Patent ID: 9584846
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: G08B,G08C,H04N

Claim:
1. A docking cradle of an entertainment system, the docking cradle comprising: a housing having a recessed area to receive and store a handheld controller, wherein the housing comprises a retention surface that extends over the recessed area of the housing to engage a first end portion of the handheld controller stored in the docking cradle; an electronically controlled lock apparatus connected to the housing and configured to lock the handheld controller within the recessed area of the housing preventing removal by a user responsive to a lock electrical signal from a management terminal separate from the docking cradle, and configured to unlock the handheld controller permitting removal by a user from the recessed area of the housing responsive to an unlock electrical signal from the management terminal; and a locking tab that extends over the recessed area of the housing to engage a second end portion, opposite to the first end portion, of the handheld controller stored in the docking cradle, wherein the electronically controlled lock apparatus responds to the unlock electrical signal from the management terminal by enabling movement of the locking tab to release the second end portion of the handheld controller when a user presses an unlock button connected to the housing, and responds to the lock electrical signal from the management terminal by disabling movement of the locking tab to prevent release of the second end portion of the handheld controller when a user presses the unlock button.