General Electric Company

Scott D Westfall

Dirk Livingston Bellamy

Teri Lynné Briskey

Dean Sinn

Isaac J Mosgrove

Sean Beebe

Adam Kuenzi

Jon Marc Luebeck

Ron Chapin

David Condon

A key management system for controlling access to vehicle keys includes a key set, a key container and an electronic access device. The key set includes vehicle keys to a particular vehicle and a key tag associated with the vehicle keys having an electronically readable identifier. The key container has a key set storage area secured by an electronic lock and a circuit that detects when the key set is stored in the key set storage area. The access device is carried by a user to access the key container, and has a memory that is updated with at least the identifier of the key tag when the key container is successfully accessed.

System for managing physical assets

A decentralized key management system for controlling access to multiple vehicles among multiple users includes vehicle keys for the respective vehicles, individual locking key containers for the vehicles, electronic access devices for assignment to the users and a database. Each of the containers has a storage area within which a vehicle key or keys for one vehicle can be stored operable to unlock key containers if authorized. The access devices are operable to unlock the key containers if authorized. The access devices are programmable with information from the database such that an assigned access device is programmed with a specific user's access privileges for obtaining access to one or more of the vehicles in the system.

Managing access to physical assets

Methods for managing access to physical assets

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Salem, OR, United States of America

Scott D Westfall