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EP-4043678-B1 - ELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICE FOR UNLOCKING THE LOCK OF A BANK DEPOSIT BOX

EP4043678B1EP 4043678 B1EP4043678 B1EP 4043678B1EP-4043678-B1

Inventors

  • TIBESSART, Charles
  • HERITIER, FABIEN
  • PETRUCCI, FERDINANDO

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210216

Claims (11)

  1. Electromechanical device for unlocking the lock of a safe deposit box, the lock comprising two locking mechanisms, with which two keys are respectively associated, a first of the two locking mechanisms being actuatable, with the aid of the key which is associated with it, in order to allow the lock to be opened by actuating the second of the two locking mechanisms with the aid of the other key, the safe deposit box comprising a door provided with two separate lock holes (3, 4), a first (3) of the two lock holes being arranged to enable the locking mechanism associated with a first (41) of said two keys to be actuated, and the second lock hole (4) being arranged to enable the locking mechanism associated with the second of said two keys to be actuated, said first key (41) being mounted in a pivoting manner in the electromechanical device, this device being fixed on the safe deposit box so as to keep said first key (41) captive within the locking mechanism with which it is associated, the electromechanical device is able to exchange data with a remote control station via a cabled network (51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e, 51f, 51g, 51h), this network further providing the electric power to the electromechanical device and making it possible to control this device from the control station in order to cause it to switch between a locking configuration in which said first key (41) is immobilised and an unlocking configuration in which it is possible to actuate the locking mechanism with which said first key (41) is associated by manually causing this key to turn, the device being characterised in that it comprises a latch (31) arranged to slide between an active position which it occupies when the electromechanical device is in the locking configuration and in which it is arranged to cooperate with said first key (41), and an inactive position which it occupies when the electromechanical device is in the unlocking configuration and which is located outside the range of said first key (41), in that it comprises a housing (11) having a though opening (19) arranged in the extension of the axis of the second lock hole (4), and in that the latch (31) is provided with an actuating arm (33b), the end of which is arranged in the immediate proximity of the axis common to the opening (19) and to the second lock hole (4), so that it is possible to actuate the latch (31) by introducing an emergency key via the opening (19) so as to repel the actuating arm (33b) in one direction or the other to manually cause the latch (31) to pass from the active position to the inactive position, or vice versa.
  2. Electromechanical device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a contactor (37) arranged to be selectively in an open or closed state depending on whether the latch (31) is in its active position or its inactive position.
  3. Electromechanical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises an anti-extraction contactor (38, 39) arranged to pass from one state to another when the electromechanical device is detached from the safe deposit box.
  4. Electromechanical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a distance sensor (35) arranged to be in two different states depending on whether the door (1) of the safe deposit box is open or closed.
  5. Electromechanical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is provided with two connection plugs which are mounted inside the housing (11) so as each to be accessible from outside the housing (11) via a passage (23a, 23b).
  6. Electromechanical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cabled network (51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e, 51f, 51g, 51h) by means of which the electromechanical device is able to exchange data with the remote control station is a local information network (LAN).
  7. Safe deposit box fitted with a lock comprising two locking mechanisms with which two keys are respectively associated, a first of the two locking mechanisms being actuatable, with the aid of the key which is associated with it, in order to enable the lock to be opened by actuating the second locking mechanism with the aid of the other key, and comprising an electromechanical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in order to enable the remote unlocking of the lock.
  8. Installation comprising a plurality of safe deposit boxes as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that the electromechanical devices with which the different safe deposit boxes are fitted are able to exchange data with the remote control station via the same cabled network.
  9. Installation as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the cabled network is arranged according to a series arrangement and that it comprises a plurality of cable portions (51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e, 51f, 51g, 51h) each connecting an electromechanical device to a following electromechanical device.
  10. Installation as claimed in claim 9 comprising a plurality of safe deposit boxes as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the cable portions (51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e, 51f, 51g, 51h) can be plugged in by their two ends, and in that the two ends of each cable portion are arranged so as to enable them to be connected to two of the plugs mounted inside the housings (11) by inserting them respectively through two passages (23a, 23b), the two plugs being mounted inside the housings (11) of two different electromechanical devices.
  11. Installation as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that the cable portions (51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e, 51f, 51g, 51h) connecting an electromechanical device to a following electromechanical device each define a loop facing the doors (1) of the safe deposit boxes on which the electromechanical devices are fixed, the loop defined by each cable portion (51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e, 51f, 51g, 51h) extending over the major part of the distance separating the passages (23a, 23b) through which the cable portion is inserted, from the edge of the doors (hinge side) facing which the cable portion extends.

