Lock system

• US 6,803,674 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ITW Limited (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITW Limited (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Crisp, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Jr., Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US10/311,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20030102957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9-- 1, 70/57, 70/58, 702/62--65, 340/5--
• US Class Current: 307/10.2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00373 whereby the wake-up circuit is situated in the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A lock system includes a lock unit (11) having a catch (13) and a memory (15). A key unit (21) has an aerial (25) for receiving location determining signals. The lock and key units establish a communications link (33) to release the catch (13) only when the location is a location stored in the memory (15). The lock system may be used to secure vehicles (1).

Claims

1. A lock system comprising:

a lock unit having a releasable catch for securing an article to be locked, and a memory for storing information about an intended destination of the article;

a key unit having a means for receiving location determining signals;

wherein the lock unit and key unit are arranged to register together; and

the lock system further comprising a means operable to release the catch when the lock unit and the key unit are registered and when a location determined from the location determining signals received in the key unit is the intended destination stored in the memory in the lock unit.

2. A lock system according to claim 1 further comprising a radio transceiver in the lock unit and another radio transceiver in the key unit for communicating with each with each other to register the lock unit and the key unit together.

3. A lock system according to claim 1 further comprising an electrical connector on the lock unit and another electrical connector on the key unit arranged to be electrically interconnected to register the lock unit and key units together.

4. A lock system according to claim 1 further comprising a smart card reader.

5. A lock system according to claim 1 wherein a signal transmitted from key unit to lock unit includes GPS coordinates.

6. A lock system according to claim 1 wherein when the lock unit and key unit cooperate to release the catch and the lock unit stores location coordinates in the memory.

7. A lock system according to claim 1 further comprising a central server for communicating with the lock unit to store information in the memory and to download information from the memory.

8. The lock system according to claim 1 wherein the lock unit and key unit are arranged to register together in a close physical proximity of less than or equal to 100 meters.

9. A lock system comprising:

a lock unit having a releasable catch for securing an article to be locked, a memory for storing information about an intended destination of the article, and an interface; and

a key unit having an aerial for receiving location determining signals and another interface for communicating with the lock unit;

wherein the other interface on the key unit can be brought into short range communication with the interface on the lock unit to transmit location information from the key unit to the lock unit;

and wherein the lock unit releases the catch only when the lock unit receives location information that matches the intended destination stored in the memory.

10. The lock system according to claim 9 wherein the short range communication is less than or equal to 100 meters.

11. A lock system comprising:

a lock unit having a releasable catch for securing an article to be locked, and a memory for storing information about an intended destination of the article; and

a key unit,

wherein the lock unit and key unit are arranged in a proximity less than or equal to 20 meters to cooperate to release the catch when a location determined from location determining signals is the intended destination stored in the memory in the lock unit.

12. A key unit for use with a lock unit, the lock unit having a catch for securing an item and a memory for storing an intended destination of the item, the key unit comprising:

an interface for transmitting signals to the lock unit to register the lock and key units together;

a receiver for receiving location determining signals and determining the location of the receiver,

wherein when the key unit registers with the lock unit in a proximity less than or equal to 100 meters, the key unit transmits the location determined from the location determining signals to the lock unit using the interface so that the lock unit can compare the location transmitted with the stored in the memory and release the catch when the intended destination matches the location.

13. A lock unit for use with a key unit having a receiver for receiving location determining signals, the lock unit comprising:

a catch for securing an article to be locked;

a memory for storing an intended destination of the article; and

an interface for interfacing with the key unit to register the lock unit and key units together for receiving location determining information from the key unit,

wherein the lock unit is arranged to release the catch to release the article when the lock unit is registered with the key unit having the location determining information matching the intended destination stored in the memory.

14. The lock unit according to claim 13, wherein the lock unit resisters with the key unit in a proximity less than or equal to 100 meters.

15. The lock system according to claim 14 wherein the close physical proximity is less than or equal to 20 meters.

16. A method of operating a locking system comprising a lock unit having a catch for securing an article and a memory for storing the location of an intended destination of the article and a key unit having an aerial for receiving location determining information, the method comprising the steps of:

bring the lock unit and the key unit together in close proximity;

establishing a communications link between the lock unit and the key unit;

receiving the location determining information in the key unit;

passing the location determining information to the lock unit through the communication link; and

releasing the catch if the location determining information received in the lock unit matches the location stored in the memory.

17. The method of operating a lock system according to claim 16, further comprising bringing the lock unit and key unit in close proximity of less than or equal to 100 meters.