HK1262499A1 - User management of door and elevator access control - Google Patents

Description

Management of user access control to doors and elevators

Background

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to the field of building access control and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling access to elevators, floors, and/or doors within a building.

Existing building access controls require a building supervisor to control user access to the building's doors, floors, and/or elevators.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one embodiment, a method of controlling access to a building is provided. The method comprises the following steps: receiving visitor contact information for a visitor from a household device, the visitor contact information identifying a visitor device of the visitor; receiving visitor access rights for visitors from a household device, the visitor access rights including at least one of a selected elevator car, a selected door, and a selected floor; and authorizing the visitor device to access at least one of the selected elevator car, the selected door, and the selected floor.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: at least one of the resident device and the visitor device is a mobile device.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: when access is granted, a notification is transmitted to the visitor device.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the visitor device is authorized for access in at least one of a selected time period, a selected date, and a recurring schedule.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: access rights for the visitor are generated in response to the user accessing existing access rights in the database.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: an invitation visitor screen is generated on a user interface on the household device, the invitation visitor screen configured to allow for entry of visitor contact information.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: a visitor access screen is generated on a user interface on the household device, the visitor access screen configured to display access rights.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the authorizing further includes unlocking the selected door when the visitor device is present in front of the selected door.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the authorizing further includes opening the selected elevator car when the visitor device is present in front of the selected elevator car.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the authorizing further includes moving the selected elevator car to the selected floor when the visitor device is present in front of the selected elevator car.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the visitor device is authorized for access in at least one of a selected time period, a selected date, and a recurring schedule.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: access rights for the visitor are generated in response to the user accessing existing access rights in the database.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: an invitation visitor screen is generated on a user interface on the household device, the invitation visitor screen configured to allow for entry of visitor contact information.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: a visitor access screen is generated on a user interface on the household device, the visitor access screen configured to display access rights.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the authorizing further includes unlocking the selected door when the visitor device is present in front of the selected door.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the authorizing further includes opening the selected elevator car when the visitor device is present in front of the selected elevator car.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the method may include: the authorizing further includes moving the selected elevator car to the selected floor when the visitor device is present in front of the selected elevator car.

According to another embodiment, a building access system is provided. The building access system includes: a processor; a memory including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations. These operations include: receiving visitor contact information for a visitor from a household device, the visitor contact information identifying a visitor device of the visitor; receiving visitor access rights for visitors from a household device, the visitor access rights including at least one of a selected elevator car, a selected door, and a selected floor; and authorizing the visitor device to access at least one of the selected elevator car, the selected door, and the selected floor.

In addition to, or in the alternative to, one or more features described above, further embodiments of the building access system may include: at least one of the resident device and the visitor device is a mobile device.

According to another embodiment, a computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: receiving visitor contact information for a visitor from a household device, the visitor contact information identifying a visitor device of the visitor; receiving visitor access rights for visitors from a household device, the visitor access rights including at least one of a selected elevator car, a selected door, and a selected floor; and authorizing the visitor device to access at least one of the selected elevator car, the selected door, and the selected floor.

Technical effects of embodiments of the present disclosure include enabling a user to authorize visitors to doors, floors, and/or elevators of a building through a user interface.

The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations, which are not exclusive, unless expressly stated otherwise. These features and elements and their operation will become more apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory in nature, and not restrictive.

Drawings

The following description is not to be considered in any way limiting. Referring to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike:

fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a building access system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts a user interface on a device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts a user interface on a device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and is

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of controlling access to a building, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and methods is presented herein by way of illustration, not limitation, with reference to the figures.

Fig. 1 depicts a building access system 200 in an example embodiment. The building access system 200 includes a door system 205 and an elevator system 204 installed at a building 202. In some embodiments, building 202 may be a building or a collection of buildings, which may or may not be physically located near each other. Building 202 may include any number of floors. A person entering the building 202 may enter a lobby floor or any other floor and may travel to a destination floor via one or more transport devices, such as the elevator system 204. A person entering building 202 may need to enter a door (e.g., doors 205-1, 205-2.. 205-n) of door system 205. The doors (e.g., doors 205-1, 205-2.. 205-n) may include, but are not limited to, doors in building walls, doors outside of buildings, garage doors, parking garage access gates, turnstiles, or similar access limiting devices known to those skilled in the art.

The elevator system 204 may be operably connected to one or more computing devices, such as a controller 206. The controller 206 may be configured to control dispatch operations of one or more elevator cars (e.g., elevator cars 204-1, 204-2.. 204-n) associated with the elevator system 204. The controller 206 may also be configured to control access to one or more elevator cars (e.g., elevator cars 204-1, 204-2.. 204-n) associated with the elevator system 204. It should be understood that the elevator system 204 may utilize more than one controller 206, and each controller may control a group of elevator cars 204-1 and 204-2. Although two elevator cars 204-1 and 204-2 are shown in fig. 1, it should be understood that any number of elevator cars 204-n may be used in the elevator system 204. The elevator cars 204-1 and 204-2 may be located in the same hoistway or in different hoistways to allow coordination between the elevator cars 204-1 and 204-2 in different elevator groups serving different floors. It should be understood that other components of the elevator system 204 (e.g., drive, counterweight, safety, etc.) are not depicted for ease of illustration.

Additionally, the controller 206 may also be configured to control access to one or more gates (e.g., gates 205-1, 205-2.. 205-n). It should be understood that the door system 205 may utilize more than one controller 206, and each controller may control a set of doors 205-1 and 205-2. Although two doors 205-1 and 205-2 are shown in fig. 1, it should be understood that any number of elevator cars 205-n may be used in the door system 205. It should be understood that other components of the door system 205 (e.g., locks) are not depicted for ease of illustration. Further, the controller 206 can be configured to control access to one or more floors by the elevator system 204 and/or the door system 205.

The controller 206 may include a processor 260, a memory 262, and a communication module 264, as shown in fig. 1. The processor 260 may be any type of computer processor or combination of computer processors, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, programmable logic device, and/or field programmable gate array. Memory 262 is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodied in controller 206 that includes executable instructions stored therein (e.g., as firmware). The communication module 264 may implement one or more communication protocols as described in further detail herein.

Also shown in fig. 1 is a household device 208 a. The household device 208a may be a computing device, such as a desktop computer. The household device 208a may also be a mobile computing device, such as a phone, PDA, smart watch, tablet, laptop, etc., that is typically carried by a person. The household device 208a may include a processor 250a, a memory 252a, and a communication module 254a, as shown in fig. 1. The processor 250a may be any type of computer processor or combination of computer processors, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, programmable logic device, and/or field programmable gate array. The memory 252a is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodied in the household device 208a, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including executable instructions stored therein (e.g., as firmware). Communication module 254a may implement one or more communication protocols as described in further detail herein. The household device 208a belongs to a household of the building 202 that currently has access to the elevator system 204 and the door system 205. Each household of the building 202 may have specific access rights 325 that authorize each household to access a selected elevator car, a selected floor of the building, and/or a selected door. The access rights 325 may be stored in a user access database 263 that is operatively connected to the controller 206 or stored within the controller 206. In one embodiment, the user access database 263 may be stored off-site, remotely, or in the cloud.

Also shown in figure 1 is a visitor device 208 b. The visitor device 208b may be a computing device, such as a desktop computer. The visitor device 208b may also be a mobile computing device, such as a phone, PDA, smart watch, tablet, laptop, etc., that is typically carried by a person. The visitor device 208b may include a processor 250b, a memory 252b, and a communication module 254b, as shown in fig. 1. The processor 250b may be any type of computer processor or combination of computer processors, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, programmable logic device, and/or field programmable gate array. The memory 252b is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodied in the visitor device 208b, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including executable instructions stored therein (e.g., as firmware). Communication module 254b may implement one or more communication protocols as described in further detail herein. The visitor device 208b may belong to visitors to the building 202, such as food distribution personnel, package dispatch personnel, service/maintenance personnel, babysitter, long term visitors, short term visitors, and repeat visitors.

