EP3570255A1

EP3570255A1 - Lock assembly system and method of control

Info

Publication number: EP3570255A1
Application number: EP19175127.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mark Spånberg
Original assignee: Inwido AB
Current assignee: Inwido AB
Priority date: 2018-05-17
Filing date: 2019-05-17
Publication date: 2019-11-20
Also published as: SE1850578A1

Abstract

A lock assembly system (100) is provided, which comprises at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150). Each electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be arrangeable in at least a first locking mode and a second locking mode, wherein, in the first locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable in both an unauthorized manner and in an authorized manner. In the second locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable only in the authorized manner. The lock assembly system (100) further comprises a control unit (160) configured to transmit a signal, when one of the at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) is altered from the second locking mode to the first locking mode. The signal is sent to at least one of the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) and the signal is configured to alter the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) from the second locking mode into the first locking mode.

Further, a method of changing an electronic lock of multimode locking (150) from a first locking mode to a second locking mode is provided together with a method for controlling a control unit (160) of a lock assembly system (100) to control the change of locking mode of an electronic lock of multimode locking (150) from a first locking mode to a second locking mode.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a lock assembly system and more precisely to a lock assembly system comprising at least two electronic lock assemblies.

BACKGROUND

The advancements in home security are rapidly moving forward with new and improved protection methods emerging on a regular basis. One advancement in burglar protection is lock assemblies that are lockable in more than one locking mode, lock assemblies of multimode locking. One type of a lock of multimode locking is described in EP2397628A2 . These lock assemblies are locked in a regular, old fashioned, mode when there are people present inside a building. This old fashioned locking mode, or first locking mode, means the lock assembly needs to be unlocked using a key from the outside but may easily be unlocked from the inside in an unauthorized manner e.g. by a turn of a dead bolt latch or thumb turn.
A burglar would typically gain access to a home or building by breaking a window. In order to be able to easily escape the scene of the crime and allow transportation of stolen property, the exit route is usually through a front or back door. These doors have previously been easily opened by the operation of the thumb turn.
With the lock assemblies of multimode locking, a building can be locked in a second locking mode that bars unlocking from the inside by the turn of the deadbolt latch when there is no one inside the building. The lock can only be unlocked in an authorized manned, e.g. by using a key from either the outside or the inside, unauthorized unlocking from the inside will be barred. The reason for this functionality is that a burglar who gains access to the building through a window will not be able to exit through this door, making it more difficult to carry heavy stolen property and quickly escape the scene of the crime.
A problem with the lock assemblies of multimode locking becomes apparent when, for instance, residents are present in a house and a lock assembly is left locked in the second locking mode. This may happen if a building is fitted with several lock assemblies of multimode locking and more than one of these are locked in the second locking mode. The first person to arrive at the building would be forced to unlock all lock assemblies in an authorized manner in order to remove the second locking mode. The risk of forgetting or neglecting to do this is clear and the danger associated with the risk is evident in case of e.g. fire or other emergencies.
A known method of explicitly handling the unlocking and locking of emergency exits is disclosed in US5149157 . A problem with this solution is that it does not relate to more than one locking mode.
From the above it is understood that there is room for improvements.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a new type of lock assembly system and control thereof, which is improved over prior art and eliminates or at least mitigates the drawbacks discussed above. More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a lock assembly system and control of a lock assembly system that allows for remote transition of a lock assembly from a second locking mode to a first locking mode. These objects are achieved by the technique set forth in the appended independent claims with preferred embodiments defined in the dependent claims related thereto.
In one aspect, a lock assembly system is provided that comprises at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking where each electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be arrangeable in at least a first locking mode and a second locking mode. In the first locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be unlockable in both an unauthorized manner and in an authorized manner and in the second locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be unlockable only in the authorized manner. The lock assembly system further comprises a control unit configured to transmit a signal, when one of the at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking is altered from the second locking mode to the first locking mode. The signal is sent to at least one of the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking. The signal is configured to alter the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking from the second locking mode into the first locking mode. This will enable the removal of the second locking mode on more lock assemblies in a lock assembly system when one lock assembly, locked in the second locking mode, is unlocked.
In one example, the control unit further comprises a lock assembly list that comprises a list of at least the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking of the lock assembly system. The lock assembly list comprises an, per lock assembly, associated locking mode indicator indicating the locking mode for each of the lock assemblies in the lock assembly list. This lock assembly list will help the control unit keep track of the locking mode of the lock assemblies of the lock assembly system reducing the signaling needed since not all signals needs to be sent to all lock assemblies. E.g. the signal configured to alter the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking from the second locking mode into the first locking mode may with the addition of the lock assembly list only be sent to lock assemblies locked in the second locking mode.
In a further example with the lock assembly list, when one of the at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking is altered from the second locking mode to the first locking mode, the control unit is configured to change the associated locking mode indicator of the altered lock assembly of multimode locking in the lock assembly list to indicate the first locking mode. By this features, it is possible to continuously track lock assemblies in the lock assembly list that are locked in the first locking mode.
In another embodiment, when one of the at least one electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking is altered from the first locking mode to the second locking mode, the control unit is configured to change the associated locking mode indicator, of the altered electronic lock assembly of multimode locking in the lock assembly list, to indicate the second locking mode. This will make it possible to continuously track lock assemblies in the lock assembly list that are locked in the second locking mode.
In yet another embodiment, the lock assembly list further comprises an, per lock assembly in the lock assembly list, associated assembly lock status indicator. The lock status indicator is configured to indicate, at least, if the associated lock assembly is in an unlocked state or a locked state. The lock status indicator will enable the tracking and control of the lock status of all locks listed in the lock assembly list assisting with e.g. central locking and unlocking control.
In an additional embodiment, the lock assembly list further comprises an, per lock assembly in the lock assembly list, associated assembly locking type indicator. The locking type indicator indicates at least if the associated lock assembly is lockable only in the first locking mode. This enables the tracking of locks that are lock assemblies of single mode locking and allows for differentiation between lock assemblies based on available locking modes.
In one embodiment, the lock assembly system comprises at least one electronic lock assembly that is configured to be arranged only in the first locking mode. By allowing the lock assembly system to also comprise electronic lock assemblies lockable only in a first locking mode, these lock assemblies may also be controlled by the control unit, at least in aspects not relating to locking mode.
In another embodiment, the lock assembly list further comprises an, per lock assembly in the lock assembly list, associated assembly lock type indicator. The lock type indicator indicates at least if the associated lock assembly is an electronic lock assembly or a manual lock assembly. The lock type indicator may allow for tracking of lock assemblies that are manual and all other indicators in the lock assembly list are possible to track also in relation to manual lock assemblies.
In yet another embodiment, the lock assembly system comprises at least one manual lock assembly. This allows also e.g. legacy and old lock assemblies already installed, in for instance a house, to be part of the lock assembly system.
In a further embodiment, the lock assembly list is arranged to be accessible from a network server connected to a network. The network is configured to be accessible from a mobile device that is configured to access the network. Connecting the lock assembly list to a network server enables the mobile device to access the lock assembly list from any place in the world where it has access to the network.
In another embodiment, the mobile device is configured to read any number of indicators of the lock assembly list. This will allow the mobile device to track the status of all the locks in the lock assembly list from any place in the world where it has access to the network.
In another embodiment, the mobile device is configured to change any number of the indicators in the lock assembly list and the control unit is configured to communicate any number of the changes to the associated lock assembly or associated lock assemblies. This allows the mobile device to control the indicators configured to be controlled in the lock assembly list from any place in the world where it has access to the network.
In a second aspect, a method of changing locking mode of an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is provided. The electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be arrangeable in at least a first locking mode and a second locking mode. In the first locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be unlockable both in an unauthorized manner and in an authorized manner. In the second locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be unlockable only in the authorized manner.
The electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is arranged in the second locking mode and the method comprises the steps of receiving, by the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking, a signal requesting the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking to change the locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode; unlocking the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking; and locking the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking.
This method will allow for the remote changing of locking mode, from the first locking mode to the second locking mode of an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises the step of sending a signal configured to carry information of the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking being in the first locking mode. This will enable the recipient of the signal to keep track of the current locking mode of the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking.
In a third aspect, a method of controlling a locking mode of least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking in a lock assembly system is provided. Each electronic lock assembly of multimode locking comprises an inside portion and an outside portion, and each electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be arrangeable in at least a first locking mode and a second locking mode. When in the first locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be unlockable both in an unauthorized manner and in an authorized manner, and when in the second locking mode, the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is configured to be unlockable only in the authorized manner. The method comprises the steps of:
receiving, by a control unit, from at least one of the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking, a signal configured to indicate a change in locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode; sending, from the control unit, to at least one of the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking, a signal. The signal is configured to alter the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking from the second locking mode into the first locking mode.
This will enable the removal of the second locking mode on more lock assemblies in a lock assembly system when one lock assembly, locked in the second locking mode, is unlocked.
In one embodiment, the control unit further comprises a lock assembly list. The lock assembly list comprises a list of at least the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking of the lock assembly system, with an, per lock assembly, associated locking mode indicator. The locking mode indicator is configured to indicate the locking mode for each of the lock assemblies in the lock assembly list. This lock assembly list will help the control unit keep track of the locking mode of the lock assemblies of the lock assembly system reducing the signaling needed since not all signals need to be sent to all lock assemblies. E.g. the signal configured to alter the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking from the second locking mode into the first locking mode may with the addition of the lock assembly list only be sent to lock assemblies locked in the second locking mode.
In a further embodiment,, the method further comprises, before the control unit sends the signal, the step of updating the locking mode indicator associated with the at least one of the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking of the lock assembly list. This will make it possible to continuously track the locking mode of lock assemblies in the lock assembly list.
In another embodiment, the method further comprises, after the control unit sends the signal, receiving, by the control unit, from the at least one of the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking, a signal confirming that the locking mode has changed to the first locking mode. This will make it possible to continuously monitor the locking mode of lock assemblies in the lock assembly list.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described in the following; references being made to the appended diagrammatical drawings which illustrate non-limiting examples of how the inventive concept can be reduced into practice.

