Key management system, key management device, and key management method

Abstract

To enable a holder to be managed in a key management device to be registered in the key management device without directly operating the key management device.SOLUTION: A key management system includes a first key management device which is installed in a first base and has a plurality of housing sections capable of housing holders for holding keys, and a terminal device which is installed in a second base different from the first base and is capable of communicating with the first key management device. The terminal device performs remote holder registration processing for registering a holder to be registered as a holder to be managed in the first key management device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a key management system, a key management apparatus, and a key management method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a key management machine including a key management unit for managing keys, having identification information, a key holder linked to the key, an acquisition unit for acquiring the identification information of the key holder, and a registration unit for registering the key holder having the identification information acquired by the acquisition unit as a key holder to be managed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When adopting a configuration in which a holder to be managed in a key management apparatus cannot be registered remotely, the holder needs to be registered by directly operating the key management apparatus.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable a holder to be managed in a key management apparatus to be registered in the key management apparatus without directly operating the key management apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To this end, the present invention provides a key management system comprising: a first key management device installed at a first location and having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys; and a terminal device installed at a second location different from the first location and capable of communicating with the first key management device, wherein the terminal device performs remote holder registration processing for registering holders to be registered as managed holders in the first key management device. The terminal device may transmit holder information regarding the holder to be registered to an external source and, if it receives a first abnormal response from the external source, it may not terminate the remote holder registration process normally. In this case, the first abnormal response may occur when the holder to be registered has already been registered. In that case, the terminal device may further transmit storage information to the outside regarding the storage unit designated as the storage unit in which the holder to be registered is stored, and if it receives a second abnormal response from the outside, it may not terminate the remote holder registration process normally. In that case, the second abnormal response may occur when another holder is stored in the designated storage unit. The first key management device may register the holder to be registered in response to the terminal device performing the remote holder registration process. In this case, the terminal device may be controlled to transmit storage information regarding the storage unit designated by the first key management device as the storage unit in which the holder to be registered is stored. In this case, the first key management device may register the holder to be registered in place of the already registered holder if the holder to be stored in the designated storage unit is already registered. The first key management device may not register the holder to be registered if another holder is stored in the designated storage unit. The terminal device may be a second key management device having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing a holder for holding keys. In that case, the second key management device may determine a holder stored in a specific storage compartment among the multiple storage compartments it possesses as the holder to be registered. In that case, the specific storage compartment may be a storage compartment that corresponds to the storage compartment designated by the first key management device as the storage compartment for the holder to be registered, a storage compartment selected by the user, or a pre-configured storage compartment. In that case, the second key management device may perform a process to link the key to the holder to be registered, following the remote holder registration process.

[0007] The present invention also provides a key management device comprising: a plurality of storage compartments capable of accommodating holders for holding keys; and a processing unit for performing remote holder registration processing for registering holders to be registered as managed holders in another key management device installed at a location different from the location where the device is installed.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a key management method that includes the steps of: a first key management device having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, and a terminal device installed at a second location different from the first location where the first key management device is installed, performing a remote holder registration process to register a holder to be registered as a holder to be managed by the first key management device; and the first key management device registering the holder to be registered in response to the terminal device performing the remote holder registration process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to register the holders to be managed in a key management device with the key management device without directly operating the key management device itself. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the overall configuration of a key management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]It is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance configuration of the first key management device and the second key management device in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance configuration of the holder and the key used in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the first key management device in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of the first holder registration information in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the second key management device in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of the second holder registration information in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the first half of the key management system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of a holder selection screen. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of a registration in-progress screen. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of a registration completion screen. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of a key exchange start screen. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of a ring release waiting screen. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing an example of a ring release in-progress screen. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example of a registration error screen. [Figure 17] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the second half of the key management system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing an example of a processing history screen.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] [Overall Configuration of Key Management System] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a key management system 1 in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the key management system 1 includes a first key management device 10a, a second key management device 10b, and a server device 40. The first key management device 10a, the second key management device 10b, and the server device 40 are connected via a network 80.

[0013] Since the first key management device 10a is installed in the trunk room 51, FIG. 1 also shows a floor plan of the trunk room 51. As shown in the figure, the trunk room 51 is partitioned into a lobby area 52 and a trunk room area 53, and an entrance / exit 54 that is opened and closed by a door is provided between the lobby area 52 and the trunk room area 53. A plurality of rooms 55 are provided in the trunk room area 53, and each room 55 is provided with a door that can be opened and closed. A lock such as a cylinder lock that can be locked and unlocked with a key is provided on the door of each room 55. The first key management device 10a is installed in the trunk room area 53 and manages the keys of each room 55 while holding them in a holder. When a contractor who has concluded a usage contract for the room 55 of the trunk room 51 uses the trunk room 51, the contractor enters the trunk room area 53 from the entrance / exit 54, operates the first key management device 10a, and takes out the key of the room 55 for which the contract has been made. Then, the contractor opens the door of the room 55 with the key and uses the room 55. After using the room 55, the contractor locks the door of the room 55 with the key, returns the key to the first key management device 10a, and exits from the entrance / exit 54.

[0014] The first key management device 10a is a device that detachably houses a holder for holding keys. Although only one first key management device 10a is shown in the figure, there may be multiple units in one storage room 51, or multiple units in multiple storage rooms 51. In this embodiment, a storage room 51 is used as an example of a first base, and the first key management device 10a is provided as an example of a first key management device installed at the first base and having multiple storage compartments capable of housing a holder for holding keys. The second key management device 10b is also a device that detachably houses a holder for holding keys, but the second key management device 10b is installed at the headquarters of the operator of the storage room 51. The second key management device 10b can communicate with the first key management device 10a inside the storage room 51 via the server device 40. In this embodiment, the headquarters of the operator of the storage room 51 is used as an example of a second location different from the first location, and the second key management device 10b is provided as an example of a second key management device installed at the second location and having multiple storage compartments capable of housing a holder for holding keys.

[0015] The server device 40 is a device that relays communication between the first key management device 10a and the second key management device 10b.

[0016] Network 80 is a communication means used for information communication between the first key management device 10a, the second key management device 10b, and the server device 40, and is, for example, the Internet, a public network, or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0017] [External Configuration of Key Management Device] Figure 2 shows an example of the external configuration of the first key management device 10a and the second key management device 10b in this embodiment. Since the first key management device 10a and the second key management device 10b have the same external configuration, they will be described here as key management device 10. In the following, the components of the first key management device 10a will be denoted with the subscript "a" and the components of the second key management device 10b will be denoted with the subscript "b", but in this description, the subscripts will not be used. As shown in Figure 2, the key management device 10 has a first door 21 and a second door 22 on the front of the device that can be opened and closed, and a key storage compartment 23 that is opened and closed by the first door 21, and a printer 25 and a key exchange unit 26 that are opened and closed by the second door 22. The key management device 10 also has a display operation unit 27 and a card reader 28 on the front of the device.

