Locking system for hotels

A locking system for buildings, including a plurality of individual rooms having entry doors thereto and a central location from which keys to said doors are issued, said system comprising:

• a plurality of individual key elements, each defining an individual printed circuit code and having a self-contained source of electrical energy communicating with said circuit;
• a key validator element located at said central location for assigning the codes of individual keys to specific rooms on a manually performed random basis;
• a plurality of first memory means, one at each room, communicating with said key validator element over existing telephone lines in said building for storing data relative to assignment of an individual key code, said memory means being located in spaced relation relative to the corresponding room door;
• said room doors having individual solenoid operated locks;
• a plurality of lock-associated circuits having non-volatile memory means, wave propagation means associated with said first memory means for transferring data from said first memory means to said non-volatile memory means, and wave receptor means associated with said lock-associated circuitry for receiving such data;
• comparator means for comparing the code on an individual key with a code stored in said non-volatile memory means;
• said wave receptor means, comparator means and lock-associated circuitry being periodically powered by communication with the source of energy of an individual key when said key is placed in communication with said lock-associated circuitry.