SYSTEM FOR REGULATING ACCESS TO A RESOURCE
First Claim
1. A system for regulating access to a resource by a plurality of users, the system comprising:
- a plurality of portable access keys, each portable access key being provided to one of the plurality of users and having a variable access parameter associated therewith, each portable access key further allowing the respective user to indicate a desire for a number of people to access the resource; and
a queue manager, arranged to set an access criterion for the resource, to determine that the variable access parameter for a portable access key for which a desire to access the resource has been indicated meets the access criterion, and in consequence, to allow the user of the portable access key to join an access queue, users in the access queue subsequently being provided access to the resource, the queue manager being further configured to determine a characteristic for the access queue, related to a number of users in the access queue; and
wherein the queue manager is further configured to set the access criterion for the resource on the basis of a characteristic for the access queue.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for regulating access to a resource by a plurality of users is provided. The system comprises: a plurality of portable access keys, each being provided to one of the users and having an associated variable access parameter; an access barrier, having an open state allowing passage through and a closed state denying access to the resource, and defining an access queue; a sensor that determines an access queue characteristic related to a number of users in the access queue; a controller, which sets an access criterion based on the determined access queue characteristic; and a detector, located at the access barrier and which determines the variable access parameter of a portable access key when it is brought into the vicinity of the detector. The controller sets the access barrier in its open state if the variable access parameter determined by the detector meets the access criterion.
-
Citations
44 Claims
-
1. A system for regulating access to a resource by a plurality of users, the system comprising:
-
a plurality of portable access keys, each portable access key being provided to one of the plurality of users and having a variable access parameter associated therewith, each portable access key further allowing the respective user to indicate a desire for a number of people to access the resource; and a queue manager, arranged to set an access criterion for the resource, to determine that the variable access parameter for a portable access key for which a desire to access the resource has been indicated meets the access criterion, and in consequence, to allow the user of the portable access key to join an access queue, users in the access queue subsequently being provided access to the resource, the queue manager being further configured to determine a characteristic for the access queue, related to a number of users in the access queue; and wherein the queue manager is further configured to set the access criterion for the resource on the basis of a characteristic for the access queue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
15. A system for regulating access to a first resource and a second resource by a plurality of users, the system comprising:
-
a plurality of portable access keys, each portable access key being provided to one of the plurality of users and having a variable access parameter associated therewith; a first access barrier, having an open state allowing passage through the access barrier and a closed state denying access to the first resource, the first access barrier defining a first access queue; a first sensor, arranged to determine a first access queue characteristic, related to a number of users in the first access queue; a first controller, arranged to set a first access criterion for the first access barrier based on the determined first access queue characteristic; and a first detector, located at the first access barrier and adapted to determine the variable access parameter of a portable access key when the portable access key is brought into the vicinity of the first detector; a second access barrier, having an open state allowing passage through the second access barrier and a closed state denying access to the second resource, the access barrier defining a second access queue; a second sensor, arranged to determine a second access queue characteristic, the second access queue characteristic being related to a number of users in the second access queue; a second controller, arranged to set a second access criterion for the second access barrier based on the determined second access queue characteristic; and a second detector, located at the second access barrier and adapted to determine the variable access parameter of a portable access key when the portable access key is brought into the vicinity of the second detector; wherein the first controller is further arranged to set the first access barrier in its open state if the variable access parameter determined by the first detector meets the first access criterion; and wherein the second controller is further arranged to set the second access barrier in its open state if the variable access parameter determined by the second detector meets the second access criterion.
-
-
28. A system for regulating access to a first resource and a second resource by a plurality of users, the system comprising:
-
a plurality of portable access keys, each portable access key being provided to one of the plurality of users and having a variable access parameter associated therewith, each portable access key further allowing the respective user to indicate a desire for a number of people to access the first resource or second resource; a first queue manager, arranged to set an access criterion for the resource; a first queue interface, adapted to determine that the variable access parameter for a portable access key for which a desire to access the first resource has been indicated meets the first access criterion, and consequently to register the portable access key at the back of a first queue sequence; a second queue manager, arranged to set a second access criterion for the second resource; and a second queue interface, adapted to determine that the variable access parameter for a portable access key for which a desire to access the second resource has been indicated meets the second access criterion, and consequently to register the portable access key at the back of a second queue sequence; wherein the first queue manager is further arranged to manage the first queue sequence and to communicate to a portable access key that has been added to the first queue sequence an indication of when it can access the resource; wherein the first queue manager is further configured to set the first access criterion for the first resource on the basis of a length of the first queue sequence; wherein the second queue manager is further arranged to manage the second queue sequence and to communicate to a portable access key that has been added to the queue sequence an indication of when it can access the resource; and wherein the second queue manager is further configured to set the second access criterion for the second resource on the basis of a length of the second queue sequence.
-
-
29. A method of regulating access to a resource by a plurality of users, the method comprising:
-
defining a plurality of variable access parameters, each variable access parameter being associated with a respective user from the plurality of users; determining an access queue characteristic, the access queue characteristic relating to a number of users wishing to access the resource who are waiting in an access queue; and allowing a user from the plurality of users to access the resource if the variable access parameter for said user meets an access criterion, the access criterion being based on the determined access queue characteristic, to regulate access to the resource thereby. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
-
-
34. A method for regulating access to a resource by a plurality of users, the method comprising:
-
providing a portable access key to each of the plurality of users, each portable module having a variable access parameter associated therewith; defining an access queue using an access barrier; closing the access barrier so as to deny access to the resource; determining an access queue characteristic, the access queue characteristic being related to a number of users in the access queue; setting an access criterion for the access barrier based on the determined access queue characteristic; determining the variable access parameter of a portable access key when the portable access key is brought into the vicinity of a detector in the access barrier; and opening the access barrier, to allow passage through the access barrier, if the variable access parameter determined by the detector meets the access criterion. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
-
-
37. A method for regulating access to a resource by a plurality of users, the method comprising:
-
providing a portable access key to each of the plurality of users, each portable access key having a variable access parameter associated therewith; receiving and storing an indication from a user of a desire for a number of people to access the resource using the portable access key; setting an access criterion for the resource; determining that the variable access parameter for a portable access key for which a desire to access the resource has been indicated meets the access criterion, and consequently registering the portable access key in a queue sequence; managing the queue sequence; and communicating to a portable access key that has been added to the queue sequence an indication of when it can access the resource; and wherein the access criterion is set for the resource on the basis of a length of the queue sequence. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
-
Specification