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US 11,441,861 B2Granted
Smart-gun locking and unlocking systems and methods
OwnerJohn Hafeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One aspect includes a smart-gun configured to communicate with user device via a communication network. The smart-gun can be configured from an unlocked configuration where the smart-gun is operable to fire, to a locked configuration where the smart-gun is inoperable to fire, the configuring to the locked configuration in response to a locking signal; and configured from the locked configuration where the smart-gun is inoperable to fire, to the unlocked configuration where the smart-gun is operable to fire, the configuring to the unlocked configuration in response to an unlocking signal.
Claims17
A smart-gun system comprising:
- a smart-gun server;
- and
- a plurality of device-smart-gun pairs, that each include:
- a first user device that communicates with the smart-gun server;
- and
- a first smart-gun that communicates with the first user device via a wireless network, the first smart-gun configured to be:
- configured from an unlocked configuration where the first smart-gun is operable to fire, to a locked configuration where the first smart-gun is inoperable to fire, the configuring to the locked configuration in response to a locking signal;
- maintained in the locked configuration where the first smart-gun is inoperable to fire in response to a lock-maintained signal;
- configured from the locked configuration where the first smart-gun is inoperable to fire, to the unlocked configuration where the first smart-gun is operable to fire, the configuring to the unlocked configuration in response to an unlocking signal;
- and
- maintained in the unlocked configuration where the first smart-gun is operable to fire in response to an unlock-maintained signal;
- wherein a first locking signal is generated based at least in part on a determination that the first smart-gun and first user device are more than a maximum defined distance apart;
- wherein a first unlock-maintained signal is generated based at least in part on a second determination that the first smart-gun and first user device are less than the maximum defined distance apart;
- and
- wherein the determination that the first smart-gun and first user device are more than the maximum defined distance apart and the first and second determination that the first smart-gun and first user device are less than the maximum defined distance apart are based at least in part on:
- determining, by the first smart-gun, a signal strength of a wireless connection between the first smart-gun and first user device over the wireless network;
- and
- determining, by the first smart-gun, whether the signal strength of the wireless connection between the first smart-gun and first user is greater than or less than a defined signal strength that corresponds to the maximum defined distance apart.
15 more elements
A smart-gun system comprising:
- a first user device;
- and
- a first smart-gun that communicates with the first user device via a communication network, the first smart-gun configured to be:
- configured from an unlocked configuration where the first smart-gun is operable to fire, to a locked configuration where the first smart-gun is inoperable to fire, the configuring to the locked configuration in response to a locking signal;
- and
- configured from the locked configuration where the first smart-gun is inoperable to fire, to the unlocked configuration where the first smart-gun is operable to fire, the configuring to the unlocked configuration in response to an unlocking signal,
- wherein the unlocking signal is generated based at least in part on a determination that the first smart-gun and first user device are less than the maximum defined distance apart, which is based at least in part on determining that a signal strength of a wireless connection between the first smart-gun and first user device over the communication network is less than a defined signal strength that corresponds to less than or equal to the maximum defined distance apart, or
- the locking signal is generated based at least in part on a determination that the first smart-gun and first user device are greater than the maximum defined distance apart, which is based at least in part on determining that a signal strength of a wireless connection between the first smart-gun and first user device over the communication network is greater than a defined signal strength that corresponds to greater than or equal to the maximum defined distance apart.
5 more elements
A smart-gun configured to communicate with user device via a communication network, the smart-gun configured to be:
- configured from an unlocked configuration where the smart-gun is operable to fire, to a locked configuration where the smart-gun is inoperable to fire, the configuring to the locked configuration in response to a locking signal;
- and
- configured from the locked configuration where the smart-gun is inoperable to fire, to the unlocked configuration where the smart-gun is operable to fire, the configuring to the unlocked configuration in response to an unlocking signal;
- wherein the locking signal is generated based at least in part on a determination that the smart-gun and user device are more than a maximum defined distance apart;
- and
- wherein the determination that the smart-gun and user device are more than the maximum defined distance apart is based at least in part on:
- determining, by the smart-gun, a signal strength of a wireless connection between the smart-gun and user device over the communication network;
- and
- determining, by the smart-gun, that the signal strength of the wireless connection between the smart-gun and user device is less than a defined signal strength that corresponds to the maximum defined distance apart.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.