Moveable safety deposit box system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11532198-B1
Application number	US-202016832727-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2020
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A re-locatable safety deposit box facility that allows for 24/7 access by authorized personnel to their safety deposit boxes without the need for any attendants at the facility. The facility is self-contained and re-locatable, such that it can be moved from one location to another location. In some embodiments, the facility may be, for example, a standard size shipping container. It has interior dimensions that are sufficient to house an array of safety deposit boxes. The container may also be equipped with devices that may be used to lift the entire container up so that it may be moved to another location.

First claim

We claim:

1. A re-locatable self-contained safety deposit box facility for use by one or more personnel deployed by employers at a remote location, where the safety deposit box facility is affiliated with the employer and personnel, the safety deposit box facility comprising:
a container that has a floor, a roof, a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall and a second side wall;
wherein the container comprises:
an array of remotely-controlled safety deposit boxes in its interior space;

attachment devices along the roof of the container for attaching the container to a set of cables so that the container may be lifted up in its entirety and moved regularly without disturbing the integrity of the array of safety deposit boxes stored in the container, thereby allowing the array of safety boxes to be moved collectively and in their entirety from one location to another location;
a door in its front wall;

a secured access system mounted on the front wall, wherein the secured access system comprises at least one of a biometric identification device, an interactive display and a keypad;
wherein upon a specific user submitting an appointment request over a network to a remote server, the remote server schedules an appointment with the secured access system for a specific appointment time that has not been allocated to another user;
wherein the secured access system is configured to allow the specific user entry only during the scheduled appointment time through the door into the container only after the secured access system has verified the specific user's identity; and
wherein the secured access system verifies that only the specific user has entered the container through the door and ensures that only one person is in the container at a time before opening a specific safety deposit box associated with the specific user.

2. The re-locatable self-contained safety deposit box facility of claim 1 , wherein the container further includes insulation in its roof and walls, and an HVAC system for controlling a temperature inside the container.

3. The re-locatable self-contained safety deposit box facility of claim 1 , wherein the secured access system is configured to communicate with a mobile device associated with the specific user using near field communications technology.

4. The re-locatable self-contained safety deposit box facility of claim 1 , wherein the biometric device is one of a fingerprint sensor, a retinal scanner a facial recognition device and a voice recognition device.

5. The re-locatable self-contained safety deposit box facility of claim 1 , wherein the specific user communicates, via a mobile device, to the remote server, to let the remote server know that they are present at the door before the secured access system verifies their identity.

6. The re-locatable self-contained safety deposit box facility of claim 1 , wherein the remote server is configured to receive requests from multiple users for appointments to enter the container and maintains a calendar of such appointments.

7. The re-locatable self-contained safety deposit box facility of claim 1 , wherein the secured access system comprises a proximity sensor that detects the presence of mobile devices in its vicinity and ensure that only one person is in the container at a time.

8. A system for allowing an authorized user to have access to safety deposit boxes housed in a container comprising:
a server for a banking institution in communication with a secured access system associated with the container, said container having a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls, a floor and a roof, and said front wall having an outer door permitting entry into the container;
an array of safety deposit boxes fixedly attached to the floor of the container;
the secured access system comprising at least one of the following mechanisms for verifying the identity of the authorized user as the authorized user attempts to enter the container via the outer door:
a keypad for allowing the authorized user to enter a password or a passcode;
a device for wirelessly receiving a password or a passcode transmitted by the authorized user's mobile device;
a biometric sensor for recognizing an authorized user's biometric indicia; and

wherein the container comprises attachment devices such that cables may be attached to the attachment devices so that the container may be lifted up in its entirety and moved regularly without disturbing the integrity of the array of safety deposit boxes stored in the container, thereby allowing the array of safety boxes to be moved collectively and in their entirety from one location to another location for use by personnel who work in one location for a limited period and then are moved to another location.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the secured access system is configured to communicate wirelessly with the authorized user's mobile device.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the biometric indicia include at least one of a fingerprint, facial features, voiceprints and a retinal scan.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the secured access system uses near field communication to wirelessly communicate with the authorized user's mobile device.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the secured access system comprises a wide-angle video camera that is configured to survey an immediate environment of the outer door to make sure that the authorized user is the only one close to the door, and only one person enters the facility at a time.

13. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a small lobby formed by an inner wall, wherein the small lobby is accessible through the outer door, and wherein the small lobby comprises an inner door in the inner wall that provides access to the array of safety deposit boxes in the container.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the small lobby comprises a second secured access system configured to require further verification of the authorized user's identity before allowing the user to enter further into the container through the inner door.

Assignees

• Uipco Llc
• Usaa

Inventors

• Lyle Ruthie D
• Lai Chi-Hsuan
• Durairaj Ravi
• Yau Jo Anne
• Mitchem Sean Carl
• Huggar Stacy Callaway
• Dixon David Patrick

Classifications

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• G06Q10/109 Primary

  Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting · CPC title

• G06F21/35

  communicating wirelessly · CPC title

• G06F21/42

  using separate channels for security data · CPC title

• G06F21/32

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