Door Lock Keycard Encoding During Front Desk System Outages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building management systems, particularly in hotels, face challenges when the front desk system goes down, as they cannot encode new access cards, leading to the need for pre-encoded spare cards and manual management of access rights, especially during power outages or communication disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A door lock system that allows encoding access rights on client keycards using a master keycard, monitoring specific actions and sequences to activate or deactivate access, and managing access rights across multiple locks, with the ability to revoke or grant access based on network availability and encoded parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the front desk system is used to encode access cards, then centralized management and control of access rights is improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to failures that prevent encoding of new cards
Solution Approach 1:
The door lock is pre-configured with encoding capability and master keycard functionality before system failure occurs. When the front desk system goes down, the door lock can independently encode new client keycards using the master keycard, eliminating the need for centralized system operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The master keycard acts as an intermediary between the door lock and the front desk system. It carries the authority to encode client keycards, allowing the door lock to function independently when the centralized system is unavailable, while still maintaining connection to the overall access control system when it is operational.
2Reliability
If spare access cards are pre-encoded and stored in the hotel safe, then access control continuity is improved during system failures, but security risks and manual management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The door lock system performs the encoding function itself using the master keycard, eliminating the need for manual pre-encoding of spare cards by hotel staff. The system serves itself by automatically generating client keycards on-demand when needed, reducing human intervention and associated errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The door lock is pre-equipped with the capability to encode client keycards using the master keycard, so when a guest needs access, the system can immediately generate a new keycard without requiring manual preparation or retrieval of pre-encoded spares from the safe.
3Ease of manufacture
If construction cards are encoded at the factory with unrestricted access, then ease of deployment is improved, but security control and access management become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The access rights encoded on construction cards are made dynamic rather than static. The door lock can revoke access rights for construction cards when the construction phase ends or when specific conditions are met, allowing the system to adapt access control levels based on current needs while maintaining ease of initial deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
Construction cards are pre-encoded at the factory with temporary access rights suitable for construction phases. The system is designed to automatically or manually revoke these rights when construction is complete, providing both ease of initial deployment and subsequent security control.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an entry system for a building having: a first door lock that includes a controller; wherein the first door lock is configured for encoding access rights to a first client keycard responsive to a first engagement with a master keycard.