Abstract:
A security system having a series of adjacent bullet-proof transparent chambers for successive passage of persons in a queue. A door interlock system controls passage of individuals along with intermittent movement of a conveyor for inspecting hand-carried articles. The system includes manual and automatic controls for detaining a suspected individual and unlocking doors to allow release of other individuals in the chambers. A matrix of such chambers is shown, which handles security check-in for several queues of airline passengers.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to security systems for protecting members of the public during processing of a queue of successively arriving persons entering or doing business in a secure area, such as a bank or a secured area for departing airline passengers. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for screening or monitoring persons in a queue and isolating and temporarily confining any specific person, who might be transporting weapons or materials deemed to be a threat to others in the secure area. 
     There are many situations when a person, who is possibly carrying a weapon or harmful substance, must be checked for the presence of these items before being allowed to proceed to a secure area, or to do business where money or other valuable objects are exchanged. There is a long history of protective devices intended to shield bank tellers from an individual who might be carrying a weapon. Devices suggested in the early prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 1,008,125 issued Nov. 7, 1911 to Eichelkraut. That patent describes a security chamber for regulating and controlling the access of persons to cashier&#39;s windows in banks, post offices, theaters and the like, having an interlocking arrangement between the door and the cash window, whereby the window can only be opened when the door is closed and whereby the door can only be opened when the window is closed. This concept has been expanded in patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,338 issued to Hastings on Sep. 28, 1988, wherein a group of cylindrical modules of transparent bullet-proof glass or plastic are positioned in front of respective bank tellers. The Hastings patent provides for the teller to override the individual&#39;s control over the doors to the modules, so as to temporarily confine the occupant until the police arrive. While this system is adequate to confine a single person once the person has exposed a weapon or made a threat while inside a module, it does nothing to detect the weapon or harmful substance in advance of entering the module and consequently exposes the surrounding personnel to injury. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,827 issued Jun. 29, 1976 to Reeves takes a more direct approach by dropping a bullet-proof transparent cage over a criminal who is unfortunate enough to be standing beneath the cage. 
     A more sophisticated arrangement for detecting weapons, including x-raying hand luggage and interrogating a person seeking passage from a non-secure area to a secure area is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,441 issued May 6, 1986 to Zekich. This system employs a first partitioned revolving door leading to a detection chamber, from which the person departs via a second partitioned revolving door. A search room adjoins the detection chamber and is equipped with door interlocks preventing escape of an individual in the search room. Zekich proposes a number of high security sensors and identification detection devices such as a metal detector, air sampling, excess weight detection, hand geometry reading and so forth. A bullet-proof wall protects the interrogation personnel, but there is no means to protect other people in the queue being screened. 
     Recently, heightened security measures are being applied at airports to closely monitor departing airline passengers. Traditionally, unorganized queues of passengers place their hand luggage upon conveyor belts passing through an x-ray machine, and then walk through metal detection gates to retrieve their hand luggage. 
     Randomly, the passengers are checked with metal detection wands and hand luggage is inspected. These measures have proved to be inadequate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,567 issued Jan. 30, 1979 to Grube discloses a system for passengers to accompany both their hand luggage and checked luggage, including weighing the passenger both at the security check point and at the boarding gate. However, presence of a dangerous substance or weapon found at either location poses danger to surrounding passengers and security personnel. 
     Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to process a queue from a non-secure area to a secure area, while checking the persons in the queue and protecting surrounding personnel. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a secure transit of passengers to an aircraft while detecting weapons or harmful substances carried by passengers. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide secure processing of multiple queues and temporarily confining a person in a queue found to possess threatening objects. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the invention is practiced by providing a security system for monitoring and protecting personnel in an area including at least one queue of successively arriving individuals, comprising a plurality of at least three contiguous chambers, including an entry chamber, an exit chamber and at least one intermediate chamber, said chambers each having bullet-proof transparent walls and bullet-proof doors, said doors including an entry door to the entry chamber, an exit door from the exit chamber, a common door between each intermediate chamber and said contiguous chamber, said doors having remotely controlled locks, means for monitoring a selected individual in a selected chamber, and an automated door interlock system arranged and adapted to remotely unlock selected locks to pass individuals successively through said chambers, and to lock selected locks to detain selected individuals during monitoring. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an aircraft security check point for multiple queues of passengers, 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the security check point of FIG. 1, 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of one of the security chambers shown in FIG. 1 , 
     FIG. 4 a  is a similar enlarged plan view of a single security chamber with a different door mechanism, 
     FIG. 4 b  is a front elevation view, partly in cross section of the security chamber of FIG. 4 a , and 
     FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of an automatic door interlock control used with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a security system shown generally as  10  is disposed as a check point between a non-secure area  12  where passengers and their accompanying parties may intermingle in an airport, and a secure area  74  reserved only for monitored passengers and flight personnel. The check point  10  comprises a matrix of security chambers and hand luggage conveyor chambers. The hand luggage conveyors are shown generally at  16 ,  78 ,  20  and  22 . Conveyor  76  is disposed alongside a line of security chambers  24 . Similarly, conveyor  78  is disposed along an identical line  26  of identical security chambers. Similarly, conveyor  20  is disposed alongside a line  28  of security chambers and conveyor  22  alongside a line  30  of security chambers. 
