Field retrofittable refrigerator lock with audit trail
First Claim
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1. A retrofittable lock assembly for an enclosure, said enclosure comprising an exterior portion and an access door, the retrofittable lock comprising:
- a strike plate removably mountable to the exterior of said enclosure;
a housing removably mountable to said access door of said enclosure;
a latch bolt mounted in said housing and operatively configured to cooperate with said strike plate to inhibit relative movement between said strike plate and said latch bolt;
a drive motor mounted in said housing and operatively configured to retract said latch bolt into said housing to allow relative movement between said strike plate and said latch bolt;
a microprocessor mounted in said housing;
a memory mounted in said housing; and
an access authorization circuit associated with said housing for receiving access authorization request data from a user,wherein data received by said access authorization circuit is verified by said microprocessor by comparing the data to a plurality of valid data sequences whereby, upon validation, said microprocessor energizes said drive motor to operate said latch bolt and stores lock operation data in said memory.
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Abstract
Disclosed is apparatus and methodology for providing a retrofittable lock assembly for an enclosure. A manually or electronically accessible lock assembly has been provided that may be attached to an enclosure to control access to items stored in the enclosure. In a particular form, the retrofittable lock may be applied to a refrigerator used to store controlled medications. The retrofittable lock contains electronic circuitry that maintains a record of user identification, date, and time of access of users seeking access to items stored in the enclosure.
49 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A retrofittable lock assembly for an enclosure, said enclosure comprising an exterior portion and an access door, the retrofittable lock comprising:
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a strike plate removably mountable to the exterior of said enclosure; a housing removably mountable to said access door of said enclosure; a latch bolt mounted in said housing and operatively configured to cooperate with said strike plate to inhibit relative movement between said strike plate and said latch bolt; a drive motor mounted in said housing and operatively configured to retract said latch bolt into said housing to allow relative movement between said strike plate and said latch bolt; a microprocessor mounted in said housing; a memory mounted in said housing; and an access authorization circuit associated with said housing for receiving access authorization request data from a user, wherein data received by said access authorization circuit is verified by said microprocessor by comparing the data to a plurality of valid data sequences whereby, upon validation, said microprocessor energizes said drive motor to operate said latch bolt and stores lock operation data in said memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of controlling access to selected items, comprising the steps of:
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providing an enclosure for enclosing the selected items, the enclosure including at least an exterior portion and an access door; attaching a strike plate to the exterior portion;
said strike plate being removably attachable to said exterior portion;attaching a housing containing a latch bolt, a drive motor, a microprocessor, a memory, and an access authorization circuit to the access door;
said housing being removably attachable to said access door;programming the memory with a first predetermined plurality of code sequences; providing a predetermined plurality of users access to at least one of the first predetermined plurality of code sequences; and storing data in the memory corresponding to user identification and date and time of access, whereby an audit trail of access to the stored items may be maintained. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Lock assembly apparatus for retrofittable use with an enclosure of the type for enclosing selected items, and including at least an exterior portion and an access door, said apparatus comprising:
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a strike plate removably attachable to the exterior portion of an enclosure; a housing removably attachable to the access door of such enclosure; a latch bolt mounted in said housing and operatively configured to cooperate with said strike plate to inhibit relative movement between said strike plate and said latch bolt; a drive motor mounted in said housing and operatively configured to retract said latch bolt into said housing to allow relative movement between said strike plate and said latch bolt; a microprocessor mounted in said housing; a memory mounted in said housing; and an access authorization circuit associated with said housing for receiving access authorization request data from a user, wherein data received by said access authorization circuit is verified by said microprocessor by comparing the data to a plurality of valid data sequences whereby, upon validation, said microprocessor energizes said drive motor to operate said latch bolt for movement of said strike plate for corresponding opening or closing of the access door of the enclosure, and said microprocessor stores lock operation data in said memory to reflect an audit trail of access to selected items enclosed in such enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification