Electronic security systems for multi-roomed buildings

Claim 1

A security system for controlling access to a plurality of enclosures, comprising: a plurality of portable permanently coded data-bearing devices used in gaining access to the enclosures, each said device bearing a unique set of datA represented by a non-magnetic coding pattern; a computer located at a central location and including a memory location dedicated to each of said plurality of enclosures; a programmer means located at the central location for, in cooperation with said data bearing devices, programming the data borne by said data bearing devices and enclosure identification data into said computer prior to use of the data-bearing device to gain access to a said enclosure, said programmer means comprising means for physically receiving individual ones of the said data-bearing devices and for sensing the data borne by a said data-bearing device received thereby so that the said data-bearing device provides data used in programming the computer, and means for entering enclosure identification data for each enclosure into said programmer means; read-out means for controlling reading out of data from said programmer means when the data borne by a said data-bearing device is sensed by said data-bearing device receiving means and enclosure identification data is entered into said programmer means; means for connecting the output of said programmer means to said computer to provide storage the data read out of said programmer means so that the sensed data borne by the said databearing device received by said data-bearing device receiving means is stored at an enclosure dedicated memory located within said computer in accordance with the enclosure identification data contained in said read out data; a locking means, for and at each enclosure, for normally locking that enclosure; lock release means associated with each said locking means for controlling release of said locking means; reader means located at each enclosure for receiving the said data-bearing devices, for sensing data borne by the received data-bearing devices and for producing an output in accordance with the data sensed; means for connecting the outputs of each said reader means to said central computer, said computer acting to identify the sensed data output received from a said reader means with the corresponding enclosure, to compare the sensed data received from that reader means with the corresponding data stored at the memory location dedicated to the corresponding enclosure, and to produce an output signal for actuating the lock release means of said corresponding enclosure so as to release the locking means associated therewith to thereby unlock said corresponding enclosure, when the sensed data and the corresponding data match.