Method and apparatus for monitoring keys and other articles

• US 4,595,922 A
• Filed: 12/10/1984
• Issued: 06/17/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard G. Cobb
• Original Assignee: Richard G. Cobb
• Inventors: Cobb, Richard G., Chesterton, S. Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hodgkins, Sharon L.
• Application Number:
  US06/680,081
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.06, 340/825.1, 340/825.15, 340/825.17, 340/825.07, 340/825.49, 340/825.53, 340/825.11, 340/517, 340/518, 340/568, 340/572 , 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 364/478, 70/456 R, 70/460
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00936 for key cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

A microprocessor based system for storing and monitoring articles such as the keys for the vehicles in the inventory of an automobile dealership. The keys are held on binary coded cards which are received by edge connectors mounted on four removable panels on a wall mounted storage board. Each key has an identification number determined by the code on its card, and each edge connector has a unique address. The microprocessor continuously scans the edge connectors and stores in memory the code of the key at each address. Each edge connector has an indicator light which is turned on when a valid user code is entered on a keyboard and a request is made for the key located at the address of the edge connector. If request is made for a key which is missing, the system displays the number of the key and the user code of the person who removed it.

Claims

1. Apparatus for storing and monitoring the locations of articles such as keys, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of article holders each holding one article and each having a unique identification code which identifies the article held thereby;

a storage member having a plurality of fixed and stationary storage locations for the articles, each storage location having a unique address and being adapted to receive and store one article holder at a time, each article holder being removable from the storage location at which it is stored and each article holder being replaceable on the storage member at any randomly selected storage location which is not already storing another of the article holders;

an indicator for each storage location on said storage member, each indicator having energized and deenergized conditions;

means for scanning all of said addresses periodically to determine and periodically update for each address the identification code of the article holder stored at the storage location corresponding to the address;

means for accepting and recording valid user codes assigned to authorized users;

means for accepting coded requests each requesting the storage location of an article holder, each request corresponding to the indentification code of the article holder whose storage location is requested;

means for energizing the indicator for the storage location of each article holder whose identification code corresponds to a coded request, thereby indicating the location of the article holder to which each coded request corresponds;

means for recording the identification code of each article holder that is removed from said storage member; and

means for displaying the user code and the identification code of each removed article holder, thereby identifying the user code of the user who removed each article holder that has been removed from said storage member.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including means for providing a warning signal in response to an invalid user code.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said display means is operable only after a valid user code has been accepted and a coded request has been accepted corresponding to the identification code of an article holder removed from said storage member.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including means for displaying the identification code of each removed article holder and an indication that same was removed without a valid user code having been accepted.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including means for displaying each valid user code that is accepted.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including means for providing a warning signal when any article holder is removed from said storage member without prior acceptance of a valid user code.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a plurality of removable panels on said storage member, said storage locations being presented on said removable panels.

8. Key storage apparatus for storing a plurality of keys and monitoring the keys, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of key holders each holding one of the keys, each key holder having a unique identification code which identifies the key held by the holder and distinguishes the key from other keys;

a key storage panel having a storage surface presenting thereon a plurality of discrete storage locations each having a unique address, each storage location being fixed and stationary;

means at each of said discrete storage locations for receiving and storing one key holder at a time, each key holder being removable from the storage location at which it is stored and each key holder being replaceable on the storage panel at any randomly selected storage location which is not already storing another of the key holders, whereby the key holders can be stored at said discrete locations in random order;

an indicator light situated at each discrete storage location on said key storage panel, each light having an energized condition and a deenergized condition;

means for scanning all of said addresses periodially to determine and periodically update the identification code of the key holder stored at the location corresponding to each address;

means for accepting valid user codes assigned to authorized personnel and rejecting invalid user codes;

means for accepting coded requests corresponding to the identification codes of the key holders only after a valid user code has been accepted, each coded request requesting the storage location of the key holder having the identification code to which the coded request corresponds;

means for energizing each light in response to acceptance of a coded request corresponding to the identification code of the key holder stored at the storage location of the light, whereby energization of a light indicates the storage location of the key holder whose identification code corresponds to an accepted coded request;

means for recording the identification code of each key holder that is removed from said storage panel; and

means for displaying the user code and the identification code for each removed key holder, thereby identifying the user code of the user who removed each key holder that has been removed from said storage panel.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein:

each key holder includes a card carrying said identification code thereon adjacent one edge of the card; and

said means for receiving and storing includes an edge connector adapted to receive said one edge of each card, each edge connector having means for sensing the identification code on the card inserted therein.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, including a pluralty of removable panels on said storage surface of the storage panel, each of said removable panels having a preselected number of said discrete locations thereon.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein each key relates to a different object and including:

an orderly printed list of the identification codes of the key holders on said storage surface of the storage panel; and

a description of the ojbect to which each key relates, each description being located on said storage surface adjacent the corresponding identification code.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, including means for displaying the identification code of each removed key holder and a preselected code indicating that no valid user code was accepted prior to removal of the key holder.

13. A method of storing and monitoring the locations of articles such as keys, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a storage panel having a plurality of discrete addresses at which the articles may be stored;

storing articles on the storage panel at the discrete addresses in stationary positions;

assigning to each article a unique identification code;

scanning all of the addresses periodically to determine and periodically update the identification code of the article stored at each address;

assigning a unique user code to each user authorized to remove articles from said storage panel;

accepting valid user codes and rejecting invalid user codes;

accepting coded requests which request the addresses at which the articles are stored and which correspond to the identification codes, said coded requests being accepted only after a valid user code has first been accepted;

providing a visual indication at the address on the storage panel at which an article is stored whose identificatian code corresponds to a coded request that has been accepted;

displaying the identification code of each article that has been removed from the panel and the user code accepted at the time of its removal when a coded request is accepted corresponding to the identification code of an article that has been removed following acceptance of a valid user code; and

displaying the identification code of each article that has been removed from the panel and a preselected code when a coded request is accepted corresponding to the identification code of an article that has been removed without prior acceptance of a valid user code.