Programmable digital electronic lock
DCFirst Claim
1. In combination with a locker for temporary storage of a user'"'"'s articles, the locker having a door and a movable latch positioned to secure the door when in latched position and to unlock the door when moved to an unlatched position, an electronic lock for controlling the latch, comprising:
- an inner housing and an outer housing, the inner housing being secured at the inside of the door and the outer housing being secured at a directly opposed position on the outside of the door such that the door is sandwiched between the two housings, with cordless plug-in connector means affixed to the housings for electrically and modularly connecting the inner housing directly to the outer housing, through an opening in the door, the plug-in connector means including opposed sets of electrical contacts, one set fixed to each housing and oriented toward the other set so as to connect together through the opening when the housings are secured to the door,a keypad in the outer housing, with a plurality of manually activated keys exposed at the outside of the outer housing for use by a user,a solenoid in the inner housing, connected to the latch so as to control the position of the latch,microcontroller means connected between the keypad and the solenoid, for causing the solenoid to change the position of the latch when keys of the keypad are pressed in a selected sequence, anda battery in one of the housings, connected to supply power to the electronic lock.
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Abstract
An electronic lock for use with lockers assigned for transitory or permanent use, has a keypad for entering a preselected sequence of digits. Programmable for each use in the transitory mode, the lock shifts a latch to locked position on a first entry of a sequence chosen by the user, and retracts the latch to unlocked position when the same sequence is reentered by the user. A subsequent user of the locker when unlocked can enter any sequence of digits desired. In the mode of a longer term assigned locker, the electronic lock is programmed by, for example, a student, and the same combination is retained as long as desired. In this mode, the selected sequence is used only to unlock, with the latch or mortise being spring-biased. The construction of the electronic lock is modular, easily fitting on nearly all contemporary locker designs, retained by only a few screws. An outer housing on the outside of the locker door has an electrical plug-in connection through the door with an inner housing at the inside of the door, and the housing portions can be changed to opposite hand use. Power input ports preferably are included on the front of the outer housing to power the lock in the event of battery failure, and in addition, an audible beep occurs when batteries are low. An LED indicator can be included for status, as can an infrared reader for instant reprogramming of a large bank of lockers such as in a school.
220 Citations
26 Claims
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1. In combination with a locker for temporary storage of a user'"'"'s articles, the locker having a door and a movable latch positioned to secure the door when in latched position and to unlock the door when moved to an unlatched position, an electronic lock for controlling the latch, comprising:
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an inner housing and an outer housing, the inner housing being secured at the inside of the door and the outer housing being secured at a directly opposed position on the outside of the door such that the door is sandwiched between the two housings, with cordless plug-in connector means affixed to the housings for electrically and modularly connecting the inner housing directly to the outer housing, through an opening in the door, the plug-in connector means including opposed sets of electrical contacts, one set fixed to each housing and oriented toward the other set so as to connect together through the opening when the housings are secured to the door, a keypad in the outer housing, with a plurality of manually activated keys exposed at the outside of the outer housing for use by a user, a solenoid in the inner housing, connected to the latch so as to control the position of the latch, microcontroller means connected between the keypad and the solenoid, for causing the solenoid to change the position of the latch when keys of the keypad are pressed in a selected sequence, and a battery in one of the housings, connected to supply power to the electronic lock. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification