Electronic security system
First Claim
1. A method of operating an electronic real estate lockbox system, the system including an electronic lockbox, an electronic key, and a central computer, the method comprising:
- placing a dwelling key in a lockable compartment inside the lockbox, the dwelling key permitting access to a property listed for sale by a listing real estate agent, the listing agent being affiliated with one of a plurality of local real estate offices, said local real estate office in turn being affiliated with a regional real estate board;
providing the lockbox with a lockbox identification code;
providing the electronic key with a key identification code;
entering a user code on a keypad associated with the key;
verifying from the user code that the user entering the code is an authorized user of the key;
relaying data between the electronic key and lockbox;
unlocking the lockbox compartment to allow access to the dwelling key contained therein in response to the data relayed between the key and lockbox;
storing transaction data specifying the date and time of the unlocking transaction, together with at least one of either the lockbox identification code or the key identification code, in a memory, said data being in raw numeric form;
transferring the transaction data from the memory to the central computer, said central computer being located remotely from the local real estate office;
providing the computer with interpretive data permitting the computer to correlate the key or lockbox identification code to a textual counterpart identifying the key or lockbox, respectively;
interpreting the transaction data with said interpretive data to produce an interpreted activity report that includes interpreted textual, rather than raw numeric, data;
establishing a telephone link between the central computer and a remote location; and
transmitting by facsimile the interpreted activity report to the remote location.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic real estate lockbox system includes a number of operational features, including facsimile reporting capability, bilateral locking solenoids, improved shackle latching capabilities, improved key-compartment release operation, two-wire bilateral lock-key communications, improved case design, viral lockout list propagation, an update code grace period, packet formatted data transmission with error recovery, FSK audio data downloading, and high security challenge-response authorization procedures. A variety of other operational features are also disclosed.
188 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of operating an electronic real estate lockbox system, the system including an electronic lockbox, an electronic key, and a central computer, the method comprising:
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placing a dwelling key in a lockable compartment inside the lockbox, the dwelling key permitting access to a property listed for sale by a listing real estate agent, the listing agent being affiliated with one of a plurality of local real estate offices, said local real estate office in turn being affiliated with a regional real estate board; providing the lockbox with a lockbox identification code; providing the electronic key with a key identification code; entering a user code on a keypad associated with the key; verifying from the user code that the user entering the code is an authorized user of the key; relaying data between the electronic key and lockbox; unlocking the lockbox compartment to allow access to the dwelling key contained therein in response to the data relayed between the key and lockbox; storing transaction data specifying the date and time of the unlocking transaction, together with at least one of either the lockbox identification code or the key identification code, in a memory, said data being in raw numeric form; transferring the transaction data from the memory to the central computer, said central computer being located remotely from the local real estate office; providing the computer with interpretive data permitting the computer to correlate the key or lockbox identification code to a textual counterpart identifying the key or lockbox, respectively; interpreting the transaction data with said interpretive data to produce an interpreted activity report that includes interpreted textual, rather than raw numeric, data; establishing a telephone link between the central computer and a remote location; and transmitting by facsimile the interpreted activity report to the remote location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification