Wireless lock

• US 10,354,464 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Feltham, Andrew S., Maple, Elizabeth J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US15/258,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20170148242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0023 with encription of the transmittted data signal
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A network lock system and a method for operating the network lock system. The network lock system includes: a battery controller for turning on a microcontroller using power in a battery, in response to a determination by the battery controller that there is enough power in the battery to turn on the microcontroller; the microcontroller after being turned on, for receiving a wireless signal and in response, for generating a lock signal to activate a device adapter; the device adapter for applying a power signal to a lock mechanism, in response to the device adapter having been activated by the lock signal; and the lock mechanism for locking a first lock part to a second lock part together, and for releasing the first lock part locked to the second lock part in response to the lock mechanism having received the power signal from the device adapter.

Claims

1. A method for operating a network lock system, said method comprising:

determining, by a battery controller, that there is enough power in a battery to turn on a microcontroller and in response, turning on, by the battery controller using the power in the battery, the microcontroller;

receiving, by the microcontroller after being turned on, a wireless signal and in response, generating, by the microcontroller, a lock signal to activate a device adapter;

applying, by the device adapter, a power signal to a lock mechanism in a configuration in which a bolt and a latch are locked together, in response to the device adapter having been activated by the lock signal, wherein the lock mechanism comprises an electromagnet and a compressible spring having a compression force configured to push the bolt into the latch, wherein the power signal provides power to the electromagnet which causes the bolt to be attracted into the electromagnet by an electromagnetic force that exceeds the compression force of the spring which causes the bolt to be released from the latch, and wherein the electromagnetic force exceeding the compression force of the spring causes the bolt to be surrounded by the electromagnet; and

withdrawing the power signal from the lock mechanism, which removes the power provided to the lock mechanism, said removal of the power provided to the lock mechanism removing the electromagnetic force resulting in the compression force of the spring pushing the bolt into the latch causing the bolt and the latch to be locked together.

2. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

converting, by a harvester, a first signal received from a network device into a second signal that inserts power into the battery, wherein the harvester operates independently of the microcontroller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bolt comprises an electroactive polymer bolt.

4. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

authenticating the wireless signal before applying the power signal to the lock mechanism, wherein said authenticating the wireless signal comprises decrypting an encrypted PIN from the wireless signal and matching the decrypted PIN with an authenticated PIN associated with the network lock system that comprises the lock mechanism.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller comprises the device adapter, the battery controller, and the battery, and wherein the device adapter and the battery controller are distinct components within the microcontroller.

6. A network lock system, comprising:

a battery controller for turning on a microcontroller using power in a battery, in response to a determination by the battery controller that there is enough power in the battery to turn on the microcontroller;

the microcontroller after being turned on, for receiving a wireless signal and in response, for generating a lock signal to activate a device adapter;

a lock mechanism;

the device adapter for applying a power signal to the lock mechanism in a configuration in which a bolt and a latch are locked together, in response to the device adapter having been activated by the lock signal, wherein the lock mechanism comprises an electromagnet and a compressible spring having a compression force configured to push the bolt into the latch, and wherein the power signal provides power to the electromagnet which causes the bolt to be attracted into the electromagnet by an electromagnetic force that exceeds the compression force of the spring which causes the bolt to be released from the latch, wherein the electromagnetic force exceeding the compression force of the spring causes the bolt to be surrounded by the electromagnet, and wherein withdrawing the power signal from the lock mechanism removes the power provided to the lock mechanism, said removal of the power provided to the lock mechanism removing the electromagnetic force resulting in the compression force of the spring pushing the bolt into the latch causing the bolt and the latch to be locked together.

7. The network lock system of claim 6, further comprising:

a harvester for converting a first signal received from a network device into a second signal that inserts power into the battery, wherein the harvester operates independently of the microcontroller.

8. The network lock system of claim 6, wherein the bolt comprises an electroactive polymer bolt.

9. The network lock system of claim 6, wherein the microcontroller comprises the device adapter, the battery controller, and the battery, and wherein the device adapter and the battery controller are distinct components within the microcontroller.

10. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code executable by a computer processor to implement a method for operating a network lock system, said method comprising:

determining, by a battery controller, that there is enough power in a battery to turn on a microcontroller and in response, turning on, by the battery controller using the power in the battery, the microcontroller;

receiving, by the microcontroller after being turned on, a wireless signal and in response, generating, by the microcontroller, a lock signal to activate a device adapter;

applying, by the device adapter, a power signal to a lock mechanism in a configuration in which a bolt and a latch are locked together, in response to the device adapter having been activated by the lock signal, wherein the lock mechanism comprises an electromagnet and a compressible spring having a compression force configured to push the bolt into the latch, wherein the power signal provides power to the electromagnet which causes the bolt to be attracted into the electromagnet by an electromagnetic force that exceeds the compression force of the spring which causes the bolt to be released from the latch, and wherein the electromagnetic force exceeding the compression force of the spring causes the bolt to be surrounded by the electromagnet; and

withdrawing the power signal from the lock mechanism, which removes the power provided to the lock mechanism, said removal of the power provided to the lock mechanism removing the electromagnetic force resulting in the compression force of the spring pushing the bolt into the latch causing the bolt and the latch to be locked together.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, said method further comprising:

converting, by a harvester, a first signal received from a network device into a second signal that inserts power into the battery, wherein the harvester operates independently of the microcontroller.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the microcontroller comprises the device adapter, the battery controller, and the battery, and wherein the device adapter and the battery controller are distinct components within the microcontroller.