Fail-safe access control chamber security system

• US 6,308,644 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William Diaz
• Original Assignee: William Diaz
• Inventors: Diaz, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Gall, Lloyd A.
• Application Number:
  US09/441,917
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 109/2-8, 109/12, 109/9, 109/11, 109/13-18, 109/67, 109/68, 49/25, 49/68, 492/63, 492/68, 492/69, 49/31
• US Class Current: 109/6
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 5/003 Entrance control E05G5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 5/02 Trapping or confining mechanisms, e.g. transaction security boothsthief or burglar incapacitating means in general G08B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/116 for sluices
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors

Abstract

An access control vestibule having first and second locking single doors, an access control chamber formed between the two doors, magnetic locks for each of the doors, a metal detector located between the doors to detect for a weapon, the doors are manually operable and swing towards the outside of the chamber, the frame of the vestibule is rectangular and formed of a metal material, the door frames being formed of a metal material, transparent ballistic resistant panels are mounted in the side walls of the chamber and the door frames, ultrasonic sensors are positioned above the first and second halves of the chamber to detect for the presence of more than one person within the chamber or for the presence of an object such as a weapon on the floor of the chamber, an ultrasonic sensor located above the metal detector, a touch-sensitive pad located on the inside of the exit door of the chamber, a control device to prevent both doors from being opened at the same time and to prevent the second or exit door from being unlocked when the metal detector detects a metal object or the sensors detect the presence of more than one person or an object on the floor.

Claims

1. An access control vestibule, comprising;

a vestibule frame configured to form said access control vestibule mounted in said vestibule frame;

an entrance door and an exit door;

an entrance door frame and an exit door frame;

a panel mounted in said vestibule frame and forming a side wall section of said vestibule;

said entrance door and said exit door being formed by a panel mounted in each of said door frames;

locks associated with said entrance door and said exit door;

a metal detector located to detect a metal object being disposed between said entrance and exit doors;

control means to prevent both doors from being unlocked at the same time, and to prevent said exit door from being unlocked when said metal detector detects a metal object;

said entrance door and said exit door both being manually operated; and

said entrance door and said exit door each being formed by a single swinging door, and swingable towards the outside of said vestibule.

2. The access control vestibule of claim 1, and further comprising;

a 24 volt DC power supply to supply power to the control means; and

the control means including means to maintain power to the metal detector when said vestibule is shut off.

3. The access control vestibule of claim 1, and further comprising;

a 24 volt DC power supply to supply power to the control means; and

said metal detector operating at 24 volts DC.

4. The access control vestibule of claim 1, and further comprising;

said control means including a 24 volt DC battery backup.

5. The access control vestibule of claim 1, further comprising:

a floor and an ultrasonic sensor; and

said ultrasonic sensor located to detect presence of a person above said floor of said vestibule.

6. The access control vestibule of claim 1, and further comprising;

means to detect an object on a floor of said vestibule.

7. The access control vestibule of claim 1, and further comprising;

means to detect a person straddling a floor of said vestibule.

8. The access control vestibule of claim 1, wherein the entrance door and the exit door form an entrance chamber;

a secured area is formed in the interior of said vestibule;

a second entrance door and a second exit door form an exit chamber;

said exit chamber is arranged alongside said entrance chamber; and

said control means prevents said second entrance door of said exit chamber from being opened upon said second exit door of said exit chamber being unlocked;

thus said entrance chamber is configured to allow entrance into said secured area, and said exit chamber is configured to allow exit from said secured area.

9. The access control vestibule of claim 8, and further comprising;

said second exit door of said exit chamber being configured to swing towards the outside of said exit chamber.

10. The access control vestibule according to claim 9, wherein said metal detector in said vestibule is located closer to the exit door than to the entrance door such that a magnetic field generated by the entrance door frame does not affect the operation of said metal detector.

11. The access control vestibule according to claim 5, wherein:

said ultrasonic sensor disposed above said floor of said vestibule is used to detect the presence of a person in said vestibule or an object on said floor of said vestibule; and

said ultrasonic sensor is located above said metal detector.

12. The access control vestibule according to claim 11, further comprising:

a touch-sense pad located on an inside of the exit side of said vestibule;

said control means to disable said metal detector when said touch-sensitive pad is touched;

a first ultrasonic sensor located above the entrance side of said metal detector of said vestibule;

a second ultrasonic sensor located above the exit side of the metal detector of said vestibule;

said control means to detect if both said first and second ultrasonic sensors detect the presence of an object or a person at the same time.

13. A method of controlling access through a double-door system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first lockable door;

providing a second lockable door;

providing an enclosed chamber between said two doors;

providing a metal detector located to detect a metal object being disposed between said two doors;

providing means to detect a presence of a person within said enclosed chamber;

providing means to detect when a person touches said second door;

unlocking said first door;

locking said second door;

locking said first door when the means to detect a presence of a person detects the presence of a person within the chamber;

determining if said metal detector has detected a metal object;

unlocking said second door when said metal detector has not detected a metal object and when the means to detect when the person touches the second door detects that the person touches the second door;

enabling said metal detector when the presence of a person is detected and said first door is locked; and

disabling said metal detector when said means to detect detects a person touching said second door.

14. An access control vestibule, comprising;

a vestibule frame having a rectangular shape configured to form an access control vestibule mounted in said vestibule frame;

an entrance door frame and an exit door frame;

a panel mounted in said vestibule frame and forming a side wall section of said vestibule;

a panel mounted in each of the door frames and forming an entrance door and an exit door;

said entrance door and said exit door both being manually operated, each formed of a single swinging door, and each swingable towards the outside of said vestibule;

a lock associated with each of the doors;

a metal detector located to detect a metal object being disposed between said entrance and exit doors; and

control means to prevent both doors from being unlocked at the same time when said metal detector detects a metal object.