Techniques and apparatus for controlling access to components of a personal communication structure (PCS)

• US 9,451,060 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CityBridge LLC
• Original Assignee: Civiq Smartscapes, LLC
• Inventors: Lee, Benjamin P., Shah, Parag N., Gray, Kenneth J., Lawler, Benjamin M., Bowers, Kyle R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/884,044
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/5.61, 340/5.51, 340/5.91, 340/5.8, 705/7.11, 705/14.37, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 1/1222 Sales kiosks
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 1/14 Telephone cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/04 Restaurants or shops having arrangements for self-service
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00753 operated by active electrical keys
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/18 Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment H04M1/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Techniques and apparatus for controlling access to a personal communication structure (PCS) are described. The PCS may include independently accessible compartments at least partially enclosing respective subsystems of the PCS. The independently accessible compartments include an electronics compartment, a communications compartment, and a display compartment. The electronics, communications, and display compartments at least partially enclose a power distribution subsystem, a communications subsystem, and a display subsystem, respectively. The PCS also includes an access controller operable to provide access independently to respective interiors of at least a subset of the compartments to authorized users.

Claims

1. A personal communication structure (PCS) comprising:

at least three independently accessible compartments at least partially enclosing respective subsystems of the PCS, an interior of each of the independently accessible compartments being accessible without accessing the interior of any other independently accessible compartment, the at least three independently accessible compartments comprising;

an electronics compartment at least partially enclosing a power distribution subsystem,

a communications compartment at least partially enclosing a communications subsystem, and

a display compartment at least partially enclosing a display subsystem; and

an access controller operable to provide access independently to respective interiors of at least a subset of the compartments.

2. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the electronics compartment further at least partially encloses at least one subsystem selected from the group consisting of a networking subsystem and a maintenance subsystem.

3. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the electronics compartment comprises a power distribution compartment and an independently accessible networking compartment, wherein the power distribution compartment at least partially encloses the power distribution subsystem, and wherein the networking compartment at least partially encloses a networking subsystem.

4. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the independently accessible compartments further comprise at least one compartment selected from the group consisting of a networking compartment at least partially enclosing a networking subsystem and a maintenance compartment at least partially enclosing a maintenance subsystem.

5. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the electronics compartment comprises an access panel movable between an open position and a closed position, and a lock operable to lock the access panel in the closed position, and wherein the access controller is operable to provide access to the interior of the electronics compartment by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of disengaging the lock and moving the access panel to the open position.

6. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the electronics compartment is disposed along a lower portion of the PCS.

7. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the communications subsystem comprises at least one communication device selected from the group consisting of a wireless access point, a radio access node, and an antenna.

8. The PCS of claim 7, wherein the radio access node comprises a small cell operable to communicate with at least one mobile network selected from the group consisting of 3G mobile networks, 4G mobile networks, and LTE mobile networks.

9. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the communications compartment is located proximate a top of the PCS.

10. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the display subsystem comprises a display panel operable to display images.

11. The PCS of claim 10, wherein the display compartment comprises an access member movable between an open position and a closed position, and a lock operable to lock the access member in the closed position.

12. The PCS of claim 11, wherein the lock comprises a connector coupled to the access member and a mating interlocking connector coupled to a frame of the PCS.

13. The PCS of claim 11, wherein the access member comprises a housing, wherein the housing comprises a frame, a transparent covering secured to the frame, and a cavity formed by the frame and the transparent covering, and wherein the display panel is secured to the frame and disposed within the cavity.

14. The PCS of claim 11, wherein the access controller is operable to provide access to the interior of the display compartment by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of disengaging the lock and moving the access member to the open position.

15. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the display compartment is disposed along an upper portion of the PCS.

16. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the access controller comprises a processing device, wherein the subset of the independently accessible compartments comprise respective locks, and wherein the processing device is configured to independently disengage the respective locks.

17. The PCS of claim 16, wherein the processing device is adapted to disengage each of the locks by controlling at least one device selected from the group consisting of a solenoid driver, a rotary actuator, a linear actuator, an electromagnet, a cam, and a lever.

18. The PCS of claim 16, wherein the processing device is configured to receive authentication data and to disengage at least one of the locks based on the authentication data meeting authentication requirements associated with the locks.

19. The PCS of claim 18, wherein the access controller further comprises a data input device configured to provide the authentication data to the processing device.

20. The PCS of claim 18, wherein the access controller is configured to detect at least one of unauthorized access and attempted unauthorized access.

21. The PCS of claim 20, wherein the access controller is configured to collect evidence of at least one of the unauthorized access and the attempted unauthorized access.

22. The PCS of claim 21, further comprising a camera, wherein the access controller is configured to collect the evidence by operating the camera to acquire at least one image of a region proximate to the PCS.

23. The PCS of claim 20, wherein the access controller is configured to provide an alert regarding at least one of the unauthorized access and the attempted unauthorized access.

24. The PCS of claim 23, wherein the access controller is configured to provide the alert by performing at least one act selected from the group consisting of sounding an alarm, displaying a message via the display subsystem, and sending a silent alert to a security provider.

25. The PCS of claim 18, wherein the processing device is further configured to receive permission to disengage the at least one lock, and wherein the processing device is configured to disengage the at least one lock based on receiving the permission and on the authentication data meeting the authentication requirements associated with the at least one lock.

26. The PCS of claim 25, wherein the processing device is further configured to send a message requesting permission to disengage the at least one lock, and wherein the permission to disengage the at least one lock is received in response to sending the message.

27. The PCS of claim 1, wherein the independently accessible compartments further comprise a user interface compartment at least partially enclosing a user interface subsystem.

28. The PCS of claim 1, further comprising an air intake compartment at least partially enclosing an air intake subsystem.

29. The PCS of claim 1, further comprising a mounting compartment, wherein the mounting compartment encloses at least one power connection and at least one network connection.

30. A personal communication structure (PCS) comprising:

a plurality of independently accessible compartments at least partially enclosing respective subsystems of the PCS, the plurality of independently accessible compartments comprising;

an electronics compartment at least partially enclosing a power distribution subsystem,

a communications compartment at least partially enclosing a communications subsystem, and

a display compartment at least partially enclosing a display subsystem; and

an access controller operable to provide access independently to respective interiors of at least a subset of the compartments,

wherein the access controller comprises a processing device, wherein the subset of the independently accessible compartments comprise respective locks, and wherein the processing device is configured to independently disengage the respective locks,

wherein the access controller is configured to detect closure of an access member of at least one compartment, the access member being movable between an open position and a closed position, and

wherein the access controller is configured to engage the lock associated with the at least one compartment based on detection of the closure of the access member.