Lock system

• US 4,207,555 A
• Filed: 03/03/1978
• Issued: 06/10/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eastern Company The
• Original Assignee: Eastern Company The
• Inventors: Trombly, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US05/883,204
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 340/147 MD, 340/149 R, 340/149 A, 340/164 R, 361/172
• US Class Current: 235/382.5
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00761 with data transmission performed by connected means, e.g. mechanical contacts, plugs, connectors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00817 where the code of the lock can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00857 where the code of the data carrier can be programmed

Abstract

An electronic lock system including a key coder, a key or set of keys and a lock or set of locks. The key coder provides an operator-selectable key code having a new code portion and current code portion to each key. The key receives the selected key code from the key coder and retains it for use with the lock or set of locks, one at a time. When the lock receives the key code from the key, a comparison is made in the lock between the current code portion of the key code and a lock code contained within a memory in the lock. If the current code portion of the key code compares the lock code, the lock is actuated and the lock code in the memory is replaced by the new code portion of the key code. If the new code portion of the key code is identical to the current code portion of the key code, the key will actuate the lock and will continue to do so until the lock is once actuated by a key having a different new code portion of the key code. Thereafter, the remaining keys in the set will not actuate the lock until their key code is changed by the key coder.

Claims

1. A lock system comprising:

a key carrying a key code having a new code portion and a current code portion and;

a lock adapted to accept the key and having means for receiving the key code from the key;

means for retaining a lock code;

means for comparing the lock code to the current code portion of the key code each time the key is accepted by the lock;

means for actuating the lock if said lock code compares with the current code portion of the key code; and

means for providing said means for retaining a lock code with said new code portion of the key code each time the lock is actuated.

2. The lock system of claim 1 further including a key coder for reprogramming a key by replacing the new code portion and current code portion of the key code.

3. A lock adapted to accept a key code providing energy and information in the form of a new code portion and a current code portion, comprising:

means for receiving the key code;

decoding means coupled to said means for receiving the key code for providing a word representative of said new code portion of said key code and a word representative of said current code portion of said key code;

means coupled to said decoding means for retaining said word representative of said new code;

means coupled to said decoding means for retaining said word representative of said current code;

memory means coupled to said means for retaining said word representative of said new code for retaining a word representative of a lock code and for replacing said lock code with said new code in response to an enable signal; and

a comparator coupled to said means for retaining said current code and said memory means for comparing the word representative of the current code with the word representative of the lock code each time the key code is accepted by the lock and generating said enable signal and actuating the lock only if the word representative of the current code compares with the word representative of the lock code.

4. A key for accepting and providing a key code in the form of a modulated sine wave, having a new code portion and a current code portion comprising:

interface means for accepting and providing the key code;

decoder means coupled to said interface means for providing a first data word representative of the new code and a second data word representative of the current code; and

memory means coupled to the decoder means for retaining the first and second data words;

means coupled to the interface means and to the memory means for converting the first and second data word into the new code and the current code, thereby forming the key code; and

means for selecting whether said key accepts or provides the key code.

5. The key of claim 4 wherein said means for selecting whether said key accepts or provides the key code is responsive to an operator-actuated switch.

6. The key of claim 4 wherein said means for selecting whether said key accepts or provides the key code includes:

a transmit/receive detector means for detecting if said key is to accept or provide the key code;

a data multiplexer, responsive to the transmit/receive detector and coupled to said memory means and to said decoder means for selecting whether said memory means receives said first and second data words from said decoder.

7. A lock adapted to accept a key carrying a key code having a new code portion, a current code portion, and a synch code portion comprising:

detecting means for detecting the key code;

decoding means coupled to the detecting means for decoding the key code and providing data words representative of the new code portion, the current code portion and the synch code portion;

clock means coupled to the decoding means for providing clock pulses in accordance with the synch code portion;

means coupled to said clock means for providing a compare signal after the data words representative of the new code and the current code have been received;

means coupled to said decoding means and responsive to the clock pulses for receiving and retaining the data word representative of the new code;

means coupled to said decoding means and responsive to the clock pulses for receiving and retaining the data word representative of the current code;

memory means for retaining a data word representative of a lock code and coupled to said means for receiving and retaining the data representative of the new code;

comparing means coupled to the memory means and to said means for receiving and retaining the data word representative of the current code for comparing the data word representative of the lock code to the data word representative of the current code and providing a lock-actuating signal in response to said compare signal;

means responsive to said lock-actuating signal for causing said memory means to replace said data word representative of a selected lock code with said data word representative of said new code; and

means for actuating the lock in response to said lock-actuating signal.