Patent ID: 7102486
Filing Date: 2006-09-05
Classification: G07C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A locking apparatus comprising: a fingerprint reader, a fingerprint verifier, and a power supply circuit, the fingerprint reader being configured to read a fingerprint, the fingerprint verifier being configured to verity the read fingerprint based on registered fingerprint data, and according to a result of the verification, authenticate a person who entered the fingerprint; a locking mechanism configured to unlock, if the person is authenticated, a door locked with the locking apparatus; a chamber having an opening, opposing sides at the opening and a planar bottom surface extending from the sides and across a bottom edge of the opening with a surface of the fingerprint reader disposed in and level with the planar bottom surface, the chamber being configured aligned about the fingerprint reader to receive a finger through the opening in an insertion orientation guided by the opening and the chamber to alien the finger with the fingerprint reader; a lid configured to open and close the opening of the chamber, the lid being rotatably supported to rotate inward with respect to said chamber to open the opening of the chamber when urged by insertion of the finger and to allow access to the fingerprint reader by the finger to input the fingerprint; and a switch provided for the power supply circuit and configured to interlock with the lid so as to turn on and off the power supply circuit in response to the opening and closing of the lid.