Pairable secure-access facilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016155281-A1
Application number	US-201414557331-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 1, 2014
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for providing access to secure-access facilities based on pairing of the secure-access facilities with a user device such as a wearable device. A pairable secure-access facility may be a public storage facility or device such as a locker that includes communications circuitry for pairing with the user device. Once paired with the user device, the locker may operate a locking mechanism to lock the locker when the user device is away from the locker and to unlock the locker when the user device is in the vicinity of the locker. The locker may include a beacon for detecting and pairing with the user devices. Pairing the user device and the locker may include entering a locker identifier into the user device to ensure that the intended user device is paired with the intended locker.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A pairable secure-access facility, comprising:
an internal cavity; a lockable opening to the cavity; a mechanism for locking and unlocking the lockable opening; a beacon configured to wirelessly communicate with a user device of a user; and a pairing module configured to cooperate with the beacon to pair the pairable secure-access facility with the user device and to operate the mechanism to lock and unlock the lockable opening based on the pairing.

2 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 1 , wherein the pairing module is configured to operate the mechanism to lock and unlock the lockable opening based on the pairing by operating the mechanism to unlock the lockable opening when the user device is paired with the beacon and when the user device is in communication with the beacon.

3 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 2 , wherein the pairing module is configured to operate the mechanism to lock and unlock the lockable opening based on the pairing by operating the mechanism to lock the lockable opening when the user device is paired with the beacon and when the user device is not in communication with the beacon.

4 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 1 , wherein the pairable secure-access facility comprises a locker.

5 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 1 , wherein the user device is a wearable user device.

6 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to present an identifier of the pairable secure-access facility to the user, wherein the pairing module is configured to pair the pairable secure-access facility with the user device when the presented identifier is received from the user device at the pairable secure-access facility.

7 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 6 , wherein the beacon is configured to receive the presented identifier from the user device.

8 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 6 , further comprising near field communications circuitry configured to receive the identifier from the user device when the user device is tapped against the pairable secure-access facility.

9 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 1 , wherein the pairing module comprises circuitry configured to receive an electrical signal transmitted from the user device along a portion of a wearer's skin.

10 . The pairable secure-access facility of claim 1 , wherein, when the pairable secure-access facility is not paired with any user device, the beacon is configured to detect the user device in the vicinity of the pairable secure-access facility and initiate pairing operations with the detected user device responsive to the detection.

11 . A wearable electronic device comprising:
communications circuitry; and a pairing module configured to:
pair the wearable electronic device with a pairable secure-access facility when the pairable secure-access facility is detected by the communications circuitry; and
provide access information to the pairable secure-access facility to unlock the pairable secure-access facility after the wearable electronic device is paired with the pairable secure-access facility.

12 . The wearable electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising a hardware memory configured to store the access information.

13 . The wearable electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising an input device configured to receive an identifier of the pairable secure-access facility, wherein the pairing module is configured to pair the wearable electronic device with the pairable secure-access facility at least in part by communicating the received identifier to the pairable secure-access facility with the communications circuitry.

14 . The wearable electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising at least one electrode configured to transmit a signal along skin of a wearer of the wearable electronic device to the pairable secure-access facility.

15 . A method for providing access to a pairable secure-access facility, the method comprising:
detecting, with communications equipment of the pairable secure-access facility, a user device; pairing the user device with the pairable secure-access facility; and operating a locking mechanism of the pairable secure-access facility based on a proximity of the user device and the pairable secure-access facility, following the pairing.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the pairable secure-access facility comprises a locker and wherein the operating comprises:
operating the locking mechanism to lock the locker when the user device is not in communication with the communications equipment of the pairable secure-access facility.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the pairable secure-access facility comprises a locker and wherein the operating comprises:
operating the locking mechanism to unlock the locker when the user device is in communication with the communications equipment of the pairable secure-access facility.

18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
providing, with a display of the pairable secure-access facility, an identifier of the pairable secure-access facility; and receiving the identifier of the pairable secure-access facility from the user device with the communications equipment.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising receiving, with an input device of the user device, the identifier.

20 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
storing, with the user device, access information for the pairable secure-access facility; and providing, with the user device, the access information to the pairable secure-access facility based on the proximity of the user device and the pairable secure-access facility.

Assignees

• Ebay Inc

Inventors

• O'Toole Christopher Diebold
• Luk Bryant Genepang
• He Robert
• Bates Richard Chapman
• Brenner Jennifer T
• Tang Yu

Classifications

• H04W4/80

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

• G07C9/00309 Primary

  operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title

• G07C2009/00198

  the keyless data carrier having more than one limited data transmission ranges · CPC title

• G07C2009/00968

  shape of the data carrier · CPC title

• G07C2009/00809

  with data transmission through the human body · CPC title