Mechanical/electronic lock and key therefor

A lock cylinder arrangement with electronic access control, comprising:

• a European type lock cylinder installed into a lock unit which is fitted into a cavity in a door, and the cylinder having electronic access control components requiring power, and the cylinder having a rotatable plug attached to a movable piece that interacts with a latch or deadbolt of the lock unit when a key is inserted into the cylinder and the plug is rotated,
• the cavity in the door extending through the door, and the lock cylinder having a body portion with a length substantially as long as the thickness of the door, such that the lock cylinder can be installed from the inside door face,
• a back unit attached to a back side of the lock cylinder, and back unit being larger in width than the body portion and including a battery casing containing at least one battery, the back unit being mounted at the inside of the door and having a flat surface engaged against the inside door face and covering the cavity at the inside door face, with the cylinder extending through the cavity, and
• a power connection from the battery of the back unit into the lock cylinder for said components requiring power.

A lock cylinder arrangement with electronic access control, comprising:

• lock cylinder installed into a lock unit which is fitted into a cavity in a door, and the cylinder having electronic access control components requiring power, and the cylinder having a rotatable plug attached to a movable rear piece that interacts with a latch or deadbolt of the lock unit when a key is inserted into the cylinder and the plug is rotated,
• the lock unit having a rear hole positioned toward the inside of the door and directly opposite the position of the lock cylinder,
• the door having an inside door face with an opening directly adjacent to the rear hole in the lock unit, for access thereto from the inside of the door,
• a back unit including a battery casing containing at least one battery, the back unit being mounted at the inside of the door and covering the opening in the inside door face, the back unit having an extension which fits into the rear hole of the lock unit by sliding insertion therein, and
• electrical connectors between the extension of the back unit, at the inner end of the back unit, and the back side of the lock cylinder, effective to connect power into the lock cylinder for said components requiring power, when the battery casing is inserted into the lock unit.

In a system of locks and keys having electronic access control features wherein certain keys are to be permitted access to certain locks as selected, a management system for setup, monitoring and control of which keys can access which locks, comprising:

• a computer with a memory and a monitor, the computer having programming,
• a series of keys, each having an electronic ID with means for reading the ID,
• a series of locks, each having electronic access control features, including an electrically operated blocking member, a microcontroller for making access control decisions, and connected memory, each lock being programmable for access by selected ones of the keys according to key ID's, and
• means in the computer programming for (a) presenting on the monitor a matrix representing locks in the system on one axis of the matrix and keys of the system on the other axis of the matrix, (b) facilitating user selection of which key or keys in the system are to be permitted electronic access to which lock or locks in the system, by the user's making a positive indication on the matrix by use of a user input device, such that each location of a positive indication comprises an intersection of a row and column represented by a particular lock and key signifying that the key is to have access to that lock, and including provision for some keys having access to multiple locks and for some locks being accessible by multiple keys, as desired, (c) recording the user selections in computer memory, along with codes or ID numbers representing the locks and keys, and (d) for generating programming data in accordance with the user's selections, for the locks in the systems, as to which locks are to be accessible by which keys.