Networked physical security access control system and method

• US 8,533,814 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: RedCloud Security Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Neely, E. Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/350,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20120174182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1
• US Class Current: 726/18
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/32 in combination with an identity check

Abstract

A distributed networked physical security access control system for controlling a plurality of security access devices includes access server appliances in communication with a primary network. At least one access server appliance includes an appliance management module accessible through a web browser in communication with the primary network. The appliance management module configures the access server appliances to a user specified security configuration. The access server appliances are in peer-to-peer communication on the primary network to bridge the access server appliances for providing consistency in each of the access server appliances.

Claims

1. A networked physical security access control system for controlling a security access device comprising:

a primary network including a user interface;

a plurality of access server appliances in communication with the primary network, the access server appliances being in peer-to-peer communication on the primary network to bridge the access server appliances for providing consistency in each of the access server appliances;

an access server appliance of the plurality of access server appliances comprising an appliance management module that configures the access server appliance to a specified security configuration; and

the specified security configuration is replicated using the primary network in additional ones of the plurality of access server appliances.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each access server appliance includes a local credential directory for storing access control information and a local policy directory for storing security access policies.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the local credential directory and the local policy directory are lightweight directory access protocol directories.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each access server appliance includes a credential and policy module for synchronizing the local credential directory with local credential directories of others of the plurality of access server appliances

5. The system of claim 4 wherein policies include login permission and group enrollment/de-enrollment, wherein the appliance management module configures the access server appliance to manage the credential and policy module.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each access server appliance includes an information technology management module for configuring the access controller to control the security access device.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein each access server appliance includes a situation management module for configuring a third party physical security situation management system to control the access controller.

8. The system of claim 1 including an access controller in communication with one of the access server appliances.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each access server appliance includes an information technology management module for monitoring the access server appliances and the system.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a backup server appliance that backs up each of the access server appliances, the backup server appliance being a mirror of each of the primary server appliances for providing redundancy.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a backup server appliance that backs up a subset of the access server appliances, the backup server appliance being a mirror of each of the access server appliances in the subset for providing redundancy.