Patent Publication Number: US-4651544-A

Title: Exterior entry door tethered key safe

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     When guests check into condominiums, motels, and/or hotels, today they are given a special key for their assigned room, which is returned upon their checking out. Some time the room keys are stolen, lost, or duplicated. This is also true of the master key to all of the rooms. The subsequent necessary replacement of either the key or the whole lock assembly is an expensive and time consuming operation. Moreover when a person wants to go touring or to play on the beach, their handling of a set of keys are a problem. The keys could be lost to a burglar. Later the burglar would gain access to the room, if the hotel is identified on the key chain. Also some resorts do not have a clerk on duty after hours, so an emergency number must be called in case of lost keys. Also, some resorts, condominiums, motels and/or hotels will house more than one couple in a unit of rooms. If any person wants to return to the unit and doesn&#39;t have a key, then a key must be obtained from another member of the group. This is immediately impossible some times. For an example; if the guests are snow skiing, two persons will take different skiing routes, and one person, returning earlier, must wait for the other person having the key to return. Additionally if a person is delayed past the check in time, then the operator of the guest facilities must be called out of bed to check in these guests after hours. 
     Any attempts to eliminate these key inconveniences associated with resorts, condominiums, motels and hotels are not presently known. However, it is known that when persons working with a real estate business or a vehicle sales business are showing the homes or vehicles to customers, they carry a key and/or combination to be used to gain access to a key safe which contains the specific key of a home or a vehicle. 
     By way of example, Harry Mallett in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,008 of 1963, discloses his Automatic Locking Key Safe, which is secured to a dwelling to contain a spring retractable tethered specific key to a dwelling. The real estate salesperson uses his or her real estate business key to gain access to the interior of this key safe and then to the tethered specific key to the dwelling. 
     Derek Gable in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,240 to 1982 illustrates and describes his Locking Mechanism, which is useful to real estate persons, vehicle sales persons, and others of like groups, you must gain access to dwellings or vehicles by specific dwelling keys or specific vehicle keys. These specific keys are placed inside his locking mechanism and secured, only to be released if such a person has a special key formed to mechanically correspond to a key insert cavity, that in turn is equipped with an interior that is changeable upon the turning of components directly associated with a combination locking mechanism. Therefore the holder of the special key must also know the combination to gain entry to the locking mechanism structure, which includes a compartment in which a specific dwelling key, or a specific vehicle key is kept. Several combinations of keys and combinations may be in use during a like time period. 
     Paul E. Piche in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,932 of 1975, illustrates and describes his Adjustable Combination Lock Key Safe, which is secured to the door handle of a dwelling. Two telescoping parts are used in conjunction with a shackle to enclose a specific dwelling key. Access to key safe is undertaken by operating a combination lock, which locks the telescoping parts together. After reaching the successful combination, a separate latch is rotatable to release the telescoping parts from one another. 
     Jack Law, in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,434 of 1976 discloses his Key Safe Apparatus which contains a specific residence key, which is only obtainable by a real estate person correctly operating a combination lock which holds the components of the key safe together. 
     Carl Hansen in his U.S. Pat. No. 2,813,620 illustrates and describes his Container for Keys, Sales Information, and the Like, which contains a specific dwelling key, or which contains a specific vehicle key. This specific key is only available, if the authorized salesperson has a key to open Mr. Hansen&#39;s container. 
     Ronald Parent in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,091 of 1973 illustrates and describes his Method and Device for Handling Motor Vehicle Keys. A master key is used by car salespersons to open his device to gain access to a specific ignition key to the car on which the device is also locked. 
     Robert Bays in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,067 of 1972, discloses his Car Theft Prevention Device which is similar in purpose to Ronald Parent&#39;s device. 
     Although these prior inventors concerned themselves with controlling the access to specific keys for dwellings and/or vehicles, none of them apparently concerned themselves with solving the inconveniences encountered by guests and/or members of the staff of resorts, condominiums, motels and hotels. There remained a need for other embodiments of specific key safes and the locks thereof. 
     SUMMARY 
     To provide key safes to safely kept specific room keys adjacent to the specific locks of specific rooms or units of resorts, condominiums, motels and/or hotels, a three major part key safe is provided with two independent entry locks. One is a master key controlled by the staff of the guest entertaining premise, which gains entry to a larger interior volume of the key safe, to reach a tethered specific room key, and to unfasten major parts or service or interchange. The interchange involves moving an entire key safe except for its mounting bracket to a new location. The servicing includes resetting a combination for a room guest&#39;s use, resetting a combination for a service maid&#39;s use, replacing electrical components such as electronic calculator drive of the combination unit, the battery or solar collector therefore, or replacing the locking door solenoid thereof, the tethered key mechanism, or the tilting compartment for the specific room key. This tilting compartment is the smaller interior volume which is only accessible to the room guests to enable them, upon reaching the right combination specifically assigned to them to gain access to their specific room key. 
     This key safe also referred to as an entry key containment box, having an electronic combination lock operation preferably powered by a solar charged battery eliminates all needs for guests and service maids, cleaning persons, maintenance persons, to carry keys. By keeping the well tethered, retractable tether, specific key always adjacent the specific room, the specific key is not to be lost. There will be no more lost, misplaced, or carried away specific room keys. New guests will each be given a new combination upon their reservation confirmation, so guests may go directly to their rooms, especially upon late arrival, and then complete their check in during the regular office hours. Each guest staying in a specific room during the same reservation period will know the combination, thereby gaining access at his or her own selected time of entry during each twenty four hour period. When their reservation time is over, the designated staff person resets the combination via use of a very special master key. This key is also used for the repair and servicing of this key safe. 
