Patent ID: 8360311

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: a customer-shared safety deposit box electronic bank key, wherein the electronic bank key is useable in a bank vault for unlocking a plurality of safety deposit boxes, which each includes a locking member, a key opening sized to receive the electronic bank key, and a wireless signal-sending radio frequency identification (RFID) device, wherein the electronic bank key includes a wireless signal reader operable to read at least one wireless signal sent from the RFID device, at least one processor, and at least one data store, wherein the electronic bank key is operable to respectively store for each of the plurality of respective safety deposit boxes, safety deposit box unlocking data in the at least one data store, wherein the at least one data store is programmable to allow stored safety deposit box unlocking data to be changed from uniquely corresponding to a first safety deposit box to uniquely corresponding to a second safety deposit box, wherein for each respective safety deposit box, when the electronic bank key is both inserted in the key opening of the respective safety deposit box, and storing safety deposit box unlocking data uniquely corresponding to the respective safety deposit box, then the electronic bank key is operable, responsive at least in part to the wireless signal reader reading at least one wireless signal sent from the RFID device of the respective safety deposit box, and the at least one wireless signal sent having a corresponding relationship to the safety deposit box unlocking data uniquely corresponding to the respective safety deposit box, to cause unlocking of the locking member of the respective safety deposit box but is not operable to cause unlocking of any locking member of the other respective safety deposit boxes, wherein when the electronic bank key is not inserted in the key opening of the respective safety deposit box, then the electronic bank key is not operable to cause unlocking of the locking member of the respective safety deposit box, wherein when the electronic bank key is not storing the safety deposit box unlocking data unique to the respective safety deposit box, then the electronic bank key is not operable to cause unlocking of the locking member of the respective safety deposit box.