Patent ID: 8749382

Claim:
A container managing system comprising at least: a portable container and a host computer, wherein the portable container comprises: a housing comprised of a plurality of sidewalls bearing a removable lid, forming said portable container having a closed interior while said lid is in complete engagement with said housing, and providing an open interior able to removably receive items within said open interior while said lid is dislodged from said complete engagement; a port borne by said housing to accommodate conduction of transmission of data signals between said closed interior and an environment external to said housing; a control stage comprised of a memory storing information specific to said container said control stage being mounted entirely within and being completely encased by said container during said complete engagement, and being operationally coupled to provide communication with said interior via said port, and generating a control signal in dependence upon disposition of said port relative to the host computer as a source of said data signals, in dependence upon disposition of said container at a geographical location within an authorized range of siting of the container, and in response to occurrence of a coincidence between a data key received among said data signals via said port and a data sequence obtained by said control stage in dependence upon said information stored within said memory; a moveable latch disposed to engage said lid and hinder removal of said lid from said complete engagement, and to respond to said control signal by releasing said lid from said complete engagement; and wherein the host computer is sited externally to the portable container and can be coupled to the port of the portable container via a cable, infrared or RF to transmit and receive data signals to/from the control stage inside portable container, wherein the host computer includes an input device for inputting a request for access and personalized information of a user, wherein the host computer is adapted to verify the personalized information and to send the data signals including a data key to the control stage, wherein the host computer includes a display unit for displaying security status information received from the control stage via said port, wherein the control stage is configured to generate an alarm signal in response to an unauthorized interruption of said communication via said port, wherein a first alarm is driven by said control stage to broadcast an indication of said unauthorized interruption in response to said alarm signal; and the microprocessor based host computer is operationally coupled to said control stage via said port to periodically make a determination of whether said an unauthorized interruption of said communication has occurred; and a second alarm is driven by said host computer to broadcast an indication of said unauthorized interruption upon said determination.