Lock system

• US 20030102957A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ITW Limited (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITW Limited (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Crisp, David
• Granted Patent: US 6,803,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00373 whereby the wake-up circuit is situated in the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A lock system includes a lock unit (11) having a catch (13) and a memory (15). A key unit (21) has an aerial (25) for receiving location determining signals. The lock and key units establish a communications link (33) to release the catch (13) only when the location is a location stored in the memory (15). The lock system may be used to secure vehicles (1).

Claims

1. A lock system comprising:

a lock unit having a releasable catch for securing an article to be locked, and a memory for storing information about the intended destination of the article; and

a key unit having a means for receiving location determining signals;

wherein the lock unit and key unit are arranged to register together;

the lock system further comprising a means operable to release the catch when the lock unit and the key unit are registered and when the location determined from location determining signals received in the key unit is a destination stored in the memory in the lock unit.

2. A lock system according to claim 1 further comprising a radio transceiver in the lock unit and a radio transceiver in the key unit for communicating with each other to register the lock unit and the key unit together.

3. A lock system according to claim 1 further comprising an electrical connector on the lock unit and an electrical connector on the key unit arranged to be electrically interconnected to register the lock and key units together.

4. A lock system according to any preceding claim further comprising a smart card reader.

5. A lock system according to any preceding claim wherein the signal transmitted from key unit to lock unit includes the GPS coordinates.

6. A lock system according to any preceding claim wherein when the lock unit and key unit cooperate to release the catch the lock unit stores the location coordinates in the memory.

7. A lock system according to any preceding claim further comprising a central server for communicating with the lock unit to store information in the memory and to download information from the memory.

8. A lock system comprising:

a lock unit having a releasable catch for securing an article to be locked, a memory for storing information about the intended destination of the article, and an interface; and

a key unit having an aerial for receiving location determining signals and an interface for communicating with the lock unit;

wherein the interface on the key unit can be brought into short range communication with the interface on the lock unit to transmit location information from the key unit to the lock unit;

and wherein the lock unit releases the catch only when the lock unit receives location information that matches a destination stored in the memory.

9. A lock system comprising:

a lock unit having a releasable catch for securing an article to be locked, and a memory for storing information about the intended destination of the article;

a key unit;

wherein the lock unit and key unit are arranged to cooperate to release the catch when a location determined from location determining signals is a destination stored in the memory in the lock unit.

10. A key unit for use with a lock unit having a catch for securing an item and a memory for storing the intended destination of the item, the key unit comprising:

an interface for transmitting signals to the lock unit to register the lock and key units together;

a receiver for receiving location determining signals and determining the location of the receiver;

wherein when the key unit registers with the lock unit it transmits the location determined from the location determining signals to the lock unit using the interface so that the lock unit can compare the location transmitted with that stored in its memory and release the catch if the locations match.

11. A lock unit for use with a key unit having a receiver for receiving location determining signals, the lock unit comprising:

a catch for securing an article to be locked;

a memory for storing the intended destination of the article; and

an interface for interfacing with the key unit to register the lock unit and key units together for receiving location determining information from the key unit;

wherein the lock unit is arranged to release the catch to release the article only when the lock unit is registered with a key unit having location determining information matching a location stored in the memory.

12. A method of operating a locking system comprising a lock unit having a catch for securing an article and a memory for storing the location of an intended destination of the article and a key unit having an aerial for receiving location determining information, the method comprising the steps of:

bringing the lock unit and the key unit together in close proximity;

establishing a communications link between the lock unit and the key unit;

receiving location information in the key unit;

passing location information to the lock unit through the communications link; and

releasing the catch if the location information received in the lock unit matches a location stored in the memory.