     Where guests may also be assigned rental cars a similar key safe is used in conjunction with the guests&#39; rental of these cars. Then like advantages are realized. If the guests go directly on foot to a beach or first travel by their rental car, they must only remember their personally assigned combination numbers. They and the management personnel are freed of the hassles of handling the specific keys to specific locks of specific guest rooms and specific rental cars. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The exterior entry door tethered key safe or containment box is illustrated in the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view with portions broken away to show the interior arrangement of the components, whereby electronic calculator combination components with a solenoid, upon a designated combination being reached, partially releases a tethered retractable specific room key compartment, permitting only access to the specific room key by the guests or service maid who know their respective assigned combinations, and whereby a specific key manipulated by a designated staff person fully releases the tethered retractable specific room key compartment to gain access to the full interior to change the respective combinations, to service, to repair, or to remove this key safe; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view, with some portions broken away to illustrate the shackle, of the key safe in an embodiment arranged to be secured to the door handle of the room, or via indication to a door handle of a vehicle, in contrast to a key safe being secured to a panel door, or wall structure, as shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the key safe showing the tethered retractable specific room key compartment in its fully released position, so a designated staff person may gain access to the full interior; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the key safe illustrating the tethered retractable specific room key compartment in its partially released position, so only a designated guest or a designated service maid may reach the tethered specific room key; and 
     FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of how the key safe or containment box is mounted on a door of a guest room nearby the specific door lock of this guest room. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In FIG. 1 of the drawings of this electrical combination and key operated door entry specific key safe or containment box used at resorts, condominiums, motels and hotels, the interrelated components are illustrated in their locked positions. The mounting bracket 1 is secured to the outside room entry door 2 by mounting screws 3. 
     Before the weatherproof and temperature resistant key containment box 4 is secured in place, with fasteners 5, an installer first connects battery 6 to the electronics assembly 7. Then the installer programs the electrical combination to be used of the electronics assembly 7, via its three rotary switches 8. Next, master key 9 is inserted in lock 10 and rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees. This in turn rotates cam 11 and solenoid 12 out of the way of tethered, retractable specific room key compartment 13 and allows key compartment 13 to swing into the fully released position shown in FIG. 3, via hinge 14, shown in FIG. 1. Now the specific room door entry key 15 is tethered by attachment to the self coiling lanyard 16, which is attached to key compartment 13 by clamp 17. The containment box 4 now is placed over mounting bracket 1, and is bolted into place by containment box mounting bolts designated as fasteners 5. Thereafter, the master key 9 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise and removed from lock 10. Key compartment 13 is then pushed closed. 
     Now the electrical combination operated door entry specific key safe or containment box is ready for use. The operator, either the room guest or the service maid, with the knowledge of the electrical combination, enters the combination via selected numerical push keys on board 20. If the correct combination is entered, a one second pulsed signal is sent through solenoid wires 21 to solenoid 12. Then its solenoid plunger 18 is pulled up inside solenoid 12, thereby clearing the key compartment latch 19, and the key compartment 13 is partially released opening to the position shown in FIG. 4, providing access to the specific key to the room lock. Because the back side of key compartment 13 comes in contact with key compartment stop 22 the key compartment 13 is not released farther to allow access to the balance of the interior. The door entry key 15 is now pulled from key compartment 13 and is used to unlock the lock of entry door knob 23 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. After the entry door of the guest room is opened, then door entry key 15 is removed from the lock of the entry door knob 23, and this specific key is automatically pulled back into key compartment 13 by the self coiling lanyard 16. After the door entry specific key 15 is back inside key compartment 13, the key compartment 13 is closed, securely retaining this important specific key 15, until the combination, or newly selected combination is accurately undertaken so a guest or a service maid may gain access to this specific key 15. 
     The electronics 7 is preferably selected from available components whereby it has the capacity of having two resettable combinations. One combination is resettable with respect to the changing of the guests with respect to different reservation times. The other combination is resettable with respect to changing the room assignments to respective service maids. The master keys are highly controlled with respect to the members of the staff to whom they are entrusted. 
     These selected staff members insert the master key 9 in lock 10, and turn the key 9 in a 45 degree counterclockwise rotation to swing the cam 11, the solenoid 12, and solenoid plunger 18, out of contact with key compartment latch 19. Then the key compartment 13 swings open, thereby allowing the use of door entry specific key 15. If more than just room entry is desired, then the master key 9 is rotated farther around to 90 degrees counter-clockwise, to swing the key compartment stop 22 out of the way. Thereafter the key compartment 13 is fully released to the open position shown in FIG. 3. The selected staff member then has several choices. He or she may remove the containment box 4 from mounting bracket 1, repair the electronics 7, change the batteries 6, or change the electrical combinations, by changing the rotary switches 8. In FIGS. 1 and 5, this exterior entry door tethered key safe or containment box assembly 30 is illustrated as being secured to a door 2 structure or a wall structure. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the door entry specific key containment box assembly or key safe 30 is equipped with an optional shackle 24, which is attached around the hub 25 of entry door knob 23. This shackle 24 is first placed around the hub 25. Then the two threaded ends 27 of shackle 24 are inserted into the top of containment box 4 and secured in place by wing nuts 26. The subsequent operations are undertaken in the same way as they were previously explained, when the guests and service maids employ their respectively assigned combinations, and the selected staff members use the special key.