[0018] The key storage compartment 23 is provided with multiple storage sections 24. Each storage section 24 detachably houses a key holder 31. Each storage compartment 24 is provided with a locking mechanism 241 to allow or prohibit the removal of the holder 31. The key management device 10 controls the locking mechanism 241 for each storage compartment 24, thereby controlling whether or not the removal of each holder 31 is permitted. Furthermore, each storage compartment 24 is provided with a reading unit 242 that reads information from the IC (Integrated Circuit) tag 34 (described later) of the holder 31. The reading unit 242 is provided in close proximity to or inside the storage compartment 24. The reading unit 242 is, for example, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​reader. In addition, to prevent the reading unit 242 of one storage compartment 24 from mistakenly acquiring radio waves from the IC tag 34 of the holder 31 inserted into an adjacent storage compartment 24, a shielding plate or the like that can block radio waves may be provided between adjacent storage compartments 24. In this embodiment, multiple storage compartments 24 are provided as an example of multiple storage compartments capable of storing a holder for holding keys.

[0019] The printer 25 prints the history of the key management device 10, including key replacement, insertion, and removal, onto paper such as roll paper. The paper printed by the printer 25 is ejected, for example, from the front of the device. The key exchange unit 26 releases the connection between the holder 31 and the key, and can only be used by authorized personnel, such as administrators, who have the authority to exchange keys. The key exchange unit 26 has an insertion opening 261 into which the holder 31 is inserted, and a cover 262 that opens and closes the insertion opening 261. The key exchange unit 26 also has a release member that releases the lock between the holder 31 body and the ring locking body when the holder 31 is inserted to a predetermined release position in the insertion opening 261, allowing the ring 32 (described later) to be removed, and a key exchange restriction unit that allows the administrator to release the lock on the holder 31, while preventing anyone other than the administrator from releasing the lock on the holder 31. As the key exchange restriction unit, for example, a stopper mechanism that moves a stopper forward and backward in the insertion opening 261 using an electrically driven unit such as a solenoid is preferable. In this case, the key exchange restriction unit normally has the stopper advance into the insertion opening 261, restricting the holder 31 from being inserted to a predetermined release position in the insertion opening 261. On the other hand, the key exchange control unit retracts the stopper from inside the insertion opening 261 only when operated by the administrator, allowing the holder 31 to be inserted to a predetermined unlocked position in the insertion opening 261. Furthermore, the key exchange unit 26 is equipped with a reading unit 263 that reads information from the IC tag 34 of the holder 31. The reading unit 263 is located adjacent to or inside the key exchange unit 26. The reading unit 263 is, for example, an RFID reader.

[0020] The display and operation unit 27 is, for example, a touch panel display, which accepts operations from the user and displays various information. The card reader 28 is a reading device that reads information from a card carried by the user. Examples of cards include magnetic cards and IC cards. When the user passes the card through the card reader 28, the card reader 28 reads the user ID from the card.

[0021] [Holder and key configuration] Figure 3 shows an example of the external configuration of the holder 31 and key 33 used in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the key 33 is connected to the holder 31 by a ring 32. The holder 31 is equipped with an IC tag 34. The IC tag 34 is, for example, an RFID tag. The IC tag 34 has identification information to identify the holder 31. To equip the holder 31 with the IC tag 34, for example, a sticker-type IC tag 34 may be attached to the holder 31, or the IC tag 34 may be embedded inside the holder 31. In this embodiment, the holder 31 and ring 32 are not limited to having the shapes shown. The holder 31 and ring 32 may have a shape that allows the ring 32 to be released from the holder 31 by setting them in the key exchange unit 26b and rotating them, as shown in Figures 13 to 15 described later.

[0022] [overview] In such a key management system 1, a user of a storage unit 51 may lose the key 33 for the room 55 and the holder 31 to which the key 33 is attached. In such a case, the operator of the storage unit 51 must attach a spare key 33 to a new holder 31 for the lost key 33 and register the new holder 31 so that it can be used with the first key management device 10a. However, with the previous key management system 1, staff from the storage unit operator 51 had to visit the site to register a new holder 31 and perform the registration work for the holder 31. Therefore, in this embodiment, the holder 31 to be managed in the first key management device 10a can be registered remotely from the second key management device 10b.

[0023] [Functional Configuration of the First Key Management Device] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the first key management device 10a in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the first key management device 10a includes a control unit 11a, a storage unit 12a, a communication unit 13a, a door locking mechanism 14a, a locking mechanism 241a, a reading unit 242a, a printer 25a, a reading unit 263a, a display operation unit 27a, and a card reader 28a.

[0024] The control unit 11a is equipped with an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls each part of the first key management device 10a (communication unit 13a, door locking mechanism 14a, lock mechanism 241a, reading unit 242a, printer 25a, reading unit 263a, display operation unit 27a, card reader 28a, etc.) according to the operation program stored in the memory unit 12a. The memory unit 12a includes ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores the operation program for the control unit 11a. It is also used as a work area during the control processing of the control unit 11a. The operation program includes a program for the control unit 11a to execute the processing described later. The communication unit 13a communicates information with the server device 40 via a communication line. The door locking mechanism 14a is a mechanism for locking the first door 21a and the second door 22a. The door locking mechanism 14a may lock and unlock the first door 21a and the second door 22a using different conditions. The locking mechanism 241a, reading unit 242a, printer 25a, reading unit 263a, display operation unit 27a, and card reader 28a have already been explained using Figure 2, so their explanation will be omitted here.

[0025] Here, the configuration of the control unit 11a will be described in detail. The control unit 11a comprises an operation reception unit 111a, an RFID acquisition unit 112a, a communication control unit 113a, a storage control unit 114a, and a display control unit 115a.

[0026] The operation reception unit 111a receives the operation performed by the user on the display operation unit 27a. Specifically, the operation reception unit 111a accepts operations such as inputting information to borrow or return the holder 31, and inputting information to replace the key for the holder 31.

[0027] When the RFID acquisition unit 112a reads the RFID from the IC tag 34 of the holder 31 using the reader unit 242a or the reader unit 263a, the RFID acquisition unit 112a acquires this RFID from the reader unit 242a or the reader unit 263a. In particular, the RFID acquisition unit 112a determines whether the holder 31 is stored in the storage unit 24a based on whether it has acquired the RFID from the reader unit 242a of the storage unit 24a designated by the second key management device 10b. In other words, if the RFID acquisition unit 112a acquires the RFID from the reader unit 242a of the storage unit 24a designated by the second key management device 10b, it determines that the holder 31 is stored in the storage unit 24a. Conversely, if the RFID acquisition unit 112a does not acquire the RFID from the reader unit 242a of the storage unit 24a designated by the second key management device 10b, it determines that the holder 31 is not stored in the storage unit 24a. In this case, information other than RFID may be used to identify holder 31, but the following explanation will assume the use of RFID.

[0028] The communication control unit 113a transmits information to the server device 40 via the communication unit 13a and receives information from the server device 40 via the communication unit 13a. Specifically, the communication control unit 113a sends a holder registration information acquisition request to the server device 40 at a predetermined time, requesting the acquisition of the second holder registration information 421, which is the holder registration information registered by the second key management device 10b to the server device 40. The holder registration information acquisition request may also request the acquisition of the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception. Furthermore, the communication control unit 113a receives the second holder registration information 421 transmitted in response to the holder registration information acquisition request from the server device 40. In particular, if the holder registration information acquisition request requests the acquisition of the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception, the communication control unit 113a receives the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception from the server device 40. Furthermore, the communication control unit 113a transmits to the server device 40 the remote holder registration history, which is the history of registering the second holder registration information 421 received from the server device 40 as the first holder registration information 121a in the storage unit 12a. At that time, the communication control unit 113a may also transmit to the server device 40 the processing history of the first key management device 10a, which includes the remote holder registration history.

