Mechanical/electronic lock and key therefor

Details Mechanical/electronic lock and key therefor Mechanical/electronic lock and key therefor

2002-04-19

2004-12-07

Barrett, Suzanne-Dino (Department: 3676)

Locks

Operating mechanism

Using a powered device

C070S283100, C070S277000, C070S496000, C340S005200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06826935

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is in the field of security and access control, and the invention particularly concerns access to door locks and other situations wherein numerous electronic or electro mechanical keys fit a single or a group of locks and wherein there is a need to control the instances of opening each lock and in some situations to maintain a record thereof.
In the past, a number of electronic security features have been added to mechanical locks which use mechanical types of cylinders. In addition, locking elements controlled by electronic means have been disclosed in combination with non-mechanical types of tumblers, such as in Clarkson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,398. In some cases electronic elements have been added to mechanical elements requiring both mechanical and electronic elements to be present before granting access such as Spahn et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,727. Some of the existing electronic systems have employed keypads, some have employed cards, some have had purely electronic, magnetic or optical access control devices, and some have employed mechanical keys equipped with electronic circuitry.
With respect to the present invention, distinction is made among purely electronic, magnetic or optical keys; mechanical keys equipped with electronic, magnetic or optical features; and mechanical keys which operate solely by mechanical bittings, whether those bittings be pin tumbler, dimples or other mechanical patterns.
A key comprised of purely electronic circuitry, magnetic or optical data storage for determining and granting access is an electronic key. In the use of such a key, the circuitry or recorded data is transferred to a reader associated with a lock, and the reader recognizes a pattern or code held by the key. The key does not carry any mechanical cut or bitting configuration needed for granting access even though the key holding the data or the pattern may be used for turning the lock. Keys of this type can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,936 (Dimitriadis), U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,782 (Donath et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,030 (Bruhin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,088 (Flies), U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,915 (Flies) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,859 (Clarkson et al.).
Keys referred to as mechanical keys are those which activate a mechanical device, with a pattern of mechanical bittings, by direct contact with the interpreting device, i.e. the tumblers or other pattern-holding apparatus contained in the lock. In a typical pin tumbler lock, access is granted based on the depth and configuration of key cuts meeting the tumblers. In most cases, once proper alignment is established in the tumblers, the keyholder is able to turn the key to lock and unlock the locking device. However, in some cases of mechanical keys, a push or pull action may be necessary for locking and unlocking of the device. The tumblers mentioned above can be pin tumblers, lever tumblers, disk tumblers, rotary disk tumblers, slider tumblers, or combinations of several of these incorporated within the same lock. Examples of purely mechanical keys are found in U.S. Pat. No. 480,299 (Voight), U.S. Pat. No. 550,111 (Sargent), U.S. Pat. No. 564,029 (Sargent), U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,248 (Tornoe), U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,427 (Oliver), U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,022 (Oliver) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,575 (Florian et al.).
Examples of mechanical keys equipped with electronic circuitry, magnetic or optical data storage or optical recognizable features (“electromechanical keys”) can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,862 (Killmeyer), U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,523 (Kaplit), U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,124 (Faude), U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,712 (Wolter), U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,952 (Gelhard), U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,358 (Seckinger et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,329 (Gokcebay), U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,295 (Gokcebay et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,317 (Hyatt, Jr. et al.). Such keys carry the secondary element, whether it comprises electronic circuitry or some other type of coded data or recognizable pattern, in addition to the key's mechanically operating pattern or bitting. In some instances both mechanical and non-mechanical features of a key are used simultaneously.
A lock cylinder is the control mechanism which grants access to the lock. A mechanical lock cylinder is the control mechanism which grants or denies access to the lock based on the mechanical key being used. The mechanical configuration, i.e. the cuts on the key, has to match to the meeting mechanical configuration i.e. the tumblers of the cylinder before the key will turn in the cylinder and this turning motion will engage the latch or bolt mechanism of the lock via a cylinder cam or tail piece causing the locking or unlocking of the lock. The cylinder mechanism of the lock is generally a separate module, which can be easily removed and replaced. In certain types of locks the physical characteristics of the cylinders and their receiving cavity is standardized so one brand cylinder will fit or replace another brand of cylinder. Mortise, locks using mortise (regular or removable core) or profile cylinders (eurocylinder) and rim locks using rim cylinders are good examples. The cylinder size and shape differ on bored door locks such as knob or lever locks, and deadbolt locks. Thus, one can separate the mechanical lock cylinders into two categories, those that are standard in size and shape, and those that are brand specific. With the standard cylinders one brand cylinder will replace another instantly without any modification to the lock, door or the cylinder.
There are several cylinder manufactures who specialize in making replacement cylinders which fit in other brands of locks. In some cases these are specialized high security cylinders increasing the security of the lock by offering sophisticated locking principles and key control. Also several lock manufacturers have recently started to manufacture non standard (brand specific) cylinders that fit to their competitors' locks. This is generally a marketing issue wherein by making cylinders that fit into the competitors' locks and setting up key systems using their own keyway (grooving and slotting of the key and receiving plug), they lure the customer to buy their locks for future needs. Since in order for the new locks to fit in to the keying system they need to be the same keyway, the customer opts to buy their brand of lock for future use.
It has been desirable to add electronic security and access control features to mechanical locks since, for one thing, it is not possible to regulate the date, day and time of access using purely mechanical keys and meeting tumblers. Changing the combination of a lock when a key is compromised usually requires tumblers to be changed and all of the operating keys to be replaced which is costly. Also the number of unique combinations or permutations that can be achieved using purely mechanical keys and meeting tumblers is relatively low, and further security is often needed.
Many examples of purely electronic and electronic and mechanical combinations of control elements exist in the above referenced patents. Some of these inventions teach an instant replacement of the cylinder unit to fit to existing locks without further modification to the lock or the door. In most cases the cylinder unit acting as an electronic reader, having additional parts or components that are connected by wires to other parts of the lock or the door, requires modification of the door and/or the lock. These components generally are circuit boards containing decision-making electronics, batteries and electrically operated locking elements such as solenoids and motors.
The present invention relates to the electromechanical cylinders operated by a key device wherein the key device is turned to achieve locking or unlocking of the lock by the user of the key device and the key device will turn in the cylinder upon meeting the access criteria—whether mechanical electronic or both—and this turning motion will engage the latch or bolt mechanism of the lock via a cylinder cam or tail piece causing the locking or unlocki

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