Electronic key system

• US 9,444,621 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Fujita, Makoto, Tamatani, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nalven, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): FIELDS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US14/515,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

In a network to which a plurality of electronic devices and a server are connected, an electronic key system controls locking and unlocking of ID information output of each electronic device. Each electronic device includes a switching device that locks or unlocks output of ID information of each electronic device. The server includes an availability changing unit and a management unit. The availability changing unit unlocks only one of the plurality of electronic devices and locks the other electronic devices. The management unit updates a state at which the locking of ID information output and the unlocking of ID information output are swapped between a pair of the electronic devices.

Claims

1. An electronic key system in a network to which a plurality of electronic devices and a server are connected, the electronic key system being configured to control locking and unlocking of ID information output of each of the plurality of the electronic devices, wherein

each of the plurality of electronic devices includes a switching device configured to lock or unlock output of ID information thereof;

and

the server includes an availability changing unit configured and programmed to unlock one of the plurality of electronic devices and lock all of the of the plurality of electronic devices except the unlocked one, and a management unit configured and programmed to update a state at which the lock of ID information output and the unlock of ID information output are swapped between any pair of the plurality of electronic devices.

2. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes a table describing unlocked and locked states of the plurality of electronic devices.

3. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of electronic devices further includes a communication unit configured to perform identity authentication with the server before outputting ID information when the ID information output is in the unlock state.

4. The electronic key system according to claim 2, wherein, when a pair of the plurality of electronic devices are connected to the server and a request is issued from the pair of the electronic devices to swap the lock and the unlock of ID information output, the management unit updates the table after performing the identity authentication of the pair of the plurality of electronic devices.

5. The electronic key system according to claim 2, wherein

the electronic device further includes a near field communication unit and a clone table that has an identical content as that of the table included in the server;

and

when a pair of the electronic devices are connected via the near field communication unit and a request is issued between the pair of the plurality of electronic devices to swap the lock and the unlock of ID information output, the clone table is updated after performing identity authentication of the pair of the electronic devices at a first step, and the table is updated by the management unit of the server at a second step.

6. The electronic key system according to claim 2, wherein

when one of the plurality of electronic devices is connected to the server and a request is issued to swap the lock and the unlock of ID information output between the one of the electronic devices and another electronic device thereof, the management unit of the server updates the table after performing identity authentication of the one of the electronic devices that is connected to the server;

and

when the another of the plurality of electronic devices is connected to the server, the management unit causes the switching device of the another electronic device to switch ID information output thereof based on the table thus updated after performing identity authentication of the another electronic device.

7. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic devices includes a watch, a camera, a computer, a phone and an IC card.

8. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein only one of the plurality of electronic devices is unlocked for ID information output while all of the plurality of electronic devices except for the only one of the plurality of electronic devices are locked for ID information output.

9. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the availability changing unit includes a control unit configured and programmed to control the use of ID information such that only one of the plurality of electronic devices is unlocked for ID information output at any time.

10. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes a device information memory unit, a communication unit, and a control unit.

11. The electronic key system according to claim 10, wherein the device information memory unit is configured to store the ID of an ID key and which of a unique ID key or a normal ID key of each of the plurality of electronic devices is assigned to.

12. The electronic key system according to claim 10, wherein communication unit is configured to communicate with the plurality of the electronic devices and a read write device.

13. The electronic key system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured and programmed to confirm whether an electronic key is a registered one by communicating through the communication unit when a reading of ID information of one of the plurality of electronic devices occurs.

14. The electronic key system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured and programmed to permit or not permit reading of ID information.

15. The electronic key system according to claim 10, wherein the electronic key system is configured to set an electronic key of only one of the plurality of electronic devices to be a unique ID key and an electronic key of all of the plurality of electronic devices except for the only one of the plurality of electronic devices is set to be normal ID keys.

16. An electronic device in a network to which a plurality of electronic devices and a server are connected, wherein

the server unlocks ID information output of only one of the plurality of electronic devices and locks ID information output of the plurality of electronic devices except for the only one of the plurality of electronic devices;

and

for each of the plurality of electronic devices, the ID information output of the respective electronic device is permitted by the server when the ID information output of the respective electronic device is in an unlocked state, and the ID information output of the respective electronic device is not permitted by the server when the ID information output of the respective electronic device is in a locked state.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein

the respective electronic device performs identity authentication with the server before outputting the ID information when the ID information output of the respective electronic device is in the unlocked state;

the ID information output of the respective electronic device is allowed when the identity authentication is successful; and

the ID information output of the respective electronic device is not allowed when the identity authentication is not successful.