RESTRICTED AREA ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20160055697A1
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: RAINA, Sunil, SOMANI, Avishek, CUDDIHEY, Alden, BUTLER, Scott Thomas, ARCHIBALD, Douglas Arthur Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,589,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00412 the transmitted data signal being encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/15 with arrangements to prevent the passage of more than one individual at a time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An access control system controls access to a restricted area. A mobile device exchanges messages with a backend server to validate a user and to control an actuator for a physical barrier responsive to validation. Beacon-based unique identifiers are calculated at validation time for the current location to facilitate the validation.

Claims

1. An access control system to validate access to a restricted area, the system comprising:

a plurality of electronically-controlled movable physical barriers, wherein each electronically-controlled movable physical barrier is located in a different sub-location of a plurality of sub-locations of an access control area associated with the restricted area;

an actuator driver circuit for each electronically-controlled movable physical barrier to control actuation of the physical barrier;

at least one beacon for each sub-location, wherein each beacon broadcasts signals in its sub-location and the broadcasted signals include a beacon ID comprised of one or more unique identifiers;

a backend server including at least one processor to;

determine whether a mobile device unique identifier is received from the mobile device and determine whether the mobile device is in a sub-location of the plurality of sub-locations, wherein the mobile device unique identifier is determined based on the broadcasted signals received from the at least one beacon for the sub-location of the zone computer,

in response to determining the mobile device identifier is received and the mobile device is in the sub-location, determine whether a user associated with the mobile device is validated to access the restricted area, and

in response to determining the user is validated, send a validation signal to at least one of the actuator driver circuit and the mobile device to invoke opening the physical barrier for the sub-location.

2. The access control system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device detects when it is in the sub-location and enters into an activation mode to send location information for the sub-location and user validation information to the backend server.

3. The access control system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device only sends the user validation information to the backend server when the mobile device is in the activation mode.

4. The access control system of claim 1, wherein the backend server sends the validation signal to the mobile device to invoke opening of the physical barrier, and the mobile device sends a signal to the actuator driver circuit to open the physical barrier.

5. The access control system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device identifier is unique to the sub-location when compared to identifiers for other sub-locations of the plurality of sub-locations.

6. The access control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor uses one or more encryption keys to securely transmit messages to the mobile device in response to determining the mobile device is in the sub-location.

7. The access control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is to authenticate the mobile device based on a token received from the mobile device before validating the user.

8. The access control system of claim 7, wherein the mobile device sends the token for authentication, user credentials for the user, and the mobile device unique identifier to the backend server in a single message, and the at least one processor is to authenticate the mobile device and validate the user in a single message exchange with the mobile device.

9. The access control system of claim 1, wherein to determine whether a user associated with the mobile device is validated, the at least one processor is to determine whether a special request is received to validate the user and another user associated with the user, and in response to validating the special request, including a special command in the validation signal to invoke opening the physical barrier to allow both users to pass together through the sub-location into the restricted area.

10. The access control system of claim 1, wherein a fare associated with accessing the restricted area is paid from a user account to validate the user.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium of an access control server controlling access to a restricted area, wherein an access control area associated with the restricted area includes a plurality of sub-locations, and the non-transitory computer readable medium stores machine readable instructions executable by at least one processor of the access control server, to:

determine whether a mobile device unique identifier is received from the mobile device;

determine whether the mobile device is in a sub-location of the plurality of sub-locations, wherein the mobile device unique identifier is determined based on information received from at least one beacon for the sub-location from a plurality of beacons at the access control area,

in response to determining the mobile device identifier is received and the mobile device is in the sub-location, determine whether a user associated with the mobile device is validated to access the restricted area, and

in response to determining the user is validated, send a validation signal to at least one of the actuator driver circuit and the mobile device to invoke opening the physical barrier for the sub-location

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the access control server sends the validation signal to the actuator driver circuit to open the physical barrier.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the mobile device identifier is unique to the sub-location when compared to identifiers for other sub-locations of the plurality of sub-locations.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor uses one or more encryption keys to securely transmit messages to the mobile device in response to determining the mobile device is in the sub-location.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the securely transmitted messages authenticate the mobile device and the access control server, and if the mobile device is authenticated, the securely transmitted messages include the validation signal.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the mobile device detects when it is in the sub-location and enters into an activation mode to send location information for the sub-location and user validation information to the access control server.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the mobile device only sends the user validation information to the access control server when the mobile device is in the activation mode.

18. A mobile device comprising:

at least one short-distance communication interface to receive a beacon identifier from at least one beacon;

a data storage storing an operating system and an access control application;

a processor executing the operating system, wherein the operating system determines whether the received beacon ID is registered beacon unique identifiers, and in response to determining the received beacon ID is registered, launching the access control application stored on the mobile device if the access control application is not already running, wherein

the access control application, in response to being launched, is executed by the processor, and the access control application determines whether the mobile device is at a sub-location of an access control area associated with a restricted area, wherein the access control area includes a plurality of sub-locations,

in response to determining the mobile device is at the sub-location, the access control application enters into an activation mode and calculates a mobile device ID for the mobile device based on the beacon ID, wherein the mobile device ID is only valid for the sub-location where the mobile device is currently located,

wherein the access control application sends the mobile device ID to a backend server to validate a user associated with the mobile device and to allow access to the restricted area through the sub-location if the user is validated.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the mobile device only sends user validation information to the backend server to validate the user when the mobile device is in the activation mode.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein sensors on the mobile device or the at least one beacon provide signals to control a physical barrier to open to allow the user to enter the restricted area if validated and close after the user enters the restricted area.