FIG 1 is a schematic overview of a lock control system according to possible embodiments;
FIG 2A is an inside view of a door according to possible embodiments;
FIG 2B is an outside view of a door according to possible embodiments:
FIG 3A is an outside view of a manual lock assembly according to possible embodiments;
FIG 3B is an inside view of a manual lock assembly;
FIG 4A is an outside view of an electronic lock assembly according to possible embodiments;
FIG 4B is an inside view of an electronic lock assembly according to possible embodiments;
FIG 5A is a front view of a manual lock assembly of single mode locking according to possible embodiments;
FIG 5B is a front view of an electronic lock assembly of single mode locking according to possible embodiments;
FIG 6A is a front view of a manual lock assembly of multimode locking according to possible embodiments;
FIG 6B is a front view of an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking according to possible embodiments;
FIG 7A is a locking mode switch in a first position according to possible embodiments;
FIG 7B is the locking mode switch in FIG 7A in a second position according to possible embodiments;
FIG 8 is an information storage means according to possible embodiments;
FIG 9 is a schematic view of a lock control system according to possible embodiments;
FIG 10 is a flow chart of a lock control method according to possible embodiments;
FIG 11 is a flow chart of a lock control method according to possible embodiments;
FIG 12 is a front view of an electronic lock according to possible embodiments;
FIG 13 is a front view of an electronic lock according to possible embodiments;
and
FIG 14 is a front view of an electronic lock according to possible embodiments;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, certain embodiments will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention, such as it is defined in the appended claims, to those skilled in the art.
For the sake of clarity, the difference, in this disclosure, between unauthorized and authorized locking, unlocking and operation refers to different security levels of locking, unlocking and operation. Unauthorized locking, unlocking and operation, means that locking and unlocking can be performed e.g. without presenting or utilizing any kind of credentials. Unlocking or locking by e.g. operating a thumb turn, a switch or pressing a button are considered unauthorized unlocking and locking methods. Authorized locking and unlocking means are e.g. a key, a PIN code, biometric identification (e.g. fingerprint, facial recognition or retina recognition), RFID chipset, smart card or wirelessly communicated control command. The word authorized may be interpreted as meaning certified.
With reference to the drawings, a schematic view of a lock assembly system 100 is described in detail below. The lock assembly system 100 comprises a plurality of locks 110. The locks 110 may be mounted on any type of lockable device e.g. doors, windows, shutters, gates or hatches. Each lockable device may be fitted with one or more locks 110. Some of the locks in the lock assembly system 100 may be manual lock assemblies 300 with some being a manual lock assembly of single mode locking 120 and some being a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130. The lock assembly system may further comprise any number of electronic lock assemblies 140, 150 wherein some may be electronic lock assemblies of single mode locking 140 and some may be electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking 150. Lock assemblies of multimode locking 130, 150 are lock assemblies that can be locked in at least two modes, these modes will be detailed below.
The lock assembly system 100 may further comprises at least one control unit 160, the control unit 160 being for instance part of a stand-alone lock controller or gateway, part of any number of the electronic locks 400 or part of a cloud service. The lock assembly system 100 may further comprises an information storage means 170 that may be an electronic memory or a database, for instance in communication with, integrated in, or part of, either of any number of electronic locks 140, 150, the control unit 160 or a cloud service.
The control unit 160 may be in communication with any of, or all of the electronic lock assemblies 140, 150. The connection to the electronic locks 140, 150 may be e.g. a wired serial, wired parallel or wireless connection. The wireless connection may be a direct or meshed wireless connection of e.g. WIFI, Bluetooth, 6LoWPAN, Zigbee, Z-Wave, IEEE802.15.4 or KNX operating at any frequency or bandwidth. Further, the wireless connection to the locks may be a cloud integrated connection through for instance the TCP/IP protocol with the locks communicating for instance over any of, or all of but not limited to LoRa, Sigfox or 3GPP compatible cellular connectivity. The control unit 160 may be powered by e.g. a battery, a direct mains connection or through an AC-adaptor
FIG 2A shows a door assembly 200 viewed from a first side, for instance an inside I, comprising a doorframe 210 and a door leaf 220. The door leaf 220 being fitted with a lock assembly 230. The lock assembly 230 may be one of either a manual lock assembly of single mode locking 120, a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130, an electronic lock assembly of single mode locking 140 or an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150. FIG 2B shows the door assembly 200 of FIG 2A from a second side, for instance an outside O. The door assembly 200 may also be a window assembly or any other opening means with at least a first and a second side or an inside and an outside.
FIG 3A discloses a detailed view of a manual lock assembly 300 from the second side, or the outside O. The manual lock assembly 300 may be either of a manual lock assembly of single mode locking 120 or a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130 and may comprise an outside handle 310, a dead bolt 320 a latch bolt 330 and an opening 340 adapted to receive a key. FIG 3B shows the manual lock assembly 300 of FIG 3A from the first side, or inside I, further showing a thumb turn 350 and an inside handle 360. The switching between an unlocked and locked state of the manual lock assembly 300 may be done by engagement of a correct key in the opening 340 adapted to receive a key (authorized operation) or by maneuvering of the thumb turn 350 (unauthorized operation). Operation of the handle 310, 360 may retract the latch bolt 330 and the dead bolt 320 towards the door leaf 220 when the manual lock assembly 300 is in an unlocked state. When the manual lock assembly 300 is in a locked state, operation of the handle 310, 360 may fail to retract the dead bolt 320 towards the door leaf 220.
