WO2011069817A1

WO2011069817A1 - Keys

Info

Publication number: WO2011069817A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/067953
Authority: WO
Inventors: Leonard Von Stillfreid
Original assignee: Agco Gmbh
Priority date: 2009-12-08
Filing date: 2010-11-22
Publication date: 2011-06-16
Also published as: GB0921434D0

Abstract

An electronic key holder has a housing with a socket to received two or more electronic key transponders in a side by side configuration and attachments means for fastening the holder to a keying or other device. Each transponder is held in the socket by a snap connector in the form of one or more resilient projections on each transponder which snap into a cooperating recess or recesses in the walls of the socket when each transponder is inserted into the socket. The socket may also receive one or more memory devices which are also held in the socket by a snap connector.

Description

DESCRIPTION

KEYS

This invention relates to keys and in particular to keys used by operators who need to carry several keys for access to different vehicles or premises.

In the agricultural industry where a farm may have several tractors or other self propelled vehicles, such as combine harvesters or forage harvesters, it is not uncommon for the keys of these vehicles to be left in the vehicles to allow use of these vehicles by all members of the farm workforce. Whilst this facilitates such use it is problematic in that it also facilitates the theft of these vehicles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a key arrangement which overcomes the above problem in a convenient manner.

Thus according to the present invention there is provided an electronic key holder comprising a housing having a socket to received two or more electronic key transponders in a side by side configuration and attachments means for fastening the holder to a keying or other device.

Such a key holder enables the farm worker to conveniently carry, for example, the keys of the vehicles he will be working on for the day in question and to easily change the keys in the holder as required by his work tasks.

Conveniently each transponder may be held in the socket by a snap connector.

This snap connector may comprise one or more resilient projections on each transponder which snap into a cooperating recess or recesses in the walls of the socket when each transponder is inserted into the socket.

The socket can also receive one or more memory devices which are also held in the socket by a snap connector.

Each memory device may include a USB connector interface. The holder socket may, for example, be designed to receive four key transponders or alternatively two key transponders and one USB memory device.

The present invention will now be described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings in which :-

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a key holder in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 shows the holder of Figure 1 in a semi-exploded condition;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the holder of Figure 1 with dotted internal details;

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the holder of Figure 1 with dotted internal details;

Figure 5 shows a section on the line A- A of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 shows a section on the line B-B of Figure 1;

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an alternative form of key holder which houses both key transponders and a memory device, and

Figure 8 shows the holder of Figure 7 in a partly exploded condition.

Referring to the drawings, a key holder 10 for use on agricultural machines such as tractors comprises a housing 11 having a socket 12 designed to receive two or more electronic key transponders 13 in a side by side configuration. Each transponder 13 comprises a plastics case 14 within which is embedded an electronic transponder element 15 which interacts with a corresponding electronic element provided in a specified tractor to, for example, open a door and/or authorise an immobiliser system and/or transfer personal settings (such as seat memory) and/or energise the starter circuit of the tractor.

The case 14 of each transponder 13 is provided with a pair of resilient snap connector projections 16 which, when the transponder is inserted in to the socket 12, snap in to corresponding recesses 17 provided in the wall of the socket 12. The transponder 13 can be released from the socket 12 by inserting a release member, shown diagrammatically at 21 in Figure 5, between the transponder 13 and the walls of the socket 12 to displace the projections 16 inwardly in order to disengage the sockets 17. The key holder 11 has an attachment ring 18 for fastening the holder to a key ring or other device.

In an alternative form of the holder shown in Figures 7 and 8 two of the transponders 13 are replaced by a solid state memory device 19 which is provided with an interval USB connector interface 20. Such an arrangement enables the user to carry two transponder keys and a memory device for other uses such as the storing of operating parameters of one or more of the vehicles which are operated by the transponders 13.

Although the present invention has been described above in relation to use on vehicles which form part of a fleet of farm vehicles it is also applicable to a wide range of other situations in which individuals need to carry several electronic transponder type keys for use on vehicles or to access building , premises, locked rooms or draws etc.

Claims

An electronic key holder comprising a housing having a socket to received two or more electronic key transponders in a side by side configuration and attachments means for fastening the holder to a keying or other device.

A holder according to Claim 1 in which each transponder held in the socket by a snap connector.

A holder according to Claim 2 in which the snap connector comprises one or more resilient projections on each transponder which snap into a cooperating recess or recesses in the walls of the socket when each transponder is inserted into the socket.

A holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the socket can also receive one or more memory devices which are also held in the socket by a snap connector.

A holder according to claim 4 in which the or each memory drive includes a USB connector interface.

A holder according to Claim 5 in which the socket is designed to receive four key transponders or alternatively two key transponders and one USB memory device.

An electronic key holder constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.