EP1546496A1

EP1546496A1 - Security system and lock

Info

Publication number: EP1546496A1
Application number: EP03787512A
Authority: EP
Inventors: John Barry Hughes; David Andrew Fowler
Original assignee: Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2002-08-15
Filing date: 2003-08-15
Publication date: 2005-06-29
Also published as: AU2002950803A0; CA2495583A1; WO2004016888A1; RU2005107000A; PL374159A1; BR0313488A

Abstract

A security system and lock having particular application to venues with many gaming machines. The system allows the locks on any or all of the gaming machines to be electronically unlocked from a central controller. The individual locks may also have an electronic reader responsive to electronic/magnetic keys so that individual machines can be unlocked and the identity of the keyholder recorded. The lock structure is such that the solenoid 10 may be relatively small and need only be energised briefly in order to unlock the lock. Furthermore, the lock remains unlocked until the door has been opened and re-closed.

Description

SECURITY SYSTEM AND LOCK

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to security systems and in particular, systems for controlling access to multiple secured areas.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Many situations require multiple areas or enclosures to be secured against unauthorized access. For example, storage facilities, motels, parking meters, bank safety deposit boxes all have areas or containers that need to be individually locked and unlocked, but may also require a master key that unlocks all areas. The loss or theft of a key, or master key, can cause significant disruption as one or more of the locks are replaced, usually on an urgent basis. In light of this, the number of master keys is typically kept to a minimum and only issued to senior or trusted staff. However there are times when all or many of the areas need to be opened for cleaning or clearing and so on. At these times, the limited number of master keys can tend to hamper or slow operations.

These factors are relevant to casinos or clubs that operate banks of gaming machines. The present invention will be described with particular reference to this specific application. However it will be appreciated that this is purely illustrative and should in no way be interpreted as limiting or restrictive on the broad inventive concept.

For obvious reasons, access to the internal mechanisms of gaming machines is restricted to all but authorized staff. Tampering with the operation of the machine, or stealing the collected money, has required the outer casing of gaming machines to be particularly sturdy and secure. Usually, the only access opening is a hinged door on the facia fitted with a robust lock. Often the same key can open the locks for every machine in a particular venue. Therefore the loss or theft of a key will require the lock on every machine to be immediately replaced. This is costly, not only in terms of the expenses directly associated with buying and fitting the new locks, but also in machine downtime. Therefore the venue will try to keep the number of keys as small as possible. However this can slow down the time required to clear the money from all the machines.

To expedite the money clearing process, electrically actuated locks have been contemplated. These could be linked to a central controller where a staff member with sufficient privileges can actuate the solenoids to unlock the gaming machines.

However, as discussed above, the locks need to be relatively sturdy. This, in turn, requires the solenoid to be powerful enough to generate the force necessary to move the various components of a large mechanism. The power requirements for all the solenoids required to unlock a large bank of machines is significant. Furthermore, maintaining the solenoid in an energised state while all the machines are emptied generates a significant amount of heat. This will typically shorten the life of the solenoid and have disadvantages for the operation of the machine as a whole.

It is an object of the present invention to, overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a security system for controlling access to a number of secured areas, the system including: one or more secure areas, each area having an openable barrier preventing access when locked and permitting access when unlocked; locks for each barrier and secured area; wherein, each of the locks are adapted to unlock the barrier using a matching key or remotely located central control linked to the locks; such that, any unlocked barrier remains unlocked until it is opened and re-closed.

In one form, each of the locks include: an electrical actuator for switching the lock from a locked to an unlocked state; wherein, the actuator de-activates once the lock is in the unlocked state.

Preferably, each of the locks include: an electronic reader for triggering the actuator, wherein, the electronic reader is responsive to a key.

Within the context of the present invention, it will be understood that the term "key" can encompass electronic or magnetic access cards which use a swipe facility or can be read simply by bringing it into close proximity with the electronic reader or other similar type of electronic keys. Furthermore, for the purposes of the present invention, the key may generate an infrared or radio signal or communicate through direct electrical contact, or even use biometric information such as fingerprint or voice recognition.

a particular preferred form, the actuators on each of the locks are electronically linked to a central controller such that the central controller can trigger one or more of the actuators. Preferably, the central controller is a computer and the system includes means to sense whether any of the locks is in a locked or unlocked state and the computer is adapted to interrogate and display the current status of all the locks.

In a further preferred form, the system includes sensors to sense whether any of the barriers are open or closed and the computer is adapted to interrogate and display the current status of all the barriers. The sensors may be any suitable optical or electrical or mechanical sensor.

