Tor Sørnes
Encyclopedia
Tor Sørnes is a Norwegian author
, politician
, engineer
and the designer and inventor of the VingCard, the first recodable keycard lock
and the magnetic stripe keycard lock
.
in Rogaland
county, Norway
as a son of inventor, radio technician and clock
maker Rasmus Sørnes
. Being the son of an inventor, Tor Sørnes occupied himself with technical matters already as a child. In 1950 he was employed a production planner at steel and ironware factory Christiania Staal & Jernvarefabrikk in Moss, Norway
. The factory made locks
and ice skate
s under the brand Ving. In 1955 he became the factory's machine constructor and when the factory in 1960—as one of the first in the country—established a department of research and development, he was its director.
In 1975 he launched the holecard based recodeable keycard lock
, where each new hotel guest could have his/her own unique key formed by a pattern of 32 holes in a plastic card. The invention is still in worldwide hotel security use under the brand VingCard. The 32 holes in the key gave 4.2 billion combinations, the precise same number as the population of the earth
at the time. This lock system was patented in 29 countries. In 1975 Tor Sørnes launched the first recodeable cardkey lock, the VingCard, which used a holecard plastic key. He then led the development of and patented the electronic keycard lock
, based on the magnetic stripe key.
Export of the system was initialized in 1978 when it was installed Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia
, at the time the world's tallest hotel. The hotel had been troubled by burglaries and was eager to test new security innovations.
In 1992-93 the electronic magnetic stripe card lock was launched and became a world wide success. Tor Sørnes continued as a vice president and director of R&D at VingCard until retirement in 1992. Following the merger in November 1994 between VingCard's former owners, Abloy Security, and the Swedish Securitas AB
, VingCard is now part of Assa Abloy
, a Swedish lock manufacturer.
Tor Sørnes is a retired member of Moss
City council
, and lives in Jeløy
.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and the designer and inventor of the VingCard, the first recodable keycard lock
Keycard lock
A keycard lock is a lock operated by a keycard, a flat, rectangular plastic card with identical dimensions to that of a credit card or American driver's license which stores a physical or digital signature which the door mechanism accepts before disengaging the lock.There are several popular type...
and the magnetic stripe keycard lock
Keycard lock
A keycard lock is a lock operated by a keycard, a flat, rectangular plastic card with identical dimensions to that of a credit card or American driver's license which stores a physical or digital signature which the door mechanism accepts before disengaging the lock.There are several popular type...
.
Biography
Tor Sørnes was born in SolaSola
Sola is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren. The old municipality of Håland was divided into Sola and Madla in 1930....
in Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
as a son of inventor, radio technician and clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
maker Rasmus Sørnes
Rasmus Sørnes
Rasmus Jonassen Sørnes , inventor, clockmaker and radio technician, is most famous for his astronomical clocks, but also designed in his lifetime a large variety of agricultural, radio-technical and mechanical devices, only a few of them patented.Rasmus Sørnes was born in Sola in Norway in 1893...
. Being the son of an inventor, Tor Sørnes occupied himself with technical matters already as a child. In 1950 he was employed a production planner at steel and ironware factory Christiania Staal & Jernvarefabrikk in Moss, Norway
Moss, Norway
is a coastal city and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Moss. The city of Moss was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
. The factory made locks
Lock (device)
A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object or secret information , or combination of more than one of these....
and ice skate
Ice skate
Ice skates are boots with blades attached to the bottom, used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice. They are worn as footwear in many sports, including ice hockey, bandy and figure skating. The first ice skates were made from leg bones of horse, ox or deer, and were attached to feet with...
s under the brand Ving. In 1955 he became the factory's machine constructor and when the factory in 1960—as one of the first in the country—established a department of research and development, he was its director.
In 1975 he launched the holecard based recodeable keycard lock
Keycard lock
A keycard lock is a lock operated by a keycard, a flat, rectangular plastic card with identical dimensions to that of a credit card or American driver's license which stores a physical or digital signature which the door mechanism accepts before disengaging the lock.There are several popular type...
, where each new hotel guest could have his/her own unique key formed by a pattern of 32 holes in a plastic card. The invention is still in worldwide hotel security use under the brand VingCard. The 32 holes in the key gave 4.2 billion combinations, the precise same number as the population of the earth
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
at the time. This lock system was patented in 29 countries. In 1975 Tor Sørnes launched the first recodeable cardkey lock, the VingCard, which used a holecard plastic key. He then led the development of and patented the electronic keycard lock
Keycard lock
A keycard lock is a lock operated by a keycard, a flat, rectangular plastic card with identical dimensions to that of a credit card or American driver's license which stores a physical or digital signature which the door mechanism accepts before disengaging the lock.There are several popular type...
, based on the magnetic stripe key.
Export of the system was initialized in 1978 when it was installed Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, at the time the world's tallest hotel. The hotel had been troubled by burglaries and was eager to test new security innovations.
In 1992-93 the electronic magnetic stripe card lock was launched and became a world wide success. Tor Sørnes continued as a vice president and director of R&D at VingCard until retirement in 1992. Following the merger in November 1994 between VingCard's former owners, Abloy Security, and the Swedish Securitas AB
Securitas AB
Securitas AB is a security services , monitoring, consulting and investigation group, based in Stockholm, Sweden. The group has approximately 300,000 employees in 50 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Securitas AB is listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm,...
, VingCard is now part of Assa Abloy
Assa Abloy
The Assa Abloy Group is a Swedish lock manufacturer, the world's largest by sales. Assa Abloy was formed in 1994 when ASSA AB was detached from Swedish security firm Securitas AB. Shortly thereafter the Finnish high-security lock manufacturer Abloy Oy was acquired. The company was introduced to...
, a Swedish lock manufacturer.
Tor Sørnes is a retired member of Moss
Moss, Norway
is a coastal city and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Moss. The city of Moss was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
City council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
, and lives in Jeløy
Jeløy
Jeløy is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway.Jeløy was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
.
Selected works
- 2003 - Klokkemakeren Rasmus Sørnes (Borgarsyssel Museum, Sarpsborg Norway) ISBN 82-996847-0-6