WO2003063517A2

WO2003063517A2 - Key security system

Info

Publication number: WO2003063517A2
Application number: PCT/US2003/001381
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Andrew Ralph Turco; Robert Zielinski; Rick Fiege
Original assignee: Crm Holdings, Inc.
Priority date: 2002-01-18
Filing date: 2003-01-17
Publication date: 2003-07-31
Also published as: WO2003063517A3

Abstract

A key security system (10) includes a housing (12) with at least one drawer (14), a divider (16) mounted in a substantially horizontal orientation within the drawer, the divider having formed therein a plurality of openings (30), a power supply board (19) coupled to a bottom surface of the divider, a plurality of electro-optical transceivers (25) mounted within the drawer, a control card (26) mounted within the drawer, and electrically connected to the transceivers, a computer system connected to the control card, and a plurality of key fobs (40) adapted to fit within the holes in the divider, the fobs further including electro-optical elements (45,46) for communicating with the transceivers.

Description

KEY SECURITY SYSTEM

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the field of controlling and tracking access to various types of objects, and, more particularly, to a device which can be used to control access to keys.

2. Prior Art .

It is known in the prior art that many objects have intrinsic value or have value because they enable access to other valuable objects. For instance, jewelry and coins have intrinsic value due to the value of their precious stones or metals, automobiles have intrinsic value due to their ability to provide transportation, and files of business information have intrinsic value due to the content of the information contained within the files. Due to their intrinsic value and the potential for theft or misuse, jewelry, coins, and files are often kept in lockable storage cases or cabinets, while automobiles have their own door, trunk, and ignition locks. Because keys to the locks enable access to such objects, the keys, themselves, have value as well. Other objects may be inherently dangerous or create legal liability because unauthorized use of such objects can create a safety hazard for others. For instance, explosives and many medicines are inherently dangerous if used or dispensed improperly by untrained individuals. Also, unauthorized use or copying of keys to apartments or hotel rooms can enable theft of personal valuables and can create personal safety hazards to tenants and guests. Regardless of the source of an object's value, its dangerous nature, or its potential for creating legal liability, business owners, landlords, and hotel proprietors have sought, over the years, to restrict access to the above-described objects, and others, by limiting their access to only those individuals who require access to the objects in order to perform their job functions. Typically, access has been restricted by first placing the objects in a locked container. A limited number of individuals have keys for the container. Then, control over the removal and re-insertion of an object stored in the container has been maintained by employing manual procedural methods such as issuing keys for the container to only select individuals (i.e., usually managers or supervisors), requiring an employee or maintenance worker to request that a manager or supervisor provide access to the container for removal and/or re-insertion of objects from/to the container, and requiring the employee or worker to sign for any object removed and/or re- inserted from/to the container. For example, many automobile dealers place the keys to vehicles on their lot inside a locked box. When a potential customer desires to take a vehicle on a test drive, the customer's salesperson requests that a manager open the box so that the salesperson can remove the keys to the vehicle from the locked box. Similarly, many apartment landlords store the keys to tenants ' units in a locked container and require maintenance workers to request use of a key when it is necessary for them to enter a tenant's unit to perform various maintenance tasks. Likewise, many hospitals provide only nursing supervisors with a key to a medicine cabinet and require other nurses to request that the supervisor open the cabinet to enable the removal of medicine for a patient .

Unfortunately, such manual apparatus and methods have met with limited success since they typically rely heavily on the thoroughness of humans to consistently follow designated procedures. Also, such systems are often fraught with the potential for misuse and abuse due to the dishonesty of some individuals and the inability of the systems themselves to detect possible misuse and abuse. For instance, once a salesperson or maintenance worker gains access to a key, the salesperson or worker may keep the key out of the locked container until the next day unless a manager or landlord reviews a log at the end of the day to determine which, if any, keys have not been returned to the locked container. By keeping the key overnight, a salesperson or cohort may steal a car (or items from a car) or a worker may return to an apartment complex during the night to burglarize a unit and, potentially, cause physical harm to a tenant. Additionally, when a key is kept out of the locked container for a longer period of time than necessary without the knowledge of a manager or landlord, the chances increase that key may be copied or become lost by the salesperson or maintenance worker. The limited success and inherent problems of manual systems suggest the need for a system which automatically controls access to and tracks the use of various types of objects.

