Employing external storage devices as media for access control panel control information

• US 8,179,227 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Dziadosz, John A
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US11/936,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20090121830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 235/382, 380/282, 340/568.1
• US Class Current: 340/5.6
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass

Abstract

The present invention advantageously provides a flexible system and method for a security system having a control panel with control information for performing security operations, and a token having its own control information, such that the panel reads control information from the token and determines if the token is authentic, and, if it is, the panel updates its control information in accordance with the token'"'"'s control information and performs the security operations based on its updated control information, and the updated control information is copied from the panel to the token.

Claims

1. A security system comprising:

a panel having first control information for performing security operations in a security system that allows access to a restricted space by a group of users; and

a token assigned to a user of the group of users having second control information, said second control information including authorization data and logic decisions,

programming logic of the control information that dynamically alters the access control decisions of the panel based upon a combination of the first and second control information,

wherein said panel reads said second control information and, based on at least said authorization data of said second control information, determines if said token is authentic, and, if said token is authentic, said panel updates said first control information in accordance with at least said logic decisions of said dynamically altered access control decisions based upon said second control information, performs said security operations based on said updated first control information, and writes said updated first control information to said token, said logic decisions of the token assigned to the user and the updated first control information enabling at least some of the group of users to access a restricted space different from an originally permitted restricted space.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second control infoimation is encoded bawd on one of a predetermined format, a protocol, and rules.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said security operations include providing access to a restricted area, unlocking a lock, and opening a door.

4. A method for operating a security system allowing access to restricted spaces by a plurality of users, the method comprising the steps of:

reading second control information from a token assigned to a user of the group of users to a panel, having first control information, said second control information including authorization data and logic decisions embodied as programming logic;

determining, using said panel and based on at least said authorization data of said second control information, if said token is authentic; and

if said token is authentic;

dynamically altering the access control decisions made by the control panel by combining the first and second control information and updating said first control information on said panel by executing instructions of the programming logic in accordance with at least said logic decisions of said second control information;

performing security operations based on said updated first control information; and

writing said updated first control information to said token, said updating of the first control information enabling at least some of the group of users to access a restricted space different from an originally permitted restricted space.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said second control information is encoded based on one of a predetermined format, a protocol, and rules.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said security operations include providing access to a restricted area, unlocking a lock, and opening a door.