PREDICTIVE BATTERY WARNINGS FOR AN ELECTRONIC LOCKING DEVICE

• US 20160116510A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Master Lock Company (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Master Lock Company (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalous, Scott, Bartucci, John, Smyczek, Cris, Conrad, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/524,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20160116510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and computer-readable media for operating an electronic locking device. The disclosed methods include a method of predicting a battery life of an electronic locking product based at least in part on a usage history of the electronic locking product. The predicted battery life may include an adjustment based on received weather information relating to a location of the electronic locking device. The disclosed methods include a method of sharing an unlocking code to an electronic locking product by a first user to a second user.

Claims

1. A method of predicting a battery life of an electronic locking product based at least in part on a usage history of the electronic locking product, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, lock event information associated with a lock event of the electronic locking product from a user device;

storing, in a database of the server, the lock event information, wherein the lock event information is associated with the electronic locking product in the database;

calculating, by the server, an expected battery life of a battery of the electronic locking product based at least in part on the lock event information;

determining, by the server, that the expected battery life of the battery is below a threshold value; and

initiating, by the server, an alert to a user computing device indicating a low battery condition of the battery in response to determining that the expected battery life is below the threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lock event information includes a location of the locking device, and wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the server, weather information from a weather service.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising adjusting, by the server, the expected battery life of the battery based on the weather information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting, by the server, an estimated amount of time until a predicted next lock event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the threshold value relates to an estimated amount of battery capacity needed by the electronic locking product during the estimated amount of time until the predicted next lock event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one retailer in the vicinity of the product or the user that carries replacement batteries for the electronic locking product, wherein the alert includes an identification of the at least one retailer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alert further includes a map providing a location of the electronic locking product.

8. A method of sharing an unlocking code to an electronic locking product by a first user to a second user, the electronic locking product including an electronically controllable mechanical locking mechanism, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a sharing request from a first user computing device associated with the first user, wherein the sharing request indicates a request from the first user to provide guest access to a second user;

authenticating, by the server, the first user as at least one of an owner or an authorized user of the electronic locking product;

generating, by the server, an unlock code for the electronic locking product; and

transmitting, by the server, a message to a second user computing device associated with the second user, the message including the unlock code.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the unlock code is a one-time use unlock code that expires after a first use of the unlock code by the second user.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising authenticating the second user as a registered user of the electronic locking product.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the message includes location information relating to a location of the electronic locking product.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, at the server, lock event information corresponding to the secondary user locking the electronic locking product.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending, by the server, a message to the primary user computing device, the message including updated location information relating to the electronic locking product.

14. A locking product system comprising:

an electronic locking device including a battery, a wireless transceiver, an electronically controllable locking mechanism, and a first processor configured to lock and unlock the electronically controllable locking mechanism and to transmit information to a backend server via a user computing device;

the backend server including a memory and a second processor, the second processor configured to;

receive lock event information associated with a lock event of the electronic locking product from a user device;

store the lock event information, wherein the lock event information is associated with the electronic locking product in the database;

calculate an expected battery life of a battery of the electronic locking product based at least in part on the lock event information;

determine that the expected battery life of the battery is below a threshold value; and

initiate an alert to a user computing device associated with a user of the electronic locking product indicating a low battery condition of the battery.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the lock event information includes a location of the locking device, and wherein the second processor is further configured to receive weather information from a weather service.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second processor is further configured to adjust the expected battery life of the battery based on the weather information.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the second processor is further configured to estimate amount of time until a predicted next lock event.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the threshold value relates to an estimated amount of battery capacity needed by the electronic locking product during the estimated amount of time until the predicted next lock event.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the second processor is further configured to identify at least one retailer in the vicinity of the product or the user that carry replacement batteries for the electronic locking product, wherein the alert includes an identification of the at least one retailer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the alert further includes a map providing a location of the electronic locking product.