[0029] The memory control unit 114a controls the writing of data to the memory unit 12a and the reading of data from the memory unit 12a. Specifically, the memory control unit 114a updates the first holder registration information 121a stored in the memory unit 12a with the second holder registration information 421 received by the communication control unit 113a from the server device 40. In other words, the memory control unit 114a updates the first holder registration information 121a stored in the memory unit 12a with the second holder registration information 421 in response to the second key management device 10b performing remote holder registration processing. For example, the memory control unit 114a may update the first holder registration information 121a stored in the memory unit 12a with the second holder registration information 421 when the communication control unit 113a receives the second holder registration information 421 from the server device 40. In this embodiment, the memory control unit 114a is provided as an example of a registration unit that registers the holder to be registered in response to the second key management device performing remote holder registration processing. Furthermore, if the storage unit 114a has already registered information for holder 31 in the storage unit 24a designated by the second key management device 10b, it registers the information for holder 31 received by the communication control unit 113a from the server device 40 in place of the registered information for holder 31. In other words, the storage control unit 114a replaces the registered information for holder 31 with the information for holder 31 received by the communication control unit 113a from the server device 40. In this case, the storage control unit 114a may identify the storage unit 24a by the storage unit number included in the second holder registration information 421 received by the communication control unit 113a from the server device 40. The storage control unit 114a may also determine whether the information for holder 31 has already been registered in the storage unit 24a based on the first holder registration information 121a stored in the storage unit 12a. In this embodiment, if a holder to be stored in a designated storage unit is already registered, a storage control unit 114a is provided as an example of a registration unit that registers a holder to be registered in place of the already registered holder. Furthermore, if a holder 31 is stored in a storage unit 24a designated by the second key management device 10b, the memory control unit 114a will not register the information of the holder 31 received by the communication control unit 113a from the server device 40 to that storage unit 24a. This is because attempting to register a new holder 31 even though the holder 31 stored in the storage unit 24a is not lost suggests that the designation of the storage unit 24a by the second key management device 10b may be incorrect. However, the memory control unit 114a may also choose not to register the information of the holder 31 received by the communication control unit 113a from the server device 40 to that storage unit 24a, even if the holder 31 stored in the storage unit 24a is the holder 31 that was mistakenly returned. In this case, the memory control unit 114a may use the result determined by the RFID acquisition unit 112a to determine whether the holder 31 is stored in the storage unit 24a designated by the second key management device 10b. In this embodiment, a memory control unit 114a is provided as an example of a registration unit that does not register the target holder when another holder is stored in the designated storage unit. Furthermore, the memory control unit 114a stores the remote holder registration history, which is the history of registering the second holder registration information 421 received from the server device 40, in the memory unit 12a. At that time, the memory control unit 114a also includes information in the remote holder registration history as to whether the registration was successful or unsuccessful. For example, as described above, if the holder 31 is stored in the storage unit 24a designated by the second key management device 10b, the memory control unit 114a does not register information about the holder 31 in that storage unit 24a, and therefore includes information indicating that registration failed in the remote holder registration history. In this case, an error icon or message may not be displayed on the display operation unit 27a. Furthermore, if the memory control unit 114a is unable to register the information of the holder 31 to the storage unit 24a due to an unexpected error such as a hardware failure, it may include information indicating that the registration failed in the remote holder registration history. In this case, an error icon or message may be displayed on the display operation unit 27a.

[0030] The display control unit 115a controls the display of information to the display operation unit 27a.

[0031] Next, we will explain in detail the information that the memory unit 12a stores. The memory unit 12a stores the first holder registration information 121a. The first holder registration information 121a is information that the holders 31 to be managed by the first key management device 10a have been registered with the first key management device 10a. The first holder registration information 121a may also include information on which holder 31 is stored in which storage section 24a. The first holder registration information 121a does not have to include such information, but in the following explanation, it will be described as including such information. The specific contents of the first holder registration information 121a will be described later.

[0032] [Specific details of the first holder registration information] Figure 5 shows an example of the first holder registration information 121a. As shown in the figure, the first holder registration information 121a associates the storage unit number with the RFID. The storage compartment number is the number of the storage compartment 24a of the first key management device 10a in which the holder 31 to be registered is stored. RFID is the identification information of the holder 31 to be registered. The diagram shows, for example, that holder 31 with RFID "12345678" is stored in storage compartment 24a with storage compartment number "S01". Furthermore, the holder 31 is not stored in storage compartment 24a of storage compartment number "S03", and the RFID field for storage compartment number "S03" is left blank.

[0033] [Functional Configuration of the Second Key Management Device] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the second key management device 10b in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the second key management device 10b includes a control unit 11b, a storage unit 12b, a communication unit 13b, a door locking mechanism 14b, a locking mechanism 241b, a reading unit 242b, a printer 25b, a reading unit 263b, a display operation unit 27b, and a card reader 28b.

[0034] The control unit 11b is equipped with an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU and controls each part of the second key management device 10b (communication unit 13b, door locking mechanism 14b, lock mechanism 241b, reading unit 242b, printer 25b, reading unit 263b, display operation unit 27b, card reader 28b, etc.) according to the operation program stored in the memory unit 12b. The memory unit 12b is equipped with ROM, RAM, etc., and stores the operation program of the control unit 11b. It is also used as a work area during the control processing of the control unit 11b. The operation program includes a program for the control unit 11b to execute the processing described later. The communication unit 13b communicates information with the server device 40 via a communication line. The door locking mechanism 14b is a mechanism for locking the first door 21b and the second door 22b. The door locking mechanism 14b may lock and unlock the first door 21b and the second door 22b using different conditions. The locking mechanism 241b, reading unit 242b, printer 25b, reading unit 263b, display operation unit 27b, and card reader 28b have already been explained using Figure 2, so their explanation will be omitted here.

[0035] Here, the configuration of the control unit 11b will be described in detail. The control unit 11b comprises an operation reception unit 111b, an RFID acquisition unit 112b, a communication control unit 113b, a storage control unit 114b, and a display control unit 115b.

[0036] The operation reception unit 111b receives the operation performed by the user on the display operation unit 27b. Specifically, the operation reception unit 111b accepts operations such as inputting information to borrow or return the holder 31, and inputting information to change the key for the holder 31. Furthermore, the operation reception unit 111b also accepts an operation to set the second key management device 10b to registration mode for registering the holder 31. Furthermore, the operation reception unit 111b also accepts operations such as specifying the first key management device 10a to which the holder 31 is to be registered, and specifying the storage unit 24a of the first key management device 10a in which the holder 31 to be registered is stored. Here, the operation to specify the first key management device 10a may be an operation to input the device ID of the first key management device 10a. The device ID is an ID that identifies the first key management device 10a. The device ID may be, for example, a combination of a model number that identifies the type of the first key management device 10a and a machine number that identifies the product in the first key management device 10a with the same model number. Also, the operation to specify the storage unit 24a of the first key management device 10a may be an operation to input the storage unit number of the storage unit 24a. The storage unit number is a number that identifies the storage unit 24a. Furthermore, the operation reception unit 111b may also accept an operation to specify the storage unit 24b of the second key management device 10b in which the holder 31 to be registered is stored. Here, the operation to specify the storage unit 24b of the second key management device 10b may be an operation to input the storage unit number of the storage unit 24b.