Several automatic systems for key control and security have been developed and used in the past . One such system employed a container for storing objects which were each attached to a unique assembly identified by a conventional bar-code symbol printed on a tongue of the assembly. The container incorporated an enclosure and a drawer which, after unlocking, could be slidably removed or inserted into the enclosure, thereby creating relative movement between the drawer and a bar-code scanner mounted to the enclosure. When stored in the container, the tongue of each assembly extended downward through an aperture in a top panel of the drawer to enable reading of the bar-code for each assembly by the bar-code scanner whenever the drawer was moved relative to the enclosure. Because the barcode scanner required relative movement between the drawer and the enclosure to function, the barcodes associated with each object could only be read during the opening or closing of the drawer. Therefore, the system had no way of detecting the presence or absence of an object unless the drawer was opened or closed, for example, by a manager or landlord. Thus, the system could not accurately track the amount of time that an object was not present in the container, nor could it determine who actually had possession of the object. Also, because the assemblies were not restrained and were therefore, prone to variable, random movement relative to the drawer and enclosure, misreads by the bar-code scanner were a continual problem requiring repeated openings and closings of the drawer to effect accurate readings of all of the bar-codes on the present assemblies. Other problems, including dust and dirt present on the bar-codes, also caused misreads by the bar-code scanner. Additionally, because the bar-codes were visible on the assemblies, they could be easily copied by an individual for the creation of substitute objects designed to "fool" the system, thereby compromising the security supposedly provided by the system. Another system is described in United States Patent No. 6,075,441. The key security system described in that patent uses a large number of coded metal disks to uniquely identify the various keys desired to be tracked. This system has several different drawbacks, including the need for direct mechanical connections with the coded metal disks in order to transmit information concerning the identity of the disks. This need for a direct mechanical connection is not desirable, because it is unreliable, and the constant wear from removing the keys can weaken and ultimately break the mechanical connectors.

There is a need, therefore, in the industry for a system which controls access to and tracks the use of objects of various types which address the shortcomings of the prior art .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a key security system which includes a housing with at least one drawer mounted within the housing. The drawer has a divider mounted in a substantially horizontal orientation within the drawer, and the divider has formed into it a plurality of openings. A power supply board is coupled to a bottom surface of the divider. A plurality of electro-optical transceivers are mounted within the drawer, as is a control card. The control card is electrically connected to the electro-optical transceivers and a computer system. A plurality of key fobs are adapted to fit within the holes in the divider, the key fobs further including electro-optical means for communicating with the electro-optical transceivers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the key security system of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the key security drawer of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the key fob used in the present invention.

Figure 3b is an end view of the key fob used in the present invention.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the key fob used in the present invention.

Figure 5 is a partially cut-away view showing a key fob inserted into a divider located within the drawer.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a partially cut away view showing an optically isolated transceiver located within the drawer of the key security system.

Figure 8 is a rear view of the housing illustrating the drawer locking mechanism of the key security system.

Figure 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the drawer showing substitute locations for the electro-optical transceivers and control card.

Figure 10 is a functional block diagram of the elements of the control card used in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A novel key security system will be described. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, specific component arrangements and constructions and other details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known manufacturing methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention unnecessarily.

Referring first to Figure 1, a perspective view of a key security system 10 according to the present invention is shown. The overall system 10 includes a housing 12, which contains the various elements of the security system. The housing 12 will typically be a cabinet that is of a size and shape which is sufficient to incorporate the various elements of the system. Figure 1 illustrates the housing 12 as a cabinet having three different drawers 14. In figure 1, one of the drawers is shown in the open position, and the other two drawers are closed. Fans 17 are included to cool the system.

In the preferred embodiment, the housing also includes a computer system. Figure 1 illustrates how a computer keyboard 20 and monitor 22 can be mounted on the housing. Not illustrated in Figure 1 is the central processing unit (CPU) , which may be stored within the housing. The monitor 22, keyboard 20 and CPU are connected by means of appropriate cables (not illustrated) . The computer system is used to control the overall functions of the key security system 10 of the present invention. Figure 1 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the housing 12. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the housing 12 may take different forms. For example the housing may be a cart having wheels (not shown) so that it is portable and can be moved from place to place. Alternatively, the housing can be incorporated into a dedicated enclosure which is located in a permanent, or semi -permanent location. A larger or smaller number of drawers 14 can also be incorporated into the housing. In an alternative embodiment, the computer system is not located within or on top of the housing, but is instead located at a remote location. Other alternative embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

Referring next to Figure 2, an exploded perspective view of the drawer 14 of the security system is shown. The drawer is mounted within the housing 12 on slides (not shown) which permit the drawer 14 to be easily extended. Other alternative methods can also be used to mount the drawer 14. The drawer 14 has disposed within it a divider 16 mounted in a horizontal orientation. The divider is supported within the drawer by means of supports 13.