     Each of the strings of security chambers  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  are identical and a detailed description will follow of only one line of security chambers after first describing the general layout. A conveyor and surveillance room  32  containing the conveyor  16  with x-ray surveillance equipment  34  is manned by security personnel and entered from doors  36 . Similarly, a room  38  houses conveyors  18 ,  20 , along with associated security personnel, entered by doors  40 . A room  42  entered from doors  44  houses conveyor  22 . 
     Since each of the line of successive security chambers  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  are identical, only the line of security chambers  24  with its associated conveyor  16  will be described in detail. It is understood that this description also applies to line of security chambers  26  associated with conveyor  78 , line of security chambers  28  associated with conveyor  20  and line of security chambers  30  associated with conveyor  22 . 
     The line of security chambers  24  comprises an entry chamber  46 , a first intermediate chamber  48 , a second intermediate chamber  50 , and an exit chamber  52 . Additional intermediate chambers may be interposed between entry chamber  46  and exit chamber  52 , or there may be only one intermediate chamber, depending upon the degree of security required, and the number and type of security threats monitored. All of the security chambers  46 - 52  have bullet-proof walls and doors and are constructed partially or wholly out of transparent material as much as possible so that the occupants can be observed. The use of transparent material not only permits observation of possible criminal activities, but prevents undue anxiety of individuals in the security chambers. Suitable material may consist of bullet-proof glass or transparent bullet-proof plastics combined with bullet-proof framework members, and a roof with suitable ventilation system (not shown). 
     Access to entry chamber  46  is gained by a sliding door  54  with a remotely controlled locking device  56 . Passage from entry chamber  46  to the first intermediate chamber  48  is through a sliding door  58  with a remotely controlled lock  60 . Chambers  46  and  48  share a common wall  62 . Similarly, passage from chamber  48  to chamber  50  is through a sliding door  64  in a common wall  66  with a remotely controlled lock  68 . Passage from intermediate chamber  50  to exit chamber  52  is through a sliding door  70  in a common wall  72  with remotely controlled lock  74 , and exit from chamber  52  is through a sliding door  76  with remotely controlled lock  78 . 
     In order for security personnel in conveyor and surveillance room  32  to enter, interrogate and/or remove personnel from any of the security chambers, outer access doors  80 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86  are provided. Doors  80 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86  respectively have locks  88 ,  90 ,  92 ,  94 . Locks  88 - 94  can only be operated from room  32 . 
     As will be explained, a door interlock control allows passage of successive passengers from one chamber to the next. Conveyor  16 , rather than running continuously as it does in present airport security systems, operates intermittently. The conveyor is automatically started when the queue advances persons from one chamber to the next and then is automatically stopped until another advance takes place. In this way, an individual always has its hand-carried articles in view and can also answer questions and view the operation in the event that these are inspected by security personnel in room  32 . 
     The type of security checks and identification requirement in each of the security chambers will vary with the type of secure area and the degree of security required. The following description of devices in chambers  46 - 52  is only exemplary. Further details and suggestions may be found in the prior art, such as in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,586,441 and 4,773,338, which are incorporated herein by reference. The sensors and identification devices mentioned are commercially available and do not form part of the present invention. 
     Entry chamber  46  may contain basic identification equipment, such as a keyboard or card reader  96 , into which the passenger may enter ticket number or personal identification data to verify its identity, ticket number and destination. 
     First intermediate chamber  48  contains a first set of sensing equipment exemplified by a sensor  98 , such as electromagnetic metal detector. Second intermediate chamber  50  contains other sensing devices, such as the sensor indicated at  100 . This may be an air sampling device for detecting explosives, incendiary devices, or other materials in gaseous form. Chamber  50  may therefore be equipped with an atmospheric control system for sealing chamber  50  temporarily from the other security chambers. Such equipment is not shown, being conventional and obtainable from commercial sources. 