[0037] When the reading unit 242b or reading unit 263b reads the RFID from the IC tag 34 of the holder 31, the RFID acquisition unit 112b acquires this RFID from the reading unit 242b or reading unit 263b. Specifically, the RFID acquisition unit 112b first identifies one storage unit 24b from among a plurality of storage units 24b, and designates the holder 31 stored in this storage unit 24b as the holder 31 to be registered. In this embodiment, this function of the RFID acquisition unit 112b is provided as an example of a determination unit that determines a holder stored in a specific storage unit among the plurality of storage units of the device as the holder to be registered. In this case, the RFID acquisition unit 112b may identify as one storage unit 24b among the multiple storage units 24a of the first key management device 10a that corresponds to the storage unit 24a designated as the storage unit where the holder 31 will be stored. For example, the RFID acquisition unit 112b may identify as one storage unit 24b the storage unit 24b whose storage unit number is associated with the storage unit number of the storage unit 24a received by the operation reception unit 111b. Here, an example of a storage unit 24b whose storage unit number is associated with the storage unit number of storage unit 24a is a storage unit 24b with the same storage unit number as storage unit 24a. In this case, one storage unit 24b is an example of a storage unit corresponding to the storage unit designated as the storage unit where the holder to be registered will be stored among the multiple storage units of the first key management device. Furthermore, the RFID acquisition unit 112b may identify the storage unit 24b selected by the user as a single storage unit 24b. For example, if the operation reception unit 111b receives a storage unit number separate from the storage unit number of the storage unit 24a, the RFID acquisition unit 112b may identify the storage unit 24b of this separately received storage unit number as a single storage unit 24b. In this case, the single storage unit 24b is an example of a storage unit selected by the user. Furthermore, the RFID acquisition unit 112b may identify a predetermined storage unit 24b as a single storage unit 24b. For example, the RFID acquisition unit 112b may identify a storage unit 24b with a storage unit number previously stored in the storage unit 12b as a single storage unit 24b. In this case, a single storage unit 24b is an example of a pre-configured storage unit. Next, the RFID acquisition unit 112b acquires the RFID of the holder 31 stored in the identified storage unit 24b. In other words, the RFID acquisition unit 112b acquires the RFID from the reader unit 242b of the identified storage unit 24b.

[0038] The communication control unit 113b transmits information to the server device 40 via the communication unit 13b, and receives information from the server device 40 via the communication unit 13b. Specifically, the communication control unit 113b performs remote holder registration processing by transmitting holder registration information, including the device ID of the first key management device 10a, the storage unit number of the storage unit 24a of the first key management device 10a, and the RFID of the holder 31 to be registered, to the server device 40. The device ID of the first key management device 10a and the storage unit number of the storage unit 24a of the first key management device 10a may be received by the operation reception unit 111b from the display operation unit 27b. The RFID of the holder 31 to be registered may be obtained by the RFID acquisition unit 112b from the reading unit 242b of the storage unit 24b in which the holder 31 is stored. In this embodiment, this function of the communication control unit 113b is provided as an example of a processing unit that performs remote holder registration processing to register a holder to be registered as a holder under management in the first key management device. Furthermore, this function of the communication control unit 113b is provided as an example of a processing unit that performs remote holder registration processing to register a holder to be registered as a managed holder in another key management device installed at a different location from the location where the device is installed.In addition, in this embodiment, RFID is used as an example of holder information related to the holder to be registered.This function of the communication control unit 113b is provided as an example of a transmission unit that transmits holder information to the outside.In addition, in this embodiment, a storage unit number is used as an example of storage unit information related to a storage unit designated as the storage unit in which the holder to be registered is stored among the multiple storage units of the first key management device.This function of the communication control unit 113b is provided as an example of a transmission unit that further transmits storage unit information to the outside, and as an example of a control unit that controls the transmission of storage unit information to the first key management device. Furthermore, the communication control unit 113b receives a holder registration information response from the server device 40, which is transmitted in response to the holder registration information. The communication control unit 113b then determines whether this holder registration information response is a normal response or an abnormal response. For example, an abnormal response may indicate that the second key management device 10b is not registered with the server device 40 as a key management device authorized to perform remote holder registration processing. Another abnormal response may indicate that the second key management device 10b is not set to registration mode for registering holder 31. Another abnormal response may indicate that the first key management device 10a, to which holder 31 is to be registered, is not registered with the server device 40. Another abnormal response may indicate that the RFID of the holder 31 to be registered already exists in the second holder registration information 421 stored in the server device 40. The communication control unit 113b terminates the remote holder registration process normally if it receives a normal response, and prevents the remote holder registration process from terminating normally if it receives an abnormal response. In this embodiment, this response is used as an example of a first abnormal response that occurs when the holder to be registered is already registered. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communication control unit 113b is provided with this function as an example of a processing unit that prevents the remote holder registration process from being completed normally when a first abnormal response is received from an external source. Furthermore, as an abnormal response, if the server device 40 receives from the first key management device 10a that another holder 31 is stored in the storage section 24a where the holder 31 to be registered is stored, a response to that effect will also be given. If a normal response is received, the remote holder registration process is terminated normally; if an abnormal response is received, the remote holder registration process is not terminated normally. In this embodiment, this response is used as an example of a second abnormal response that occurs when another holder is stored in the designated storage section. Also in this embodiment, the communication control unit 113b is provided with this function as an example of a processing unit that does not terminate the remote holder registration process normally when a second abnormal response is received from an external source. Furthermore, the communication control unit 113b may prevent the remote holder registration process from terminating normally even if a communication error occurs.

[0039] The memory control unit 114b controls the writing of data to the memory unit 12b and the reading of data from the memory unit 12b.

[0040] The display control unit 115b controls the display of information to the display operation unit 27b. Specifically, the display control unit 115b controls the display operation unit 27b to display the success of the registration of holder 31 to the server device 40 if the holder registration information response received by the communication control unit 113b from the server device 40 is a normal response. Then, the display control unit 115b controls the display operation unit 27b to display guidance for linking the key 33 to holder 31. In this embodiment, the display control unit 115b is provided as an example of a processing unit that performs processing for linking the key to the holder to be registered following the remote holder registration process. However, if a spare key 33 is already connected to the holder 31 and stored in the storage unit 24b, the display control unit 115b does not need to control the display operation unit 27b to display guidance for connecting the key 33 to the holder 31. Furthermore, if the holder registration information response received by the communication control unit 113b from the server device 40 is an abnormal response, the display control unit 115b controls the display operation unit 27b to display a message indicating that the registration of the holder 31 to the server device 40 has failed.

[0041] [Server device functional configuration] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device 40 in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the server device 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a communication unit 43. The control unit 41 is equipped with an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU and controls each part of the server device 40 (such as the communication unit 43) according to the operation program stored in the memory unit 42. The memory unit 42 includes ROM, RAM, etc., and stores the operation program of the control unit 41. It is also used as a work area during the control processing of the control unit 41. The operation program includes a program for the control unit 41 to execute the processing described later. The communication unit 43 communicates information with the first key management device 10a and the second key management device 10b via a communication line.

[0042] Here, the configuration of the control unit 41 will be described in detail. The control unit 41 comprises a determination unit 411, a communication control unit 413, and a storage control unit 414.

[0043] The determination unit 411 determines whether the transmission of holder registration information by the second key management device 10b is a normal transmission or an abnormal transmission. An abnormal transmission includes cases where the transmission itself was performed normally, but the content of the transmitted holder registration information is abnormal. Specifically, the determination unit 411 determines whether the second key management device 10b, the source of the holder registration information, is registered with the server device 40 as a key management device authorized to perform remote holder registration processing. The determination unit 411 also determines whether the second key management device 10b, the source of the holder registration information, is set to registration mode for registering the holder 31. The determination unit 411 also determines whether the first key management device 10a, the registration destination for the holder 31 specified in the holder registration information, is registered with the server device 40. The determination unit 411 also determines whether the RFID of the holder 31 to be registered, specified in the holder registration information, is already registered.

[0044] The communication control unit 413 transmits information to the server device 40 via the communication unit 43 and receives information from the server device 40 via the communication unit 43. Specifically, the communication control unit 413 receives holder registration information from the second key management device 10b. The communication control unit 413 transmits a holder registration information response to the second key management device 10b in response to the holder registration information. At that time, if the determination unit 411 determines that the transmission of the holder registration information by the second key management device 10b is a normal transmission, the communication control unit 413 transmits a holder registration information response to the second key management device 10b that indicates it is normal. Also, if the determination unit 411 determines that the transmission of the holder registration information by the second key management device 10b is an abnormal transmission, the communication control unit 413 transmits a holder registration information response to the second key management device 10b that indicates it is abnormal. Furthermore, the communication control unit 413 receives a request to acquire holder registration information from the first key management device 10a. In response to a request to acquire holder registration information, the communication control unit 413 transmits the portion of the second holder registration information 421 to the source of the request to acquire holder registration information to the first key management device 10a. At that time, if the request to acquire holder registration information requests the acquisition of the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception, the communication control unit 413 transmits the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception to the first key management device 10a. Furthermore, the communication control unit 413 receives from the first key management device 10a the remote holder registration history, which is the history of the first key management device 10a registering the second holder registration information 421 in the first holder registration information 121a. At that time, the communication control unit 413 may also receive from the first key management device 10a the processing history of the first key management device 10a, including the remote holder registration history.

[0045] The memory control unit 414 controls the writing of data to the memory unit 42 and the reading of data from the memory unit 42. Specifically, the memory control unit 414 stores the holder registration information received by the communication control unit 413 from the second key management device 10b in the storage unit 42 as second holder registration information 421. Furthermore, when the communication control unit 413 receives a request to acquire holder registration information from the first key management device 10a, the memory control unit 414 reads from the storage unit 42 the portion of the second holder registration information 421 relating to the holder 31 that is registered to the first key management device 10a. At that time, if the request to acquire holder registration information requests the acquisition of the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception, the memory control unit 414 reads from the storage unit 42 the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception. Furthermore, when the communication control unit 413 receives the remote holder registration history from the first key management device 10a, the memory control unit 414 stores the remote holder registration history in the storage unit 42. At the same time, if the communication control unit 413 receives the processing history, including the remote holder registration history, from the first key management device 10a, the memory control unit 414 stores the processing history in the storage unit 42. The remote holder registration history may be made viewable on any terminal device or display device (not shown) connected to the server device 40.

[0046] Next, we will explain in detail the information stored in the memory unit 42. The memory unit 42 stores the second holder registration information 421. The second holder registration information 421 is information that registers the holders 31 to be managed by the first key management device 10a with the server device 40. Since the second holder registration information 421 is information that registers the holders 31 to be managed by multiple first key management devices 10a, it includes the device ID of the first key management device 10a. The second holder registration information 421 may also include information on which holder 31 is stored in which storage compartment 24a. The second holder registration information 421 does not have to include such information, but in the following explanation, it will be described as including such information.

[0047] [Specific details of the second holder registration information] Figure 8 shows an example of the second holder registration information 421. As shown in the figure, the second holder registration information 421 associates the device ID, the storage unit number, and the RFID. The device ID is the ID of the first key management device 10a, which is the registration destination for the holder 31 to be registered. The storage compartment number is the number of the storage compartment 24a of the first key management device 10a in which the holder 31 to be registered is stored. RFID is the identification information of the holder 31 to be registered. The figure shows the second holder registration information 421 related to the first key management device 10a of device ID "M01" and the first key management device 10a of device ID "M02". Of these, the first key management device 10a of device ID "M01" is assumed to be the first key management device 10a that stores the first holder registration information 121a in Figure 5. The figure shows, for example, that in the first key management device 10a with device ID "M01", holder 31 with RFID "24682468" is stored in storage compartment 24a with storage compartment number "S02". In Figure 5, RFID "23456789" was stored in storage compartment number "S02", but in Figure 8, this has been replaced with RFID "24682468". Furthermore, the figure shows, for example, that in the first key management device 10a with device ID "M01", holder 31 with RFID "34567891" is stored in storage compartment 24a with storage compartment number "S03". In Figure 5, the RFID field for storage compartment number "S03" was blank, but in Figure 8, RFID "34567891" has been newly registered.

[0048] [Key Management System Operation] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the first half of the operation of the key management system 1 in this embodiment. The first half of the operation example is an example of the operation up to the point in which the second key management device 10b registers the holder registration information with the server device 40 through remote holder registration processing. Prior to this operation example, the first key management device 10a is registered with the server device 40 as a key management device authorized to perform remote holder registration processing, and is set to registration mode for registering holder 31 when performing remote holder registration processing. Furthermore, the second key management device 10b, which is the registration destination for holder 31, is also registered with the server device 40. The second key management device 10b starts the execution of steps 131 to 139 when the user performs a special operation on the startup approval screen or standby screen and enters a special key on the displayed screen.

[0049] In the second key management device 10b, first, the operation reception unit 111b receives the device ID entered by, for example, a person in charge at headquarters on the display operation unit 27b (step 131). As described above, the device ID is the ID of the first key management device 10a in which the holder 31 to be registered is stored. Next, the operation reception unit 111b receives the storage unit number entered by, for example, a person in charge at headquarters on the display operation unit 27b (step 132). The storage unit number is the number of the storage unit 24a of the first key management device 10a in which the holder 31 to be registered is stored.

[0050] Next, in the second key management device 10b, the RFID acquisition unit 112b acquires the RFID of the holder 31 to be registered (step 133). For example, the RFID acquisition unit 112b identifies the storage unit 24b corresponding to the storage unit 24a with the storage unit number received in step 132 from among the multiple storage units 24b of the first key management device 10a. Alternatively, the RFID acquisition unit 112b may identify the storage unit 24b with a storage unit number entered by the user separately from the storage unit number received in step 132, or a storage unit 24b with a predetermined storage unit number from among the multiple storage units 24b of the first key management device 10a. Then, the RFID acquisition unit 112b acquires the RFID of the holder 31 stored in the identified storage unit 24b from the reader unit 242b of this storage unit 24b.

[0051] Subsequently, in the second key management device 10b, the communication control unit 113b controls the communication unit 13b to transmit holder registration information, including the device ID, storage unit number, and RFID, to the server device 40 (step 134). Specifically, the communication control unit 113b uses the device ID received in step 131, the storage unit number received in step 132, and the RFID acquired in step 133 to construct the holder registration information, and transmits it to the server device 40.

[0052] As a result, in the server device 40, the communication control unit 413 controls the communication unit 43 to receive holder registration information, including the device ID, storage unit number, and RFID, from the second key management device 10b (step 431).

[0053] Next, in the server device 40, the determination unit 411 determines whether the transmission of the holder registration information received in step 431 is a successful transmission (step 432). For example, the determination unit 411 determines whether the second key management device 10b, the source of the holder registration information received in step 431, is registered with the server device 40 as a key management device authorized to perform remote holder registration processing. The determination unit 411 also determines whether the second key management device 10b, the source of the holder registration information received in step 431, is set to registration mode for registering the holder 31. The determination unit 411 also determines whether the second key management device 10b of the device ID included in the holder registration information received in step 431 is registered as a key management device under management. The determination unit 411 also determines whether the RFID included in the holder registration information received in step 431 is already stored in the storage unit 42.

[0054] If step 432 determines that the transmission of the holder registration information is successful, the storage control unit 414 stores the holder registration information in the storage unit 42 as second holder registration information 421 (step 433). Specifically, the device ID, storage unit number, and RFID included in the holder registration information are linked and stored in the storage unit 42 as second holder registration information 421. If step 432 determines that the transmission of the holder registration information is not a normal transmission, i.e., an abnormal transmission, the memory control unit 414 does not store the holder registration information in the memory unit 42.

[0055] Subsequently, in the server device 40, the communication control unit 413 controls the communication unit 43 to send a holder registration information response to the second key management device 10b (step 434). At this time, if the communication control unit 413 determined in step 432 that the transmission of the holder registration information was successful, it sets information indicating that it is a successful response in the holder registration information response. If the communication control unit 413 determined in step 432 that the transmission of the holder registration information was not successful, it sets information indicating that it is an abnormal response in the holder registration information response.

[0056] As a result, in the second key management device 10b, the communication control unit 113b controls the communication unit 13b to receive a holder registration information response from the server device 40 (step 135). The communication control unit 113b then determines whether the holder registration information response received in step 135 is a normal response (step 136). Specifically, the communication control unit 113b determines whether the holder registration information response received in step 135 contains information indicating that it is a normal response.

[0057] If the holder registration information response is determined to be a normal response in step 136, the display control unit 115b displays on the display operation unit 27b that the registration of holder 31 has been successful (step 137). Then, the display control unit 115b displays key linking guidance on the display operation unit 27b (step 138). If the holder registration information response is determined to be not a normal response in step 136, the display control unit 115b displays on the display operation unit 27b that the registration of holder 31 has failed (step 139).

[0058] Here, we will describe the screen that the second key management device 10b displays on the display operation unit 27b when it executes steps 131 to 139 in Figure 9.

[0059] First, in step 131 of Figure 9, the display control unit 115b displays a device ID input screen (not shown) on the display operation unit 27b. Then, when the user enters a device ID from this device ID input screen, the operation reception unit 111b accepts this device ID. Here, the device ID input screen may be divided into a model number input screen (not shown) and a machine number input screen (not shown). In that case, for example, when the user enters the model number from the model number input screen, the operation reception unit 111b accepts this model number, and the display control unit 115b displays the machine number input screen on the display operation unit 27b. Then, when the user enters the machine number from the machine number input screen, the operation reception unit 111b accepts this machine number.

[0060] Next, in step 132 of Figure 9, the display control unit 115b displays the holder selection screen 61 on the display operation unit 27b. Figure 10 shows an example of the holder selection screen 61. As shown in the figure, the holder selection screen 61 includes a storage unit number button 611, a back button 612, and a register button 613. In this example, the first key management device 10a has 30 storage units 24a, and the second key management device 10b has 30 storage units 24b. The holder 31 to be registered in a storage unit 24a of the first key management device 10a is to be a holder 31 stored in a storage unit 24b of the second key management device 10b that has the same storage unit number as that storage unit 24a. The person in charge at headquarters selects the storage unit 24b in which the holder 31 to be registered is stored by pressing the storage unit number button 611 corresponding to the storage unit number. Then, the lock on the storage compartment 24b of the second key management device 10b is released. In this state, the person in charge at headquarters inserts the holder 31 to be registered into the storage compartment 24b and presses the registration button 613. This locks the storage compartment 24b. Then, in the second key management device 10b, the RFID acquisition unit 112b acquires the RFID in step 133, and the communication control unit 113b transmits the holder registration information to the server device 40 in step 134.

[0061] While the communication control unit 113b transmits holder registration information to the server device 40 in step 134, the display control unit 115b displays the registration screen 62 on the display operation unit 27b. Figure 11 shows an example of the registration screen 62. As shown in the figure, the registration screen 62 includes a registration message 621. Note that when the second key management device 10b is communicating with the server device 40 in this manner, other operations may be disabled. Subsequently, in the second key management device 10b, the communication control unit 113b receives a holder registration information response from the server device 40 in step 135, and in step 136 determines whether the holder registration information response is a normal response.

[0062] First, we will explain the case where the holder registration information response is determined to be a normal response in step 136. In this case, first, in step 137 of Figure 9, the display control unit 115b displays the registration completion screen 63 on the display operation unit 27b. Figure 12 shows an example of the registration completion screen 63. As shown, the registration completion screen 63 includes a registration completion message 631 and an OK button 632. In the second key management device 10b, if the communication control unit 113b determines that the holder registration information response is a normal response, the display control unit 115b displays the registration completion message 631. Then, the lock on the storage unit 24b containing the holder 31 to be registered is released in the second key management device 10b. In this state, the person in charge at headquarters takes the holder 31 out of the storage unit 24b and presses the OK button 632.

[0063] Then, in step 138 of Figure 9, the display control unit 115b displays a screen for key exchange guidance on the display operation unit 27b. A screen for key linking guidance could also be displayed, but here, the screen for key exchange guidance is displayed. Figure 13 shows an example of the key exchange start screen 64. As shown in the figure, the key exchange start screen 64 includes a procedure diagram 641, a procedure message 642, a key exchange start button 643, and a cancel button 644. The person in charge at headquarters sets the holder 31 to be registered in the key exchange unit 26b according to the procedure message 642 and presses the key exchange start button 643. Then, the screen on the second key management device 10b transitions to the ring release waiting screen 65. If the cancel button 644 is pressed, the screen returns to the device ID input screen (not shown) mentioned above.

