U.S. patent application number 13/968678 was filed with the patent office on 2014-02-20 for operation communication system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Schlage Lock Company LLC. Invention is credited to John Robert Ahearn, Joseph Wayne Baumgarte, Gabriel Daniel Focke, Michael Scott Henney.
Application Number | 20140051425 13/968678 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50100376 |
Filed Date | 2014-02-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140051425 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ahearn; John Robert ; et
al. |
February 20, 2014 |
OPERATION COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Abstract
A method includes issuing via an electronic lock a first message
advertising that the electronic lock is available for
communication, issuing via a smartphone a second message
establishing communication with the electronic lock in response to
the first message, transmitting a third message including an
encrypted lock identification from the electronic lock to the
smartphone, transmitting a fourth message including the lock
identification and a smartphone identification from the smartphone
to a cloud which, in response to the fourth message, transmits to
the smartphone a fifth message including data relating to an
update, and transmitting a sixth message including the data from
the smartphone to the electronic lock.
Inventors: |
Ahearn; John Robert;
(Pasadena, CA) ; Baumgarte; Joseph Wayne; (Carmel,
IN) ; Focke; Gabriel Daniel; (Indianapolis, IN)
; Henney; Michael Scott; (Indianapolis, IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Schlage Lock Company LLC |
Indianapolis |
IN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50100376 |
Appl. No.: |
13/968678 |
Filed: |
August 16, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61684070 |
Aug 16, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/420 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 12/06 20130101;
H04W 4/80 20180201; G07C 9/00571 20130101; G07C 9/00174 20130101;
H04W 84/18 20130101; G07C 2009/00793 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/420 |
International
Class: |
H04W 12/06 20060101
H04W012/06 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: issuing via an electronic lock a first
message advertising that the electronic lock is available for
communication; issuing via a smartphone a second message
establishing communication with the electronic lock in response to
the first message; transmitting a third message including an
encrypted lock identification from the electronic lock to the
smartphone; transmitting a fourth message including the lock
identification and a smartphone identification from the smartphone
to a cloud which, in response to the fourth message, transmits to
the smartphone a fifth message including data relating to an
update; and transmitting a sixth message including the data from
the smartphone to the electronic lock.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the update includes at least one
of a user database update, a time and date update, and a lock
configuration update.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud verifies the lock
identification and the smartphone identification before
transmitting the fifth message.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a seventh
message including encrypted information from the electronic lock to
the smartphone in response to the sixth message.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the encrypted information
includes encrypted door, battery, audit, and maintenance
information.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting an eighth
message including the encrypted door, battery, audit, and
maintenance information from the smartphone to the cloud.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing the door,
battery, audit, and maintenance information in one or more
databases in the cloud.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein communication between the
electronic lock and the smartphone is wireless communication.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication is
Bluetooth communication.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein communication between the
smartphone and the cloud at least partly occurs over the
Internet.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein communication between the
smartphone and the cloud is wireless communication.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein communication between the
smartphone and the cloud at least partly occurs over the
Internet.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic lock is used in
association with a door to control access through the door.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic lock, the
smartphone, and the cloud communicate with one another without a
user of the smartphone realizing that communication is occurring.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/684,070 filed on Aug. 16,
2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in
their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a communication
system, and more particularly, but not exclusively, relates to an
operation communication system.
SUMMARY
[0003] One embodiment of the present application is a unique
communication system. Other embodiments include apparatuses,
systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for
communicating. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects,
benefits, and advantages of the present application shall become
apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0004] The description herein makes reference to the accompanying
figures wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts
throughout the several views, and wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a computer.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a communication diagram.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0008] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the
embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will
be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood
that no limitation on the scope of the invention is hereby
intended. Any alterations and further modifications in the
described embodiments, and any further applications of the
principles of the invention as described herein are contemplated as
would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the
invention relates.
