Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to a folding backup key, which may be used as a backup for access to vehicles.
When a battery of a locked vehicle falls below a certain state of charge, the user of the vehicle may use a mechanical key to unlock and open the door, and then pull the hood release. Opening the hood is a step to getting the vehicle mobile again, since this may be the only way to jump-start the vehicle or replace the battery.
For vehicles with Passive-Entry/Passive-Start (PEPS) fobs, the user does not use a mechanical key under normal operation. However, within the key fob is a mechanical backup key, in case of a failure of the PEPS system (dead fob battery, dead car battery, etc.).
Some vehicles are now equipped with a Phone-as-a-Key (PaaK) feature, where the vehicle is normally unlocked or locked via the user's smartphone. The vehicle may be sold with a PEPS fob containing the standard mechanical backup key, but a typical PaaK user may not carry the PEPS fob due to its general large size, or the backup key due to its thickness or their unawareness that the backup key is contained within the fob. This means that, in the event of a locked vehicle with a poor battery, there may be no direct means of opening the hood (e.g., to jump-start the vehicle or replace the battery).
In this scenario, the user may be forced to call a locksmith or roadside assistance (assuming lock-picking and jump-starting capabilities), or a roommate or other person who is able to retrieve the PEPS fob containing the mechanical backup key. While awaiting assistance, the user may be in an undesirable outside environment, such as in the cold or rain, or on a busy roadway.
In a first illustrative example, a foldable keycard includes first and second sections, each defining a base and a layer of a blade of a key extending therefrom; and a hinge interface connecting the bases of the first and second sections, wherein the first section is configured to fold over the second section at the hinge interface so that a top surface of the first section is against a bottom surface of the second section and each of the layers of the blades align to form the blade of the key, and the first and second sections are configured to fold at the hinge interface into a storage position to form a collective flat surface.
In a second illustrative example, a foldable keycard includes first and second sections, each defining a section opening, a base, and a layer of a blade of a key extending from the base, wherein in an extended state, the openings symmetrically align and open to one another to form an interface opening; and an insert arranged within the interface opening and connected to each of the first and second sections within the respective section opening at first and second respective hinges, wherein the insert is configured to create a hinge interface between the sections so that a top surface of the first section is folded to rest against a bottom surface of the second section and the layers of the blades align to form the blade of the key.
In a third illustrative example, a foldable keycard includes first, second, and third sections, each defining a base and a layer of a blade of a key extending therefrom; a first hinge interface connecting the bases of the first and second sections; and a second hinge interface connecting the bases of the second and third sections, wherein the first section is configured to fold over the second section at the first hinge interface so that a top surface of the first section is against a bottom surface of the second section, and the second section is configured to fold over the third section at the second hinge interface so that a top surface of the second section is against a bottom surface of the third section, and each of the layers of the blades align to form the blade of the key.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Plastic break-away wallet keycards may be manufactured as a thick card with a mostly-cutaway key that can be broken out and used. However, such keycards may be too thick to comfortably be placed in a wallet. For example, such keys may be on the order of two to three millimeters thick, compared to the ISO standard thickness for credit cards of 0.76 millimeters. Additionally, once the user breaks the spare key away from the card carrier, the key is now loose and lacks an easy way to be stored. In effect, before the first use the keycard is convenient to store but after the first use the break-away key is no more convenient that a regular metal non-RFID blade with the proper cut. Metal backup keys are also about 3 millimeters thick (the same thickness as a normal key). This is also generally too thick for wallet storage.
It may be desirable to offer a credit-card-sized backup key that is small enough to not be considered a nuisance to carry in a wallet. For example, such a key may be useful to have as a backup for Phone-as-a-Key keyless entry systems. A difficulty in creating a usable mechanical key in the size of a credit card in that the mechanical key needs to be thicker than a credit card. This may be addressed by allowing the card to fold into the shape of a full-thickness mechanical key.
To aid in maintaining alignment of the mechanical key sections 104, the connection points 106 along the sides of the sections 104 may be provided. In one example, on one section a protrusion may be provided, which may fit into a corresponding recess on the next section. In another example, small magnets may be provided as connection points 106, placed within or on top of the sections 104 of the card to secure the sections 104 together in the folded state. The connections points 106 may be placed along the length of the mechanical key, at the base 110 (e.g., the handle region) or both.
The amount of torque needed to open a lock cylinder is on the order of one half to two Newton-meters (Nm). As the sections of the keycard 102 may be folded before use, the keycard 102 may be manufactured in a thickness and/or in a material that may be unusable to open the lock in a single section 104, but may be of acceptable strength once folded. In one example, the backup keycard 102 may be composed of metal. In another example, the backup keycard 102 may be composed of plastic. It should be also noted that different pieces of the keycard 102 may be composed of different materials. For instance, the blade 112 portions may be metal, while the hinge 108 portions and foldaway electronics area 302 (discussed below) may be made of plastic.
The insert 702 may be connected to the foldable sections 104 using a nub and recess design. In one example, the insert 702 may include nubs 704 that interface with corresponding recesses 706 in the sections 104. In another example, the insert 702 may include recesses 704 that interface with corresponding nubs 706 in the sections 104.
Thus, a user may carry a foldable keycard 102 that folds flat and thin for ease of carrying, but that folds into shape for increased thickness. Such a keycard 102 may be useful in situations in which a vehicle battery is unable to electronically unlock or otherwise power the vehicle.
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent upon reading the above description. The scope should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the technologies discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the application is capable of modification and variation.
All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless an explicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.
The abstract of the disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.
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