The divider in the preferred embodiment is attached to the drawer by hinge 15. The hinge 15 is located at the rear of the drawer 11 as illustrated. The hinge 15 allows the divider 16 to be easily opened to permit access to the components underneath. The divider 11 can be manufactured from any type of suitable material, such as aluminum or plastic.

The divider includes a number of openings 30. Each of these openings is shaped to be able to accommodate a key fob 40. The structure and operation of the key fob 40 is best described below in connection with Figures 4 and 6. In the preferred embodiment, there are a total of 300 openings arranged in a grid pattern. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a larger or smaller number of openings 30 can be formed into the divider, depending on the number of key fobs 40 that are desired to be used.

Affixed to the underside of the divider 30 is a power supply circuit board 19. The power supply circuit board 19 performs the function of supplying power to each of the key fobs when they are inserted into the openings in the divider. The power supply circuit board 19 also includes a number of openings 32 which are matched in size and shape to the openings 30 in the divider 16.

Referring again to Figure 2, other components of the present invention are shown within the drawer . These include electro-optical transceivers 25. The electro-optical transceivers 25 are dispersed throughout the drawer. (In some instances in this application the electro-optical transceivers are referred to as a "transceiver" or "transceivers." It will be understood that such a designation refers to the electro- optical transceivers 25, and not some other device or structure.) Each transceiver 25 includes an infrared LED and an infrared phototransistor which will allow it to communicate with the key fobs 40. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transceivers are located on the inside surface 27 of the side walls 28 of the drawer 14. This location was chosen because it was found that the key fobs 40 communicate best with the transceivers 25 when the transceivers 25 are mounted on the side walls. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the position of the transceivers 25 can be changed without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the transceivers are mounted on the bottom surface 29 of the drawer, as illustrated in Figure 9. The total number of the transceivers 25 will vary depending on the size of the drawer 14, the number of key fobs 40, as well as other factors that will be known to those of skill in the art. In the preferred embodiment a total of 2 - 6 electro-optical transceivers 25 are used.

It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that the present invention is not limited to the use of a drawer to hold the key fobs, as shown in Figure 1. Instead, the key fobs 40 can be held in any suitable enclosure. For example, the drawer 14 can be replaced with a cabinet-style door (not illustrated) . The door would be mounted vertically, as opposed to horizontally, and appropriate holders for the key fobs 40 would be provided. All that is necessary is that a support means be provided for holding the key fobs in a manner which allows them to communicate with the transceiver cards 25.

A control card 26 is also a part of the key security system. The control card 26 is used to route electrical signals between the computer system (shown in Figure 1) and the transceivers 25. In the preferred embodiment, the control card is located on the rear of the drawer 14. This is best illustrated in Figure 8. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that the control card can be placed in other locations with equal effectiveness and without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the control card can be located within the drawer 14. The control card could also be mounted within the computer system (not illustrated) that is used to control the overall operation of the present invention.

The control card performs several different functions. As noted above, one of the functions is to route electrical signals between the computer system and the transceivers . The control card also translates signals from the transceivers into a format that is understandable by the computer system, and vice-versa. The control card also encodes and compacts signals generated by the transceivers. This limits the amount of data that is presented to the computer system, and improves execution speed.

Appropriate cabling is located within the drawer and between the transceivers, the control card and the computer system. The drawings do not illustrate the cables between these components. This is done so that the drawings will be clear. Those of skill in the art, however, will readily understand how the cables are arranged, depending on the placement of the transceivers 25, control card 26 and computer system.

The control card 26 is a part of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It has been found that the present invention operates more efficiently if the control card is present to control and manage the electrical signals from the transceivers 25 before they are communicated to the computer system. It will be apparent that the control card can be eliminated, and that all of its functions can be implemented in software in the control system. Such an arrangement, is possible, although not preferred.

