US Patent 9437062 Electronic lock authentication method and system

An electronic lock authentication system and associated method including an electronic lock and a cellular phone in communication with a network and in wireless communication with the electronic lock. The electronic lock has a lock identification and is configured to transmit the lock identification wirelessly to the cellular phone. The cellular phone has a phone identification and is configured to transmit the lock identification and the phone identification to the network. The network is configured to make a decision in real time whether the cellular phone is permitted access to the electronic lock based on the lock identification and the phone identification, and is further configured to transmit a grant/deny message to the cellular phone based on the decision, and the cellular phone is configured to transmit the grant/deny message to the electronic lock.