Access control device

• US 8,228,167 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Maruya, Kensuke, Shimada, Takanori, Okada, Susumu, Ishigami, Tomohide
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US11/570,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,339 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.8, 340/7.35, 340/5.7, 340/5.74, 340/5.21, 340/5.65, 340/5.27, 340/5.2
• US Class Current: 340/5.8
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/04 Access control involving a hierarchy in access rights
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide an access control apparatus for lessening the occasions of invading a place where no entry is permitted without setting any separate access condition for a temporary user of a visitor, etc., in a room entering and leaving management apparatus using personal identification information of an IC card, etc.

The access control apparatus of the invention sets the master-slave relationship between identification information possessed by a guide and identification information possessed by a visitor and automatically sets the access permission of the visitor in response to the verification result of the guide.

Claims

1. An access control apparatus for controlling whether to permit an access to a premises in accordance with a plurality of pieces of identification information stored in a plurality of identification information storage means, respectively, said access control apparatus comprising:

access condition record means for recording an access condition indicating identification information which permits the access to the premises;

verification means for checking a plurality of pieces of identification information respectively associated with disparate users, which are individually obtained within a predetermined time, as a single access request, against the access condition; and

access condition update means for evaluating a verification result of the verification means and, if the plurality of pieces of identification obtained include first identification information, associated with a first person with access to the premises, which is verified as included in the access condition and second identification information, associated with a second person without access to the premises, which is verified as not included in the access condition, for updating the access condition, wherein the access condition update means is configured for setting a master-slave relationship between the first identification information and second identification information, and changing the access condition of the second identification information carried by the second person to the access condition of the identification of the first person in response to the verification result of first identification information carried by a first person.

2. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the access condition update means updates the access condition by creating a relation number which is assigned to an association between the first identification information and the second identification information and records the second identification information along with the relation number.

3. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if all of the plurality of pieces of identification information obtained are verified as included in the access condition, the access condition update means updates the access condition so as to delete the second identification information indicated in the access condition.

4. The access control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the first identification information obtained within the predetermined time as the access request is checked against the access condition, the access condition update means updates the access condition so as to delete third identification information which is recorded in association with the first identification information but is not obtained within the predetermined time as the access request.

5. An access control method for controlling whether to permit an access to a premises in accordance with a plurality of pieces of identification information stored in a plurality of identification information storage means, respectively, said access control method comprising:

recording an access condition indicating identification information which permits the access to the premises, by access condition record means;

checking a plurality of pieces of identification information respectively associated with disparate users which are individually obtained within a predetermined time, as a single access request, against the access condition, by verification means; and

evaluating a verification result of the verification means and, if the plurality pieces of identification information obtained include first identification information, associated with a first person with access to the premises, which verified as included in the access condition and second identification information, associated with a second person without access to the premises, which is verified as not included in the access condition, updating the access condition by access condition update means, wherein the access condition update means is configured for setting a master-slave relationship between the first identification information and second identification information, and changing the access condition of the second identification information carried by the second person to the access condition of the identification of the first person in response to the verification result of first identification information carried by a first person.