FIG 4A details an electronic lock assembly 400 from the second side or the outside O. The electronic lock assembly 400 may be either of an electronic lock assembly of single mode locking 140 or an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150. The electronic lock assembly 400 comprises a lock control means 410. FIG 4B shows the electronic lock assembly 400 from the first side, or the inside I, showing a thumb turn 420 of the electronic lock assembly 400. The switching between an unlocked and locked state of the electronic lock assembly 400 may be done by correctly operating the lock control means 410 (authorized operation) or engagement of the thumb turn 420 (unauthorized operation) of the electronic lock assembly 400. Operation of the handle 310, 360 will retract the latch bolt 330 and the dead bolt 320 towards the door leaf 220 when the electronic lock assembly 400 is in an unlocked state. When the electronic lock assembly 400 is in a locked state, operation of the handle 310, 360 will fail to retract the dead bolt 320 towards the door leaf 220. The lock control means 410 of the electronic lock assemblies 400 of FIG 4A and FIG 4B should be understood to be any suitable lock control means 410. This could comprise e.g. one or more keypads with any number of keys or buttons, touch panels or screens, biometric readers, RFID readers, smart card readers or any combinations of these control means.
FIG 5A presents a front view of a manual lock assembly of single mode locking 120 and FIG 5B presents a front view of an electronic lock assembly of single mode locking 140. The single mode locking assemblies 120, 140 can, when in a locked state, be changed to an unlocked state, by operation of the thumb turn 350, 420 (unauthorized unlocking).
FIG 6A introduces a front view of a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130 and FIG 6B shows a front view of an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150. A locking mode switch 710, with a locking mode selector 720, is used to switch the locking mode of the lock assembly of multimode locking 130, 150 between a first locking mode and a second locking mode by placing the locking mode selector 720 in either of a first position, pictured in FIG 7A, or a second position, pictured in FIG 7B prior to the multimode locking assembly 130, 150 being locked.
When the lock assembly of multimode locking 130, 150 is locked in the first locking mode the locking mode switch 710 is in a position corresponding to the first locking mode, the multimode locking assembly 130, 150 can be unlocked in an unauthorized manner from the first side I by e.g. operation of the thumb turn 350, 420. The manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130 can further, when locked in the first locking mode, be unlocked in an authorized manner from the second side O by engagement of a correct key in the opening 340 adapted to receive a key. The electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150 can further, when locked in the first locking mode, be unlocked in an authorized manner by correctly operating the lock control means 410.
When the lock assembly of multimode locking 130, 150 is locked in the second locking mode the locking mode switch 710 is in a position corresponding to the second locking mode, unauthorized unlocking of the multimode locking assembly 130, 150 by e.g. operation of the thumb turn 350, 420, and thus unlocking from the first side I, is barred. The manual lock assembly of multimode locking (130) can further, when locked in the second locking mode, be unlocked in an authorized manner by engagement of a correct key in the opening 340 adapted to receive a key. The electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150 can further, when locked in the second locking mode, be unlocked in an authorized manner by correctly operating the lock control means 410.
When the multimode locking assembly 130, 150 being locked in the second locking mode is unlocked, which has to be done in an authorized manner, the locking mode selector 720 will return to the position corresponding to the first locking mode. When the multimode locking assembly 130, 150 being locked in the first locking mode is unlocked, which can be done either in an authorized or unauthorized manner, the locking mode selector 720 will stay in the position corresponding to the first locking mode. This means, that changing locking mode from a second locking mode to a first locking mode of a multimode locking assembly 130, 150 entails unlocking the lock in an authorized manner and then locking the lock again, where the locking may be done in an authorized or unauthorized manner.
It should be understood that the description shared above relates to certain types of locks of multimode locking. There may be many different variants of multimode locking assemblies that differs in e.g. means of operation and design and the disclosure should not be considered to be limited to the specific examples presented above. The baseline is that a multimode locking assembly, when locked in a second locking mode, has to be unlocked in an authorized manner and this disclosure covers all such lock assemblies. However, there may be electronic locks of multimode locking where a generated, remotely or locally, lock control or signal is considered an unauthorized control or signal. This may be the case in e.g. electronic devices that are mounted around a thumb latch and arranged to control the lock by rotation of the thumb latch. Although the lock assembly that the electronic device is mounted on may be a manual lock assembly of multimode locking, the electronic lock comprising the electronic device and the manual lock assembly of multimode locking will be regarded as an electronic lock assembly of single mode locking. For the sake of simplicity this and other similar special cases will not be covered in detail. The skilled person will understand that these kinds of lock assemblies exists and that this disclosure also covers installations comprising them. The adaptations needed in order to handle these lock assemblies are minor and obvious to the skilled person.
Visualized in FIG 8, is the information storage means 170 with a lock assembly list 810. The lock assembly list 810 may be any of, all of but not limited to a list, a table or a database. The lock assembly list 810 may be configured to comprise a transcript of a number of locks 110 in the lock assembly system 100. Associated with each of the locks 110 in the lock assembly list 810 may be indicators configured to indicate current, historical and/or future status of the different locks 110 in the lock assembly list 810. The indicators may be any of, all of but are not limited to:

