System and method for verified admission through access controlled locations using a mobile device

• US 10,360,363 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2015
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tap2open LLC
• Original Assignee: Mark Y. Grosberg
• Inventors: Grosberg, Mark Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashokkumar B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, William B
• Application Number:
  US14/677,451
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2, 726 20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards

Abstract

A system and method for verifying entry credentials and activating/deactivating an access control system via use of the native capabilities of a mobile device is disclosed herein. Particularly, the system and method include an embedded local control device attached or communicative with an electronic gate or lock. The control device is communicative with a remote access control management system, which is structured to receive, track and manage access tokens that can be used to control access to a gated community or other secured location. Notifications that an access token has been generated can be communicated to the guest(s) by way of text message, short message service (SMS), or email, for example. Each notification may contain a unique link to a webpage employing the access token. While in the geographic vicinity of the secured location, the guest may actuate the access token and open the gate.

Claims

1. A method for verified admission through an access controlled location, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a remote access control management system to create a guest access token for admission through the access controlled location, the guest access token comprising a location parameter and a time parameter, the remote access control management system comprising a computer processor, memory, a storage device and a communication module, the request being initiated by a resident of a residential community for a guest to be admitted into the residential community,

generating the guest access token and storing the guest access token at the remote access control management system,

communicating a notification to a guest device, the notification comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) for allowing selective retrieval of the guest access token, wherein a portion of the URL comprises an encoded value, and wherein upon selective activation of the URL at the guest device, the encoded value portion of the URL is decoded to determine a guest ID and a uniquely generated entropic value, the guest ID and the uniquely generated entropic value is used to retrieve the guest access token from the remote access control management system,

validating the time parameter of the guest access token prior to granting access to the controlled location,

validating the location parameter of the guest access token on the guest device prior to granting access to the controlled location using location capabilities of the guest device to determine that the guest device is disposed within a proximate range of the access controlled location, and

granting access to the controlled location by communicating an access command from the remote access control management system to a control device at the access controlled location, wherein the guest access token is only valid for the corresponding location and time parameters such that access through the access controlled location is not granted if at least one of the location and time parameters are not validated,

wherein access to the controlled location is only granted upon communication of the access command to the control device from the remote access control management system such that access cannot be granted via any direct communication or interaction from the guest or the guest device to the control device, and

periodically communicating a status signal from the control device at the access controlled location to the remote access control management system, the status signal comprising status information associated with the control device,

determining, at the remote access control management system, if the control device is available or unavailable for entry, and

if the control device is unavailable for entry, communicating information from the remote access control management system to the guest device identifying that the control device is unavailable in order for the guest to seek an alternative manner of entry.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising defining the guest device as comprising a personal electronic device, wherein receiving the notification for selective retrieval of the guest access token and retrieval of the guest access token by the guest device utilizes native capabilities of the guest device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising defining the native capabilities of the guest device as comprising a native web browser, native messaging capabilities, and a native global positioning system.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the notification to the guest device for selective retrieval of the guest access token comprises communicating a short messaging service (SMS) message to the guest device, the SMS message comprising the unique uniform resource locator corresponding to the guest access token.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the notification to the guest device for selective retrieval of the guest access token comprises communicating an e-mail message to the guest device, the e-mail message comprising the unique uniform resource locator corresponding to the guest access token.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising validating the time parameter at the remote access control management system by determining that a current time is within a time range defined by the time parameter.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising upon validating the location and the time parameters, providing an activation link for activating admission through the controlled access location.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising upon receiving activation of the activation link via the guest device, validating the time parameter of the guest access token at the remote access control management system and then communicating the access command to the control device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising establishing a secure, persistent communication channel between the control device and the remote access control management system for communication of the access command from the remote access control management system to the control device, without the control device being assigned a static IP address.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the secure, persistent communication channel is initiated via the status signal from the control device to the remote access control management system, and the method further comprises periodically storing, at the remote access control management system, information corresponding to the secure, persistent communication channel initiated by the status signal from the control device.

11. A system for verified admission through an access controlled location, said system comprising:

a local computer-based control device communicatively connected to an access control mechanism,

a remote access control management system comprising a computer processor, memory, storage device and communication module, said remote access control management system being disposed in a communicative relation with a network for communication with a guest device and said local computer-based control device,

a token generating module at said remote access control management system for receiving a request to create a guest access token and for generating said guest access token, said guest access token comprising a location parameter and a time parameter,

said remote access control management system being structured to communicate a notification to the guest device for selective retrieval of said guest access token, said notification comprises a uniform resource locator (URL), wherein a portion of said URL comprises an encoded value, and wherein, upon selective activation of said URL at the guest device, said encoded value portion of said URL is decoded to determine a guest ID and a uniquely generated entropic value, wherein said guest ID and said uniquely generated entropic value is used to retrieve said guest access token from said remote access control management system,

a location validation module for processing and validating said location parameter of said guest access token on the guest device,

a time validation module for processing and validating said time parameter of said guest access token,

said remote access control management system being structured to communicate an access command to said local computer-based control device upon validation of said location parameter and said time parameter, wherein access through said access controlled location is not granted if at least one of said location parameter or said time parameter is not validated,

said local computer-based control device being structured to activate the access control mechanism only upon receipt of said access command from said remote access control management system for providing admission through the access controlled location, wherein neither a guest nor the guest device communicate or interact directly with the control device,

wherein said local computer-based control device communicates a status signal to said remote access control management system, said status signal comprising data representing an operational status of the local computer-based control device, and wherein said remote access control management system is structured to communicate a status of said local computer-based control device to the guest device, said status being based upon said status signal communicated from said local computer-based control device and wherein said status represents if the local-computer based control device is available or unavailable for entry.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said notification comprises a short messaging service (SMS) message and the guest device comprises a mobile electronic device.

13. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said notification comprises an email message and the guest device comprises a mobile electronic device.

14. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said guest access token is retrieved via a web browser by activating said URL, and wherein activation of said URL displays an availability status of a gate corresponding to the local computer-based control device.

15. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said status signal from said local computer-based control device is structured to initiate a persistent communication channel with said remote access control management system for periodically establishing a network address of said computer-based control device on a network.

16. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said remote access control management system comprises a hierarchal storage configuration, said hierarchal storage configuration being structured to define:

a community field as comprising one or more resident fields, said resident fields each comprising zero or more guest access token fields, and said guest access token fields each comprising one or more guest fields.