For ease of explanation, both the household device 208a and the visitor device 208b may be referred to as devices 208. The device 208 and the controller 206 communicate with each other. For example, the device 208 and the controller 206 may communicate with each other when in proximity to each other (e.g., within a threshold distance). The device 208 and the controller 206 may communicate over a wireless network such as 802.11x (wifi), short range radio (bluetooth), cellular, satellite, etc. In some embodiments, the controller 206 can include or be associated with (e.g., communicatively coupled to) a networking element, such as a kiosk, beacon, hall call fixture, lantern, bridge, router, network node, door lock, elevator control panel, building intercom system, or the like. The networking elements may communicate with the device 208 using one or more communication protocols or standards. For example, the networking element may communicate with device 208 using Near Field Communication (NFC). In other embodiments, the controller 206 may establish communication with a device 208 external to the building 202. Such a connection may be established using various techniques including, by way of non-limiting example, GPS, triangulation, or signal strength detection. In an example embodiment, the device 208 communicates with the controller 206 via a plurality of independent wired and/or wireless networks. Embodiments are intended to encompass many types of communication between the device 208 and the controller 206, and embodiments are not limited to the examples provided in this disclosure. Communication between the device 208 and the controller 206 will allow the controller 206 to determine the position of the device 208 relative to the elevator system 204 and/or the door system 205. Knowing the relative position of the device 208 will allow the controller 206 to determine when the device 208 is present in front of the elevator system 204 and/or door system 205 to request access.

Embodiments generate a user interface on the device 208 by a visitor accessing the application 255a, 255 b. The visitor access application 255a may be used for a resident to authorize visitors to access a selected elevator car, a selected floor of the building 202, and/or a selected door of the building 202. For example, a resident using the visitor access application 255a on the resident device 208a may grant visitor access, and the visitor device 208b will be used as an identification to open a selected elevator car, a selected floor of the building 202, and/or a selected door of the building 202. For example, a resident may grant a nanny access to open a front door of the building 202, move the first elevator car up to the fifth floor, and then open the resident's door. However, within the building, the caregiver may not have access to any other doors, elevators, and floors other than those authorized by the resident. The identification credential on the visitor device 208b will identify the visitor by communicating with the controller 206 at each selected elevator car, selected floor, and selected door.

Fig. 2-3 depict an example user interface 300 on the household device 208 a. Referring to fig. 2, when the household device 208a launches the visitor access application 255a, a visitor access screen 302, as shown in fig. 2, may be presented. The visitor access screen 302 includes a new invite button 304 where a new visitor may be added. Additionally, the visitor access screen 302 includes a current invitation 306. As shown, the current invitation 306 may be identified and organized by name. The access rights 325 for the current invitation 306 may also be listed. For example, the current invitation 306 may be accessed on a selected date and/or for a selected time period. The access permissions 325 expire after a selected date and/or a selected time period. In one embodiment, access may be granted on a recurring date and time, or a set of recurring dates and times, such as 2 pm to 4 pm every tuesday, or 9 pm to 5 pm every monday to friday. Additionally, the visitor access screen 302 may include display icons 308 for showing the access rights the current invitation 306 has, including but not limited to elevator icons, door icons, and floor icons. The visitor access screen 302 may also display past invitations 310, as well as the access rights 325 that each past invitation has been granted.