locking mode, e.g. first locking mode or second locking mode;
lock state, e.g. locked, unlocked or unknown;
lock assembly type, e.g. manual lock assembly of single mode locking 120, manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130, electronic lock assembly of single mode locking 140 or electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150;
last operation, e.g. unauthorized locking or unlocking from inside I, unauthorized locking or unlocking from outside O, authorized locking or unlocking from inside I, authorized locking or unlocking from outside O;
desired locking mode, e.g. first locking mode or second locking mode; and
desired lock state, for instance locked or unlocked.

It is clear for the skilled person that the lock assembly list may be expanded to include further details of the lock assembly system. The list may very well comprise e.g. indicators tracking if openable devices (e.g. doors or windows) are in an open or closed position, arm state of an alarm system or any other status indicator available in a connected building.
A control unit 160 is present in the lock assembly system 100. It should be understood that he control unit 160 may be a software program, algorithm or state machine that may be executed by a processing means. The control unit 160 may be in control of some or all communication interfaces of the lock assembly system 100 and control some or all controllable parts of the lock assembly system 100.
The control unit 160 may be in connection with a network server that may be accessible from the Internet. The network server may be a cloud server or part of the information storage means 170, or the information storage means 170 may be part of the network server. The network server may replicate some or all of the data available to the control unit 160 such as, for instance, the lock assembly list 810. It may be that the control unit 160 and the network server are in communication in a way that allows the information to be replicated both from the network server to the control unit 160 and from the control unit 160 to the network server. Also, updates to the data may be communicated and duplicated in both directions between the network server and the control unit 160.
The network server may be possible to access remotely over, for instance, the Internet, by e.g. a communication device such as a mobile phone, portable computer or any other device connected directly or indirectly to the same network as the network server. The communication device may, depending on access rights, be able to read and write all of or some of the information available to the network server.
With reference to FIG 1, a lock assembly system 100 with at least two electronic locks of multimode locking 150 is presented. The system further comprises a control unit 160, that may comprise a processing means and/or an information storage means 170 whom are in communication. The processing means and the information storage means 170 may be integrated in a stand-alone assembly. The control unit 160 is connected to the electronic locks by a communication protocol that may be a wireless communication protocol, such as Z-wave, and may be connected to the internet by a WIFI connection. The electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking 150 are mounted in entry/exit doors of a building. The second side, or outside O of the lock assemblies 150 is visible from the outside of a building. The information storage means 170 may hold a list of the electronic locks of multimode locking 150 installed in the lock assembly system 100. All electronic locks of multimode locking 150 are locked in the second locking mode, thus, the locks are only unlockable in an authorized manner.
When one of the electronic locks of multimode locking 150, locked in the second locking mode, is unlocked in an authorized manner, the unlocked lock is configured to change locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode and communicate the change to the control unit 160. The control unit 160 may be configured to update the lock assembly list 810 to reflect the locking mode change of the unlocked lock and to communicate, to each other electronic lock in the lock assembly list 810, a request for their respective locking mode to change to the first locking mode. Upon changing the locking mode, each lock assembly is configured to communicate the new locking mode to the control unit 160 and the control unit 160 may be configured to update the lock assembly list 810 accordingly.
Further, with reference to FIG 9, there may also be a mobile device 960 in communication with the lock assembly list 810 through a network server. The network server is configured to push some or all updates to the lock assembly list 810 to the mobile device 960. The mobile device 960 may issue alert to a user of the mobile device 960 depending on the type of message. For instance, if only one of the locks of multimode locking 150 is locked in the second locking mode, the mobile device 960 may, from the information in the lock assembly list 810, generate an alert to the user indicating that not all locks of the lock assembly system 100 are locked in the same mode. Further to this, the control unit 160 may be configured to generate an error code if, for instance, a request, from the control unit 160 to each or some of the locks in the lock assembly list 810 for their respective locking mode to change to the first locking mode, is not acknowledged by the locks within a certain time. This error message may be communicated to the user, e.g. via the mobile device 960.
Also, the control unit 160 may be configured to control and/or track a lock status of the locks in the lock assembly list 810. Each time a lock changes status, for instance from locked to unlocked state, the lock may communicate the change to the control unit 160 and the control unit 160 may update the lock assembly list 810 accordingly.
It may also be possible to communicate, from for instance the mobile device 960 via the network server, a request for the control unit 160 to change the lock status of one or more of the locks in the lock assembly list 810. Upon receiving such a request, the control unit 160 may communicate the request to change lock state to the addressed lock(s) of the lock control list 810. The addressed locks may respond back to the control unit 160 with a communication carrying, for instance, an updated lock state or an error message and the communication may be reflected both as an update to the lock assembly list 810 and to the user through e.g. the mobile device 960.
Any communication from the lock control unit 160 to any of the locks in the lock assembly list 810 that is not acknowledged or responded to within a fixed or configurable time, may generate a time out that may, for instance, be reflected as an error message being communicated to the network server, updated in the lock assembly list and/or communicated to the user.
Further, the lock assembly system 100 may also host one or more electronic locks assemblies of single mode locking 140. These locks 140 may also be represented in the lock assembly list 810 and have their lock status controlled through the lock control unit 160. Control, status communications and error reporting of the electronic locks assemblies of single mode locking 140 may be done in a similar way to that of the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150 in every aspect other than the control of the locking mode since these locks only support being locked in one mode. The control unit 160 may acknowledge and reflect this difference in the lock assembly list 810 and may further omit sending communications regarding locking mode to electronic lock assemblies of single mode locking 140. It may also be that the control unit 160 does send communications regarding locking mode to any number of electronic lock assemblies of single mode locking 140 in the lock assembly list 810 and that this may result in any number of the electronic lock assemblies of single mode locking 140 neglecting to communicate back or communicating back with an error message. The control unit 160 may have a timer of a configurable length expire when any lock assembly fail to communicate back to the lock control unit 160. The expiry of the timer may generate an error message that may be reflected in the lock assembly list 810 and/or may be transferred to the network server and made available to the user. A similar series of events may take place when an electronic lock assembly of single mode locking 140 sends an error message, the error message relayed to the network server may, in this case, be different from the error message relayed on the expiry of the timer.
The lock assembly system 100 may also comprise one or more manual locks of multimode locking 130. These locks will not be controllable from the control unit 160 since they lack connectivity options but they may still be represented in the lock assembly list 810. These locks being manual lock assemblies of multimode locking 130 may be reflected in the lock assembly list 810 and the control unit 160 may handle them differently from the electronic locks 400. One of the differences may be that the locking mode indicator of the lock assembly list 810 may be updated manually by the user through for instance the mobile device 960. The user may in this case, upon locking one or more of the manual lock assemblies of multimode locking 130 in the second locking mode, update the lock assembly list 810 accordingly through, for instance, the network server. The control unit 160 may be configured to generate a message or indication that not all locks are locked in the second locking mode, if this is the case. Analogously, when a manual lock assembly of multimode locking, locked in the second locking mode, is being unlocked, the user may reflect this change in the lock assembly list via for instance the network server through, for instance, a mobile device 960. The control unit 160 may be configured to change the locking mode of one or all of the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking, locked in the second locking mode, to the first locking mode.
