Patent ID: 6161005
Filing Date: 2000-12-12
Classification: G07C,G08C,G10L

Abstract:
A locking/unlocking arrangement for a door, comprising:a controller;an electrically actuated mechanism for locking or unlocking a door in response to an electrical signal from the controller;a cradle arranged to support different types of telephone handsets, said telephone handsets being capable of receiving telephone signals over a telephone network and outputting audio signals;audio signal receiving and decoding circuitry electrically connected to the controller for receiving and decoding said audio signals from said telephone handset when the telephone handset is mounted in the cradle;a sensor arranged to receive wireless signals directly from a portable transmitter;non-audio wireless signal receiving circuitry connected between the sensor and the controller and arranged to transmit said wireless signals received by said sensor from said portable transmitter to the controller,wherein said controller is arranged to receive said audio signals from said telephone handset after decoding by audio signal receiving and decoding circuitry, and is further arranged to receive said wireless signals from said sensor and, depending on whether the controller has received said decoded audio signals or said wireless signals, compare either the decoded telephone signals or wireless signals with codes stored in a memory, and actuate the locking/unlocking mechanism in response to said comparison, andwhereby inclusion of said cradle arranged to support different types of telephone handsets permits a user to select a desired said network by selecting a handset arranged to receive signals from said network, andwhereby inclusion of a sensor and non-audio signal receiving circuitry in addition to said cradle and audio signal receiving and decoding circuitry permits the locking/unlocking mechanism to be actuated by signals transmitted directly from said portable transmitter to said controller, and also by telephone signals sent over said telephone network.