Access control system

• US 10,068,395 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2010
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Mizon, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Yong Hang
• Application Number:
  US13/262,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20120068818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,078 Days
• Field of Search: 230382, 2303825, 340 56, 340 561- 567, 340 57, 187391
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 Graphical identity

Abstract

An access control method can include sending an identification code to an access node using a mobile telephone. If the identification code is recognized as valid, an access code is sent from the access node to the mobile telephone and presented on the display of the mobile telephone. The access code is detected using a camera, and if the access code is recognized as valid, the access is granted.

Claims

1. An elevator access control method for granting access to a user, comprising:

receiving, at an access node located in an access area of a building for which access is to be granted, and prior to receiving a user request for access, an identification code from a mobile telephone within range of the access node of the building;

determining if the identification code is valid for granting access to the building;

based on the determining that the identification code is not valid for granting access to the building, denying access to an elevator at the building;

based on the determining that the identification code is valid for granting access to the building, generating an access code to be used to access predetermined equipment in the building and transmitting the access code by the access node to the mobile telephone for displaying the access code on a screen of the mobile telephone, without any further user request;

reading the access code displayed on the screen of the mobile telephone after validation of the identification code, while the mobile telephone is located in the access area of the building, the reading of the access code being carried out by a reader located in the access area of the building; and

based on the reading of the access code, granting access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator at the building.

2. The elevator access control method of claim 1, further comprising granting access to the building based on the reading of the access code.

3. The elevator access control method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a telephone number of the mobile telephone.

4. The elevator access control method of claim 1, wherein the access code is usable once.

5. The elevator access control method of claim 1, wherein the access code is valid for a limited time.

6. The elevator access control method of claim 1, the method further comprising notifying a visited person at the building that the user has arrived at the building.

7. The elevator access control method of claim 1, the method further comprising receiving an order from an occupant of the building to set up a user profile for the user.

8. The elevator access control method of claim 7, further comprising sending the identification code to the mobile telephone based on the user profile.

9. The elevator access control method of claim 1, further comprising sending the identification code to the mobile telephone.

21. The elevator access control method of claim 7, wherein the user profile is generated according to one or more rules.

22. The elevator access method of claim 21, the one or more rules comprising a rule that indicates one or more requirements associated with the user.

23. The elevator access method of claim 21, the one or more rules comprising a rule that indicates one or more requirements associated with a visited person.

24. The elevator access method of claim 21, the one or more rules comprising tracking the user as the user travels to a location of a visited person in the building.

34. The elevator access control method of claim 1, wherein said granting to the visitor access further comprises granting the visitor access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator at the building at an area of the building that is distinct from the area where the building is accessed by the visitor.

35. The elevator access control method of claim 1, wherein said granting to the visitor access further comprises granting the visitor access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator at the building within the area where the visitor enters the building.

10. An elevator system component comprising:

a computer; and

a computer-usable medium, the computer-usable medium containing code that, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to,

receive, at an access node located in an access area of a building for which access is to be granted, and prior to receiving a user request for access, an identification code from a mobile telephone within range of the access node of the building,

determine if the identification code is valid for granting access to the building,

as a result of the determining that the identification code is not valid for granting access to the building, denying the visitor access to an elevator at the building;

based on the determining that the identification code is valid for granting access to the building, generate an access code to be used to access predetermined equipment in the building and transmit the access code by the access node to the mobile telephone for displaying the access code on a screen of the mobile telephone, without any further user request,

read the access code displayed on the screen of the mobile telephone after validation of the identification code, while the mobile telephone is located in the access area of the building, the reading of the access code being carried out by a reader located in the access area of the building, and

based on the reading of the access code, grant access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator.

11. An elevator installation comprising:

an elevator;

an access node for the elevator, the access node located in an access area of a building;

a control unit coupled to and separate from the access node; and

an elevator controller coupled to the control unit and to the elevator, the control unit being configured to,

receive at the access node an identification code from a mobile telephone which comes within range of the access node prior to receiving a user request for access from the mobile telephone,

determine if the identification code is valid for granting access to the elevator,

based on the determining that the identification code is not valid for granting access to the elevator, deny access to the elevator,

based on the determining that the identification code is valid for granting access to the elevator, generate an access code to be used to access predetermined equipment in the building and transmit the access code by the access node to the mobile telephone for displaying the access code on a screen of the mobile telephone, without any further user request,

read the access code displayed on the screen of the mobile telephone after validation of the identification code, while the mobile telephone is located in the access area of the building, the reading of the access code being carried out by a reader located in the access area of the building, and

based on the reading of the access code, cause the elevator controller to grant access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator.