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 including a cloud 102, a
smartphone 104, and an electronic lock 106. The cloud 102 may
provide certain services related to access control, credentials,
and other information and/or functions related to the electronic
lock 106 such as statuses, configurations, updates, key management,
credential management, tracking, notifications, etc., as discussed
below. In addition, the cloud 102 may include one or more servers
and/or databases (not shown) that host and store the services and
information.
[0010] The smartphone 104 may be any type of smartphone that can
communicate with the electronic lock 106 using a wireless
communication protocol such as Bluetooth as one example. The
smartphone 104 also includes software and hardware such that the
smartphone 104 can communicate with the cloud 102 such as over the
Internet as one example.
[0011] The electronic lock 106 may be used, for example, to lock a
door at a residential property or a commercial property. The
electronic lock 106 includes software and hardware such that the
lock 106 can communicate wirelessly with the smartphone 104 to
exchange information and the like. A reader 108 may also be used in
addition to or in place of the electronic lock 106. The reader 108
includes software and hardware such that the reader 108 can
communicate wirelessly with the smartphone 104 using Bluetooth as
one example.
[0012] The system 100 allows the electronic lock 106, the
smartphone 104, and the cloud 102 to communicate with one another
without the user of the smartphone 104 realizing that communication
is occurring. This system 100 allows one or more operations to
occur at the lock 106 and the smartphone 104. These operations may
include: database updates being sent from the cloud 102 to the lock
106; door status updates, battery status, door audit information,
etc. being sent from the lock 106 to the cloud 102; a lock
configuration being sent from the cloud 102 to the lock 106;
credentials being deleted or created (online or offline) via any
node (e.g., smartphone 104) set up in the system 100; user tracking
by the smartphone 104 sending lock ID information to the cloud 102
when a connection is made with the lock 106; key management
algorithm--data security algorithm to be updated; lock maintenance
information automatically sent from the lock 106 to the cloud 102;
and the cloud 102 sending notifications to smartphones 104 such as,
"Please close Door X" when it knows Door X is open and a smartphone
104 is in the vicinity of the door or a door database is out of
date message to a system administrator.
[0013] The operations described above may implemented or
accomplished with an application (not shown) on the smartphone 104.
The application may run in the background of the smartphone 104. An
application running in the background will allow the smartphone 104
to make a connection to both the cloud 102 and the lock 106 without
the user realizing it. When a smartphone 104 makes a connection
with a lock 106, the smartphone 104 may send the lock ID and phone
ID to the cloud 102. The cloud 102 may reply back to the smartphone
104 with a grant/deny message and also send any updates to the lock
106 using the smartphone 104 as the communication pipeline.
[0014] In the present application, updates at the user database at
the cloud 102 may occur dynamically through the smartphone 104. In
one embodiment, the smartphone 104 does not have to come in direct
contact with the electronic lock 106 in order for the update to
take place.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a computer 200. Examples of
the computer 200 include the server and/or database at the cloud
102, the smartphone 104, the electronic lock 106, and/or the reader
108 shown in FIG. 1. Computer 200 includes a processing device 202,
an input/output device 204, memory 206, and operating logic 208.
Furthermore, computer 200 communicates with one or more external
devices 210.
[0016] The input/output device 204 may be any type of device that
allows the computer 200 to communicate with the external device
210. For example, the input/output device may be a network adapter,
network card, or a port (e.g., a USB port, serial port, parallel
port, VGA, DVI, HDMI, FireWire, CAT 5, or any other type of port).
The input/output device 204 may be comprised of hardware, software,
and/or firmware. It is contemplated that the input/output device
204 includes more than one of these adapters, cards, or ports.
