Key management box

• US 9,053,592 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokai RIKA Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokai RIKA Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Akihiro, Umemura, Masami, Segi, Nobuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US13/668,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.23, 340/5.73, 340/5.61, 340/426.35, 340/539.1, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 707/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/10 Key holders; Key boards key cases A45C11/32
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/00 Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means electric permutation locks E05B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/46 for drawers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses

Abstract

A key management box includes a card reader configured to read ID for personal authentication, a data writing unit to write information on at least the ID read by the card reader in an electronic key, a data erasing unit configured to communication with the electronic key and disable the electronic key when the electronic key is determined to be a key on-lending, and a control substrate configured to determine that a lending mode is established when the card reader reads the ID and cause an electronic lock to permit opening/closing of a door and then activate the data writing unit, or configured to cause the electronic lock to permit opening/closing of the door when the data erasing unit determines that the electronic key is a key on-lending through communication with the electronic key while the card reader does not read ID.

Claims

1. A key management box for collectively storing and managing electronic keys each including an IC chip from/on which data is readable/writable, each electronic key being to be used by a user to unlock one or more locks of storage cabinets placed in an office, the key management box comprising:

a main body for housing the electronic keys;

a door attached in openable and closable manner to the main body to cover the electronic keys;

opening/closing permission means for locking the door;

a plurality of electronic-key holding means attached to the main body and covered by the door and configured to individually hold the electronic keys;

personal authentication means provided on an outside of the main body and configured to perform personal authentication based on personal identification information input to the personal authentication means;

data writing means configured to write, in the IC chip, authority information including at least the personal identification information input to the personal authentication means and storage cabinet identifying data to specify one storage cabinet or two or more storage cabinets accessible to the user, out of the storage cabinets;

electronic-key disabling means provided on the outside of the main body and configured to communicate with the IC chip of one of the electronic keys, the electronic-key disabling means being configured to erase the authority information from the IC chip to disable the one electronic key when the electronic-key disabling means reads the authority information from the IC chip; and

control means configured to determine that a lending mode is established to allow lending of the electronic key when the personal authentication means successfully executes the personal authentication, and cause the opening/closing permission means to unlock the door and then activate the data writing means to write the authority information in one of the electronic keys, or to determine that a returning mode is established to allow returning of the electronic key when the electronic-key disabling means erases the authority information from the electronic key and disables the electronic key while the personal authentication means does not read the personal identification information, and cause the opening/closing permission means to permit unlocking of the door.

2. The key management box according to claim 1, wherein the data writing means is provided on an inside of the main body to be covered by the door.

3. The key management box according to claim 2, further including:

electronic-key lending information storage means for storing personal identification information included in the authority information written in the IC chip by the data writing means when the lending mode is executed; and

double-lending prevention means for inhibiting the opening/closing permission means from unlocking of the door when the input personal identification information coincides with personal identification information stored in the electronic-key lending information storage means when the personal identification information is input in the personal authentication means while the door is locked by the opening/closing permission means.

4. The key management box according to claim 3, further including electronic-key detecting means for detecting the electronic key held in the electronic-key holding means.

5. The key management box according to claim 4, further including alarm means for issuing an alert when the number of electronic keys detected by the electronic-key detecting means is different from the number obtained by subtracting the number of electronic keys on-lending from the total number of electronic keys collectively managed.

6. The key management box according to claim 2, further including electronic-key detecting means for detecting the electronic key held in the electronic-key holding means.

7. The key management box according to claim 6, further including alarm means for issuing an alert when the number of electronic keys detected by the electronic-key detecting means is different from the number obtained by subtracting the number of electronic keys on-lending from the total number of electronic keys collectively managed.

8. The key management box according to claim 1, wherein the data writing means is provided on the outside of the main body.

9. The key management box according to claim 8, further including:

electronic-key lending information storage means for storing personal identification information included in the authority information written in the IC chip by the data writing means when the lending mode is executed; and

double-lending prevention means for inhibiting the opening/closing permission means from unlocking of the door when the input personal identification information coincides with personal identification information stored in the electronic-key lending information storage means when the personal identification information is input in the personal authentication means while the door is locked by the opening/closing permission means.

10. The key management box according to claim 9, further including electronic-key detecting means for detecting the electronic key held in the electronic-key holding means.

11. The key management box according to claim 10, further including alarm means for issuing an alert when the number of electronic keys detected by the electronic-key detecting means is different from the number obtained by subtracting the number of electronic keys on-lending from the total number of electronic keys collectively managed.

12. The key management box according to claim 8, further including electronic-key detecting means for detecting the electronic key held in the electronic-key holding means.

13. The key management box according to claim 12, further including alarm means for issuing an alert when the number of electronic keys detected by the electronic-key detecting means is different from the number obtained by subtracting the number of electronic keys on-lending from the total number of electronic keys collectively managed.

14. The key management box according to claim 1, further including:

electronic-key lending information storage means for storing personal identification information included in the authority information written in the IC chip by the date writing means when the lending mode is executed; and

double-lending prevention means for inhibiting the opening/closing permission means from unlocking the door when the input personal identification information coincides with personal identification information stored in the electronic-key lending information storage means when the personal identification information is input in the personal authentication means while the door is locked by the opening/closing permission means.

15. The key management box according to claim 14, further including electronic-key detecting means for detecting the electronic key held in the electronic-key holding means.

16. The key management box according to claim 15, further including alarm means for issuing an alert when the number of electronic keys detected by the electronic-key detecting means is different from the number obtained by subtracting the number of electronic keys on-lending from the total number of electronic keys collectively managed.

17. The key management box according to claim 1, further including electronic-key detecting means for detecting the electronic key held in the electronic-key holding means.

18. The key management box according to claim 17, further including alarm means for issuing an alert when the number of electronic keys detected by the electronic-key detecting means is different from the number obtained by subtracting the number of electronic keys on-lending from the total number of electronic keys collectively managed.