Electronic lock with user interface

• US 9,691,207 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASSA Abloy Americas Residential Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Spectrum Brands, Inc. (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Almomani, Nedal Akram
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, MIRZA F
• Application Number:
  US15/172,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20160284148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 340 522, 340 524, 340 57, 340 525, 340 561, 340 565, 340 551, 340 554, 340 532, 235382, 455420
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00841 by a portable device
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00817 where the code of the lock can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

An electronic lock having one or more lock settings that can be updated using a mobile device. The mobile device includes an app that provides a user interface through which one or more lock settings of the electronic lock can be selected and modified. When the user has made the desired selections to the lock settings on the mobile device, the mobile device wirelessly transmits these settings to the electronic lock. The electronic lock is configured to update its lock settings based on the wireless communication from the mobile device.

Claims

1. An electronic lock comprising:

an interior chassis configured to house an interior portion of the electronic lock;

an exterior chassis configured to house an exterior portion of the electronic lock;

a latch assembly including a bolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position located between both the interior and exterior chassis;

a circuit configured to control movement of the bolt between the extended and retracted positions;

a wireless module within one of the interior and exterior chassis configured to communicate directly with a mobile device without the use of an additional, auxiliary device;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of lock settings and a computer program code stored thereon;

a processor in communication with the computer-readable memory configured to carry out instructions in accordance with the computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

sending and receiving wireless messages with the wireless module;

wherein the wireless messages include an identification of changes to a plurality of lock settings;

wherein the plurality of lock settings includes a command to modify a set of valid access codes;

wherein the command to modify the set of valid access codes includes one of (1) adding a new valid access code and (2) deleting a valid access code;

wherein responsive to the received wireless messages the processor updates the lock settings;

wherein responsive to the processor updating the lock settings to one of (1) add the new valid access code and (2) delete the valid access code, the processor is configured to deny access in response to receiving the deleted access code and grant access in response to receiving the new valid access code;

wherein the plurality of lock settings includes an interface with a synchronization portion updated by the processor in response to a user selecting the synchronization portion; and

wherein the processor sends a message indicative of a status of the updated lock settings responsive to the wireless message.

2. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device includes one of a smart phone, a tablet, an electronic device configured for dedicated functionality with the electronic lock, and a hand-held, portable electronic device.

3. The electronic lock according to claim 1,

wherein, responsive to the processor updating the lock settings to add the new valid access code, the circuit is configured to control movement of the bolt between the extended and retracted positions when granting access in response to receiving the new valid access code.

4. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock settings include one of enabling, disabling, and adjusting a lock timer thus controlling movement of the bolt between the extended and retracted positions based on the timer.

5. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock settings include one of illuminating and de-luminating a light on one of the interior and exterior chassis, the light including at least one of a lock status indicator light and a battery status indicator light.

6. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock settings include configuring the bolt for operation with one of a left handed door and a right handed door.

7. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock settings include one of enabling and disabling a tamper alarm configured to communicate with the mobile device that the electronic lock has experienced an unauthorized encounter.

8. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock settings include one of adjusting a sound output level such that the electronic communicates via an audible message transmitted from a speaker within one of the interior and exterior chassis.

9. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock settings include a user selected audio recording uploaded to the electronic lock from the mobile device for playback through the electronic lock.

10. A method of updating at least one of a plurality of lock setting for an electronic lock, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing direct communication between a mobile device and the electronic lock without the use of an added communication hub;

displaying, on the mobile device, a lock settings interface that allows adjustment of a plurality of lock setting of an electronic lock;

receiving, on the mobile device, one or more changes to the lock setting responsive to selections made by a user to the lock settings interface;

updating the lock settings of the electronic lock by transmitting, from the mobile device, a wireless message directly to the electronic lock that includes the changes to the lock settings made by the user in the lock settings interface;

wherein the wireless message includes an identification of one or more modifications to the plurality of lock settings; and

wherein the plurality of lock settings includes modifying a set of valid access codes;

wherein modifying the set of valid access codes includes one of (1) adding a new valid access code and (2) deleting a valid access code;

wherein responsive to updating the lock settings to one of (1) add the new valid access code and (2) delete the valid access code, denying access in response to receiving the deleted access code and granting access in response to receiving the new valid access code;

sending a message to the mobile device indicative of a status of the updated lock settings responsive to the wireless message.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

automating a connection between the electronic lock and a remote server without user input; and

transmitting an Over The Air (OTA) firmware update to the electronic lock.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting a usage data from the electronic lock to a remote server.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a time and date schedule for a plurality of access codes on the mobile device;

transmitting the schedule of the plurality of access codes from the mobile device directly to the electronic lock; and

configuring the plurality of access codes to only function during a predetermined time and date according to the schedule.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying both current and past settings of the electronic lock on the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting from the electronic lock to the mobile device a plurality of error messages indicating a malfunction of the electronic lock; and

receiving a plurality of instructions from the remote server to the mobile device indicating a plurality of solutions for the malfunction.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting the updated lock settings to a plurality of additional electronic locks thus syncing all of the electronic locks.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the syncing includes one of the following communication protocols:

BLE, Bluetooth, WIFI, NFC, Sound, Flashing Screen, Vibration, Zigbee, and Zwave.

18. A method of operating an electronic lock comprising:

providing an interior chassis configured to house an interior portion of the electronic lock;

providing an exterior chassis configured to house an exterior portion of the electronic lock;

providing a latch assembly including a bolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position located between the interior chassis and the exterior chassis;

providing a circuit configured to control movement of the bolt between the extended and retracted positions;

providing a wireless module within one of the interior and exterior chassis configured to communicate directly with a mobile device without the use of an additional, auxiliary device;

transmitting a wireless message to the electronic lock directly from the mobile device using the wireless module within one of interior chassis and exterior chassis, wherein the wireless message includes an identification of one or more changes to the lock settings;

wherein the one or more changes to the lock settings includes modifying a set of valid access codes by one of (1) adding a new valid access code and (2) deleting a valid access code;

wherein responsive to the changes to the lock settings, denying access in response to receiving the deleted access code and granting access in response to receiving the new valid access code;

responsive to the wireless message, updating the lock settings according to the wireless message; and

sending a message to the mobile device indicative of the updated lock settings.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

wirelessly connecting the electronic lock to a remote server; and

pushing Over the Air updates to the electronic lock including at least one of firmware and additional features.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting a log of user activity from the electronic lock to the remote server; and

transmitting user instructions from the remote server to the electronic lock based on the log.