Retail security system
AssigneeSkeleton Key Systems, LLC
InventorsMichael Burns, Adam Phillip Treiser, Adam Green, Eric Goldberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A retail security system that includes a locking system having locking assemblies that can be locked and unlocked directly by a consumer or clerk/employee using his or her mobile phone or other portable electronic device. Each of the locking assemblies may be configured to lock an article so that it cannot be freely accessed. The security system may include a sanitizing system that sanitizes the article after a consumer returns the article to the locking system without making a purchase. The security system may include a computer apparatus that allows an owner of the security system to access a software application that provides the owner with information/data about access to the locked articles.
Claims20
A retail security system comprising:
- a locking system comprising:
- a plurality of locking assemblies, each of the locking assemblies configured to hold an article for sale, and independently alterable between a locked state and an unlocked state;
- and
- a wireless communication module;
- wherein upon wireless communication being established between a general-use portable electronic device and the locking system and a user of the general-use portable electronic device being authenticated, the locking system is configured to receive instructions from the general-use portable electronic device to cause the locking system to alter at least one of the plurality of locking assemblies from the locked state to the unlocked state so that the user can interact with the article being held by the at least one of the plurality of locking assemblies.
A method of operating a retail security system, the method comprising:
- establishing wireless communication between a general-use portable electronic device and a locking system comprising a plurality of locking assemblies, each of the locking assemblies configured to hold an article for sale and independently alterable between a locked state and an unlocked state;
- authenticating a user of the general-use portable electronic device;
- receiving, by the locking system, instructions from the general-use portable electronic device to alter at least one of the plurality of locking assemblies from the locked state to the unlocked state;
- and
- altering the at least one of the plurality of locking assemblies from the locked state to the unlocked state so that the user can interact with the article being held by the at least one of the plurality of locking assemblies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.