Machine security systems
First Claim
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1. A security system comprising:
- (a) an operating station of a machine;
(b) a personal identification system positioned to attempt to identify a person physically located at the operating station and having a first output for a control signal indicating confirmation of the identity of a person authorized to operate the machine;
(c) a detector positioned to detect entry to and departure from a select area in the vicinity of and containing the operating station;
(d) a circuit coupled to the detector, having a second output, and structured to issue a detection signal on the second output when the signals from the detector indicate that a person is alone in the select area; and
(e) a security device that is coupled to the first output and operable in response to the control signal to allow operation of the machine, and that is coupled to the second output and operable in response to the absence of the detection signal to deactivate the machine.
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Abstract
A system and method are provided for enabling machine operations. In particular, the invention includes an electronic device that senses or scans one or more physical characteristic of a person about to operate a machine and generates signals indicative of such physical characteristic(s), which signals are automatically analyzed and compared with signals stored in a memory to generate control signals for enabling the operation of the machine. In a particular form of the invention, both the presence of a person at a machine and an identifying characteristic of such person are sensed and used to enable the operation of the machine.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A security system comprising:
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(a) an operating station of a machine; (b) a personal identification system positioned to attempt to identify a person physically located at the operating station and having a first output for a control signal indicating confirmation of the identity of a person authorized to operate the machine; (c) a detector positioned to detect entry to and departure from a select area in the vicinity of and containing the operating station; (d) a circuit coupled to the detector, having a second output, and structured to issue a detection signal on the second output when the signals from the detector indicate that a person is alone in the select area; and (e) a security device that is coupled to the first output and operable in response to the control signal to allow operation of the machine, and that is coupled to the second output and operable in response to the absence of the detection signal to deactivate the machine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A security system comprising:
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(a) an operating station for a human operator of a machine; (b) a personal-identification system structured to identify a person situated at the operating station and to automatically generate on the output of the personal-identification system a first electronic control signal indicating that the person is authorized to operate the machine; (c) a detector situated to generate on its output a second control signal indicating that the operator has departed a select vicinity containing the operating station; and (d) a control circuit coupled to the operating station and the outputs of (b) and (c) and structured to apply the two control signals to permit the person to activate and act as operator of the machine when the personal-identification system has issued the first control signal and the detector has not issued the second control signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification