Patent ID: 7741952
Filing Date: 2010-06-22
Classification: B60R,B62H,G07C,G07F,H04Q,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A battery-powered electronic-access control device consistently mounted about a device to be secured, the battery-powered electronic-access control device comprising: a memory containing a stored code; a keypad for entering an input code to access the battery-powered electronic-access control device; a circuit generating a wake-up signal in response to a first key being depressed on the keypad, the input code comprising the first key and at least one subsequent keypad entry; a processor enters an awake mode for a period of time in response to receiving the wake-up signal from the circuit and the input code from the keypad, the processor or another circuit configured to generate a driver signal to activate a lock actuator in response to the input code matching the stored code; wherein the processor enters a sleep mode after the period of time, the sleep mode causing the processor to operate at a lower, power consumption rate than when the processor is in the awake mode; a low battery detection circuit for measuring a voltage associated with the battery, and wherein the low battery detection circuit is occasionally disabled, and being initiated for measurement of a voltage associated with the battery by the processor in the awake mode; wherein the processor disables operation of the battery-powered electronic-access control device for a pre-determined period of time if the processor has received a pre-determined number of invalid inputs consecutively entered through the keypad, and being in the sleep mode sometime thereafter; wherein the processor receives a program signal through the keypad and in response to the program signal, receives a code through the keypad and stores the code into the memory to form the stored code when the processor is in the awake mode, and enters the sleep mode sometime thereafter.