In some of the preferred embodiments, each of the matching keys is encoded with individual identification data and the system includes means to record the identity of the key used to unlock any of the locks. In this form of the invention, the electronic reader for each of the locks may be linked to the computer for transmitting and storing data regarding the identity of the keys used to unlock any of the locks.

hi some advantageous embodiments, each key is encoded with individual privilege data and each of the electronic readers are adapted to compare the privilege data of a key against predetermined authorization criteria to determine whether it is one of the matching keys that will trigger the actuator. Alternatively the computer has a privilege status assigned to the identity data of each key such that the electronic reader sends the identity data to the computer and waits for verification that the key has been assigned sufficient privileges before triggering the actuator.

Preferably, each of the locks has a manual override facility for manually triggering the actuator in the event of a power failure, wherein the manual override facility incorporates a tamper evidence indicator. Preferably, the manual override facility is hard-wired to a self-powered alarm. In one convenient form, the tamper evident indicator is a frangible cover plate concealing the working mechanism of the manual override facility.

hi a particular commercial embodiment, the secured areas are the interiors of individual gaming machines wherein the barrier is a hinged access door in the outer casing of the gaming machine. In a particularly advantageous form, the secured areas also include the money storage area within each gaming machine wherein matching keys issued to maintenance staff for opening the access door in the outer casing do not have the necessary privileges to open the money storage area.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a lock for securing a door bolt, the lock including: a lock casing; a pre-release element pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the pre-release element being resiliently biased toward the locked position; a door bolt retaining element pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the retaining element having an actuating lever and a retaining formation for engaging the door bolt, the retaining formation having a striker surface on one side for slidingly engaging the bolt when closing the door to force the retaining element to the locked position, and a retaining surface on the opposing side for retaining the bolt and holding the door closed; a release element pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the release element and the actuating lever being adapted to interengage when in their locked position to prevent the lever from rotating to the release position, the release element being resiliently connected to the pre-release element; such that, moving the pre-release element to its release position biases the release element to its release position, and moving the pre-release element to its locked position biases the release element to its locked position; a strut pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the strut being biased to its release position, such that, when in its locked position, the strut is prevented from moving to its release position by the prerelease element, and when in its release position, the strut prevents the pre-release element from moving to its locked position; and, the door retaining element being adapted to engage the strut when moving to the locked position in order to move the strut to its locked position thereby allowing the pre-release element to move to its locked position, which in turn biases the release element to its locked position where it again engages the actuating lever to secure the retaining element in its locked position.

A lock having this structure is unlocked once the pre-release element is moved to the release position. Once the pre-release element is in the release position, it is held there by the strut. The strut can only be returned to its locked position once the retaining element has been moved to its release position and subsequently returned to its locked position. This ensures that the components of the lock go through an irreversible sequence of events. Hence, the lock does not re-lock until the door has been opened and closed.

Preferably, the retaining element is a multi-part component, the parts including a retaining arm and an actuating part, the retaining arm having the retaining surface and the actuating part having the actuating lever, the retaining arm being pivotally connected to the actuating part for movement between an open position and a closed position, the retaining arm being resiliently biased to the closed position and further including a cam surface for engaging the door bolt if the door is shut when the retaining element is in its locked position; such that, a sliding engagement between the door bolt and the cam surface moves the retaining arm to the open position so that the bolt enters the lock and is retained in the retaining formation when retaining arm returns to the closed position.

This feature takes account of the situation where the lock has been re-locked while the door is still open. Out of idle curiosity, maintenance workers or the cash collection staff may re-lock the lock when the door is open by pressing a pen or screwdriver against the exposed striker surface of the retaining element. If this happens, the door can still be shut and it will be locked as if the tampering had not taken place.

Preferably, the lock further includes a solenoid for moving the pre-release element to its release position.

In a further preferred form, the lock further includes a switch positioned for actuation by the pre-release element; the switch being adapted for connection to a monitoring system to detect whether the lock is in a locked or unlocked state.

In a particularly preferred form, the lock further includes a manually actuated mechanism for moving the pre-release element to its release position.

In one particularly commercial application of the invention, the lock is used to secure the access door to secure sections of a gaming machine.

Furthermore it is desirable to dimension the lock such that it can be retro-fitted to existing gaming machines.