As described above, the resident can grant access to the new visitor through the new invite button 304. Upon selection of the new invite button 304, the household device 208 launches an invite guest screen 320 in the visitor access application 255 a. The invite to guest screen 320 may be presented as shown in fig. 3. The resident may manually enter the contact information 322 for the visitor on the invite visitor screen 320 or import the contact information for the visitor from the resident contact list on the resident device 208a by selecting the "pick from my contacts" button 324. Contact information 322 may include identifying factors for the visitor including, but not limited to, name, telephone number, and email. The resident may also enter access rights 325 associated with each visitor. The access permissions 325 may include a selected time period 326 for access including, but not limited to, a selected access date, a selected access time, and a selected recurring schedule. The resident may also specify access rights 325 including, but not limited to, a selected elevator car, a selected floor of the building, and/or a selected door of the building. Advantageously, by only granting access to a selected floor of the building, the elevator will only take the visitor to the selected floor, thereby preventing the visitor from accessing any other floor of the building. In addition, the staircase doors may further restrict visitors from accessing different floors. The resident may also copy their own access permissions 325 or previously granted access permissions 325 to another visitor stored in the user access database 263 (see fig. 1) and apply these access permissions 325 to the visitor. Once the invite visitor screen 320 is completed, the resident may communicate access to the visitor by selecting the "send invite" button 330. The transmission may appear as an alert on the visitor device 208b (see fig. 1). The alarm may be audible and/or visible. The alert may prompt the visitor to download the visitor access application 255b on the visitor device and/or may simply notify the visitor of the granted access rights 325. When the household selects the "send invitation" button 330, the access rights 325 are also sent to the controller and stored in the user access database 263. As described above, each device may have identification credentials and knowing the relative position of device 208 will allow controller 206 to determine when device 208 is present in front of elevator system 204 and/or door system 205 to request access. In one non-limiting exemplary embodiment, access may be driven logically by: an application that uses local resources of the visitor's smartphone (e.g., GPS location, biometric verification of the user, etc.), and an encryption key that is sent to the building system by a range of means (e.g., NFC, BT, wifi, cellular network, displaying linear or two-dimensional barcodes, audio tones), or a combination thereof. In addition, in one non-limiting exemplary embodiment, access may also be driven logically by the building system without the need to download applications on the visitor's device. Such means may include detecting and verifying known visitor device parameters, such as a MAC address, or credentials specifically created for the transaction (e.g., a two-dimensional barcode sent via email, MMS, or other means).

Reference is now made to fig. 4, with simultaneous reference to the components of fig. 1-3. Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 400 of authorizing access to a building 202 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 404, the controller 206 receives visitor contact information 322 for the visitor from the household device 208 a. As described above, the visitor contact information 322 identifies the visitor device 208b of the visitor. The visitor contact information 322 may be manually entered into the visitor access application 255a by the building's resident. To allow the visitor contact information 322 to be entered, the visitor access application 255a generates an invite guest screen 320 on the household device 208a via the user interface 300. The invite visitor screen 320 is configured to allow for entry of visitor contact information 322. Alternatively, the visitor contact information 322 may be generated in response to existing access rights 325 stored in a user access database 263 operatively connected to the controller 206.

At block 406, the controller 206 receives visitor access rights 325 for the visitor from the household device 208 a. The visitor access privileges 325 include at least one of a selected elevator car, a selected door, and a selected floor. The visitor access permissions 325 may also include a time limit for the access permissions 325 including at least one of a selected time period, a selected date, and a recurring schedule.

At block 408, the controller 206 authorizes the visitor device 208b to access at least one of the selected elevator car, the selected door, and the selected floor. Access may be granted at a particular time, the particular time including at least one of a selected time period, a selected date, and a recurring schedule. Once access is authorized, a notification may be sent to the visitor device 208 b. The notification may indicate that the visitor has been authorized to access at least one of the selected door, the selected elevator car, and the selected floor. A visitor access screen 302 may also be generated on the household device 208 a. Visitor access screen 302 is configured to display access rights 325 for current invitee 306. Once access is authorized, the visitor will now be able to access at least one of the selected elevator car, the selected door, and the selected floor using the visitor device 208 b. In one example, once access has been granted, the selected door is unlocked when the visitor device 208b appears in front of the selected door. In a second example, once access has been granted, the selected elevator car will open when the visitor device 208b appears in front of the selected elevator car. In a third example, once access has been granted, the selected elevator car moves to the selected floor when the visitor device 208b appears in front of the selected elevator car.

