Finger operated electro-optical lock and method

• US 3,885,408 A
• Filed: 10/29/1973
• Issued: 05/27/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles T. Clark Jr
• Original Assignee: Charles T. Clark Jr
• Inventors: Clark, Charles T. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Craig, Jr., Albert G.
• Application Number:
  US05/410,397
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 70/278,DIG.51 250/209,221 317/124,134
• US Class Current: 70/278.1
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 49/006 actuating opto-electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 70/51 Light sensitive control means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7068 Actuated after correct combination recognized [e.g., numerical, alphabetical, or magnet[s] pattern]

Abstract

A finger operated electro-optical lock system in which an optical keyboard having at least one zone indicated thereon is illuminated by ambient energy until touched by a finger of the human hand blocking the radiant energy passing through the zone. A counter is thus enabled to cycle a numeric display. When the first digit of the combination appears in the display, the finger is lifted and reapplied until the second digit of the combination is displayed. The process is repeated until each digit of the combination has been displayed.

Claims

1. A lock system for an enclosure entrance comprising:

manually operable electro-optical switch means internal of the enclosure;

pulse means responsive to said switch means for providing a series of pulses at a predetermined repetition rate;

display means for providing a visual indicia internal of the enclosure related to the number of pulses provided by said pulse means, said display means being positioned for viewing by the operator of said switch means external of the enclosure so that the operation of said switch means may be selectively terminated to effect the display of predetermined visual indicia by said display means to the operator external of the enclosure;

lock means; and

, circuit means internal of the enclosure and responsive to the effecting of the display of predetermined visual indicia by said pulse means for effecting the operation of said lock means.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said manually operable switch means includes:

a sheet of radiant energy pervious material;

a pair of detectors on the side of said sheet internal of the enclosure, each of said pair of detectors being responsive to ambient radiant energy passing through a predetermined zone on said sheet from the other side thereof; and

, circuit means responsive to an imbalance in the ambient radiant energy detected by said pair of detectors for effecting the operation of said switch means.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said circuit means includes means for inhibiting the operation of said lock means in the event that the visual indicia display effected by said pulse means is other than predetermined indicia.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said circuit means includes means for inhibiting the operation of said lock means in the event that the visual indicia display effected by said pulse means is other than predetermined indicia.

5. An electro-optical locking system for an enclosure entrance comprising:

a sheet of radiant energy pervious material carried by the enclosure and providing structural integrity for the enclosure;

a pair of detectors on the side of said sheet internal Of the enclosure, each of said pair of detectors being responsive to radiant energy passed through a predetermined zone on said sheet;

a lock; and

, means internal of the enclosure responsive to a predetermined sequence of the durations of a plurality of time intervals each related to an imbalance in the radiant energy detected by said pair of detectors for effecting the operation of said lock, said lock operating means including;

switch means for establishing a desired sequence of time interval duration, counter means advanced in response to each imbalance in the radiant energy detected by said pair of detectors to a value related to the duration of the imbalance, and circuit means for effecting the operation of said lock for a predetermined time interval in response to the sequential advancement of said counter means to each of a predetermined plurality of values, said circuit means being reset in response to the termination of advance at a value other than said predetermined plurality of values and in response to the termination of advance at one of said predetermined plurality of values in other than a predetermined sequence.

6. A system for operating the lock of an enclosure entrance comprising:

a sheet of radiation transparent material carried by the enclosure and providing structural integrity for the enclosure;

a plurality of radiation responsive elements on the side of said sheet internal of the enclosure, each of said elements being associated with a predetermined zone of said sheet;

switch means on the side of said sheet internal of the enclosure operable in response to a modification of the radiation of said elements from the side of said sheet external of said enclosure;

display means;

means responsive to the duration of the operation of said switch means for modifying the indicia displayed by said display means and for providing a unique signal related to the duration of the operation of said switch means responsively to the termination of the operation of said switch means; and

, means for evaluating said unique signal and for effecting the operation of the enclosure lock in response to a favorable evaluation.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said switch means is operable from a position external of the enclosure by the positioning of the finger of a human hand in a predetermined position on said sheet of radiation transparent material.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said lock operating means includes:

switch means for establishing a desired sequence unique signal provision.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said sheet of material is glass having a thickness of at least about one-quarter inch.

10. A method for operating the locking device of the entrance to an enclosure without compromising the integrity of the enclosure comprising the steps of:

a. sequentially modifying for a plurality of time intervals the passage of radiant energy from a source external of the enclosure through a predetermined zone of a sheet of structural material optically transparent to the radiant energy;

b. detecting internally of the enclosure the duration of each of the time intervals during which the passage of radiant energy is modified;

c. evaluating the sequence of time interval duration detection with respect to a predetermined sequence; and

, d. operating the locking device responsively to the evaluation of the time interval duration sequence evaluation.