Using the system and lock mechanism provided by the present invention, a venue that operates a number of gaming machines will no longer need to secure each machine with mechanically actuated locks. The loss of a traditional mechanical key will no longer require the replacement of every lock on every machine in the venue. Instead it will merely involve the change of code in the controller. Programming the controller can be handled "in-house" by the venue rather than needing to wait for a locksmith or other third party. Furthermore the controller can open all the machines simultaneously (or any chosen subset of machines) for expedient cash removal by the staff. The system also has the ability to make a log of the particular staff that have accessed the individual machines, when they were accessed and for how long.

The lock mechanism is designed such that once it has been unlocked, it will remain unlocked until the access door is opened and then shut again. However, the door is able to be shut and become locked regardless of whether the lock is in a locked or unlocked state prior to shutting the door. Because the lock is unlocked as soon as the pre-release element is moved to the release position, the solenoid actuator need only be energised for a very short period of time. This reduces the power requirement and therefore the heat generated. Furthermore, the maximum force that the solenoid needs to generate is determined by the stiffness of the spring biasing the pre-release element to the locked position and the spring coupling the pre-release element to the release plate. This allows the solenoid to be relatively small.

Using optical, mechanical or other types of monitoring sensors, the system can detect and display whether the access door on any machine is open, or closed, and whether it is locked or unlocked. This allows for convenient means to check that all machines are secure after the retrieval operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a partially exploded perspective view of a lock mechanism suitable for use in the security system according to the present invention; and

Figure 2 shows the lock mechanism of Figure 1 with its components in another operational configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Figure 1, the lock is shown with some components in their locked positions and others in their release (or unlocked) positions. The solenoid (10) is activated and has lifted pre-release arm (5) to its release position. Spring (6) is applying a force to cause release plate (4) to rotate. One of the two release plates (4) is shown removed to enable a clearer view of pre-release arm (5).

As best shown in Figure 2, if the lock is in the locked state, and the door bolt (19) attached to the access door of a gaming machine is inserted into the lock from the right, the bolt will push against the cam face (21) of retaining arm (2), causing retaining arm (2) to pivot anticlockwise about pivot (14) allowing entry of the bolt.

After the bolt is fully inserted into the lock, spring (8) causes retaining arm (2) to rotate clockwise about pivot (14) to close the exit path of the bolt.

Alternatively, if the lock is in the unlocked state, and the door bolt (19) is inserted into the lock from the right, then the bolt will push against the striker surface (20) of actuating part (3) causing retaining assembly (2,3,8) to rotate clockwise into the locked position.

If the door bolt (19) is forced to the right in order to open the door while the lock is locked, then the angle between the retaining face of retaining arm (2) in contact with the bolt (19), and the pivot point (14) is such that retaining arm (2) will not rotate about pivot (14). The angle between the same face on retaining arm (2) and pivot (13) is such that any force pushing the door bolt (19) to the right will tend to cause the retaining assembly (2,3,8) to rotate anticlockwise about pivot (13) to allow the escape of the bolt (19).

When the lock is locked, the tooth (17) on the release plate (4) prevents actuating part (3) from rotating about pivot (13) anticlockwise and so prevents the retaining assembly (2,3,8) from rotating. This prevents the bolt (19) from escaping and the door is locked shut. Unlocking Action

When pre-release arm (5) is rotated clockwise about pivot (12) by solenoid (10) or by other means, the end of pre-release arm (5) near strut (18) will move back past the end of strut (18). The end of pre-release arm (5) will no longer hold down strut (18). Strut (18) will then rotate clockwise about pivot (23) by force from spring (7) so that the end of strut (18) is in front of the end of pre-release arm (5) such that pre-release arm

(5) is prevented from rotating anticlockwise back to the locked position. The solenoid (10) may then be de-energized, or other lifting means may return to its previous position however pre-release arm (5) will be forced to remain in the unlocked position by strut (18).

Two separate release plates (4) are positioned with one on each side of prerelease arm (5) (one release plate (4) is shown removed for clarity). A coupling spring

(6) is captive between pre-release arm (5) and release plates (4). If release plates (4) are free to move, the spring (6) causes release plates (4) to follow the rotational motion of pre-release arm (5). If actuating part (3) applies a large force at tooth (17) to release plates (4), then release plates (4) may not be free to move, and will then remain in the locked position as shown. The actuating part (3) can be unloaded by moving the door bolt to the left or by reducing of the force tending to pull the door open, then spring 6 will rotate both release plates (4) about pivot (12) and tooth (17) becomes disengaged. The door bolt (19) is moved to the left by nudging the door or just pressing hard against it.

While any of pre-release arm (5) or release plates (4) are in the release position (i.e. unlocked), an arm (22) present on all three parts will push the actuator arm (16) of switch (11) to the "unlocked" position (as shown).

