Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – With meter reading
Patent
1981-11-13
1985-02-26
Yusko, Donald J.
Communications: electrical
Continuously variable indicating
With meter reading
340365VL, H04Q 900, E05B 4900, G06F 302
Patent
active
045020485
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates generally to security systems. More particularly, it relates to access control systems which may be used for controlling access to, for example, safes, strong rooms, buildings, security areas in buildings, computer terminals and electronically stored information such as credit records, just to mention a few of the applications where security is required.
Many types of access control systems have been devised over the years from the earliest forms of key operated locks, to the sophistication of combination locks and the relatively recent advent of electronically coded card keys and readers. None of these systems has been particularly satisfactory, however, since more and more sophisticated procedures have been developed to defeat them. Keys can be duplicated, combinations can be broken by trial and error or detected by observation of an authorized person opening the combination controlled lock and electronically coded card keys can be forged.
It has previously been proposed to provide an access control system incorporating a manually actuable keyboard, the keys of which are selectively actuable to generate a code which, if correct, will provide the necessary access. This system has the advantage that there is no key or card which can be lost, stolen or forged but conventional keyboard systems suffer a similar disadvantage to combination locks in that it is possible for an observer to note the combination of keys actuated by an authorized person. The present invention provides an improved keyboard security apparatus by which this problem is overcome.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided security apparatus comprising
a keyboard having an array of selectively actuable keys;
key value designation means to designate values to the keys and including designation scrambling means operative randomly to scramble the designation of key values;
key value display means to display the values designated to the keys by the key designation means; and
register means to register for each key actuation the value designated to the respective key at the time of its actuation.
Preferably, the key value display means comprises a series of illuminating display units allotted one to each key and each operative to display an indicia representative of the value designated to the respective key by the key designation means.
The keys may be in the form of push-buttons and the display units may comprise light-emitting diode or liquid crystal displays located adjacent the respective buttons or carried by the buttons so as to display the indicia through the outer ends of the buttons.
In operation of the above described apparatus the random scrambling of the designated key values prevents an observer from detecting a correct code merely by noting the order in which particular keys are actuated since the position of the keys for the correct code will be changed.
In a simple access control system, access may be obtained solely by operation of the keyboard. In more sophisticated systems, however, additional security equipment may be included. For example, the system may also include a magnetic code reader which must receive a correctly coded instrument such as a key or card to enable the keyboard.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more fully explained one particular embodiment will be described in some detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a push-button keyboard apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3a, 3b and 4 illustrate the electrical circuitry of the keyboard apparatus;
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the manner in which the various electrical components of the apparatus may be mounted on a pair of circuit boards; and
FIGS. 7a-c is a flow chart detailing the operation of the apparatus.
BEST MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 the illustrated keyboard apparatus comprises an outer c
REFERENCES:
patent: 3508202 (1970-04-01), Joel, Jr.
patent: 3587051 (1971-06-01), Hovey
patent: 3670322 (1972-06-01), Mallebrein
patent: 4100534 (1978-07-01), Shifflet, Jr.
patent: 4333090 (1982-06-01), Hirsch
patent: 4369973 (1983-01-01), D'Aurora et al.
patent: 4415893 (1983-11-01), Rowland
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 21, No. 2, Jul. 1978, "Programmable Key/Display/Switch Device", S. E. Bigbie et al., pp. 442-444.
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