[0064] Figure 14 shows an example of the ring release waiting screen 65. As shown in the figure, the ring release waiting screen 65 includes a procedure diagram 651, a procedure message 652, and a cancel button 653. The person in charge at headquarters follows the procedure message 652 and turns the holder 31 to be registered, which is set in the key exchange unit 26b, to the right. Then, the screen on the second key management device 10b transitions to the ring release screen 66. If the cancel button 653 is pressed, the screen returns to the device ID input screen (not shown) mentioned above.

[0065] Figure 15 shows an example of the ring release screen 66. As shown, the ring release screen 66 includes a procedure diagram 661, a procedure message 662, and an explanatory diagram 663. The person in charge at headquarters follows the procedure message 662, opens the cap of the holder 31 to be registered, and rotates the holder 31 to the left. After the holder 31 is removed from the key exchange unit 26b, the screen returns to the device ID input screen (not shown) described above.

[0066] At this time, the ring 32 is released from the holder 31, so the user can connect the spare key 33 to the ring 32. When the spare key 33 is connected to the ring 32, the user locks the ring 32. Alternatively, the user may set the holder 31 into the key exchange unit 26b, causing the key exchange unit 26b to lock the ring 32.

[0067] Next, we will explain what happens when the holder registration information response is determined to be not a normal response, i.e., an abnormal response, in step 136. In this case, in step 139 of Figure 9, the display control unit 115b displays the registration error screen 67 on the display operation unit 27b. Figure 16 shows an example of the registration error screen 67. As shown, the registration error screen 67 includes a registration failure message 671 and an exit button 672. In the second key management device 10b, if the communication control unit 113b determines that the holder registration information response is not a normal response, the lock on the storage unit 24b in which the holder 31 to be registered was set is released. In this state, the person in charge at headquarters removes the holder 31 from the storage unit 24b and presses the exit button 672. As a result, the screen returns to the device ID input screen (not shown) described above.

[0068] Figure 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the latter half of the operation of the key management system 1 in this embodiment. The latter half of the operation example is an example of the operation from when the first key management device 10a receives the second holder registration information 421 from the server device 40, updates its own first holder registration information 121a, and transmits the result to the server device 40.

[0069] In the first key management device 10a, the communication control unit 113a first controls the communication unit 13a at a predetermined time to send a request to the server device 40 to acquire holder registration information, including the device ID of the device itself (step 151). Here, the request to acquire holder registration information may be a request to acquire the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception.

[0070] As a result, in the server device 40, the communication control unit 413 controls the communication unit 43 to receive a request from the first key management device 10a to acquire holder registration information including the device ID (step 451). Then, in the server device 40, the memory control unit 414 retrieves the device ID from the holder registration information acquisition request and reads the portion of the second holder registration information 421 stored in the memory unit 42 that includes this device ID (step 452). If the holder registration information acquisition request requests the acquisition of the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception, the memory control unit 414 may read the portion of the second holder registration information 421 that has been changed since the last reception. Subsequently, in the server device 40, the communication control unit 413 controls the communication unit 43 to transmit the second holder registration information 421 read in step 452 to the first key management device 10a (step 453).

[0071] As a result, in the first key management device 10a, the communication control unit 113a first controls the communication unit 13a to receive the second holder registration information 421 transmitted in step 453 from the server device 40 (step 152). Then, in the first key management device 10a, the RFID acquisition unit 112a determines whether the holder 31 is stored in the storage unit 24a corresponding to the storage unit number included in the second holder registration information 421 received in step 152 (step 153). Specifically, the RFID acquisition unit 112a may determine whether the holder 31 is stored in the storage unit 24a based on whether it has acquired the RFID from the reading unit 242a of that storage unit 24a.

[0072] First, we will describe the case where it is determined in step 153 that the holder 31 is not stored in the storage section 24a. In this case, the memory control unit 114a determines whether the RFID is already registered in the storage unit number included in the second holder registration information 421 received in step 152, in the first holder registration information 121a stored in the memory unit 12a (step 154). If the memory control unit 114a determines in step 154 ​​that an RFID is already registered in the storage unit number, it stores the received RFID in the first holder registration information 121a of the memory unit 12a in place of the already registered RFID (step 155). In other words, the memory control unit 114a replaces the RFID already registered in the storage unit number in the first holder registration information 121a of the memory unit 12a with the RFID included in the second holder registration information 421 received in step 152. If step 154 ​​determines that the RFID is not already registered in the storage unit number, the memory control unit 114a newly stores the received RFID in the first holder registration information 121a of the memory unit 12a (step 156). In other words, the memory control unit 114a newly registers the RFID included in the second holder registration information 421 received in step 152 in the storage unit number in the first holder registration information 121a of the memory unit 12a.

[0073] Next, we will describe the case where it is determined in step 153 that the holder 31 is stored in the storage section 24a. In this case, it appears that a new holder 31 is being registered even though the holder 31 stored in the storage unit 24a is not lost. This could be because, for example, the person in charge at headquarters has entered the storage unit number of the storage unit 24a to be registered into the second key management device 10b. Therefore, the memory control unit 114a does not register the RFID contained in the second holder registration information 421 received in step 152 as the storage unit number in the first holder registration information 121a of the memory unit 12a.

[0074] Subsequently, in the first key management device 10a, the communication control unit 113a controls the communication unit 43 to transmit the remote holder registration history, including the RFID registration result, to the server device 40 (step 157).

[0075] As a result, in the server device 40, the communication control unit 413 controls the communication unit 43 to receive the remote holder registration history from the first key management device 10a (step 454). Subsequently, in the server device 40, the memory control unit 414 stores the remote holder registration history received in step 454 in the memory unit 42 (step 455). This makes the remote holder registration history viewable from terminal devices and display devices (not shown) connected to the server device 40.

[0076] In this example, if the headquarters staff member incorrectly enters the storage unit number in the second key management device 10b, and the holder 31 is not stored in the storage unit 24a corresponding to that storage unit number, the first key management device 10a may register the RFID received from the server device 40. To prepare for such a situation, in this embodiment, the server device 40 may be provided with a function to cancel the RFID registered in the first key management device 10a, allowing it to be restored to its original state.

[0077] Figure 18 shows an example of a processing history screen 70 that displays the processing history, including the remote holder registration history stored in step 455 of Figure 17. As shown in the figure, the processing history screen 70 includes the remote holder registration history 71 and other processing history 72. The remote holder registration history 71 is history information of the remote holder registration process. The remote holder registration history 71 includes identification information 711, result information 712, and reason information 713. Identification information 711 is information that identifies the process, and in this case, the process name "remote holder registration" is described. Result information 712 is information that shows the result of the process identified by identification information 711, and in this case, it is described that the registration of holder #1 failed. Reason information 713 is information that shows the reason for the result shown in result information 712, and in this case, it is described that another holder 31 was stored in the designated storage unit 24a. Other processing history 72 contains history information for processes other than remote holder registration. Here, power-on is described as an example of such other processes.

[0078] [effect] In this embodiment, the holder 31 to be managed by the first key management device 10a can be registered remotely from the second key management device 10b. As a result, the operator of the storage unit 51 no longer needs to dispatch staff to the site every time a user loses a key 33. In other words, it is now sufficient to simply mail a new holder 31 to the user of the storage unit 51.

[0079] [Differentiation] In the above description, the storage sections 24a and 24b were described as being of a type in which the holder 31 is inserted to house the storage section, but this is not limited to this. The storage sections 24a and 24b may also be of a type in which the holder 31 is housed within the housing, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-75852. In the above explanation, key 33 was described assuming a physical key, but it is not limited to physical keys; it could also be a card key or a digital key.

[0080] In the above example, the first key management device 10a is installed in the storage room 51, but this is not the only option. The system is applicable to any system in which multiple first key management devices 10a are installed at multiple locations, and a second key management device 10b that manages the multiple first key management devices 10a is installed at another location. In the above, the first key management device 10a and the second key management device 10b were connected via the server device 40, but they may be directly connected. In that case, the second key management device 10b may register the holder 31 in the first key management device 10a by directly transmitting the holder registration information to the first key management device 10a, and the first key management device 10a may return the remote holder registration history to the second key management device 10b. In the above, the device that manages multiple first key management devices 10a is referred to as the second key management device 10b, but this is not limited to this. The device that manages multiple first key management devices 10a may be a terminal device other than a key management device that can communicate with these first key management devices 10a. In this sense, the second key management device 10b is an example of a terminal device that is installed at a second location different from the first location and can communicate with the first key management device.

[0081] Incidentally, sometimes sales representatives store items entrusted to them in a bag while out on business, and then store that bag in a valuable items management system at the branch office. However, without any countermeasures, there is a possibility that sales representatives may intentionally fail to store the bags containing entrusted items in the valuable items management system, or forget to store them at all. Therefore, each time the liaison officer places a custodial item into a bag, they scan the QR code (registered trademark) on the bag with a tablet. The tablet then registers the scanned QR code with the DB server. For example, if there are 10 custodial items, the liaison officer will scan the QR code on each of the 10 bags with the tablet each time they place one of the 10 items into a separate bag. The tablet then registers all 10 QR codes with the DB server. Afterward, the sales representative returns to the branch office and scans the QR code on the bag with a QR code reader. The QR code reader then registers information that the bag has been stored in the important items management machine to the scanned QR code from the QR codes registered in the DB server. For example, if the sales representative brought back 10 bags, they would scan the QR codes on all 10 bags with the QR code reader. The QR code reader then registers information that the bag has been stored in the important items management machine to the 10 QR codes registered in the DB server. This allows the DB server to check that all bags corresponding to the registered QR codes have been stored in the important items management system. For example, if a liaison officer only reads the QR codes of nine bags with the QR code reader, the DB server should notify the server that one bag is not stored in the important items management system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0082] 1…Key management system, 10a…First key management device, 10b…Second key management device, 11a,11b…Control unit, 12a,12b…Storage unit, 13a,13b…Communication unit, 14a,14b…Door locking mechanism, 24a,24b…Storage unit, 25a,25b…Printer, 26a,26b…Key exchange unit, 27a,27b…Display operation unit, 28a,28b…Card reader, 40…Server device

Claims

1. A first key management device installed at the first location, having multiple storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, A terminal device is installed at a second location different from the first location, and is capable of communicating with the first key management device. Equipped with, The terminal device performs a remote holder registration process to register a holder to be registered as a holder to be removed from the first key management device and returned to the first key management device.

2. The key management system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device transmits holder information relating to the holder to be registered to an external source, and when it receives a first abnormal response from the external source, it prevents the remote holder registration process from being completed successfully.

3. The key management system according to claim 1, wherein the first key management device registers the holder to be registered in response to the terminal device performing the remote holder registration process.

4. The key management system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is a second key management device having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing a holder for holding keys.

5. A first key management device installed at a first location and having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, A terminal device is installed at a second location different from the first location, and is capable of communicating with the first key management device. Equipped with, The terminal device performs a remote holder registration process to register a holder to be registered as a holder to be managed in the first key management device, and if the holder to be registered is already registered, the remote holder registration process is not terminated successfully.

6. A first key management device installed at a first location and having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, A terminal device is installed at a second location different from the first location, and is capable of communicating with the first key management device. Equipped with, The terminal device, in a remote holder registration process for registering a holder to be registered as a holder to be managed in the first key management device, transmits storage unit information to the outside regarding a storage unit designated as the storage unit in which the holder to be registered is to be stored among a plurality of storage units of the first key management device, and if a second abnormal response is received from the outside, the remote holder registration process is not terminated normally.

7. The key management system according to claim 6, wherein the second abnormal response is performed when another holder is stored in the designated storage compartment.

8. A first key management device installed at a first base and having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, A terminal device is installed at a second location different from the first location, and is capable of communicating with the first key management device. Equipped with, The terminal device performs a remote holder registration process to register a holder to be registered as a managed holder in the first key management device. The first key management device registers the holder to be registered in response to the terminal device performing the remote holder registration process. The terminal device controls the transmission of storage information relating to a storage unit designated as the storage unit in which the holder to be registered is stored, among a plurality of storage units of the first key management device, to the first key management device.

9. The key management system according to claim 8, wherein the first key management device registers the holder to be registered in place of the already registered holder if the holder to be stored in the designated storage compartment is already registered.

10. The key management system according to claim 8, wherein the first key management device does not register the holder to be registered if another holder is stored in the designated storage compartment.

11. A first key management device installed at a first location and having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, A second key management device is installed at a second location different from the first location, is capable of communicating with the first key management device, and has multiple storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, Equipped with, The second key management device performs a remote holder registration process to register a holder to be registered as a managed holder in the first key management device. The second key management device is a key management system that determines a holder stored in a specific storage compartment among a plurality of storage compartments of the device as the holder to be registered.

12. The key management system according to claim 11, wherein the specific storage unit is a storage unit that corresponds to a storage unit among a plurality of storage units of the first key management device that is designated as a storage unit in which the holder to be registered is stored.

13. The key management system according to claim 11, wherein the aforementioned specific storage unit is a storage unit selected by the user.

14. The key management system according to claim 11, wherein the aforementioned specific storage unit is a pre-configured storage unit.

15. A first key management device installed at a first location and having a plurality of storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, A second key management device is installed at a second location different from the first location, is capable of communicating with the first key management device, and has multiple storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, Equipped with, The second key management device performs a remote holder registration process to register a holder to be registered as a managed holder in the first key management device. The second key management device is a key management system that performs a process to link a key to the holder to be registered, following the remote holder registration process.

16. Multiple storage compartments capable of housing a key holder, A processing unit performs remote holder registration processing to register a holder to be registered as a holder that will be retrieved from another key management device installed at a different location from the location where the device is installed and returned to the other key management device, A key management device equipped with the following features.

17. A first key management device having multiple storage compartments capable of housing holders for holding keys, and a terminal device installed at a second location different from the first location where the first key management device is installed, performs a remote holder registration process to register a holder to be registered as a holder to be taken out of the first key management device and returned to the first key management device; In response to the terminal device performing the remote holder registration process, the first key management device registers the holder to be registered. Key management methods, including those mentioned above.

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