While release plates (4) are in the release position, an application of a force pulling the bolt (19) out of the lock will cause retaining assembly (2,3,8) to rotate anticlockwise about pivot (13) to allow the bolt (19) to be withdrawn, and therefore the door to open. As the retaining assembly (2,3,8) rotates about pivot (13), the raised cam face on the end of strut (18) is pushed downward, causing strut (18) to rotate anticlockwise about pivot (23). When the end of strut (18) no longer obstructs the end of pre-release arm (5), the pre-release arm (5) returns to the locked position, or a position where the end of pre-release arm (5) is above the end of strut (18), by the force applied by spring

(9). The end of pre-release arm (5) is then in a position to prevent the end of strut (18) from rising. The actuating lever of actuating part (3) engages the tooth (17) of release plates (4) to prevent it from returning to the locked position until actuating part (3) has fully returned to the locked position. Arms (22) of release plates (4) therefore maintain the switch (11) in the unlocked position until actuating part (3) returns to the locked position.

Locking

When the door bolt (19) is re-entered into the lock from the right, it will push on the striker surface (20) of actuating part (3), causing actuating part (3) to rotate clockwise about pivot (13). The end of the actuating lever of actuating part (3) will then no longer hold down strut (18). Due to the force applied by spring (7), strut 18 will press lightly against the end of pre-release arm (5) but will not press hard enough to prevent slide between the two or the resulting rotation of pre-release arm (5). When actuating part (3) has rotated to the locked position, the end of the actuating lever will no longer hold down release plates (4). Spring (9) is mounted to the lock casing (1) for biasing the pre-release arm (5) to the locked position. It causes pre-release arm (5) to rotate anticlockwise to the locked position taking release plates (4) with it.

When release plates (4) and pre-release arm (5) are in the locked position, switch (11) is able to rotate actuating arm (16) by internal spring force, to the locked position. Both Figures 1 and 2 show switch (11) in the unlocked release position.

Control and Keying

A suitable electronic reader (not shown) can be operatively attached to the solenoid (10) or multiple solenoids in one machine, or in multiple machines. The solenoid (10) associated with every lock can also be networked to a central controller (not shown). Hence, the lock can be unlocked using a suitable electronic/magnetic key or via the central controller. In the event of a power failure, a manual override mechanism can engage the pre-release arm (5). The manual override system could consist of a conventional lock barrel and linkage, or other simple mechanical means to lift pre-release arm (5). The simple mechanical manual override mechanism could be shielded from access by a tamper-evident frangible cover plate in the facia of the gaming machine. It may also be prudent to have a hard-wired, self-powered alarm attached to the manual override facility.

The key device could advantageously be configured to perform two way communication with the reader, and/or the central controller, and to store multiple data items. This would allow a key with appropriate authority to reload a list of authorized other keys into the lock reader, and to load information from the reader back into the key, such as a list of the last ten keys that opened tins lock, and the times, and durations of each opening. The keys could later be inserted into another reader, which would then read all the accumulated information stored during that days use.

Several button switches or similar control interface devices could be built into either the key device, or the reader device to enable the technician to request the function required at the current time. Such request may include "Open all doors on this machine", "Open all doors on all machines" or "Open only the main door on this machine". Where such a reader is linked to other functions in a gaming machine, selectable functions could include "Clear all credits from this machine", and "Reset this machine".

The present invention has been described herein by way of example only. Ordinary workers in this field will readily recognize many variations and modifications, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this broad inventive concept.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A security system for controlling access to a number of secured areas, the system including: one or more secure areas, each area having an open able barrier preventing access when locked and permitting access when unlocked; locks for each barrier and secured area; wherein, each of the locks are adapted to unlock the barrier using a matching key or remotely located central control linked to the locks; such that, any unlocked barrier remains unlocked until it is opened and re-closed.

2. A security system according to claim 1, wherein each of the locks include: an electrical actuator for switching the lock from a locked to an unlocked state; wherein, the actuator de-activates once the lock is in the unlocked state.

3. A security system according to claim 2, wherein each of the locks include: an electronic reader for triggering the actuator, wherein, the electronic reader is responsive to a key.

4. A security system according to claim 3, wherein the actuators on each of the locks are electronically linked to a central controller such that the central controller can trigger one or more of the actuators.

5. A security system according to claim 4, wherein the central controller is a computer and the system includes means to sense whether any of the locks is in a locked or unlocked state and the computer is adapted to interrogate and display the current status of all the locks.

