Patent ID: 7804274

Claim:
A vehicle charging station, comprising: a compartment having a door; a receptacle disposed within the interior of the compartment for receiving a charging cord from a vehicle; and a door locking mechanism including: a first latch to: lock the door in a closed position without drawing power and keep the door locked in the closed position if power is lost to the vehicle charging station while the door is locked in the closed position, and unlock the door from the closed position to allow access to the receptacle; and a second latch to: lock the door in a charging position when the charging cord is plugged into the receptacle to prevent access to the receptacle, wherein the door is ajar in the charging position to allow the charging cord to pass from the vehicle to the interior of the compartment while preventing the charging cord from being unplugged from the receptacle, and unlock the door from the charging position to allow the charging cord to be unplugged from the receptacle if power is lost to the vehicle charging station.