Electronic lock

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In accordance with the present invention, an electronic lock is provided which overcomes substantial disadvantages associated with prior art.
In the first aspect of the present invention, an electronic lock system includes a key having a memory for storing a first parameter comprising a plurality of fields and a second parameter indicative of a number of the fields.
A lock comprises a receptacle for reading the first and second parameters from the key's memory and compare circuitry for comparing respective fields of the first parameter with a third parameter stored in the lock, with the number of fields compared based on the second parameter.
Access to the lock is provided responsive to the compare circuitry, such that a single key may access a predetermined set of locks.
In a second aspect of the present invention, an electronic lock system comprises a lock including processing circuitry for performing a plurality of functions and an electronic key having a memory for storing key parameters, one of the key parameters being a control word having a plurality of fields corresponding to respective functions, each field indicative of whether the key is configured to access the respective function.
A second control word has fields corresponding to the fields of the first control word, each field of the second control word indicative of whether the key's access to the respective function can be modified.