Door access control and key management system and the method thereof

• US 7,170,998 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2001
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lochisle Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lochisle Incorporated
• Inventors: Caughey, Michael D., McLintock, Gavin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrón, Jr.; Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, LAN DAI T
• Application Number:
  US10/004,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 380/277, 713/182, 713/185, 709/201, 340/5.23, 340/5.25, 340/5.7
• US Class Current: 380/277
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/21 having a variable access code
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration

Abstract

A door access control and key management system is disclosed, in which a number of doors and door users are involved. The system comprises a door/key administering system and a door lock/control assembly mounted on each door, which are communicatively interconnected with each other via a communications network. The door/key administering system serves to store a key unique to each of the users, store an identification code unique to each of the doors, and assign access authorization to at least one user for each door. The door lock/control assembly serves to read the key presented by the user, verify that the key has access authorization, and operate the door in response to the authorization for access. Each user can gain access to the doors authorized to the user with a unique key and each door can provide access to the user or users assigned thereto.

Claims

1. A system for door access control and key management, the system comprising:

(1) a door administering system for administering access to one or more doors, the door administering system having;

(a) a module for managing access privilege of one or more individuals for each door and assigning access authorization to each individual for the door,

(b) a door database for storing a door identification uniquely assigned to each door and information on each authorized individual for each door, and

(c) a module for changing data stored in the door database;

(2) a key administering system for administering one or more keys separately from the administration of the access to the door, each key being uniquely assigned to a key owner, the key administering system having;

(d) a module for managing the one or more keys and assigning a key to the key owner independently from the access privilege for each door,

(e) a key database for storing one or more keys for each key owner, and

(f) a module for changing data stored in the key database,

(3) a door control/lock assembly mounted on each door, the door control/lock assembly, the door administering system and the key administering system communicating with each other through a communications network, the door control/lock assembly for identifying a user key presented by a key user, and for operating the door based on the access privilege of the key user when the identified user key is a key administered by the key administering system, and the key user is an individual authorized to any of the one or more doors by the door administering system and having access authorization to the door.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door control/lock assembly carries out the authorization process when the communication between the door control/lock assembly and the door and key administering systems is interrupted.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications network includes a wireless communications network.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications network includes an IP (Internet Protocol) communications network, and the door administering system and the key administering system include a door administering server system and a key administering server system, respectively.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the key of the key owner includes a key signature unique to the respective key owner, which is not unique to the door and is recognizable by the door control/lock assembly.

6. The system as claimed in claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication and authorization process between the door and key administering systems and the door control/lock assembly are carried out in a form of encrypted signals or messages.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each door control/lock assembly includes;

an identification device for reading the user key presented by the key user;

a lock adapted to be operated in response to the authorization from the door and key administering systems; and

an embedded controller for controlling the operation of the identification device and the lock, and the authorization process.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door administering system is physically separated from the key administering system.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stored data pertaining to the doors can be updated when required by a door administrator and the stored data pertaining to the keys can be updated when required by a key administrator.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door control/lock assembly, and the door administering system and key administering system are adapted to be controlled by a web browser operatively connected to the communications network.

11. A system architecture for controlling door access and key management, the system architecture comprising:

(a) a plurality of door access control and key management systems, each of which is the system for door access control and key management according to claim 1, the systems being communicatively and operatively connected to a communication network; and

(b) a Meta server being adapted to serve as an address reference among the door administering systems and the key administering systems, which are separately part of each door access control and key management system, the Meta server being communicatively and operatively connected to each of the door access control and key management systems via the communications network, wherein the Meta server contains the address of each separate door administering system and key administering system each with its associated unique key Ip codes and unique door Ip codes, and each door access control and key management system contains the address of the Meta server such that any key owner, whose keys are administered by any key administering system, can be granted access privileges at any door which is administered by any door administering system.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the key owner of a key is capable of changing the key of that key owner at the key database.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door is assigned to one or more door administrators, the door administrator being capable of changing information stored at the door database and associated with the assigned doors.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door administering system is administered by one or more door administrators, and the key administering system is administered by one or more key administrators.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door control/lock assembly sends the identified key to the key administering system, the door administering system or a combination thereof to obtain access authorization.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door administering system assigns, to each door, the key uniquely assigned to each key owner who is an individual having access authorization to the door.

17. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door administering system records authorized entries to the doors and unauthorized attempts to unlock the door.

18. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the key database records use of the keys, including authorized access to the door and unauthorized attempt to unlock the door.

19. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door administering system and/or the key administering system maintains logs of entries and exits of each user through the door.

20. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system gathers information which includes (i) time of attempts to access a door, (ii) an identification of a user who attempted the access, and (iii) information on attempts to gain access to the door by an unknown individual.

21. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the door control/lock assembly further includes a wireless transmitter/receiver.

22. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the door control/lock assembly and the door and key administering systems are adapted to be controlled via a web browser operatively connected to the IP communications network.

23. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the key signature includes a numeric code, a sequence of numbers, a unique signal, or a biometric recognition code.

24. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein each key owner has one or more keys for the door, and the door control/lock assembly includes two or more identification devices which are different from each other.

25. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the door control/lock assembly further includes a module for assisting in the operation of the door control/lock assembly and sensing the status of the door, the assisting and sensing module including one or more of the following:

a door open sensor, a speaker and microphone assembly, a camera, an activity light, a buzzer, a call button, a battery condition sensor, a smoke sensor, a temperature sensor.

26. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the embedded controller includes a database for storing information on the keys and users such that, when the communication between the door control/lock assembly and the door and key administering systems is interrupted, the door control/lock assembly can carry out the authorization process for the door associated therewith.

27. The system architecture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the communications network includes an IP communications network.

28. The system architecture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the Meta server is adapted to be controlled via a web browser communicatively and operatively connected to the Meta server through the communications network.

29. The system architecture as claimed in claim 11, wherein more than one Meta server is provided to the door access control and key management systems.

30. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the door administering system allows the door administrator to configure a plurality of security settings for the operation of the door control/lock assembly.

31. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the access given to a particular key to a particular door is communicated to the key administrator for that particular key and/or the door administrator by the door control/lock assembly.

32. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the identified key is compared with the key or keys of the key owners who are the individuals having access authorization to the door for the verification.

33. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the key administering system is controlled by one or more key administrators and the key administering system provides the key administrator with a report of every instance of the use of the key that has been recorded.

34. The system as claimed in claim 19, wherein based on the logs, it is determined who is in a specific area through the door.

35. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the key owner is authorized for access to the door by using all or several of the keys.

36. The system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the security settings include a setting specifying who is authorized at specific times to the door.

37. The system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the security setting includes access privileges of each user, which is changeable by the door administrator.

38. The system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the door control/lock assembly has an alarm device, which communicates with the door administering system, the door administering system communicating with an alarm administrator in accordance with the security setting.

39. The system as claimed in claim 36, wherein the security settings include a setting specifying who is to be notified in an event of an alarm and how the alarm is notified.

40. A method of implementing door access control and key management via a communications network, the method comprising steps of:

(1) at a door server, administering access to one or more doors, including;

(a) managing access privilege of one or more individuals for each door and assigning access authorization to each individual for the door; and

(b) at a door database, storing a door identification uniquely assigned to each door and information on each authorized individual for each door, data stored in the door database being updatable;

(2) at a key server, administering one or more keys separately from the administration of the access to the door, each key being uniquely assigned to a key owner, including;

(c) managing the one or more keys and assigning a key to the key owner independently from the access privilege for each door;

(d) at a key database, storing one or more keys for each key owner, the keys being implemented by key signatures, data stored in the key database being updatable;

(3) at a door control/lock assembly, identifying a user key presented by a key user;

(4) comparing the identified user key to the keys of the key owners; and

(5) operating the door based on the access privilege of the key user by verifying that the identified user key is a key administered by the key server and the key user is an individual authorized to any of the one or more doors by the door server and having access authorization to the door,

wherein the authorization step is carried out through the communications network between the door server and the key server.

41. The method as claimed in claim 40, further comprising a step of storing two or more different unique key signatures for the user whereby all of the different key signatures are required to gain access to the door.

42. The method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the communications networks includes an IP communications network.

43. The method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the communications networks includes a wireless communications network.

44. The method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the assigning step assigns access authorization to an individual having a key stored in the key database.

45. The method as claimed in claim 41, wherein any one of the different key signatures is required to gain access to the door.