While the above description has described the flow of fig. 4 in a particular order, it should be understood that the order of the steps may be changed unless specifically required in the following claims.

As described above, embodiments may be in the form of processor-implemented processes and apparatuses (such as processors) for practicing those processes. Embodiments may also be in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media, such as network cloud storage, SD cards, flash drives, floppy diskettes, CD ROMs, hard drives, or any other computer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the embodiments. Embodiments may also be in the form of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, transmitted over some transmission medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the embodiments. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.

The term "about" is intended to include the degree of error associated with a particular number of measurements based on the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, "about" may include a range of ± 8% or 5% or 2% of a given value.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims (17)

1. A method of controlling access to a building, the method comprising:

receiving visitor contact information for a visitor from a household device, the visitor contact information identifying a visitor device of the visitor;

generating a visitor access screen on a user interface of the household device, the visitor access screen configured to display access permissions;

receiving visitor access permissions of the visitor, the visitor access permissions entered by a household from the household device using the household device via the visitor access screen, the visitor access permissions including floors selected by the household via the visitor access screen; and

authorizing the visitor device to access a floor selected by the household via the visitor access screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the household device and the visitor device is a mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting a notification to the visitor device when access is granted.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the visitor device is authorized for access in at least one of a selected time period, a selected date, and a recurring schedule.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating access rights for the visitor in response to a user accessing existing access rights in a database.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the visitor access rights include a door selected by the household via the visitor access screen, and the authorizing further comprises:

unlocking the selected door when the visitor device is present in front of the selected door.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the visitor access rights include an elevator car selected by the household via the visitor access screen, and the authorizing further comprises:

opening the selected elevator car when the visitor device is present in front of the selected elevator car.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the authorizing further comprises:

moving the selected elevator car to the selected floor when the visitor device appears in front of the selected elevator car.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the visitor device is authorized for access in at least one of a selected time period, a selected date, and a recurring schedule.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating access rights for the visitor in response to a user accessing existing access rights in a database.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating an invitation visitor screen on a user interface on the household device, the invitation visitor screen configured to allow for entry of visitor contact information.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the visitor access rights include a door selected by the household via the visitor access screen, and the authorizing further comprises:

unlocking the selected door when the visitor device is present in front of the selected door.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein the visitor access rights include an elevator car selected by the household via the visitor access screen, and the authorizing further comprises:

opening the selected elevator car when the visitor device is present in front of the selected elevator car.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the authorizing further comprises:

moving the selected elevator car to the selected floor when the visitor device appears in front of the selected elevator car.

15. A building access system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving visitor contact information for a visitor from a household device, the visitor contact information identifying a visitor device of the visitor;

generating a visitor access screen on a user interface of the household device, the visitor access screen configured to display access permissions;

receiving visitor access permissions of the visitor, the visitor access permissions entered by a household from the household device using the household device via the visitor access screen, the visitor access permissions including floors selected by the household via the visitor access screen; and

authorizing the visitor device to access a floor selected by the household via the visitor access screen.

16. The building access system of claim 15, wherein:

at least one of the household device and the visitor device is a mobile device.

17. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving visitor contact information for a visitor from a household device, the visitor contact information identifying a visitor device of the visitor;

generating a visitor access screen on a user interface of the household device, the visitor access screen configured to display access permissions;

receiving visitor access permissions of the visitor, the visitor access permissions entered by a household from the household device using the household device via the visitor access screen, the visitor access permissions including floors selected by the household via the visitor access screen; and

authorizing the visitor device to access a floor selected by the household via the visitor access screen.