[0017] The external device 210 may be any type of device that
allows data to be inputted or outputted from the computer 200. For
example, the external device 210 may be a computer, a server, a
database, the cloud 102, the smartphone 104, the electronic lock
106, the reader 108, a printer, a display, an alarm, an illuminated
indicator, a keyboard, a mouse, mouse button, or a touch screen
display. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the external device
210 may be integrated into the computer 200. For example, the
computer 200 may be a smartphone, a laptop computer, or a tablet
computer in which case the display would be an external device 210,
but the display is integrated with the computer 200 as one unit,
which consistent with the general design of smartphones, laptop
computers, tablet computers, and the like. It is further
contemplated that there may be more than one external device in
communication with the computer 200.
[0018] Processing device 202 can be of a programmable type, a
dedicated, hardwired state machine, or a combination of these; and
can further include multiple processors, Arithmetic-Logic Units
(ALUs), Central Processing Units (CPUs), or the like. For forms of
processing device 202 with multiple processing units, distributed,
pipelined, and/or parallel processing can be utilized as
appropriate. Processing device 202 may be dedicated to performance
of just the operations described herein or may be utilized in one
or more additional applications. In the depicted form, processing
device 202 is of a programmable variety that executes algorithms
and processes data in accordance with operating logic 208 as
defined by programming instructions (such as software or firmware)
stored in memory 206. Alternatively or additionally, operating
logic 208 for processing device 202 is at least partially defined
by hardwired logic or other hardware. Processing device 202 can be
comprised of one or more components of any type suitable to process
the signals received from input/output device 204 or elsewhere, and
provide desired output signals. Such components may include digital
circuitry, analog circuitry, or a combination of both.
[0019] Memory 206 may be of one or more types, such as a
solid-state variety, electromagnetic variety, optical variety, or a
combination of these forms. Furthermore, memory 206 can be
volatile, nonvolatile, or a mixture of these types, and some or all
of memory 206 can be of a portable variety, such as a disk, tape,
memory stick, cartridge, or the like. In addition, memory 206 can
store data that is manipulated by the operating logic 208 of
processing device 202, such as data representative of signals
received from and/or sent to input/output device 204 in addition to
or in lieu of storing programming instructions defining operating
logic 208, just to name one example. As shown in FIG. 2, memory 206
may be included with processing device 202 and/or coupled to the
processing device 202.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a communication diagram 300 illustrating one
example of operations being carried out in the system 100. In
message 302, the lock 106 advertises to one or more smartphones 104
that the lock 106 is available for communication or connection. The
smartphone 104 responds to the lock 106 by sending message 304,
which initiates or establishes communication. The lock 106 may then
send a message 306 that includes an encrypted lock ID to the
smartphone 104.
[0021] Next, the smartphone 104 sends a message 308 to the cloud
102 that includes the lock ID and the smartphone ID, which the
cloud 102 may verify before sending any information back to the
smartphone 104 and/or lock 106. The cloud 102 then sends message
310 to the smartphone 104, which includes updates that may be
encrypted such as such as user database, time and date, and lock
configuration updates.
[0022] The smartphone 104 sends message 312, which includes
encrypted user database, time and date, and lock configuration
updates, to the lock 106. Next, the lock 106 sends message 314,
which includes encrypted door, battery, audit, and maintenance
information, to the smartphone 104. The smartphone 104 may then
send message 316, which includes the encrypted door, battery,
audit, and maintenance information from the lock 106, to the cloud
102. The cloud 102 may then store the door, battery, audit, and
maintenance information from the lock 106 in one or more databases
for analysis or any other operation.
[0023] While the invention has been illustrated and described in
detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be
considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it
being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been
shown and described and that all changes and modifications that
come within the spirit of the inventions are desired to be
protected.
[0024] It should be understood that while the use of words such as
preferable, preferably, preferred or more preferred utilized in the
description above indicate that the feature so described may be
more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary and embodiments
lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the
invention, the scope being defined by the claims that follow. In
reading the claims, it is intended that when words such as "a,"
"an," "at least one," or "at least one portion" are used there is
no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless
specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. When the language
"at least a portion" and/or "a portion" is used the item can
include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated
to the contrary.
* * * * *