Computerized door locking and monitoring system using power-line carrier components

• US 5,070,442 A
• Filed: 12/14/1989
• Issued: 12/03/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ann T. Syron-Townson, James A. Townson
• Original Assignee: Ann T. Syron-Townson, James A. Townson
• Inventors: Syron-Townson, Ann T., Townson, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUGGIERO, JOSEPH F
• Application Number:
  US07/450,432
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 364/146, 364/400, 364/130, 364/138-145, 340/310 R, 340/310 A, 340/542, 340/545, 340/546, 340/547, 340/538, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 361/170-172, 361/182-184, 361/189-193, 70/277-283, 70/262-265
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind

Abstract

A method of locking, unlocking and monitoring doors using a computer and a computer software program, electro-locking devices, power-line carrier components and existing AC wiring from the door sites to the computer is provided.

The computer program changes the status of each door according to predetermined schedule and displays the locked/unlocked/ajar status of each door as well as the event change (Push bar/key/fire alarm).

Exits are fitted with electro-door locks with sensor capabilities and are monitored from the computer via power line carrier components. At each exit site, a receiver receives commands from the computer and changes the locking status while a transmitter at the door site reports every changed status back to the computer. A microprocessor at each door site can control the doors and operate via battery back-up in a power failure or when communication from the computer program is interrupted. A transmitter at the fire alarm panel causes all doors to unlock if the fire alarm is activated.

Claims

1. A method of controlling and monitoring locks at multiple door sites wherein each door is equipped with an electro-locking device and each site has at least one system control unit comprised of at at least one transmitting device uniquely addressed per site and at least one receiving device uniquely addressed per site wherein said locking device is wired to said system control unit and necessary AC-DC transformer(s) are used with devices and of monitoring the activation of the fire alarm which is equipped with at least one transmitting device uniquely addressed and a coupler/repeater/amplifier, using a computer wherein said equipped doors, said fire alarm and said computer use same AC transformer or coupled transformers, said computer having a memory and a means of maintaining the time and date, at least one display screen, a means (usually a keyboard) for selecting items from said screen, a means to output data (usually a printer and/or a floppy disk drive), an interface with the AC power line in which said interface has memory to store transmissions and receipts, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing in said memory

1) doordata file comprising number, name or location and status of each door;

2) schedule comprising the predetermined status of each door at various times of various days;

3) door changes comprising time, date, location, means of change (Key, panic bar, keyboard, etc);

4) transmissions received from the door transmitters via said interface;

5) the software executable program;

(b) allowing a user to change said doordata, said schedule, said output means via said means to select items from said screen;

(c) executing an ongoing process including

1) resetting door status if said schedule indicates time change;

2) taking received transmissions of door changes from said interface and performs multiple operations accordingly to provide adequate monitoring;

3) taking received transmissions of fire alarm transmitter from said interface and unlocks all said equipped doors;

4) displaying said status of said equipped door sites on said screen where statuses include at least the following;

locked, unlocked, door ajar (lock activated, but door not locked), key override, other override;

5) continually monitoring for said keyboard input that can

i. change said status of any said equipped door;

ii. edit data in said doordata file;

iii. set or alter said schedule;

iv. provide on-screen help to execute said program;

v. change the said output means or initiate output;

2. A computerized system for controlling and monitoring of electro-locking devices at multiple monitored sites including

existing AC power lines which operate from same transformer or coupled transformers;

a monitoring station including a computer and computer program to control and monitor locking devices and including a power line interface connecting computer and said power lines, wherein power line interface includes transmitting and receiving means to handle communications between the computer and the monitored sites;

at each monitored site, a system control unit connected to said power lines and including transmitting and receiving means to communicate with said monitoring station wherein said system control unit selectively controls the status of each of said electro-locking devices according to a schedule selected at said monitoring station.

an electro-locking device with sensor capabilities and wired to to said system control unit;

at least one lock by-pass means, and wired to system control unit to monitor its use and to allow egress.

3. A system according to claim 2 including a transmitting means wired to fire alarm panel and operating from said AC power lines.

4. A system according to claim 3 including phone notification means in said computer at monitoring station and including active phone lines connected to said computer wherein computer dials and delivers a message for remote monitoring.

5. A method of controlling the status of doors in a building having multiple door sites and existing AC power lines extending to each door site, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an electric locking system at each door site including transmitting and receiving means;

connecting each said locking system to said AC power ines of building;

providing a monitoring station within said building including transmitting and receiving means; and

connecting said monitoring station transmitting and receiving means to said AC power lines of said building to enable the transmitting means of said monitoring station to communicate over said existing AC power lines with said receiving means of said locking systems and to enable transmitting means of said locking systems to communicate over said AC power lines with said receiving means of said monitoring station.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the building includes a fire alarm system and wherein the method includes the further steps of providing a transmitting means at the fire alarm system site and electrically connecting said transmitting means at the fire alarm system site with said receiving means of the locking systems so that a fire alarm signal may be transmitted to the receiving means at each door site to actuate the locking systems in a sense to unlock the doors.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the transmitting means at the fire alarm system site is electrically connected to the receiving means at said monitoring station so that a fire alarm signal may be transmitted to receiving means of said monitoring station for transmittal to the receiving means at each door site to actuate the locking systems in a sense to unlock the doors.