Access-control equipment and item-dispensing systems including such equipment

Claim 2

Access-control equipment for selectively enabling access to a facility, comprising first and second stations spaced apart from one another, said first station including access means operable to enable access to said facility, means for receiving a request for access, and means for transmitting information in respect of the request to said second station, and said second station including encyphering means operative to derive an encyphered word by execution of a predetermined word-deriving program, and approval means operative in dependence upon the information transmitted from said first station to transmit to said first station a signal in accordance with the encyphered word so as thereby to signify approval of the request for access, said first station further including word-deriving means operative to execute said predetermined word-deriving program at said first station for deriving the same word as derived by said encyphering means, and means for operating said access means in dependence upon recognition of the approval signal received from said second station, recognition of the approval signal in this respect being dependent upon the detection of a predetermined correspondence between the encyphered word of the approval signal and the word derived by said word-deriving means.

Claim 3

Access-control equipment according to claim 1 wherein the execution of said word-deriving program involves use of a cypher, and wherein said system includes means responsive to each said request for access to select a fresh cypher for use in respect of that request, and means for conveying the selected cypher to both said encyphering means and word-deriving means for use therein in the execution of said word-deriving program.

Claim 4

Access-control equipment according to claim 2 wherein said means for selecting a fresh cypher comprises means for generating random numbers serially, and means for selecting one of said random numbers from the series, to provide thereby the selected cypher, in response to a said request for access.

Claim 5

Access-control equipment according to claim 1 wherein said encyphering means and word-deriving means are each responsive to part at least of said information transmitted from said first station to each base execution of said word-deriving program thereon.

Claim 6

Access-control request according to claim 1 wherein said means station receiving includes for access includes means for receiving an information-bearing token, and means for deriving a plural character word from the information borne by the token, said means for transmitting information to said second station including means for transmitting this token-derived word to said second station.

Claim 7

Access-control equipment according to claim 5 wherein said first station further includes manually operable means for entering into the equipmeNt a plural character word as part of said request for access, the particular word entered being dependent upon manual selection, said means for transmitting information to said second station including means for transmitting the manually entered word to said second station, and wherein said approval means comprising comparison means responsive to the transmitted manually entered word and token-derived word to detect whether a predetermined correspondence exists between them, and means operative to transmit said approval signal to said first station only in the event that existence of said predetermined correspondence is detected by said comparison means.

Claim 8

Access-control means according to claim 6 wherein said comparison means includes a word store for storing a multiplicity of different plural character words, and means for addressing the word store in accordance with said token-derived word to read out one of the stored words for comparison with said manually entered word.

Claim 9

Access-control equipment according to claim 1 wherein said encyphering means and said word-deriving means each comprise a multistage shift-register, a feedback arrangement controllable to operate in any selected one of a plurality of different configurations to provide feedback to the shift-register dependent upon the configuration selected, the shift-register being responsive to said feedback to generate a numerical code sequence dependent upon the selected configuration of the feedback arrangement, and means for effecting a programmed selection of a number from the generated code sequence, said equipment including means for controlling the feedback arrangements of said encyphering means and word-deriving means respectively, to operate in corresponding configurations to one another.

Claim 10

Access-control equipment according to claim 8 wherein said means for controlling the feedback arrangements includes means for generating a cypher and means for supplying the generated cypher to both said encyphering means and said word-deriving means, the encyphering means and word-deriving means each including a programmed arrangement for controlling the said feedback arrangement of that said means in accordance with the received cypher.

Claim 11

Access-control equipment according to claim 9 wherein said cypher-generating means comprises means for generating random numbers serially, and means for selecting one of said random numbers to provide the generated cypher, in response to a said request for access.

Claim 12

Access-control equipment according to claim 8 wherein said encyphering means and said word-deriving means both include an arrangement for starting operation of their individual shift-registers in response to a said request for access, this arrangement in each case including means to program the respective shift-register to start operation from an initial setting dependent upon the information transmitted to said second station in respect of the request for access.

Claim 13

Access-control equipment according to claim 1 in combination with an item-dispenser for dispensing items in response to each operation of said access means.

Claim 14

An item-dispensing system comprising two spaced stations, a first of said stations including token-reading means for receiving an information-bearing token and reading out information borne thereby, means that is operable manually for entering a number into the system, the particular number entered being dependent upon manual selection, means for transmitting to said second station the manually entered number and information read out by said token-reading means, and item-dispensing means that is selectively operable to dispense from a reserve of items at least one such item upon each operation of the item-dispensing means, and said second station including comparison means responsive to the said number and information transmitted from the first station for comparing said number with a number dependent upon said information to detect whether a predetermined correspondence eXists between the two numbers, encyphering means for executing a predetermined program to derive a plural digit number, and means for transmitting said plural digit number to said first station, so as to provide a signal signifying approval of operation of the item-dispensing means, only in the event that the existence of said predetermined correspondence is detected by said comparison means, said first station also including number-deriving means for executing said predetermined program to derive at said first station the same plural digit number as derived by the encyphering means at said second station, and means for operating the item-dispensing means in response to equality between the plural digit number transmitted from the second station and the plural digit number derived at said first station.

Claim 15

An item-dispensing system comprising two spaced stations, a first of said stations including token-reading means for receiving an information-bearing token and reading out information borne thereby, means that is operable manually for entering a number into the system, the particular number entered being dependent upon manual selection, means for transmitting to said second station the manually entered number and information read out by said token-reading means, and item-dispensing means that is selectively operable to dispense from a reserve of items at least one such item upon each operation of the item-dispensing means, and said second station including comparison means responsive to the said number and information transmitted from the first station for comparing said number with a number dependent upon said information to detect whether a predetermined correspondence eXists between the two numbers, encyphering means for executing a predetermined program to derive a plural digit number, and means for transmitting said plural digit number to said first station, so as to provide a signal signifying approval of operation of the item-dispensing means, only in the event that the existence of said predetermined correspondence is detected by said comparison means, said first station also including number-deriving means for executing said predetermined program to derive at said first station the same plural digit number as derived by the encyphering means at said second station, and means for operating the item-dispensing means in response to equality between the plural digit number transmitted from the second station and the plural digit number derived at said first station.

Claim 16

An item-dispensing system according to claim 13 wherein said encyphering means and said number-deriving means each comprise a multistage shift-register, a feedback arrangement controllable to operate in any selected one of a plurality of different configurations to provide feedback to the shift-register dependent upon the configuration selected, the shift-register being responsive to said feedback to generate plural digit numbers in a code sequence that is dependent upon the selected configuration of the feedback arrangement, and means for effecting a programmed selection of one of said generated plural digit numbers, said system including means for controlling the feedback arrangements of said encyphering means and number-deriving means respectively, to operate in corresponding configurations to one another.