Description

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to an electromechanical device for unlocking the lock of a bank compartment. The lock comprises a first locking mechanism associated with a key, and a second locking mechanism associated with another key. The first locking mechanism is actuated, using its associated key, to allow the lock to be opened by activating the second locking mechanism with the other key. In a second aspect, the invention relates to a bank compartment equipped with a lock as described above, as well as an electromechanical device conforming to the first aspect of the invention. Finally, in a third aspect, the invention relates to an installation comprising a plurality of bank compartments conforming to the second aspect of the invention. The electromechanical unlocking devices for the various bank compartments of the installation are controllable from a remote control station. EARLIER ART A bank vault, or safe deposit box, is a type of lockable compartment that banks rent to individuals who wish to store valuables. The lock on a typical bank vault has two locking mechanisms associated with two keys, known as the "customer key" and the "bank key." When a customer rents a vault, they are given the customer key, which they must keep safe. Subsequently, when the customer wants to access the vault, they must go to the bank with their key and be escorted to the vault room by an employee who has the bank key. The bank employee and the customer must use both keys together to open the vault. The bank compartment lock. Generally, the customer keys for the different compartments in the vault are all different, and the bank does not keep any copies when it rents a compartment. The bank key, on the other hand, is usually the same for all the safe deposit boxes. In most cases, the customer must first use their key to activate one of the two locking mechanisms, and the bank employee must then use the bank key to complete the opening by activating the other locking mechanism. Once this is done, the customer can access their banking compartment. The customer's key remains trapped inside one of the lock's locking mechanisms until the bank compartment is closed and locked. To close the lock, the customer must again ask the employee to relock the other locking mechanism with the bank key. Once this is done, the customer can turn their own key back in the lock and remove it. It is clear from the above that each customer wishing to access their bank compartment must go to the vault accompanied by a bank employee. This employee must also remain available to the customer to then close the compartment. One drawback of such a procedure is its high staffing cost. Another drawback relates to security. Indeed, it cannot be entirely ruled out that a dishonest employee might, for example, discreetly borrow the bank key to make a copy. Furthermore, the loss of this key, or damage rendering it unusable, could compromise the proper operation of the entire vault. In order to address the problems just described, it has been proposed to create bank compartments that can be unlocked without using a bank key. According to this known solution, the lock on each bank compartment is equipped with a locking system. A remote-controlled system replaces the traditional locking mechanism associated with the bank key. Thanks to this change, a bank employee can, among other things, operate the locking systems of the various bank vault compartments from a control console located outside the vault. This solution is satisfactory when implemented in new facilities designed from the outset to operate in this way. However, it presents problems when modernizing a pre-existing system with bank vault compartments equipped with mechanical locks. Indeed, to change the locks, the bank must be able to access the inside of the compartments, which is not possible without the customers being present. This creates organizational and customer contact problems, which are practically insurmountable. The patent document US 5,219,386 This document describes an electromechanical device for actuating the lock of a bank vault compartment, suitable for installation on a bank vault compartment within a pre-existing vault room. However, access to the inside of the bank vault compartment is required for installation. Once installed, the device can exchange data with a remote control station via a wired network, which also provides power to the device and enables remote control. Communication with the electromechanical device is interrupted when the bank vault compartment door is opened. The patent document CH 700 937 B1 This describes an electromechanical device for actuating the lock of a bank compartment that can be installed on the door of a pre-existing bank compartment without requiring access to the interior of the compartment. The electromechanical device is equipped with radio communication means allowing remote control of the compartment's lock releas