Predictive battery warnings for an electronic locking device

• US 10,094,885 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Master Lock Company LLC (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Master Lock Company LLC (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalous, Scott, Bartucci, John, Smyczek, Cris, Conrad, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US15/846,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20180106871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and computer-readable media for operating an electronic locking device. The disclosed methods include a method of predicting a battery life of an electronic locking product based at least in part on a usage history of the electronic locking product. The predicted battery life may include an adjustment based on received weather information relating to a location of the electronic locking device. The disclosed methods include a method of sharing an unlocking code to an electronic locking product by a first user to a second user.

Claims

1. A method of predicting a battery life of an electronic locking product based at least in part on a usage history of the electronic locking product, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, lock event information associated with a lock event of the electronic locking product from a portable device;

storing, in a database of the server, the lock event information, wherein the lock event information is associated with the electronic locking product in the database;

calculating, by the server, an expected battery life of a battery of the electronic locking product using the lock event information, the expected battery life comprising an expected amount of time associated with a remaining charge of the battery based at least in part on usage indicated by the lock event information;

predicting, by the server, an estimated amount of time until a predicted next lock event;

determining, by the server, that the expected battery life of the battery is below a threshold value, wherein the threshold value relates to an estimated amount of battery capacity needed by the electronic locking product during the estimated amount of time until the predicted next lock event; and

initiating, by the server, an alert to a user computing device indicating a low battery condition of the battery in response to determining that the expected battery life is below the threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lock event information includes a location of the electronic locking product, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the server, weather information from a weather service based on the location of the electronic locking product; and

adjusting, by the server, the expected battery life of the battery based on the weather information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable device and the user computing device are the same device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the server or the user computing device, at least one retailer in the vicinity of at least one of the electronic locking product, the portable device, or the user computing device that carries replacement batteries for the electronic locking product, wherein the alert includes an identification of the at least one retailer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the alert further includes a map providing a location of at least one of the electronic locking product, the portable device, the user computing device, or the at least one retailer.

6. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising a processor operably coupled to a memory and configured to;

receive lock event information associated with a lock event of an electronic locking product;

store the lock event information in a database, wherein the lock event information is associated with the electronic locking product in the database;

calculate an expected battery life of a battery of the electronic locking product using the lock event information, the expected battery life comprising an expected amount of time associated with a remaining charge of the battery based at least in part on usage indicated by the lock event information;

estimate an amount of time until a predicted next lock event

determine that the expected battery life of the battery is below a threshold value, wherein the threshold value relates to an estimated amount of battery capacity needed by the electronic locking product during the estimated amount of time until the predicted next lock event; and

initiate an alert indicating a low battery condition of the battery.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the lock event information includes a location of the electronic locking product, and wherein the processor is further configured to receive weather information from a weather service based on the location of the electronic locking product.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the expected battery life of the battery based on the weather information.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to identify at least one retailer in the vicinity of at least one of the electronic locking product or the computing device that carries replacement batteries for the electronic locking product, wherein the alert includes an identification of the at least one retailer, wherein the alert further includes a map providing a location of at least one of the electronic locking product, the at least one retailer, or the computing device.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising the electronic locking product, the electronic locking product comprising:

the battery;

a wireless transceiver;

an electronically controllable locking mechanism; and

a second processor configured to lock and unlock the electronically controllable locking mechanism and transmit information using the wireless transceiver to the computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computing device comprises a server, and wherein the server is configured to receive the information from the electronic locking product via a second computing device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a processor of a computing device, cause the processor to:

receive lock event information associated with a lock event of an electronic locking product;

store the lock event information in a database, wherein the lock event information is associated with the electronic locking product in the database;

calculate an expected battery life of a battery of the electronic locking product using the lock event information, the expected battery life comprising an expected amount of time associated with a remaining charge of the battery based at least in part on usage indicated by the lock event information;

estimate an amount of time until a predicted next lock event

determine that the expected battery life of the battery is below a threshold value, wherein the threshold value relates to an estimated amount of battery capacity needed by the electronic locking product during the estimated amount of time until the predicted next lock event; and

initiate an alert on at least one of the computing device or a second computing device indicating a low battery condition of the battery.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the lock event information includes a location of the electronic locking product, and wherein the instructions cause the processor to at least one of (i) determine the location of the electronic locking product and append the location to the lock event information or (ii) receive the location of the electronic locking product with the lock event information.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

receive weather information from a weather service based on the location of the electronic locking product; and

adjust the expected battery life of the battery based on the weather information.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the processor to identify at least one retailer in the vicinity of at least one of the electronic locking product, the computing device, or the second computing device that carries replacement batteries for the electronic locking product, wherein the alert includes at least one of (i) an identification of the at least one retailer and (ii) a map providing the location of at least one of the electronic locking product, the at least one retailer, the computing device, or the second computing device.