Operating electronic lock automatically based on user profile

• US 9,892,580 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Imsdahl, Marit I., Markello, Alexandra D., Morales, Edna Y., Sutton, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Flores, Leon
• Application Number:
  US14/956,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20170161977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• 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

Abstract

Examples of techniques for automatically operating an electronic lock based on a user profile of a user are disclosed. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method may include receiving an indication of the user changing a state of the electronic lock. The method may further include storing information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock. The method may further include generating, by a processor, the user profile based on the information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock. The method may further include determining, by the processor, that the state of the electronic lock should be changed based on the user profile. The method may further include automatically changing the state of the electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically operating an electronic lock based on a user profile for a user, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of the user changing a state of the electronic lock;

storing information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

receiving, by a user processing device, sensor data from a sensor associated with the electronic lock, wherein the sensor data comprises at least a signal indicating that the electronic lock is a target electronic lock;

generating, by the user processing device, the user profile based at least in part on the information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock and based at least in part on the sensor data received from the sensor associated with the electronic lock;

determining, by the user processing device, that the state of the electronic lock should be changed based on the user profile; and

automatically changing the state of the electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile, and when it is determined that the electronic lock is the target electronic lock, wherein the target electronic lock is one of a plurality of electronic locks within a proximity of the processing device, and wherein a state of the other of the plurality of electronic locks within a proximity of the processing device that are not the target electronic lock remain unchanged.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the user changing the state of the lock further comprises:

enabling the user to perform a manual verification before automatically changing the state of the electronic lock.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically changing the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile occurs without user interaction.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the state of the electronic lock to remain unchanged when it is determined to not change the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically changing the state of the electronic lock comprises one of automatically changing the electronic lock from a locked state to an unlocked state and automatically changing the electronic lock from an unlocked state to a locked state.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock comprises a timestamp, a location, a user motion, and a user action.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the state of the electronic lock should be changed is further based on the sensor data received from the sensor associated with the electronic lock.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second indication of the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

storing information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

updating the user profile based on additional information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

determining that the state of the electronic lock should be changed based on the updated user profile; and

automatically changing the state of the electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the electronic lock based on the updated user profile.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, that the state of a second electronic lock should be changed based on the user profile; and

automatically changing the state of the second electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the second electronic lock based on the user profile.

10. A system for automatically operating an electronic lock based on a user profile for a user, the system comprising:

a processor in communication with one or more types of memory, the processor configured to receive an indication of the user changing a state of the electronic lock;

store information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

receive sensor data from a sensor associated with the electronic lock, wherein the sensor data comprises at least a signal indicating that the electronic lock is a target electronic lock;

generate the user profile based at least in part on the information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock, and based at least in part on the sensor data received from the sensor associated with the electronic lock;

determine that the state of the electronic lock should be changed based on the user profile; and

automatically changing the state of the electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile, and when it is determined that the electronic lock is the target electronic lock, wherein the target electronic lock is one of a plurality of electronic locks within a proximity of the processing device, and wherein a state of the other of the plurality of electronic locks within a proximity of the processing device that are not the target electronic lock remain unchanged.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein receiving the indication of the user changing the state of the lock further comprises:

enabling the user to perform a manual verification before automatically changing the state of the electronic lock.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein automatically changing the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile occurs without user interaction.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

enable the state of the electronic lock to remain unchanged when it is determined to not change the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein automatically changing the state of the electronic lock comprises one of automatically changing the electronic lock from a locked state to an unlocked state and automatically changing the electronic lock from an unlocked state to a locked state.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock comprises a timestamp, a location, a user motion, and a user action.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein determining that the state of the electronic lock should be changed is further based on the sensor data received from the sensor associated with the electronic lock.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a second indication of the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

store information associated with the user charging the state of the electronic lock;

update the user profile based on additional information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

determine that the state of the electronic lock should be changed based on the updated user profile; and

automatically change the state of the electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the electronic lock based on the updated user profile.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the state of a second electronic lock should be changed based on the user profile; and

automatically change the state of the second electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the second electronic lock based on the user profile.

19. A computer program product for automatically operating an electronic lock based on a user profile for a user, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

receiving an indication of the user changing a state of the electronic lock;

storing information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

receiving sensor data from a sensor associated with the electronic lock, wherein the sensor data comprises at least a signal indicating that the electronic lock is a target electronic lock;

generating the user profile based at least in part on the information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock, and based at least in part on the sensor data received from the sensor associated with the electronic lock;

determining that the state of the electronic lock should be changed based on the user profile; and

automatically changing the state of the electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the electronic lock based on the user profile, and when it is determined that the electronic lock is the target electronic lock, wherein the target electronic lock is one of a plurality of electronic locks within a proximity of the processing device, and wherein a state of the other of the plurality of electronic locks within a proximity of the processing device that are not the target electronic lock remain unchanged.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second indication of the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

storing information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

updating the user profile based on additional information associated with the user changing the state of the electronic lock;

determining that the state of the electronic lock should be changed based on the updated user profile; and

automatically change the state of the electronic lock when it is determined to change the state of the electronic lock based on the updated user profile.