Patent ID: 8896416

Claim:
One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-usable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by one or more processing devices, perform a method of operating an electronic locking mechanism using a communications network, the method comprising: receiving, at a computing device coupled to the locking mechanism, an identifier provided by a requesting mobile device upon the requesting mobile device entering within a physical proximity of a sensing device communicatively coupled to the electronic locking mechanism; requesting, at the computing device, that a communications network transmit a first message to a target mobile device that is identified by the identifier; receiving, at the computing device, from the target mobile device, a first access code as part of a second message communicated to the computing device; receiving, at the computing device, from the communications network, a second access code; performing, at the computing device, a validation procedure comprising: A) employing the computing device to extract the first access code from the second message, and B) comparing the first access code against the second access code to determine a match; and granting permission, at the computing device, to the requesting mobile device, to control the electronic locking mechanism when the first access code matches the second access code.