Creating a scene for property claims adjustment

• US 10,068,296 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Patel, Jay A., Brandmaier, Jennifer A., Faga, Mark E., Gillespie, James, Horn, Roger, Hughes, Stephen, Ismaili, Alinawaz, Koza, Daniel, Loo, William, Lowry, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/699,409
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: 382103, 705 4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus provide for an automated system for analyzing damage to insured property. A server may receive images of a scene (e.g., a room, house, apartment, etc.) from a user at a mobile device. The server may analyze the images to create a holistic view of the scene. The server and/or mobile device may be able to generate dimensions of the scene and compare those dimensions to the dimensions of a damaged property at the scene to determine the extent of damage to the property. The server may also be able to detect gaps between images as it creates the holistic view of the scene.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

controlling, by an image control module of a computing device having at least one processor and via a website hosted by a server, image capturing functionality of a mobile device of a user, the image control module being located remotely from the mobile device;

adjusting, via the image control module, a direction the image capturing device of the mobile device is facing;

capturing, by the mobile device and based on instructions received from the image control module, images of insured property;

displaying, by the mobile device being controlled by the image control module, the captured images of the insured property;

determining, by the mobile device of the user, a network condition;

responsive to determining that the network condition is at a first level, transmitting the captured images from the mobile device to the computing device in a first resolution;

subsequent to transmission of the images in the first resolution, determining, by the mobile device, that the network condition is at a second level;

responsive to determining that the network condition is at a second level, transmitting the images from the mobile device to the computing device in a second, higher resolution;

receiving, by the computing device, the captured images from the mobile device;

determining, by at least one of an image recognition module and a document recognition module of the computing device, if the captured images are acceptable for analysis;

sending, by the computing device and to the mobile device, instructions for capturing additional images if the captured images not acceptable;

automatically detecting, by the computing device, information displayed by the captured images if the images are acceptable for analysis;

using metadata captured by the mobile device, stitching, by the computing device, the received images together to generate a scene of at least one room;

automatically estimating, by the computing device and using a stereoscopic technique, a degree of damage to the insured property if the images are acceptable for analysis; and

providing, by the computing device, feedback to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically detecting comprises comparing, by the computing device, the captured images to other images stored at the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information displayed by the captured images is text.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the captured images at the computing device with descriptors of the information displayed in the captured images.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback comprises sending mitigation dispatch to a location where the captured images were captured.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the images are photographs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the captured images are acceptable for analysis includes determining whether the insured property captured in the captured images is related to a submitted claim.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling image capturing functionality of a mobile device of a user and the capturing images of insured property are performed in real-time.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor, cause at least one computing device to:

control, by an image control module of the at least one computing device and via a website hosted by a server, image capturing functionality of a mobile device of a user, the image control module being located remotely from the mobile device;

adjust, via the image control module, a direction the image capturing device of the mobile device is facing;

capture, by the mobile device and based on instructions received from the image control module, images of insured property;

display, by the mobile device being controlled by the image control module, the captured images of the insured property;

determine, by the mobile device of the user, a network condition;

responsive to determining that the network condition is at a first level, transmit the captured images from the mobile device to the computing device in a first resolution;

subsequent to transmission of the captured images in the first resolution, determine, by the mobile device, that the network condition is at a second level;

responsive to determining that the network condition is at a second level, transmit the captured images from the mobile device to the computing device in a second, higher resolution;

receive, by the computing device, the captured images from the mobile device;

determine, by at least one of an image recognition module and a document recognition module of the computing device, if the captured images are acceptable for analysis;

send, by the computing device, instructions for capturing additional images if the captured images not acceptable;

automatically detect, by the computing device, information displayed by the captured images if the captured images are acceptable for analysis;

using metadata captured by the mobile device, stitch, by the computing device, the received images together to generate a scene of at least one room;

automatically estimate, using a stereoscopic technique, a degree of damage to the insured property if the captured images are acceptable for analysis; and

provide, by the computing device, feedback to the mobile device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one computing device to compare the captured images to other images stored at the computing device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the information displayed by the captured images is text.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further including instructions that when executed cause the at least one computing device to store the captured images at the computing device with descriptors of the information displayed in the captured images.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the feedback comprises sending mitigation dispatch to a location where the captured images were captured.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the captured images are photographs.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

control, by an image control module of the apparatus and via a website hosted by a server, image capturing functionality of a mobile device of a user, the image control module being located remotely from the mobile device;

adjust, via the image control module, a direction the image capturing device of the mobile device is facing

capture, by the mobile device and based on instructions received from the image capture module, images of insured property;

display, by the mobile device being controlled by the image control module, the captured images of the insured property;

determine, by the mobile device of the user, a network condition;

responsive to determining that the network condition is at a first level, transmit the captured images from the mobile device to a computing device in a first resolution;

subsequent to transmission of the captured images in the first resolution, determine, by the mobile device, that the network condition is at a second level;

responsive to determining that the network condition is at a second level, transmit the captured images from the mobile device to the computing device in a second, higher resolution;

receive the captured images from the mobile device;

determine, by at least one of an image recognition module and a document recognition module of the apparatus, if the captured images are acceptable for analysis;

send instructions for capturing additional images if the captured images not acceptable;

automatically detect information displayed by the captured images if the images are acceptable for analysis;

using metadata captured by the mobile device, stitch, by the computing device, the received images together to generate a scene of at least one room;

automatically estimate, using a stereoscopic technique, a degree of damage to the insured property if the images are acceptable for analysis; and

provide feedback to the mobile device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the apparatus to compare the captured images to other images stored at the computing device.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information displayed by the captured images is text.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the feedback comprises sending mitigation dispatch to a location where the captured images were captured.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the captured images are photographs.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein determining if the captured images are acceptable for analysis includes determining whether the insured property captured in the captured images is related to a submitted claim.