Referring next to Figure 10, a functional block diagram showing the primary elements of the control card 26 is shown. The control card 26 is comprised of a microcontroller 61 and an RS-232 interface 62. The microcontroller 61 and the RS-232 interface 62 are, in the preferred embodiment, mounted on a circuit board with appropriate circuitry (not shown) to connect them. The RS-232 interface 62 is used to communicate with the computer system. The microcontroller performs various functions, including converting voltage and current levels of the signals from the computer system so appropriate levels such that they can control the various electronic and electrical devices within the key security system. A number of signal lines 63, are coupled to the microcontroller and are used to send signals to the different components of the key security system.

Referring next to Figure 3, a perspective view of the key fob 40 is shown. The key fob 40 is generally rectangular, and includes an elongated portion 42. At the end of the elongated portion 42 is an attachment point 43 which can be used to attach keys. Opposite the attachment point 43 is an enclosed housing 44. The enclosure includes the electronic circuitry (not illustrated in Figure 3) which is used in the operation of the key fob 40. One or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 52 may be present on the key fob 42 in order to provide signals to a user. Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention is intended to be used to track keys, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be used to track other items as well .

Referring next to Figure 3b a view of the bottom portion of the key fob 40 is shown. In Figure 3b the front side of the key fob (which is visible in Figure 3) is facing upwards. As illustrated, the bottom surface of the key fob includes openings through which electrical components protrude. In the preferred embodiment, an infrared phototransistor 45 and infrared light emitting diode (infrared LED) 46 are on the bottom surface of the key fob 40. The infrared phototransistor is used to detect signals from the transceivers 25 that are located in the drawer 14. Similarly, the infrared LED 46 is used to send signals from the key fob 40 to the transceivers 25. The key fob also includes electrical contacts 47. The contacts 47 are disposed so that the when the key fob 42 is inserted into the divider 16, they connect with contacts mounted on the circuit board 19. Figure 3b also shows that the key fob includes a raised protrusion 48 on its back surface. The protrusion 48 is used to align the key fob when it is inserted into one of the openings 30 in the divider 16.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the elements of the key fob 40. Figure 4 illustrates that the key fob 40 has within it a circuit board 49. The circuit board contains the necessary hardware to operate the optical receiver 45 as well as the infrared LED 46 and the LEDs 52. Each of these devices is mounted to the circuit board. A cover 41 is placed over the circuit board 49 , and the entire assembly is held together by a screw 50. The design and operation of the circuit board will be apparent to those of skill in the art, and specific details will not be discussed here.

Figure 5 illustrates a key fob 40 inserted into one of the openings 30 in the divider 16. As can be seen, the openings include a notch 31. When the key fob 40 is inserted into the opening 30, the protrusion 48 (not shown in Figure 5) on the key fob 40 fits into the notch 31 of the opening. This assures that the key fob will be aligned in a desired manner.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a key fob 40 inserted into one of the openings 30. This figure best illustrates the manner in which power is supplied to the key fobs 40. The divider 16 is of sufficient thickness to hold the key fob 40 in an upright position. In an alternative embodiment, the divider may not be a single unit, but can be made up of thin plates separated by spacers, dividers or other means. The power supply circuit board 19 is mounted on the bottom side of the divider 16, as is discussed above. The circuit board has a series of contacts 53 on it (only one of which is shown in Figure 6) . The circuit board contacts 53 are arranged so that they meet with the contacts 47 on the key fob 40. The power supply contacts 53 are used to provide power to the key fobs 40 when they are inserted into the drawer.

In an alternative embodiment, the key fobs are powered by batteries stored in the enclosed housing 44. In this embodiment, the key fobs 40 do not need to be connected to an external power source in order to operated. With this alternative embodiment, the power supply circuit board 19 and the contacts 47 on the back surface of the key fob 40 can be eliminated.

The operation of the key security system of the present invention will now be described by means of a specific example. In this example, it will be assumed that the key security system is being used to inventory and keep track of keys (such as automobile or house keys) . It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that the present invention can be used to track the use of other small items, such as jewelry.

The operation of the key security system is controlled through the use of the computer system. To this end, the computer system will use specialized software which is designed to accomplish the described actions. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that the details of such software are not necessary to describe herein.

As a first step, each of the key fobs 40 is first assigned a unique serial number. This can be accomplished in one of a number of different ways. In the preferred embodiment, the circuit board 49 enclosed in the key fob has mounted on it a programmable memory chip. The memory can store a number or other identification tag which uniquely identifies the key fob.

