Obtaining insurance information in response to optical input

• US 10,255,639 B1
• Filed: 08/12/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Friedman, Benjamin, Saban, Yuval
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Joseph W.
• Application Number:
  US15/235,213
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for retrieving insurance information of an insurance customer at a mobile device. An insurance information token may be affixed to a vehicle and scanned by an optical input device of the mobile device. The optical input device may thus obtain optical input corresponding to the insurance information token. The insurance information of the insurance customer may be retrieved based on the optical input and presented at a display device of the mobile device upon retrieval. The mobile device may also provide a message to an insurance system indicating that the insurance information token was scanned. Telematics information may also be analyzed in response to receipt of the message to determine whether to automatically create an insurance claim for the customer.

Claims

1. A method for responding to a request for insurance policy information comprising:

automatically transmitting, from a vehicle telematics device installed in a vehicle and to an insurance system, vehicle operation information that characterizes operation of the vehicle, the vehicle operation information comprising a first date and a first time;

determining, based on an analysis of the vehicle operation information by the insurance system, that an incident involving the vehicle has occurred;

scanning, by a mobile device, a physical token affixed to the vehicle, wherein;

the scanning of the physical token causes the mobile device to transmit a message;

the physical token comprises a unique identifier associated with an insurance policy for the vehicle; and

the message comprises a second date, a second time, and the unique identifier;

receiving, by the insurance system, the message transmitted by the mobile device;

obtaining, by the insurance system using the unique identifier, insurance policy information associated with the insurance policy for the vehicle;

transmitting, by the insurance system to the mobile device, the obtained insurance policy information, wherein receipt of the insurance policy information at the mobile device causes the mobile device to display the insurance policy information;

determining, by the insurance system, that the mobile device optically scanned the physical token within a predetermined time period after the incident occurred by comparing the first date to the second date and comparing the first time to the second time; and

automatically creating, by the insurance system, an insurance claim for the incident based on the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the insurance system, that the mobile device optically scanned the physical token within a predetermined distance of the incident by comparing a first geographic location indicated in the vehicle operation information to a second geographic location indicated in the message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating, by the insurance system, a response to the determined incident.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the response comprises notifying, by the insurance system, an insurance agent that the incident occurred.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the response comprises identifying, by the insurance system, a second individual involved in the determined incident.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the vehicle operation information further comprises a geographic location; and

identifying an additional individual involved in the incident comprises;

determining, by the insurance system and based on an analysis of second vehicle operation information received from a second vehicle associated with the second individual, that a second incident involving the second vehicle has occurred, and

determining, by the insurance system, that the incident and the second incident occurred on the same date, at substantially the same time, and at substantially the same geographic location.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the message further comprises a geographic location; and

identifying, by the insurance system, an additional individual involved in the incident comprises;

the insurance system determining that a second message was received from a second mobile device operated by the second individual, the second message indicating a request to display second insurance policy information characterizing a second insurance policy for a second vehicle, and

determining, by the insurance system, that the request to display the second insurance policy information occurred on the same date, within a predetermined time period, and within a predetermined distance of the geographic location that the mobile device optically scanned the physical token.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the response comprises;

instructing the mobile device to display a set of questions to the mobile device for presentation to the individual, each question in the set of questions asking the individual to provide information relating to the incident, and

receiving, by the insurance system from the mobile device, a set of answers, each answer in the set of answers corresponding to one of the questions in the set of questions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the insurance system provides the set of questions to the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the response comprises determining, by the insurance system, whether a second insurance system has determined a corresponding vehicle incident has occurred involving a second vehicle by querying the second insurance system with at least one of;

(i) the first date of the vehicle operation information, the first time of the vehicle operation information, and a first geographic location indicated in the vehicle operation information, or

(ii) the second date of the message, the second time of the message, and a second geographic location indicated in the message.

11. A system for responding to a request for insurance policy information comprising:

a physical token affixed to a vehicle, the physical token comprising a unique identifier, the unique identifier being associated with an insurance policy for the vehicle;

a telematics device located in the vehicle, the telematics device comprising memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of the telematics device, cause the telematics device to;

generate vehicle operation information during operation of the vehicle, the vehicle operation information characterizing the operation of the vehicle and comprising a first date and a first time, and

automatically transmit the vehicle operation information to an insurance system;

a mobile device operated by an individual associated with the vehicle, the mobile device comprising memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of the mobile device, cause the mobile device to;

optically scan the physical token,

automatically transmit, to the insurance system and based on the optical scanning of the physical token, a message indicating that the mobile device optically scanned the physical token, the message comprising a second date and a second time, and

automatically display insurance policy information received from the insurance system; and

wherein the insurance system that receives the vehicle operation information from the telematics device and the message from the mobile device comprises memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of the insurance system, cause the insurance system to;

obtain the insurance policy information using the unique identifier such that the insurance policy information is associated with the insurance policy for the vehicle,

transmit the insurance policy information to the mobile device, wherein receipt of the insurance policy information at the mobile device causes the mobile device to display the insurance policy information;

determine, based on an analysis of the vehicle operation information, that an incident involving the vehicle has occurred,

determine that the mobile device optically scanned the physical token within a predetermined time period after the incident occurred by comparing the first date to the second date and comparing the first time to the second time, and

automatically create an insurance claim for the incident based on the comparing.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the instructions stored at the memory of the insurance system, when executed by the processor of the insurance system, further cause the insurance system to determine that the mobile device optically scanned the physical token within a predetermined distance of the incident by comparing a first geographic location indicated in the vehicle operation information to a second geographic location indicated in the message.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the instructions stored at the memory of the insurance system, when executed by the processor of the insurance system, further cause the insurance system to initiate a response to the determined incident.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the response comprises the insurance system notifying an insurance agent that the incident occurred.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the response comprises the insurance system identifying a second individual involved in the incident.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the vehicle operation information further comprises a geographic location; and

identifying, by the insurance system, an additional individual involved in the incident comprises;

determining, by the insurance system and based on an analysis of second vehicle operation information received from a second vehicle associated with the second individual, that a second incident involving the second vehicle has occurred, and

determining, by the insurance system, that the incident and the second incident occurred on the same date, at substantially the same time, and at substantially the same geographic location.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the message further comprises a geographic location; and

identifying, by the insurance system, an additional individual involved in the incident comprises;

the insurance system determining that the insurance system received a second message from a second mobile device operated by the second individual, the second message indicating a request to display second insurance policy information characterizing a second insurance policy for a second vehicle, and

determining, by the insurance system, that the request to display the second insurance policy information occurred on the same date, within a predetermined time period, and within a predetermined distance of the geographic location that the mobile device optically scanned the physical token.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the response comprises;

instructing the mobile device to display a set of questions to the mobile device for presentation to the individual, each question in the set of questions asking the individual to provide information relating to the incident, and

receiving, by the insurance system from the mobile device, a set of answers, each answer in the set of answers corresponding to one of the questions in the set of questions.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the insurance system provides the set of questions to the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the response comprises determining, by the insurance system, whether a second insurance system has determined a corresponding vehicle incident has occurred involving a second vehicle by querying the second insurance system with at least one of;

(i) the first date of the vehicle operation information, the first time of the vehicle operation information, and a first geographic location indicated in the vehicle operation information, or

(ii) the second date of the message, the second time of the message, and a second geographic location indicated in the message.