     Chamber  52  may comprise an interrogation chamber having two-way communicating device  102  for answering any questions concerning contents of hand carried articles on the conveyor belt. In addition to the two-way communicating device  102  for private communications with the occupant of exit chamber  52 , a general automatic annunciator system (not shown) provides a recorded message announcing unlocking and locking of the automatic doors  54 ,  58 ,  64 ,  70 ,  76 , so that the queue can advance. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing, details of one intermediate chamber  48  are shown with respect to one form of remotely controlled door lock. As previously described, transparent bullet-proof wall  62  and its sliding door  58  are common to the first intermediate chamber  48  and the contiguous entry chamber  46 . Similarly wall  66  with its sliding door  64  are common to intermediate chamber  48  and the contiguous second intermediate chamber  50 . Entry to chamber  48  is allowed by remotely controlled lock  60  and exit from chamber  48  is allowed by remotely controlled lock  68 . In the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, the locks  60 ,  68  have handles  60   a ,  60   b ,  68   a ,  68   b  which may be turned when unlocked by the remote control system, so that sliding doors  58 ,  64  may be manually opened. A suitable sensor to indicate presence of an individual in chamber  48  is provided by an infrared sensor  104 , or alternately by a floor pad  106  operating a contact when there is a pre-determined weight placed upon it. 
     As mentioned previously, security personnel may access chamber  48  from room  32  by operating a handle  90   a  on lock  90  to release sliding door  82 . Lock  90  may only be operated from outside the chamber. 
     An alternate arrangement for security chamber  48  with automatically opening doors is shown in FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b . Previously described elements have the same reference numbers as mentioned in connection with FIG.  3 . Rather than having remotely controlled locks on manually operated doors, the sliding doors  58 ,  64  are automatically opened when locks  60 ,  68  are remotely unlocked, and power is supplied to electric motors  108 ,  110 . Through a gear  112  and rack  714 , doors  58 ,  64  are automatically opened to permit transit of the queue from one security chamber to the next, and automatically closed after the queue advances. 
     A logic and door interlock control is depicted generally as  776  in FIG. 5. A logic block  118  represents a suitably programmed conventional process control computer with power supply  120 . Block  722  represents the sensors or source of identification signals from entry chamber  46 . Similarly, blocks  724 ,  126 ,  130  indicate sources of signals from the sensors in chambers  48 ,  50  and  52  respectively. The logic block  118  is responsive to signals from blocks  122 ,  724 ,  726  and  130 . An internal program specifies conditions which must all be satisfied before the door interlock control will function to unlock the doors (or unlock and open the doors if the doors are of the automatic opening type). This function is provided by a door interlock control shown as block  132 . Blocks  134 ,  136 ,  138 ,  140 ,  142  represent the actuating devices for the locks (or motors) of sliding doors  54 ,  58 ,  64 ,  70  and  76  respectively. When the remotely controlled door locks are operated, conveyor  16  is also advanced one station by a signal to the conveyor motor controller represented by block  124 . 
     Lastly, security to surrounding personnel is provided by a manually operated panic button type override control indicated by a block  146 . This may suitably be adapted to secure the locks on either side of a suspected security risk, while unlocking all other doors to allow evacuation of personnel. The override control  146  may also be operated automatically in case a sensor indicates a life-threatening situation. The aforementioned automated door interlock system depicted in FIG. 5 is arranged to remotely unlock the locks in a string of security chambers such as  24  to pass individuals successively through the chambers and to lock selected locks to detain selected individuals during monitoring. Each chamber also includes an outer access door having a lock permitting access only from outside the chamber. While one string of chambers has been described, the security system may be expanded to handle multiple queues by providing a matrix of two parallel line of chambers, such as lines  24 ,  26  with conveyors  16 ,  18  on either side. This basic arrangement can be duplicated to serve as many airline passengers as desired. 
     While the arrangement has been described for an airport security system, it is equally applicable to any public building handling large crowds, either with or without the accompanying conveyors for hand carried articles. Particularly in banking or money exchange operations, the conveyors may be omitted and each string of security chambers may terminate at a teller serving each queue of individuals. 
     While there has been described what is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is desired to secure in the appended claims all such modifications as fall with in the true spirit and scope of the invention.