The memory chip is programmed by sending an appropriate signal through the optical receiver 45 located on the key fob. The preferred embodiment of the present invention programs the key fob by utilizing a special optically-isolated transceiver. This feature is best shown in Figure 7, where one of the transceivers 60 is surrounded by opaque walls 61. The function of the opaque walls 61 is to isolate the transceiver 60 from outside infrared signals and other light sources. When a key fob is inserted into the opening over this transceiver 60, the key fob can communicate optically only with the isolated transceiver. The computer system instructs the isolated transceiver 60 to send a signal to the key fob which causes the memory chip on the circuit board 49 of the key fob 40 to be programmed with the unique identification code. This process is repeated for each of the key fobs to be programmed.

The key fob can be programmed using alternative devices. For example, an external electro-optical device can be used to provide the key fob with an identification tag, if desired.

In an alternative embodiment the key fob is hard-wired with a permanent identification code. In this instance, it is not necessary to assign the key fob a unique identifier as described above . The present invention keeps track of keys that are in use. Consider first the case in which a user desires to retrieve a particular key. In this case, a large number of key fobs may be inserted into the drawers. The task is to identify where the desired key is located.

The user enters a password into the computer system. The user also identifies the unique identification tag of the key fob that is desired. Other identification methods may be employed. For example, the user may be identified using a fingerprint scanner or voiceprint . It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other security measures can be utilized with equal effectiveness. If the computer system determines that user is authorized to have access to the keys, the system will unlock the drawer in which the desired key fob is located using the solenoid illustrated in Figure 8.

The computer will then send a signal through the control card 26 to the electro-optical transceivers 25. The transceivers interrogate the key fobs 40. The desired key fob identifies its location by energizing one of the LEDs 52 on the top surface of the key fob. The user can then retrieve the selected key, and close the drawer.

After the drawer is closed, the computer can poll all of the key fobs to determine which one or ones were removed. In this scenario, assume for the sake of example that the key security system includes a single drawer containing ten different key fobs. The key fobs are assigned unique identifier designations. In this example, the key fobs are assigned numbers 1-10. The computer system will first generate an inventory command for the key fob with address number 1. The inventory command and address are sent through the control card 27 to the transceivers 25. The transceivers generate an appropriate infrared signal which interrogates the key fobs in the drawer. If the key fob having address number 1 is present in the drawer, it will generate an acknowledgment signal and send it back to the transceivers. The acknowledgment signal will be routed back to the computer system, which notes the presence of the key fob. If the key fob with address number 1 is not present, then the lack of an acknowledgment signal will be recorded. This process is repeated for each of the remaining key fobs with address numbers 2-10. In this manner the computer system can create an inventory of the keys that are present in the drawer, note any absent keys, and report on any variations from the expected results. The results of the inventory can be displayed for easy reference on the monitor 22.

The present invention will allow a wealth of data to be stored and analyzed regarding the use of the keys being tracked. For example, the computer system can be programmed to create a database which includes the identity of all persons accessing the keys, the date and time on which the keys were removed and returned, and other similar information. In this manner, a complete history of the usage of all of the keys can be maintained and easily accessed. The description of the present invention has been made with respect to specific embodiments and constructions of a key security system. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing description is for illustrative purposes only, and that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the present invention. The full extent of the present invention is defined and limited only by the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A key security system, comprising: a housing; a computer system; a plurality of key fobs, each of said key fobs including a means for receiving and transmitting an infrared signal; a support means for holding said key fobs within said housing; transceiver means coupled to said computer system for generating and receiving infrared signals.

2. A key security system, comprising: a housing, said housing having located therein at least one drawer; a support means disposed within said drawer for holding a plurality of key fobs; a plurality of infrared transceivers mounted within said drawer; a control card mounted within said housing, and electrically connected to said infrared transceivers; a computer system connected to said control card; wherein each of said plurality of key fobs includes means for communicating with said electro-optical transceivers.

3. A key security system, comprising: a housing, said housing having located therein at least one drawer; a divider mounted in a substantially horizontal orientation within said at least one drawer, said divider having formed therein a plurality of openings; a power supply board coupled to a bottom surface of said divider; a plurality of infrared transceivers mounted on inside surfaces of walls of said drawer; a control card mounted within said housing, and electrically connected to said transceivers by cables; a computer system electrically connected to said control card; a plurality of key fobs, said key fobs adapted to fit within said holes in said divider, each of said key fobs including an infrared LED for transmitting signals to said transceivers and an infrared phototransistor for receiving signals from said transceivers.