6. A security system according to claim 5, wherein the system includes sensors to sense whether any of the barriers are open or closed and the computer is adapted to interrogate and display the current status of all the barriers.

7. A security system according to claim 6, wherein the sensors may be any suitable optical or electrical or mechanical sensor.

8. A security system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein each of the matching keys is encoded with individual identification data and the system includes means to record the identity of the key used to unlock any of the locks.

9. A security system according to claim 8 wherein the electronic reader for each of the locks may be linked to the computer for transmitting and storing data regarding the identity of the keys used to unlock any of the locks.

10. A security system according to claim 9, wherein each key is encoded with individual privilege data and each of the electronic readers are adapted to compare the privilege data of a key against predetermined authorization criteria to determine whether it is one of the matching keys that will trigger the actuator.

11. A security system according to claim 9, wherein the computer has a privilege status assigned to the identity data of each key such that the electronic reader sends the identity data to the computer and waits for verification that the key has been assigned sufficient privileges before triggering the actuator.

12. A security system according to claim 11, wherein each of the locks has a manual override facility for manually triggering the actuator in the event of a power failure, wherein the manual override facility incorporates a tamper evidence indicator.

13. A security system according to claim 12, wherein the manual override facility is hard-wired to a self-powered alarm.

14. A security system according to claim 13, wherein the tamper evident indicator is a frangible cover plate concealing the working mechanism of the manual override facility.

15. A security system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the secured areas are the interiors of individual gaming machines wherein the barrier is a hinged access door in the outer casing of the gaming machine.

16. A security system according to claim 15, wherein the secured areas also include the money storage area within each gaming machine wherein matching keys issued to maintenance staff for opening the access door in the outer casing do not have the necessary privileges to open the money storage area.

17. A lock for retaining a door bolt, the lock including: a lock casing; a pre-release element pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the pre-release element being resiliently biased toward the locked position; a door bolt retaining element pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the retaining element having an actuating lever and a retaining formation for engaging the door bolt, the retaining formation having a striker surface on one side for slidingly engaging the bolt when closing the door to force the retaining element to the locked position, and a retaining surface on the opposing side for retaining the bolt and holding the door closed; a release element pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the release element and the actuating lever being adapted to interengage when in their locked position to prevent the lever from rotating to the release position, the release element being resiliently connected to the pre-release element; such that, moving the pre-release element to its release position biases the release element to its release position, and moving the pre-release element to its locked position biases the release element to its locked position; a strut pivotally mounted to the casing for rotation between a locked position and a release position, the strut being biased to its release position, such that, when in its locked position, the strut is prevented from moving to its release position by the pre- release element, and when in its release position, the strut prevents the pre-release element from moving to its locked position; and, the door retaining element being adapted to engage the strut when moving to the locked position in order to move the strut to its locked position thereby allowing the pre-release element to move to its locked position, which in turn biases the release element to its locked position where it again engages the actuating lever to secure the retaining element in its locked position.

18. A lock according to claim 17, wherein the retaining element is a multi-part component, the parts including a retaining arm and an actuating part, the retaining arm having the retaining surface and the actuating part having the actuating lever, the retaining arm being pivotally connected to the actuating part for movement between an open position and a closed position, the retaining arm being resiliently biased to the closed position, and further including a cam surface for engaging the door bolt if the door is shut when the retaining element is in its locked position, such that, sliding engagement between the door bolt and the cam surface moves the retaining arm to the open position so that the bolt enters the lock and is retained in the retaining formation when the retaining arm returns to the closed position.

19. A lock according to claim 18, wherein the lock further includes a solenoid for moving the pre-release element to its release position.

20. A lock according to claim 19, wherein the lock further includes a switch positioned for actuation by the pre-release element; the switch being adapted for connection to a monitoring system to detect whether the lock is in a locked or unlocked state.

21. A lock according to claim 20,wherein the lock is dimensioned such that it can be retro-fitted to existing gaming machines.

22. A lock according to any one of claims 19 to 21, further including an electronic reader operatively attached to the solenoid and networked to a central controller, wherein, the electronic reader is responsive to an electronic/magnetic key or the central controller; such that, the solenoid is activated if the key or a command from the central controller.

23. A lock according to claim 22, wherein the key is configured to facilitate to a communication with the reader and/or the central controller such that a key with the appropriate authority is able to designate other keys with the authority to actuate the solenoid, and to load information from the reader back into the key such as at least identifying the previous keys that open the lock, the opening times and durations.