U.S. Patent Number 12,416,180 – Intelligent Door Lock System For Use With A Door Assembly
Every Tuesday, the United States Patent and Trademark Office publishes newly granted patents. This blog post is part of a weekly series in which I pick an interesting new patent that has Idaho connections and briefly describe it.
Inventors: Joshua Funamura (San Francisco, CA), Nicolás Pedro Lylyk (Palo Alto, CA), Patrick Kessler (San Francisco, CA), Eric Jadallah (Ketchum, ID), Jordan Fountain (San Jose, CA), Robert Sean Murphy (Sunnyvale, CA), Phillip Satterfield (San Francisco, CA), Greg Springer (Los Altos, CA), David Morgenstern (Los Altos, CA)
Assignee: WedgeTLS LLC (Ketchum, ID)
If you’ve ever fumbled with keys in the dark or worried about whether you locked the door, this week’s patent might pique your interest.
The patent describes a door lock system that improves upon the typical keypad or Bluetooth-enabled deadbolt. Particularly, the patent describes that previous electronic door locks were “quite large and hence conspicuous when mounted on the door assembly, thus affecting the overall aesthetic appeal of the room.” This lock integrates sensors, processors, and wireless communication modules directly into the lock assembly, resulting in a better-looking device.
One standout feature is its modular design. The system can be retrofitted into existing doors or built into new ones, making it flexible for both residential and commercial applications. It also supports multiple authentication methods, including RFID cards, key fobs, smart phones, and biometric inputs. That’s a big improvement from traditional locks, and it opens the door to smarter building management.