Enhanced claims damage estimation using aggregate display

• US 10,332,209 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Brandmaier, Jennifer A., Faga, Mark E., Johnson, Robert H., Ramirez, Philip Peter, Stricker, Kurt M., Campbell, Joshua E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brindley, Benjamin S
• Application Number:
  US14/190,976
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Systems and methods provide for an automated system for analyzing damage to process claims associated with an insured item, such as a vehicle. An enhanced claims processing server may analyze damage associated with the insured item using photos/video transmitted to the server from a user device (e.g., a mobile device). The enhanced claims processing server may submit a signal that locks one or more portions of an application on the mobile device used to submit the photos/videos. The mobile device may receive feedback from the server regarding the acceptability of submitted photos/video. The photos may further be annotated using, for example, a touch screen display. An estimate, such as a cost estimate, may be determined for the damage associated with the insured item based on the photos and/or annotations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a damage database comprising a first plurality of photos corresponding to non-damaged items and templates corresponding to damage to portions of first items and costs for repairing or replacing the portions of the first items;

receiving, at a computing device and from a mobile device, a second plurality of photos depicting damage to a second item, wherein the non-damaged items, the first items, and the second item are a same type of item;

determining, by the computing device, that the second plurality of photos depict the damage to the second item from different angles of the second item;

detecting, by the computing device, an identification number for the second item from the second plurality of photos by scanning the second plurality of photos from the different angles of the second item with optical character recognition (OCR);

determining, by the computing device and based on detecting the identification number, that the second plurality of photos are acceptable for image processing;

displaying, at a display of the computing device, a first photo of the second plurality of photos;

comparing three-dimensional coordinates of the first photo to three-dimensional coordinates of the first plurality of photos to determine a location of the damage to the second item;

receiving, via a user interface of the computing device, first input at the determined location of the damage to the second item in the first photo indicating an intent to place a first annotation;

displaying, at the display, the first annotation on the first photo at the determined location of the damage to the second item;

receiving, via the user interface, second input at the first annotation displayed on the first photo;

displaying, at the display in response to receipt of the second input, a plurality of selectable damage descriptors proximate to the first annotation;

receiving, via the user interface, third input selecting one of the damage descriptors to associate with the first annotation;

comparing the damage to the second item to the templates in the damage database to determine a template having damage similar to the second item;

determining, by the computing device, based on a cost associated with the determined template, and based on the selected one of the damage descriptors, an estimated cost for either repairing the damage to a portion of the second item corresponding to the damage or replacing the portion of the second item; and

associating, by the computing device, the estimated cost with the first annotation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a clone annotation associated with the first photo, wherein the clone annotation is linked to the first annotation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first annotation is associated with the first photo based on the clone annotation.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first annotation and the clone annotation indicate a same damage to the portion of the second item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second item comprises a vehicle, and the portion of the second item comprises a vehicle part.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated cost further comprises:

a labor duration for at least one of repairing the damage to the portion of the second item and replacing the portion of the second item; and

a labor type for at least one of repairing damage to the portion of the second item and replacing the portion of the second item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification number comprises a vehicle identification number (VIN), and the second plurality of photos depict the vehicle identification number (VIN).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimate cost is aggregated with other estimates for the second item.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, that the second plurality of photos are acceptable for image processing by further detecting that the second plurality of photos are not blurry or inaccurate; and

transmitting, to the mobile device, a message confirming that the second plurality of photos are acceptable for image processing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated cost includes labor costs selected from the group consisting of of a location of the mobile device, a residence location associated with the mobile device, a type of the second item, a labor type, and a type of the damage to the second item.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the computing device comprises a processor, a memory, and a display;

the display is capable of receiving input via touch; and

the first input is received via the display.