Simultaneous locking and unlocking of any number of electronic lock assemblies 400 may be possible to configure and control via the control unit 160 or the mobile device 960. Failure in communication may generate an error message that may be conveyed to the network server and also further to the user.
Locking an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150 in the second locking mode may also result in the control unit 160 communicating the locking mode of any or all manual lock assemblies of multimode locking to the network server and further on to the user. Unlocking, in an authorized manner, an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150, locked in the second locking mode, may, in addition to the control unit 160 attempting to change the locking mode of any or all other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking locked in the second locking mode listed in the lock assembly list 810, result in the control unit 160 being configured to generate a message indication that there are further lock assemblies 130, 150 locked in the second locking mode if this is the case.
The lock assembly system 100 may also be configured to include any number of manual lock assemblies of single mode locking 120. Any or all of the manual lock assemblies of single mode locking 120 may also be represented in the lock assembly list 810. Their status as manual locks of single mode locking 120 may be reflected in the lock assembly list 810 and their associated lock state may also be reflected on the lock assembly list 810. Updates to the lock state of any type of manual lock assembly 300 represented in the lock assembly list 810 may be made remotely through the network server.
Generally, in the lock assembly system 100, the skilled person will understand that it is possible to generate any number of scenarios where e.g. reminders or alerts or lock state or locking mode changes are generated, delayed or communicated by the control unit 160 in case one lock assembly is locked in one locking mode and another lock assembly is locked in the same or another locking mode. Similarly, the lock state of each lock alone or in combination with the locking mode of each or some locks will generate even more combinations. There may e.g. be configurations where an authorized unlocking of an electronic lock of multimode locking 150 locked in the second locking mode will not be communicated to any other locks of multimode locking 150 locked in the second locking mode, if the authorized unlocking occurs within a configurable predefined time period from the locking of the electronic lock of multimode locking 150 in the second locking mode. This configurable predefined time period may be configured such that it allows for e.g. the quick picking up of forgotten items and then locking in the second locking mode again. In addition, locks may be locked and unlocked in authorized and unauthorized manners and rather than listing all these combinations, a few examples are given in the following sections. It should be noted that all combinations are within the scope of the invention.
FIG 9 depicts a lock assembly system installed in a building 910. The building comprises a gateway 920, four lockable doors 930, 935, 940, 950 and an inside I and an outside O. The gateway 920 comprises a processing unit, at least one wireless connectivity means and is configured to be the control unit 160 of the lock assembly system and may have an associated lock assembly list 810 configured to list all the locks of the lock assembly system. Two of the doors 930, 935 are lockable doors fitted with electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking 150a, 150b, one of the doors 940 is a lockable door fitted with an electronic lock assembly of single mode locking 140 and one of the doors 950 is a lockable door fitted with a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130. The electronic lock assemblies 930, 935, 940 are arranged in wireless communication with the gateway 920 through a wireless communication link 970 using a wireless protocol such as Zigbee, Bluetooth, WIFI or Z-Wave. A mobile device 960 is arranged to be in communication with the gateway 920 through a wireless communication link 980 using a wireless protocol such as Bluetooth or WIFI.
In one scenario, all doors 930, 935, 940, 950 of the building 910 are locked and the ones lockable in the second locking mode 930, 935, 950 are locked in the second locking mode. The lock assembly list may be arranged to reflect this state.
If the first of the lockable door 930 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150a is being unlocked in an authorized manner from the outside O, the lock assembly of the first lockable door 930 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150a is arranged to send a signal to the gateway 920. The signal is sent using the wireless communication link 970 and is configured to comprise information of the updated locking mode and lock state.
The gateway 920 is arranged to receive the signal and configured to update the locking mode indicator and the lock status indicator associated with the lock assembly of the first lockable door 930 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150a of the lock assembly list 810.
The gateway 920 may, depending on configuration, be arranged to check if there are lock assemblies in the lock assembly list 810 that are locked in the second locking mode. The gateway 920 is arranged to send signals using the wireless communication link 970 to the electronic lock assembly 150b or electronic lock assemblies that are locked in the second locking mode. The signals are configured to comprise information of a desired change of locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode. The recipient of the signal, the second lockable door 935 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150b, is arranged to change its locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode upon receipt of the signal.
The change in locking mode is done, for instance, by first unlocking the lock, thus returning the locking mode selector 720 of the electronic lock assembly fitted in the second lockable door 935 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150b, to the position corresponding to the first locking mode. Directly after the unlocking, the second lockable door 935 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150b is locked again thus leaving it locked in the first locking mode.
The lock assembly 150b of the second lockable door 935 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150b may be configured to send a signal to the gateway 920 using the wireless communication link 970, the signal comprising information about the updated locking mode. The gateway 920 may be configured to receive the signal and update the lock assembly list to reflect the updated locking mode.
The lockable door 950 fitted with manual a lock assembly of multimode locking is not remotely controlled and the gateway 920 may be configured to send a signal using the wireless communication link 980 to the mobile device 960 comprising information of the lock state and the locking mode of the locks 930, 935, 940, 950 of the lock assembly list 810.
In another scenario, all doors 930, 935, 940, 950 are unlocked when the first of the lockable door 930 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150a is being locked in the second locking mode from the outside O. The lock assembly of the first lockable door 930 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150a sends a signal to the gateway 920. The signal is sent using the wireless communication link 970 and comprises information regarding the change of locking mode and lock state.
The gateway 920 receives the signal and updates the locking mode indicator and the lock status indicator associated with the lock assembly of the first lockable door 930 fitted with an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150a of the lock assembly list 810.
Depending on configuration, the gateway 920 may check if there are lock assemblies in the lock assembly list 810 that are unlocked. If this is the case, the gateway 920 may send signals using the wireless communication link to the unlocked electronic assemblies 150b, 140 comprising information of a desired change of lock states to a locked state. The recipients of the signal 150b, 140 may change their locked state from an unlocked state to a locked state, send a signal using the wireless communication link 970 to the gateway 920 comprising information of the updated lock state and the gateway 920 may update the lock assembly list 810 accordingly. The lockable door 950 fitted with a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130 is not remotely controlled and the gateway 920 may be configured to send a signal using the wireless communication link 980 to the mobile device 960 comprising information of the lock state and the locking mode of the locks 150a, 150b, 130, 140 of the lock assembly list 810.
If the lockable door 950 fitted with a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130 is manually locked in the second locking mode from the outside O, the mobile device 960 may be used to send a signal using the wireless communication link 980 comprising information of the updated locking mode and lock state. The gateway 920 may, upon reception of this signal, update the lock assembly list 810 to reflect the update.
The lock assembly system of FIG 9 can easily be understood to comprise any number of manual lock assemblies 300 or electronic lock assemblies 400 in any combination of locking modes. The communication link 980, shown as a link directly between the mobile device 960 and the gateway 920 is illustrated as such for explanatory purposes. Although there may be a direct link between the mobile device 960 and the gateway e.g. Bluetooth etc., the link 980 may easily be arranged to comprise for instance a network server in communication wired and/or wirelessly over for instance TCP/IP with the gateway 920 and through e.g. a cellular network with the mobile device 960. The lockable doors of FIG 9 may be any lockable opening means such as windows, shutters, gates or hatches.
FIG 10 shows a flow chart of a method 1000 of an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150 for remotely changing locking mode from a second locking mode to a first locking mode. The method comprises the steps of:

1010 waiting for a correct signal to be received;
1020 once a correct signal has been received, unlocking the lock;
1030 locking the lock; and
1040 sending a signal comprising information of the updated locking mode.

In the first step 1010, the electronic lock assembly may be in an idle like mode waiting for an external trigger. The external trigger may be a signal communicated over a wireless protocol or any other kind of external stimuli. Once a trigger is received, the electronic lock assembly may verify authenticity of the trigger by means of, for instance, decoding and analyzing the trigger before it is determined to be correct.
In the following step 1020, the electronic lock assembly may unlock itself returning the locking mode selector 720 of electronic lock assembly to the position corresponding to the first locking mode.
After this, the electronic lock assembly may lock itself. Since the locking mode selector 720 of the electronic lock assembly is in the position corresponding to the first locking mode, due to the unlocking 1020, the electronic lock assembly is now locked in the first locking mode.
In the following step 1040, the electronic lock assembly may send a signal back to the origin of the trigger. The signal may comprise information of the electronic lock assembly being locked in the first locking mode. The signal may be communicated using the same communication interface as the trigger or any other interface available to the electronic lock assembly.
FIG 11 shows a flow chart of a method 1100 of the control unit 160 of the lock assembly system 100 for handling the change from the second locking mode to the first locking mode on a plurality of locks 110. The method comprises the steps of:

1110 waiting for a correct signal to be received;
1120 once a correct signal has been received, the control unit 160 may determine if the signal was sent from a lock in the lock assembly list 810 or from a mobile device 960;
1130 if the signal was sent from a lock in lock assembly list 810, updating the locking mode indicator associated with lock in the lock assembly list 810 accordingly;
1140 if the signal was sent from a mobile device 960, determining if the signal was sent regarding a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130 or an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150;
1145 if the signal was sent from a manual lock assembly of multimode locking 130, updating the locking mode indicator associated with lock in the lock assembly list 810 accordingly;
1150 sending a signal to any number of electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking 150 locked in the second locking mode, the signal being configured to comprise information of a desired change of locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode, performed according to the method 1000 in FIG 10;
1160 receiving, from the any number of electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking 150 locked in the second locking mode according to the associated locking mode indicator of the lock assembly list 810, a confirmation that the locking mode has changed to the first locking mode;
1170 updating the locking mode indicator of the lock assembly list 810 to reflect the changes in locking mode of the any number of electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking 150; and
1180 sending, to the mobile device 960, a signal comprising information of the locking mode of the any number of locks in the lock control list 810.

In the first step 1110, the control unit 160 may be in an idle like state waiting for an external or internal signal configured to act as a trigger to the method 1100. The state may comprise periodic wake up scans or continuous monitoring of when available interfaces may be checked for stimuli. The trigger may also be an internal timer or physical interface.
In the second step 1120, the trigger is analyzed to determine its origin. The analysis may be e.g. checking the interface of the trigger or analyzing the signal content. The trigger may be protected through encryption and need decryption before the analysis is performed. The trigger may, after analysis, be determined to be sent e.g. from for example a lock in a lock the assembly list 810, from a mobile device 960 or from an internal timer.
If it is determined 1120 that the trigger was sent from a lock assembly listed in a lock assembly list 810, the next step 1130 may involve updating the locking mode indicator associated with the lock assembly in the lock assembly list 810 accordingly.
If it is determined 1120 that the trigger was sent from a mobile device 960, the trigger may be further analyzed 1140 in order to determine if the signal was sent regarding a manual lock of multimode locking 130 or an electronic lock of multimode locking 150.
If the further analysis 1140 of the trigger from a mobile device 960 yield the trigger to be regarding a manual lock of multimode locking 150, the locking mode indicator associated with lock in the lock assembly list 810 may be updated 1145 accordingly.
After 1130, 1140 or 1145, the control unit 160 may, if configured to do so, send 1150 one or more signal(s) to any number of electronic locks of multimode locking 150 locked in the second locking. The signal(s) may be configured to comprise information of a desired change of locking mode from a second locking mode to a first locking mode, see for instance method 1000 in FIG 10 of how an electronic lock of multimode locking may act on the signal. The signal may be communicated using the same communication interface as the trigger was originally received 1110 on, or any other interface available to the electronic lock assembly.
The following step 1160 may involve an idle like state waiting for an external or internal signal. The state may further comprise periodic wake up scans or continuous monitoring when available interfaces may be checked for stimuli. The step may eventually result in receiving, from the any number of electronic locks of multimode locking 150 locked in the second locking, a confirmation that the locking mode has changed to the first locking mode.
After reception 1160, the following step 1170 may, if configured to do so, comprise updating the locking mode indicator of a lock assembly list 810 to reflect the changes in locking mode of the any number of electronic locks of multimode locking 150.
The following step 1180 may be configured, to involve e.g. sending to the mobile device 960, a signal comprising information of the locking mode of the any number of locks in the lock control list 810. The signal may be sent using any communication interface or plurality of communication interfaces that may be adapted to relay the signal to the mobile device 960.
For the sake of clarity and completeness, FIG 12, FIG 13 and FIG 14 show simplified cross sections of different types of electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking. The cross sections are views from a horizontal plane of a vertical cross section showing the electronic lock assemblies inside the door leaf 220. The different electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking may all comprise a lock control and connectivity unit 1210. The lock control and connectivity unit may further comprise all connectivity means for communicating with for instance other locks or control unit(s) 160 in for instance a lock assembly system 100. Also, the lock control and connectivity unit 1210 may also comprise, be connected to or in control of a rotation means such as an electric motor and any kind of power source necessary to power the lock control and connectivity module.
In FIG 12, the lock control and connectivity unit 1210 is shown as being arranged to engage a locking bar 1220. The locking bar 1220 may, upon rotation, lock or unlock the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking. A thumb turn 420 with a direct engagement of the lock is, in this example, not in connection with the lock control and connectivity unit 1210.
Although it is evident to the skilled person and common knowledge within wired and wireless communication, it should be pointed out that all or some of signaling described in e.g. FIG 10 and FIG 11 may be acknowledged. E.g. reception of a signal may be acknowledged by an acknowledgement sent, by the recipient of the signal, over any interface to the sender of the signal.
FIG 13 shows a different example of an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking. The lock control and connectivity unit 1210 is arranged to control the lock state of the lock by controlling both the same locking mechanism as the deadbolt latch 420 and also to engage the locking bars 1220 from either the outside O or the inside I.
In FIG 14 an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking is shown where the lock control and connectivity unit 1210 is arranged to encompass the deadbolt latch 420. The lock assembly would, when locked in the second locking mode, have to be unlocked by engagement of a correct key, authorized unlocking, in the opening adapted to receive a key 340 since the lock control and connectivity unit is not, in this example, in connection with the locking bars 1220.
In a variant of the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking shown in FIG 14, the lock control and connectivity unit 1210 may be arranged to encompass a correct key fitted in the opening adapted to receive a key 340 on the inside I of the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking. This variant would allow for engagement of the locking bar 1220 on the inside I, thus enabling authorized unlocking, by the control and connectivity unit, of the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking when locked in the second locking mode.
From the explanation given by support of FIG 12 - FIG 14 it is clear that not all electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking 150 are able to execute the method 1000 for remotely changing locking mode in an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking 150 from a second locking mode to a first locking mode. However, it is clear to the skilled person that different electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking may have different methods and procedures for unlocking from the second locking mode and that this disclosure encompasses also these methods and procedures although not explicitly disclosed.