12. The elevator installation of claim 11, wherein the access code comprises a two-dimensional optical code.

36. The elevator installation of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

in response to receiving an associated enquiry from a third party, generate a user profile for the visitor, the user profile comprising a rule;

send the identification code to the mobile telephone via a short message service message or an email message;

upon receiving the identification code from the mobile telephone through the access node, confirm that the received identification code conforms to the identification code sent to the mobile telephone;

determine in dependence on the rule in the user profile whether the access code displayed on the screen of the mobile telephone is valid;

send a release of access to the access node to granted to the visitor access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator if the access code is valid; and

send a notification to the third party of an arrival of the visitor.

13. A non-transitory computer-usable medium containing code that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, at an access node located in an access area of a building for which access is to be granted, and prior to receiving a user request for access, an identification code from a mobile telephone within range of the access node of the building;

determining if the identification code is valid for granting access to the building;

based on the determining that the identification code is not valid for granting access to the building, denying access to an elevator at the building,

based on the determining that the identification code is valid for granting access to the building, generating an access code to be used to access predetermined equipment in the building and transmitting the access code by the access node to the mobile telephone for displaying the access code on a screen of the mobile telephone, without any further user request;

reading the access code displayed on the screen of the mobile telephone after validation of the identification code, while the mobile telephone is located in an access area of the building, the reading of the access code being carried out by a reader located in the access area of the building; and

based on the reading of the access code, granting access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator.

14. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 13, wherein the access code comprises a QR code.

15. An elevator access method comprising:

receiving a request from a building occupant or assistant to generate a user profile for a visitor to a building;

generating the user profile;

sending at an access node located in an access area of the building, to a mobile telephone of the visitor which comes within range of the access node, an identification code for the user profile;

receiving at the access node of the building, from the mobile telephone, a request for an access code based on the identification code;

if the identification code is invalid for granting access to the building, denying the visitor access to an elevator at the building;

if the identification code is valid for granting access to the building, generating a machine-readable two-dimensional optical code to be used to access predetermined equipment in the building, and sending by the access node an access code to the mobile telephone, without any further user request, the access code comprising the two-dimensional optical code;

reading the two-dimensional optical code from a display of the mobile telephone while the mobile telephone is located in the access area of the building, the reading of the two-dimensional optical code being carried out by a reader located in the access area of the building;

determining that the optical code is valid;

granting to the visitor access to the predetermined equipment including the elevator at the building; and

informing a visited person at the building that the visitor is at the building.

16. The elevator access method of claim 15, wherein a hyperlink is used to send the identification code to the mobile telephone of the user.

17. The elevator access method of claim 15, the method further comprising tracking the visitor as the visitor travels to a location of the visited person in the building.

18. The elevator access method of claim 15, the user profile being generated according to one or more rules.

19. The elevator access method of claim 18, the one or more rules comprising a rule that indicates one or more requirements associated with the visitor.

20. The elevator access method of claim 18, the one or more rules comprising a rule that indicates one or more requirements associated with the visited person.

25. An elevator access control method, comprising:

receiving, at an access node of a building for which access is to be granted, and prior to receiving a user request for access, an identification code from a mobile telephone of a visitor of the building within range of an access node of the building;

transmitting by the access node the identification code to a server;

determining by the server if the identification code is valid for granting access to at least one of a predetermined building area or an elevator of the building;

based on the determining that the identification code is not valid for granting access to the building, denying access to the predetermined building area or the elevator at the building for the visitor at the building;

based on the determining that the identification code is valid for granting access to the predetermined building area or the elevator at the building, generating an access code to be used to access predetermined equipment in the building and transmitting the access code by the access node to the mobile telephone of the visitor at the building for displaying the access code on a screen of the mobile telephone, without any further user request;

reading the access code displayed on the screen of the mobile telephone after validation of the identification code while the mobile telephone is located in an access area of the building, the reading of the access code being carried out by a reader located in the access area of the building; and

based on the reading of the access code and predetermined access conditions, granting to the visitor access to the predetermined equipment or the elevator at the building.

26. The elevator access control method of claim 25, further comprising granting to the visitor access to the building based on the reading of the access code.

27. The elevator access control method of claim 25, the identification code comprising a telephone number of the mobile telephone.

28. The elevator access control method of claim 25, the access code being usable once.

29. The elevator access control method of claim 25, the access code being valid for a limited time.

30. The elevator access control method of claim 25, the method further comprising notifying a visited person at the building that the visitor has arrived at the building.

31. The elevator access control method of claim 25, the method further comprising receiving an order from an occupant of the building to set up a user profile for the visitor comprising additional predetermined conditions.

32. The elevator access control method of claim 31, further comprising sending the identification code to the mobile telephone based on the user profile of the visitor.

33. The elevator access control method of claim 25, further comprising sending the identification code to the mobile telephone.