12. An apparatus comprising:

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

generate a damage database comprising a first plurality of photos corresponding to non-damaged items and templates corresponding to damage to portions of first items and costs for repairing or replacing the portions of the first items;

receive a plurality of photos depicting damage to a second item;

determine that the second plurality of photos depict the damage to the second item from different angles of the second item, wherein the non-damaged items, the first items, and the second item are a same type of item;

detect an identification number for the second item from the second plurality of photos by scanning the second plurality of photos from the different angles of the second item with optical character recognition (OCR);

determine, based on detection of the identification number, that the second plurality of photos are acceptable for image processing;

display, at a display of the apparatus, a first photo of the second plurality of photos;

compare three-dimensional coordinates of the first photo to three-dimensional coordinates of the first plurality of photos to determine a location of the damage to the second item;

receive, via a user interface of the apparatus, first input at the determined location of the damage to the second item in the first photo indicating an intent to place a first annotation that indicates the damage to a portion of the item;

display, at the display, the first annotation on the first photo at the location identified;

receive, via the user interface, second input at the first annotation displayed on the first photo;

display, at the display in response to receipt of the second input, a plurality of selectable damage descriptors proximate to the first annotation;

receive, via the user interface, third input selecting one of the damage descriptors to associate with the first annotation;

compare the damage to the second item to the templates in the damage database to determine a template having damage similar to the second item;

determine, based on a cost associated with the determined template and based on the selected one of the damage descriptors, an estimated cost for either repairing the damage to the portion of the item or replacing the portion of the item; and

associate the estimated cost with the first annotation.

13. A system comprising:

a network;

a mobile device; and

a first computing device comprising a processor, a display, and a user interface, wherein the mobile device and the first computing device are communicatively coupled through the network, and wherein the first computing device is configured to;

generate a damage database comprising a first plurality of photos corresponding to non-damaged items and templates corresponding to damage to portions of first items and costs for repairing or replacing the portions of the first items;

receive a second plurality of photos depicting damage to a second item from the mobile device;

determine, by a processor of the first computing device, that that the second plurality of photos depict the damage to the second item from different angles of the second item, wherein the non-damaged items, the first items, and the second item are a same type of item;

detect, by the first computing device, an identification number for the second item from the second plurality of photos by scanning the second plurality of photos from the different angles of the second item with optical character recognition (OCR);

determine, by the computing device and based on detection of the identification number, that the second plurality of photos are acceptable for image processing;

display, at the display of the first computing device, a first photo of the second plurality of photos;

compare three-dimensional coordinates of the first photo to three-dimensional coordinates of the first plurality of photos to determine a location of the damage to the second item;

receive, via the user interface of the first computing device, first input at the determined location of the damage to the second item in the first photo indicating an intent to place a first annotation;

display, at the display, the first annotation on the first photo at the determined location of the damage to the second item;

receive, via the user interface, second input at the first annotation displayed on the first photo;

display, at the display in response to receipt of the second input, a plurality of selectable damage descriptors proximate to the first annotation;

receive, via the user interface, third input selecting one of the damage descriptors to associate with the first annotation;

compare the damage to the second item to the templates in the damage database to determine a template having damage similar to the second item;

determine, by the processor, based on a cost associated with the determined template, and based on the selected one of the damage descriptors an estimated cost for either repairing the damage to a portion of the second item corresponding to the damage or replacing the portion of the second item;

associate, by the processor, the estimated cost with the first annotation; and

transmit, via the network, the estimated cost to the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

receive a clone annotation associated with the first photo, wherein the clone annotation is linked to the first annotation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first annotation is associated with the first photo based on the clone annotation.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first annotation and the clone annotation indicate a same damage to the portion of the second item.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the second item comprises a vehicle, and the portion of the second item comprises a vehicle part.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the estimated cost comprises a labor duration for at least one of repairing the damage to the portion of the second item or replacing the portion of the second item.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the second plurality of photos depict a close-up view of the damage to the portion of the second item.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the identification number comprises a vehicle identification number (VIN), and the second plurality of photos depict a vehicle identification number (VIN).