Apparatus for remote opening of doors or gates of a building

• US 8,390,426 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Gates S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Business Gates S.p.A.
• Inventors: Farneti, Aldo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US12/452,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.1, 340/5.3, 379/88.19, 379/207.15, 379/102.01, 379/102.06
• US Class Current: 340/5.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration

Abstract

There is disclosed an apparatus for remote opening of doors or gates of at least a building (A, A1 . . . An). The apparatus comprises a unit (B, B 1 . . . Bn) located in the building (A, A1 . . . An) and accessible from a plurality of external terminals (C1 . . . Cn) provided with a GSM module; the unit (B, B1 . . . Bn) is connected to electromechanical means (50) suitable for opening and closing said doors or gates and comprises a database (2) containing the list of the telephone numbers of said plurality of external terminals (C1 . . . Cn), a GSM interface (3) for connecting to the external terminals (C1 . . . Cn) and means (4) for managing said interface (3) and said database (2). The managing means (4) is interrogatable by the external terminals (C1 . . . Cn) and is suitable for commanding the electromechanical means (50) for opening gates or doors if the telephone number of the interrogating external terminal is on the list of telephone numbers of the external terminals (C1 . . . Cn) of the database.

Claims

1. A apparatus for remote opening of doors or gates of at least a building, said apparatus comprising a plurality of units located in the building and accessible from a plurality of external terminals provided with a GSM module, each of said units being connected to electromechanical means suitable for opening and closing said doors or gates, each of said units comprising a database containing a list of the telephone numbers of said plurality of external terminals, a GSM interface for connecting to the external terminals and means for managing said interface and said database, said managing means being interrogatable by said external terminals and being suitable for commanding said electromechanical means for opening gates or doors if the telephone number of the interrogating external terminal is on the list of telephone numbers of the external terminals of the database;

and said apparatus further comprising a central unit comprising a memory provided with a database containing a list of said units located in the building and a list of passwords associated with said units located in the building and suitable for activating said units, an interface for remote connection to said units located in the building, a GSM interface for connecting to the external terminals and means for managing said interfaces and said database, said managing means being interrogatable by said external terminals by means of sending a password and being suitable for checking whether the sent password is on the list of passwords of the database and, if the checking operation has been positive, being suitable for storing the telephone number of the interrogating external terminal and for sending data to said units located in the building, said data containing the telephone number of the interrogating external terminal and the validity period of the door or gates opening service.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said managing means of said units comprises data-processing means for processing data and application software for managing said processing means, said application software comprising the following functions:

receiving the telephone number of the calling external terminal via the interface without replying to the telephone call, checking whether the telephone number of the calling external terminal is on the list of telephone numbers stored in the database and the subsequent operation of sending a gate or door-opening command to the electromechanical means if the check operation has had a positive outcome.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said external terminals are mobile phone terminals.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said managing means of the central unit comprises data-processing means for processing data and application software for managing said processing means, said application software comprising the following functions:

authentication of the requests by checking that the received password is on the list of the passwords stored in the database, association of the sent password with the corresponding unit and storing the telephone number of the interrogating external terminal, sending of the messages to the designated unit with telephone number of the interrogating external terminal and of the duration of the service.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said central unit is suitable for sending information by a text message to the designated unit located in the building.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said central unit is suitable for sending information by a GPRS call to the designated unit located in the building.