Invisible indication of duress via wearable

• US 10,482,698 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2016
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Inventors: Caterino, Mark Anthony, Einberg, Fredrik Carl Stefan, Hoyer, Philip, Davis, Masha Leah
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Zhen Y
• Application Number:
  US15/569,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20180122219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 : when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 : using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 : Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 : using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/40 : Security arrangements using identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 : Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 : using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 : Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems are provided for invisibly indicating duress via a wearable device. In response to determining a duress condition associated with a user exists, a duress signal is provided to components of the access control system. The duress signal can identify a user associated with the duress, a duress type, and even include a location associated with the duress condition. An alert of the duress condition can be distributed to one or more devices in the access control system. These devices may be associated with users of the system and the alert may be configured to silently inform the users of the duress condition.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a wearable device associated with a user in an access control system, sensor information representing a condition of the user;

determining whether the sensor information indicates that the user is under duress;

determining a duress condition associated with the user;

providing, in response to determining the duress condition, a duress signal to a communication device of the access control system, wherein the duress signal includes information configured to alter an access control authority of one or more other users in the access control system;

determining, based at least partially on the duress signal, to limit or grant access via a reading device of the access control system;

determining a position of the user within the access control system; and

controlling one or more assets within a predetermined proximity of the position of the user based, at least in part, on the duress condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the sensor information indicates that the user is under duress further comprises:

analyzing user biometric information from the received sensor information for variations from a predetermined user baseline profile established for the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the sensor information indicates that the user is under duress further comprises:

analyzing user environmental information from the received sensor information for variations from a predetermined environmental baseline profile established for an environment associated with the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the duress condition associated with the user further comprises:

comparing the user biometric information and the user environmental information with predetermined duress condition profiles, wherein each predetermined duress condition profile defines a unique duress condition.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined duress condition profiles include at least one of a fire, hazard, assault, health incident, heart attack, carbon monoxide detection, gas detection, and flood.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the duress signal is provided to a display associated with the communication device in the access control system, and wherein the communication device includes at least one of another reading device, a mobile device, another wearable device, and an access server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the duress signal is provided by a mobile device associated with the wearable device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the duress signal is provided in response to receiving, at the wearable device, an interrogation signal from a reading device in the access control system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to determining the duress condition, the method further comprises:

receiving, from the wearable device, force measurement information corresponding to a force of impact recorded by the wearable device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the duress condition associated with the user further comprises:

determining a temporal relationship of the force measurement information to the sensor information representing the condition of the user.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method of claim 7.

12. An access control system, comprising:

a reading device configured to receive duress signal information transmitted via at least one wearable device in the access control system;

a wearable device associated with a user of the access control system, comprising;

a memory having sensor information stored thereon; and

a communications module configured to enable communications between at least one of the reading device and a mobile device; and

a processor configured to determine whether the sensor information indicates that the user is under duress, determine a duress condition associated with the user, provide, via the communications module and in response to determining the duress condition, a duress signal to the reading device of the access control system, wherein the duress signal includes information configured to alter an access control authority of one or more other users in the access control system, determine, based at least partially on the duress signal, to limit or grant access via the reading device of the access control system, determine a position of the user within the access control system, and control one or more assets within a predetermined proximity of the position of the user based, at least in part, on the duress condition.

13. The access control system of claim 12, further comprising:

a duress alert device configured to transmit an alert about the duress condition to one or more other wearable devices, mobile devices, and/or reading devices in the access control system upon receiving the duress signal from the wearable device.

14. The access control system of claim 13, wherein the alert is configured as a silent alarm and configured to guide other users away from a zone of danger associated with the duress signal.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, at a communication device of an access control system, a duress signal provided by a wearable device associated with a user, the duress signal indicating that the user is under duress, wherein the duress signal includes information configured to alter an access control authority of one or more other users in the access control system;

determining, based at least partially on information in the duress signal, a duress type associated with the user;

determining a position of the user within the access control system;

generating an alert based on the duress type determined;

providing the alert to at least one other communication device associated with the access control system and within a predetermined proximity of the position of the user; and

determine, based at least partially on the duress type determined, to limit or grant access via a reading device of the access control system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

controlling, based at least partially on the duress type, at least one access control point associated with the access control system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the alert is a silent alert configured to present information about the duress type to a selected user via the at least one other communication device such that only the selected user receives the presentation of the information.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the alert includes instructions directing another user associated with the at least one other communication device away from the user under duress.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

controlling, based at least partially on the duress type, at least one of an environmental illumination, heating venting and air conditioning output, and physical lock status associated with one or more components in the access control system and in an environment proximate to the user under duress.