Managing multi-user access to controlled locations in a facility

Abstract

A method or system for multi-user access of a facility including multiple controlled locations is disclosed. In one step, an image of a person is obtained from a data store. An image capture device is correlated to a controlled location. An image is received for the controlled location. One or more sub-images of the image are determined. At least one of the sub-images is compared with the image of the person. Information is retrieved for the person and a control rule is retrieved for the controlled location. The system determines whether the person is allowed to access the controlled location. Depending on the determination, the system then sends a signal indicating access availability to the controlled location for the person.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices, the multi-user access system comprising:
 a data store, comprising:
 a first image of a person; 
   one or more image capture devices, wherein:
 a first image capture device transmits a second image, wherein the second image records a first representation of one or more people; and 
 wherein a second image capture device transmits a third image, wherein the third image records a second representation of at least one person; 
   a tracking engine that:
 determines a first plurality of sub-images corresponding to the one or more people in the second image; 
 compares a first subset of the first plurality of the sub-images to the first image of the person; 
 determines, using a machine image processing algorithm, that a sub-image of the first subset matches the first image of the person; 
 determines a second plurality of sub-images corresponding to the one or more people in the third image; 
 compares a second subset of the second plurality of the sub-images to the first image of the person; and 
 determines, using a machine image processing algorithm, that a sub-image of the second subset matches the first image of the person; and 
 determines a future location of the person based on the determinations that the sub-image of the first subset matches the first image and that the sub-image of the second subset matches the first image. 
   
     
     
         22 . The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of  claim 21 , wherein the tracking engine further:
 receives location information for the person from at least one of a wrist-worn device, a Bluetooth beaconing device, or a Radio Frequency Identification Device, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the location information.   
     
     
         23 . The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of  claim 21 , wherein the tracking engine further:
 determines, from a first image of the first plurality of sub-images and a second image of the second plurality of sub-images, a heading for the user, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the heading.   
     
     
         24 . The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of  claim 23 , wherein the tracking engine further:
 determines, from a first image of the first plurality of sub-images and a second image of the second plurality of sub-images, a speed for the user, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the speed.   
     
     
         25 . The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of  claim 24 , wherein the tracking engine further:
 determines an estimated arrival time at a future location based on the heading and the speed.   
     
     
         26 . The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of  claim 23 , wherein the tracking engine further:
 determines that the person has not arrived at the future location by the estimated arrival time; and   generates a notification indicating that the person has not arrived.   
     
     
         27 . The multi-user access system for a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices of  claim 23 , wherein the tracking engine further:
 determines that the person appears in two locations at a same time based on the determinations that the sub-image of the first subset matches the first image and that the sub-image of the second subset matches the first image.   generates a notification indicating that the person appears in the two locations at the same time.   
     
     
         28 . A method for managing user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices, the method comprising:
 obtaining a two-dimensional image of a person from a data store;   receiving, from a first image capture device, a first image for the first location of the facility, the image recording one or more people;   determining a first set of sub-images corresponding to the one or more people in the first image;   comparing at least one of the first set of sub-images to the two-dimensional image of the person;   determining, using a machine image processing algorithm, that the person appears in the first image for the first location;   receiving, from a second image capture device, a second image for a second location of the facility, the second image recording one or more people;   determining a second set of sub-images corresponding one or more people in the second image;   comparing at least one of the second set of sub-images to the two-dimensional image of the person;   determining, using a machine image processing algorithm, that the person appears in the second image for the second location; and   determining a future location of the person based on the determination that the person appears in the first image and the second image.   
     
     
         29 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 28 , the method further comprising:
 receiving location information for the person from at least one of a wrist-worn device, a Bluetooth beaconing device, or a Radio Frequency Identification Device, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the location information.   
     
     
         30 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 28 , the method further comprising:
 determining, from the first image and the second image, a heading for the user, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the heading.   
     
     
         31 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 30 , the method further comprising:
 determining, from the first image and the second image, a speed for the user, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the speed.   
     
     
         32 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 31 , the method further comprising:
 determining that the person appears in two locations at a same time based on the determinations that a first sub-image of the first set matches the first image and that the second sub-image of the second set matches the first image; and   generating a notification indicating that the person appears in the two locations at the same time.   
     
     
         33 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 28 , the method further comprising:
 determining an estimated arrival time at a future location based on the heading and the speed.   
     
     
         34 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 33 , the method further comprising:
 determining that the person has not arrived at the future location by the estimated arrival time; and   generating a notification indicating that the person has not arrived.   
     
     
         35 . A method for managing multi-user access of a facility having a plurality of controlled locations with a corresponding plurality of image capture devices, the method comprising:
 obtaining a two-dimensional image of a person from a data store;   receiving, from a first image capture device, a first image for the first location of the facility, the image recording one or more people;   determining a first set of sub-images corresponding to the one or more people in the first image;   comparing at least one of the first set of sub-images to the two-dimensional image of the person;   determining, using a machine image processing algorithm and the at least one of the first set of sub-images, that the person appears in the first image for the first location;   receiving, from a second image capture device, a second image for a second location of the facility, the second image recording one or more people;   determining a second set of sub-images corresponding one or more people in the second image;   comparing at least one of the second set of sub-images to the two-dimensional image of the person;   determining, using a machine image processing algorithm and the at least one of the second set of sub-images, that the person appears in the second image for the second location;   determining that the person appears to be at the first location and the second location at a same time based on the determinations that a first sub-image of the first set matches the first image and that the second sub-image of the second set matches the first image; and   generating a notification indicating that the person appears in two locations at the same time.   
     
     
         36 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 35 , the method further comprising:
 receiving location information for the person from at least one of a wrist-worn device, a Bluetooth beaconing device, or a Radio Frequency Identification Device, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the location information.   
     
     
         37 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 35 , the method further comprising:
 restricting access to the first location based on determining that the person appears to be at the first location and the second location at the same time.   
     
     
         38 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 35 , the method further comprising:
 determining a future location for the person by:
 determining, from the first image and the second image, a heading for the user, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the heading; and 
 determining, from the first image and the second image, a speed for the user, wherein determining the future location of the person is further based on the speed. 
   
     
     
         39 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 38 , the method further comprising:
 determining an estimated arrival time at a future location based on the heading and the speed.   
     
     
         40 . The method for managing user access of the facility of  claim 39 , the method further comprising:
 determining that the person has not arrived at the future location by the estimated arrival time; and   generating a notification indicating that the person has not arrived.