First entry notification

• US 10,192,383 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Inventors: Aase, Halvor
• Primary Examiner(s): Trail, Allyson
• Application Number:
  US15/509,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 235382
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00865 remotely by wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00857 where the code of the data carrier can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like

Abstract

An access control system is disclosed in which a user or guest'"'"'s first entry or usage of an electronic key is reported. Reporting of the first entry or usage may include information particular to the initial transaction and may be delivered by a path that is substantially the same, but reversed, from an original key delivery path. In this way, non-networked or ‘offline’ locks/readers can report first entry or usage of an electronic key.

Claims

1. A method of administering an access control system for a multi-room property having a plurality of locks, at least one of which is an offline lock and has no direct wired connectivity to an access control system backend, the method comprising:

determining that a guest has requested check-in to the multi-room property;

assigning a room from the multi-room property to the guest;

determining a lock that is used to secure the room;

generating an electronic key that contains information enabling access to the determined lock;

transmitting the electronic key to a mobile device of the guest, wherein the electronic key is transmitted to the mobile device via a wireless communications network;

creating a guest account within a property management system (PMS) of the multi-room property prior to the guest arrival at the multi-room property;

determining that the mobile device has been presented to the lock for a first time;

analyzing the electronic key transmitted to the mobile device and the information contained therein at the electronic lock;

determining to grant the guest access to the room based on the analysis of the electronic key and the information contained therein; and

transmitting information from the lock to the mobile device in response to determining to grant the guest access to the room, wherein the information is only transmitted to the mobile device the first time that the mobile device is presented to the lock and the guest is granted access to the room, and wherein the information transmitted from the lock to the mobile device includes a room identifier, success information, and/or a first use indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic key is provided to the lock via an NFC coupling and wherein the information transmitted from the lock to the mobile device is also provided during the same NFC coupling, thereby obviating the need for multiple connections between the mobile device and the lock.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic key is provided to the lock via a Bluetooth connection and wherein the information transmitted from the lock to the mobile device is also provided during the same Bluetooth connection, thereby obviating the need for multiple connections between the mobile device and the lock.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information transmitted from the lock to the mobile device is subsequently transmitted to the PMS and is stored in the guest account.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding first use of the mobile device with the lock is deleted from memory of the lock following transmission from the lock to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the property management system generates a report at a front desk identifying check-in by the guest.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

analyzing the electronic key with access control logic stored in memory of the reader; and

making an access control decision for the mobile device based on the analysis of the electronic key.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining that the receiving the electronic key corresponds to a first instance of the electronic key having been used by the mobile device comprises analyzing a usage log in the non-networked reader to determine that the electronic key has not been presented to the non-networked reader.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first interaction data is transmitted to the mobile device immediately after determining that the receiving the electronic key corresponds to a first instance of the electronic key having been used by the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first interaction data is transmitted via the communication channel during a same presentation of the mobile device to the non-networked reader that resulted in delivery of the electronic key.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the communication channel corresponds to a Radio Frequency (RF) channel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein Near Field Communications (NFC) and/or Bluetooth is used by the mobile device and non-networked reader to exchange information via the communication channel.

13. A method of communicating information about a guest'"'"'s remote check-in, wherein the guest'"'"'s remote check-in occurs via a non-networked reader, the method comprising:

using a credential interface of the non-networked reader to establish a communication channel with a mobile device;

receiving an electronic key from the mobile device over the communication channel;

determining that the receiving the electronic key corresponds to a first instance of the electronic key having been used by the mobile device by analyzing contents of the electronic key for an indication of whether the electronic key has been presented to any other reader prior to being presented to the non-networked reader;

in response to determining that the receiving the electronic key corresponds to a first instance of the electronic key having been used by the mobile device, generating first interaction data; and

transmitting the first interaction data to the mobile device via the communication channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first interaction data comprises an identifier of the non-networked reader.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first interaction data further comprises results of an access control decision made at the non-networked reader in response to analyzing the electronic key.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein results of the access control decision are included in the first interaction data.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first interaction data further comprises a time associated with receiving the electronic key at the reader.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein analyzing contents of the electronic key for an indication of whether the electronic key has been presented to any other reader prior to being presented to the non-networked reader comprises analyzing the electronic key for a marker indicative of delivery of the electronic key to a reader.