In 1975, Norwegian engineer Tor Sørnes invented the first recordable hotel keycard lock, revolutionizing access control worldwide. In fact, the invention is still in worldwide hotel security use under the brand VingCard.
VingCard had a pattern of holes that could be manipulated into 32 positions to form a unique hotel card for each guest. The 32 holes in the key gave 4.2 billion combinations. This lock system was patented in 29 countries.
Nowadays, when you check into a hotel, the chances are you will be given a plastic key card for your room, featuring either a magnetic stripe or an RFID chip. However, VingCard’s hole pattern key card is still in use in many hotels. Despite the newer electronic technology developed in the past 40 years, there is a lot to say for a lock system that requires no batteries, no front desk equipment, no wiring or no PC, and yet allows high security and multiple levels of access. These mechanical locks have endured the test of time, which is why they are still in use in many hotels and vessels worldwide. However, it is increasingly difficult to find spare parts or keycards.
New Lock Systems has been manufacturing pre-punched key cards for the Vingcard 1050 system for decades. Despite the challenges presented by the fact that this system is practically obsolete, we are proud to be able to supply these key cards worldwide to those hotels that still use this lock system.
More information about Key Cards in this link
