Locks for wearable electronic bands

• US 9,928,713 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cedar Lane Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: KiLife Tech, Inc.
• Inventors: Baczuk, Jordan Alan, Behrend, Spencer Kimball
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US15/299,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20170039833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 340 442
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 5/2071 with the two ends of the strap or chain overlapping each other and fastened by an action perpendicularly to the main plane of these two ends A44C5/2009 - A44C5/2057 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0002 with electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/00 Devices for locking portable objects against unauthorised removal; Miscellaneous locking devices motorcycle helmets A42B3/0413; supporting arrangements specially adapted for fastening helmets B62J11/24; gun racks A47B81/005; showcases with theft protection A47F3/002; anti-theft means for peg-boards, grids or rods for hanging merchandise A47F5/0861; show stands, hangers, shelves with provision against unauthorised removal A47F7/024; for self-service hand-carts A47F10/04; locking skis A63C11/004; locking bolts, nuts or pins F16B41/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0222 Message structure or message content, e.g. message protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0225 Monitoring making use of different thresholds, e.g. for different alarm levels
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0266 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact distance between parent and child or surveyor and item
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Provided is an electronic lock for wearable electronics, the electronic lock including: a button assembly; a spring assembly coupled to the button assembly, the spring assembly comprising: two bent arms configured to compress under a force applied to the button assembly; and an aperture configured to receive a stopping element when the locking mechanism is in a locked position; an actuator configured to electronically control movement of the stopping element in and out of the aperture; and a control circuit comprising: a tangible non-transitory machine readable media storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors of the control unit effectuate operations comprising: receiving a request to unlock the locking mechanism; sending a request for authentication; receiving authentication information; and controlling the actuator to move the stopping element from the locked position.

Claims

1. An electronic lock for wearable electronics, the electronic lock comprising:

a band configured to wrap around a human limb and secure wearable electronics to the human limb;

an electronic lock secured to a portion of the band and configured to receive a distal end of the band and lock the band in a loop, wherein the electronic lock comprises;

a contact member configured to receive a force applied by a user and move in a first direction when locking the electronic lock;

a first resilient member coupled to the contact member and a housing of the lock, the first resilient member being configured to be biased by the contact member as a result of the contact member moving in the first direction when locking the electronic lock;

a first locking member coupled to the contact member and configured to move with the contact member from an unlocked position to a locked position;

an electronically controlled actuator coupled to the housing;

a second locking member coupled to the electronically controlled actuator and configured to be moved by the electronically controlled actuator from the locked position to the unlocked position by moving in a second direction;

a second resilient member coupled to the second locking member and configured to bias the second locking member in the locked position, wherein the second locking member is configured to block movement of the first locking member when in the locked position;

a control circuit configured to receive a signal indicating the lock is to be unlocked and, in response, actuate the electronically controlled actuator,

wherein the electronically controlled actuator is configured to, in response to being actuated, move the second locking member, further bias the second resilient member, and permit the first locking member to be moved into the unlocked position by the first resilient member.

2. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein a distal portion of the first resilient member, the contact member, and guide member are part of a button assembly and are disposed in fixed relation to one another, wherein the button assembly has one and only one degree of freedom of movement relative to a housing of the electronic lock, the housing including an interface that is complementary to the guide member and configured to constrain the button assembly to the one degree of freedom.

3. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the electronically controlled actuator comprises a solenoid configured to effectuate a linear translation of the second locking member.

4. The electronic lock of claim 3, wherein the second locking member comprises a locking pin sized to be received by an aperture in the first locking member when in the locked position, and wherein the second resilient member comprises a compression spring disposed at least partially around at least part of the locking pin.

5. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a diode disposed in series between a pair of electrical leads of a coil of the solenoid and a transistor disposed in series between one of the electrical leads and either a source or sink of the control circuit.

6. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first locking member comprises a distal portion sized to fit into a selected one of an array of apertures at different lengths along the band.

7. The electronic lock of claim 1, comprising:

a processor;

an antenna;

a receiver coupling the antenna to the processor; and

memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuate operations comprising;

receiving a wireless signal via the antenna indicating that the lock is to be unlocked; and

outputting an actuation signal that causes the electronically controlled actuator to be actuated.

8. The electronic lock of claim 7, where the operations comprise steps for encrypting the wireless signal.

9. The electronic lock of claim 7, wherein the operations comprise steps for authenticating a pair of computing devices to one another.

10. The electronic lock of claim 7, wherein the operations comprise:

outputting the actuation signal to a control pin of a transistor disposed in series between the electronically controlled actuator and a power source or sink; and

blocking current from shorting across electrical conductors of the electronically controlled actuator while actuating; and

after actuating, permitting transient current to flow directly between the electrical conductors of the electronically controlled actuator.

11. The electronic lock of claim 7, wherein the operations comprise:

transmitting a beacon to a mobile computing device, the beacon indicating a distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable electronics.

12. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first resilient member comprises:

a U-shaped member having a first leg secured to the contact member and a second leg secured to a housing of the electronic lock.

13. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first resilient member comprises:

two or more legs secure to the housing of the electronic lock, wherein the first leg is disposed in a volume defined by a space between the two or more legs.

14. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first resilient member comprises a single sheet of metal cut and bent into a shape of the first resilient member.

15. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first locking member is configured to clamp against the band to secure the band in a closed loop.

16. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.

17. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first direction is a rotational movement and the first locking member comprises a threaded member.

18. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the first direction is a linear translation perpendicular to the band.

19. The electronic lock of claim 1, wherein the wearable electronics comprise means for monitoring an individual coupled to the band.

20. The electronic lock of claim 1, comprising:

a mobile computing device having a processor and memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the mobile computing device to monitor a distance between the wearable electronics and the mobile computing device.