob locking device lock by at least a portion of its cam surface (243) to drive the key fob locking device lock to move between the locked position and the open position; or the key fob locking device actuator (241) is a linear actuator that drives the key fob locking device lock between the locked position and the open position.

21. The key fob management device (200) of claim 20, wherein the key fob locking device lock comprises at least one substantially L-shaped locking arm, a first end (2421) of the at least one substantially L-shaped locking arm cooperating with and driven by the key fob locking device actuator (241), a second end (2422) of the at least one substantially L-shaped locking arm being disposed at two sides of the housing (130) of the key fob (100) parallel to a direction of release of the key fob (100) from the key fob holder (220);

wherein in the locked position of the key fob locking means lock, the second end (2422) of the at least one substantially L-shaped locking arm enters the key fob locking means lock mating part (180) on both sides of the housing (130) of the key fob (100) to lock the key fob (100) in the key fob holder (220);

in the open position of the key fob locking device locks, the second end (2422) of the at least one generally L-shaped locking arm exits the key fob locking device lock mating portion (180) to allow the key fob (100) to be released from the key fob receiving seat (220).

22. The key fob management device (200) of claim 20, wherein the key fob locking device (240) further comprises a resilient return member (244) compressed and urging the key fob locking device locker toward the locked position thereof when the key fob locking device locker is in the open position.

23. The key fob management device (200) according to any one of claims 16 to 22, further comprising a key fob position sensor for detecting at least whether the key fob (100) is located in the key fob receiving seat (220) and sending a signal to the control device (230) indicating whether the key fob is located in the key fob receiving seat (220).

24. The key fob management device (200) according to any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the key fob management device (200) further comprises one or any plurality of:

a wired communication device and/or a wireless communication device;

fingerprint recognition means and/or face recognition means and/or image scanning means;

a visual and/or audible indicator (260);

a display screen (270);

a user input device.

25. The key fob management device (200) according to any one of claims 16 to 22, further comprising a memory storing one or any of the following information:

identity information for uniquely identifying the key fob management device;

usage information of the key fob management device;

information of a time allowed to use the key fob management device;

address information of the key fob management device;

information of a key fob that is correlated with the key fob management device;

information of keys on a key fob associated with the key fob management device;

each key ring containing seat of the key ring management device contains information of whether a key ring is in the key ring containing seat or not.

Images