Unified access control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11100742-B2
Application number	US-201916547318-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2019
Priority date	Aug 23, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

An amusement park access control system includes an amusement park area having an entrance. A unified access control device is positioned at the entrance and is configured to control guest access into the amusement park area. The unified access control device includes sensor modules and an access control module physically connected to one another to form a unified structure. The sensor modules scan the entrance to determine guest identification data. An access control computer system is communicatively coupled to the unified access control device and includes databases storing guest enrollment data and entitlement data associated with the guest enrollment data. The unified access control device identifies entitlements associated with the guest identification data based on a comparison between the guest identification data, the guest enrollment data, and the entitlement data, and controls guest access through the entrance based on the identified entitlements.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An amusement park access control system, comprising:
an access control computer system comprising one or more databases storing guest enrollment data and entitlement data associated with the guest enrollment data, wherein the access control computer system is configured to:
determine one or more entitlements of the entitlement data associated with an amusement park area; and
determine a set of guest identifiers of the guest enrollment data that is not associated with the one or more entitlements; and

a unified access control device communicatively coupled to the access control computer system via an access control module and configured to be positioned at an entrance to the amusement park area and control guest access into the amusement park area, wherein the unified access control device comprises sensor modules and the access control module physically connected to one another to form a unified structure, wherein the sensor modules are configured to scan the entrance to determine guest identification data, and wherein the unified access control device is configured to:
determine whether the set of guest identifiers received from the access control computer system comprises the guest identification data; and
in response to determining that the set of guest identifiers comprises the guest identification data, output an indication that the guest identification data is not associated with the one or more entitlements associated with the amusement park area.

2. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , wherein the unified structure comprises a vertical assembly of the sensor modules, wherein communicative couplings are arranged at upper and lower ends of each sensor module.

3. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor modules and the access control module each comprise a housing, and a male connector positioned at one end of the housing and a female connector positioned at an opposite side of the housing with respect to the male connector.

4. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor modules and the access control module each comprise a housing, a communication bus extending through the housing, and a power bus extending through the housing, wherein respective communication buses and respective power buses enable communication and power transmission, respectively, between the sensor modules and the access control module.

5. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor modules comprise a biometric sensor.

6. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , wherein the unified access control device comprises an entitlement validation feedback indicator configured to output a visual indication in response to control circuitry of the unified access control device performing an entitlement validation routine based on the guest identification data and identified entitlements.

7. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , wherein the unified access control device comprises a base module that houses control circuitry configured to coordinate operation of the sensor modules and the access control module.

8. The amusement park access control system of claim 7 , wherein the base module is coupled to a mount configured to secure the unified access control device to a surface, and wherein the unified access control device comprises a cap module positioned at an opposite end of the unified access control device relative to the base module, wherein the cap module seals access to an internal feature of the unified access control device.

9. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , comprising an entrance including an enrollment arch positioned proximate to the unified access control device.

10. The amusement park access control system of claim 9 , wherein the enrollment arch comprises a plurality of sensors and an enrollment feedback indicator integrated into a second unified structure, and the plurality of sensors comprises a biometric sensor.

11. The amusement park access control system of claim 10 , wherein the enrollment arch is communicatively coupled to the access control computer system, and the biometric sensor is configured to collect guest biometric data, and wherein the enrollment arch comprises control circuitry configured to access the one or more databases of the access control computer system and update the one or more databases with the collected guest biometric data.

12. The amusement park access control system of claim 11 , wherein the enrollment feedback indicator is configured to output a visible or audible indication in response to enrollment for a guest being completed.

13. The amusement park access control system of claim 1 , wherein the access control computer system is configured to:
determine one or more additional entitlements of the entitlement data associated with an additional amusement park area; and
determine an additional set of guest identifiers of the guest enrollment data that is not associated with the one or more additional entitlements.

14. The amusement park access control system of claim 13 , comprising
an additional unified access control device communicatively coupled to the access control computer system via an additional access control module and configured to be positioned at an additional entrance of the additional amusement park area, wherein the additional unified access control device comprises additional sensor modules and the additional access control module physically connected to one another to form an additional unified structure, wherein the additional sensor modules are configured to scan the additional entrance to determine additional guest identification data, wherein the additional unified access control device is configured to:
determine whether the additional set of guest identifiers received from the access control computer system comprises the additional guest identification data; and
in response to determining that the set of guest identifiers comprises the guest identification data, output an additional indication that the additional guest identification data is not associated with the one or more additional entitlements associated with the additional amusement park area.

15. A unified access control device comprising:
one or more sensor modules configured to scan an amusement park area for guest identification data;
an access control module coupled to the one or more sensor modules to form a unified structure, wherein the access control module is configured to receive, from an access control computer system comprising one or more databases storing guest enrollment data entitlement data associated with the guest enrollment data;
one or more processors; and
one or more memory devices that store machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
determine whether a set of guest identifiers of the guest enrollment data comprises the guest identification data; and
in response to determining that the set of guest identifiers comprise the guest identification data, provide an indication that the guest identification data is not associated with the one or more entitlements associated with the amusement park area.

16. The unified access control device of claim 15 , wherein the access control module is coupled to a mount configured to secure the unified access control device to a surface, wherein the unified access control device comprises a cap module positioned at an opposite end of the unified access control device relative t

Assignees

• Universal City Studios Llc

Inventors

• Conroy Brett J
• Hanley Kyle P
• Spivey Bonnie J
• Traynor Mark J

Classifications

• G07C11/00

  Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere · CPC title

• G07C2011/02

  related to amusement parks · CPC title

• G07C9/27

  with central registration · CPC title

• G06F21/32

  using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints · CPC title

• G07C9/38

  with central registration · CPC title