Claims

A lock assembly system (100), comprising
at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) and each electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) being configured to be arrangeable in at least a first locking mode and a second locking mode, wherein, in the first locking mode, said electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable in both an unauthorized manner and in an authorized manner, and wherein, in the second locking mode, said electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable only in the authorized manner; and
a control unit (160) configured to transmit a signal, when one of the at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) is altered from the second locking mode to the first locking mode to at least one of the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150), the signal being configured to alter the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) from the second locking mode into the first locking mode.
The lock assembly system of claim 1, wherein the control unit (160) further comprises a lock assembly list (810) comprising a list of at least the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) of the lock assembly system (100), with an, per lock assembly, associated locking mode indicator indicating the locking mode for each of the lock assemblies in the lock assembly list (810).
The lock assembly system (100) of claim 2, wherein, when one of the at least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) is altered from the second locking mode to the first locking mode, the control unit (160) is configured to change the associated locking mode indicator of the altered lock assembly of multimode locking (150) in the lock assembly list (810) to indicate the first locking mode.
The lock assembly system (100) of claim 2 or 3, wherein, when one of the at least one electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) is altered from the first locking mode to the second locking mode, the control unit (160) is configured to change the associated locking mode indicator of the altered electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) in the lock assembly list (810) to indicate the second locking mode.
The lock assembly system (100) of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the lock assembly list (810) further comprises an, per lock assembly in the lock assembly list (810), associated assembly lock status indicator wherein the lock status indicator is configured to indicate at least if the associated lock assembly is in an unlocked state or a locked state.
The lock assembly system (100) of any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the lock assembly list (810) further comprises an, per lock assembly in the lock assembly list (810), associated assembly locking type indicator wherein the locking type indicator indicates at least if the associated lock assembly is lockable only in the first locking mode.
The lock assembly system (100) of any of the preceding claims, comprising at least one electronic lock assembly (400) being configured to be arranged only in the first locking mode.
The lock assembly system (100) of any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the lock assembly list (810) further comprises an, per lock assembly in the lock assembly list (810), associated assembly lock type indicator wherein the lock type indicator indicates at least if the associated lock assembly is an electronic lock assembly (400) or a manual lock assembly (300).
The lock assembly system (100) of any of the preceding claims, comprising at least one manual lock assembly (300).
The lock assembly system (100) of any of claims 2 to 9, wherein the lock assembly list (810) is arranged to be accessible from a network server connected to a network and the network is configured to be accessible from a mobile device (960) configured to access the network.
The lock assembly system (100) of claim 10, wherein the mobile device (960) is configured to read any number of indicators of the lock assembly list (810).
The lock assembly system (100) of claims 10 or 11, wherein the mobile device (960) is configured to change any number of the indicators in the lock assembly list (810) and the control unit (160) is configured to communicate any number of the changes to the associated lock assembly (230) or associated lock assemblies (110).
A method (1000) of changing locking mode of an electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150), the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) being configured to be arrangeable in at least a first locking mode and a second locking mode, wherein, in the first locking mode, said electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable both in an unauthorized manner and in an authorized manner, and wherein, in the second locking mode, said electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable only in the authorized manner;
wherein the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is arranged in the second locking mode, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving (1010), by the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150), a signal requesting the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) to change the locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode;

unlocking (1020) the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150);

locking (1030) the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150).
The method (1000) of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
sending (1040), a signal configured to carry information of the electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) being in the first locking mode.
A method (1100) of controlling a locking mode of least two electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150), in a lock assembly system (100), each electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) comprising an inside portion (I) and an outside portion (O), and each electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) being configured to be arrangeable in at least a first locking mode and a second locking mode, wherein, in the first locking mode, said electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable both in an unauthorized manner and in an authorized manner, and wherein, in the second locking mode, said electronic lock assembly of multimode locking (150) is configured to be unlockable only in the authorized manner; the method comprising the steps of:
receiving (1110), by a control unit (160), from at least one of the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150), a signal configured to indicate a change in locking mode from the second locking mode to the first locking mode;

sending (1150), from the control unit (160), to at least one of the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150), a signal, the signal being configured to alter the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) from the second locking mode into the first locking mode.
The method (1100) of claim 15, wherein the control unit (160) further comprises a lock assembly list (810) comprising a list of at least the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) of the lock assembly system (100), with an, per lock assembly, associated locking mode indicator indicating the locking mode for each of the lock assemblies in the lock assembly list (810).
The method (1100) of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises, before the step of sending (1150), the step of:
updating (1130) the locking mode indicator associated with the at least one of the electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150) of the lock assembly list (810).
The method (1100) of claim 15, 16 or 17, further comprising, after the step of sending (1150), the step of:
receiving (1160), by the control unit (160), from the at least one of the other electronic lock assemblies of multimode locking (150), a signal confirming that the locking mode has changed to the first locking mode.