WIRELESS LOCK

• US 20170148242A1
• Filed: 09/07/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 10,354,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 response to the device adapter having been activated by the lock signal; and

locking, by the lock mechanism, a first lock part to a second lock part together, and releasing, by the lock mechanism, 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.

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 first lock part is an electrically controllable bolt and the second lock part is a latch, and wherein said applying the power signal to the lock mechanism engages the electrically controllable bolt with the latch or disengages the controllable bolt from the latch.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the electrically controllable bolt is configured to be engaged when there is no power signal applied to the lock mechanism.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the electrically controllable bolt comprises an electromagnetic bolt that engages with or disengages from the latch on application of the power signal to a corresponding electromagnetic circuit.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the electrically controllable bolt comprises an electroactive polymer bolt that engages with or disengages from the latch on application of the power signal.

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

authenticating the wireless signal before applying the power signal to the lock mechanism.

8. The method of claim 7, 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.

9. 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;

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.

10. The network lock system of claim 9, 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.

11. The network lock system of claim 9, wherein the first lock part is an electrically controllable bolt and the second lock part is a latch, and wherein application of said applying the power signal engages the electrically controllable bolt with the latch or disengages the electrically controllable bolt from the latch.

12. The network lock system of claim 11, wherein the electrically controllable bolt is configured to be engaged when there is no power signal applied to the lock mechanism.

13. The network lock system of claim 11, wherein the electrically controllable bolt comprises an electromagnetic bolt that engages with or disengages from the latch on application of the power signal to a corresponding electromagnetic circuit.

14. The network lock system of claim 11, wherein the electrically controllable bolt comprises an electroactive polymer bolt that engages with or disengages from the latch on application of the power signal.

15. 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 response to the device adapter having been activated by the lock signal; and

locking, by the lock mechanism, a first lock part to a second lock part together, and releasing, by the lock mechanism, 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.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, 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.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first lock part is an electrically controllable bolt and the second lock part is a latch, and wherein application of the power signal to the lock mechanism engages the electrically controllable bolt with the latch or disengages the controllable bolt from the latch.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the electrically controllable bolt is configured to be engaged when there is no power signal applied to the lock mechanism.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the electrically controllable bolt comprises an electromagnetic bolt that engages with or disengages from the latch on application of the power signal to a corresponding electromagnetic circuit.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the electrically controllable bolt comprises an electroactive polymer bolt that engages with or disengages from the latch on application of the power signal.