Apparatus and method for securing merchandise with optical lock and key

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10013829-B2
Application number	US-201615287548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2016
Priority date	Oct 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for securing merchandise. In one embodiment an apparatus for securing merchandise comprises a locking mechanism limiting access to one or more items, one or more optical sensors configured to detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from at least one light beam emitted by an optical key, and a control device comprising a control circuit and a memory device. The control device being configured to store a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value on the memory device and determine whether to release the locking mechanism based on whether intensities of each of the plurality of wavelengths detected by the one or more optical sensors match the lock code.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for securing merchandise comprising:
a locking mechanism limiting access to one or more items;
one or more optical sensors configured to detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from at least one light beam emitted by an optical key; and
a control device comprising a control circuit and a memory device, the control device being configured to:
store a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value on the memory device; and
determine whether to release the locking mechanism based on whether intensities of each of the plurality of wavelengths detected by the one or more optical sensors match the lock code.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more optical sensors comprise a spectrometer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more optical sensors comprise a plurality of sensors arranged in a pattern matching a pattern of light sources in the optical key.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one light beam comprises light emitted from one or more of a laser and a light emitting diode (LED).

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lock code further comprises a modulation scheme and the control circuit is further configured to determine whether to release the locking mechanism based on whether a modulation of the at least one light beam from the optical key matches the modulation scheme in the lock code.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication device configured to receive one or more lock codes from a networked server.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the lock code is received from the server and stored on the memory device, and the control circuit is configured to erase the lock code on the memory device after a preset period of time.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the lock code is transmitted from the networked server to the memory device in response to receiving a unlock request from a user having the optical key.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is configured to request the lock code in response to the one or more optical sensors detecting the at least one light beam from the optical key.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory device has stored upon it, a plurality of lock codes, and the control circuit selects one lock code from the plurality of lock codes based on one or more of a current time of the day and a current day of the week to determine whether to release the locking mechanism.

11. An apparatus for accessing locked merchandise comprising:
one or more light sources configured to emit a plurality of wavelengths each at a specified intensity;
a memory device storing a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value; and
a control circuit configured to cause the one or more light sources to emit at least one light beam according to the lock code to unlock an optical lock.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more light sources are configured to emit a light beam having a plurality of wavelength peaks.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more light sources comprise a plurality of light sources arranged in a pattern matching a pattern of light sensors on the optical lock.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more light sources comprise one or more of a laser and a light emitting diode (LED).

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the lock code further comprises a modulation scheme and the control circuit is further configured cause the one or more one light sources to modulate the at least one light beam according to the modulation scheme in the lock code.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:
a communication device configured to receive one or more lock codes from a networked server.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the lock code is transmitted from the networked server to the memory device in response to receiving a unlock request from a user.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the unlock request comprises one or more of an identifier of the user making the request, an authentication code, and an identifier associated with the optical lock the user wishes to unlock.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the control circuit is configured to authenticate a passcode entered by a user prior to causing the one or more light sources to emit the at least one light beam.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the memory device has stored upon it, a plurality of lock codes, and the control circuit is configured to select one lock code based on one or more of a current time of the day and a current day of the week and cause the one or more light sources to emit the at least one light beam according to the selected lock code.

21. A system for controlling access to merchandise comprising:
an optical key comprising one or more light sources configured to emit at least one light beam comprising a plurality of wavelengths each at a specified intensity; and
an optical lock comprising one or more optical sensors configured to detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from the optical key;
wherein the optical lock is configured grant access to one or more locked items in the event that the least one light beam emitted by the optical key matches a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising:
a network server configured to provide the lock code to at least one of the optical key and the optical lock.

23. A method for securing merchandise comprising:
detecting, at one or more optical sensors, at least one light beam emitted by an optical key and detect a plurality of wavelengths and an intensity associated with each wavelength from the at least one light beam;
retrieving, from a memory device, a lock code comprising a plurality of wavelength values and a plurality of intensity values each associated with a wavelength value; and
determine whether to release a locking mechanism limiting access to one or more items based on whether intensities of the plurality of wavelengths detected by the one or more optical sensors match the lock code.

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc
• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Taylor Robert J
• Jones Nicholaus A
• Vasgaard Aaron J
• Cruz Jeffrey S

Classifications

• G07C2009/00785

  by light · CPC title

• G06K19/06028

  using bar codes · CPC title

• E05B35/00

  Locks for use with special keys or a plurality of keys {; keys therefor} · CPC title

• E05B49/00

  Electric permutation locks; Circuits therefor {; Mechanical aspects of electronic locks; Mechanical keys therefor (arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; mechanisms including electronic locks actuated by nonmechanical keys such as passive and active electrical keys and other data carriers G07C9/00, G07F7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00)} · CPC title

• G06K7/10881

  constructional details of hand-held scanners · CPC title