GPS enabled key management system

• US 8,040,218 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carrier Fire & Security Americas LLC (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Purdue, Adam, Hays, Jonathan Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TUN, NAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/130,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.16, 340/539.17, 340/568.1, 340/568.7, 340/568.8, 340/569, 340/5.73, 340/5.5
• US Class Current: 340/5.73
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like

Abstract

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are provided for acquisition of a lockbox position. For example, in one embodiment a method is provided which receives positional data for a lockbox. After receiving the lockbox, when the lockbox is associated with one listing, the method determines proximity of the positional data to that one listing. If however, there is more than one listing within a predetermined distance of the positional data, the method compares the positional data with each listing in the plurality of listings. Thereafter, the method transmits a query, which includes at least, a result of the comparison. Embodiments of the invention also include other methods, computer-readable media, apparatuses, and systems that contain features similar to the features in the above described method.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a server positional data for a lockbox provided by satellite navigation system receiver circuitry associated with the lockbox;

determining whether the lockbox is associated with any real estate listing stored in the server;

determining, when said lockbox is associated with a real estate listing stored in the server, a proximity of the received positional data to said real estate listing;

determining whether to update stored positional data for the lockbox based upon the proximity of the received positional data to said real estate listing;

comparing, when the lockbox is not associated with any listing stored in the server and there are a plurality of listings within a predetermined distance of said received positional data, said received positional data with each listing in said plurality;

assigning the lockbox to one of the listings if only said one of the listings is within the predetermined distance of the received positional data; and

transmitting a query comprising a result of said comparison if more than one listing is within the predetermined distance of the received positional data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response to said query indicative of an appropriate listing for said lockbox.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

updating a database to assign the lockbox to the appropriate listing, in accordance with said response.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating communication with the lockbox;

transmitting lockbox information including the positional data for the lockbox towards a key; and

transmitting data including the positional data for the lockbox from said key towards the server.