Systems and methods for proactive weather preparedness

• US 10,346,923 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Travelers Indemnity Company (The Travelers Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Travelers Indemnity Company (The Travelers Cos., Inc.)
• Inventors: Philbrick, William S., Klein, William, Brown, Caston S., Hurley, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/710,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, interfaces, methods, and articles of manufacture that provide for proactive weather awareness and actions.

Claims

1. A system for automatically selecting and actuating a first remote physical object at a first one of a plurality of locations associated with an insurance customer, in response to weather event alert data for the first one of the locations, comprising:

a remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object disposed at a first location associated with a first insurance policy and a first insured object associated with the insurance customer, wherein the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object comprises at least one of a hurricane shutter, a door, a hatch, a lock, a latch, a relay, a solenoid, and a lift; and

a centralized controller device in communication with the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, the centralized controller comprising a processing device, a communication device, and a data storage device storing (i) insured object status data, (ii) insured object location data, and (iii) weather action instructions, wherein execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device results in;

receiving, via the communication device, a broadcast of a weather alert indicating a weather alert type and a weather alert location;

identifying, by the processing device and based on the stored insured object location data, the received weather alert type, and the received weather alert location, an applicable weather alert preparedness action for the first insured object;

identifying, by the processing device and based on the stored insured object status data, that the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object should be actuated;

transmitting, by the communication device and to the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, a command signal that causes the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object to actuate; and

updating, by the processing device, the stored insured object status data to reflect the actuation of the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object comprises a first remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, the system further comprising:

a second remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object disposed at a second location associated with a second insurance policy and a second insured object associated with the insurance customer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device further results in:

identifying, by comparing the received weather alert location to stored indications of the plurality of locations associated with the insurance customer, that the weather alert applies to the first location.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the insured object location data comprises the stored indications of the plurality of locations associated with the insurance customer.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the weather alert comprises a first weather alert, the weather alert type comprises a first weather alert type, the weather alert location comprises a first weather alert location, and wherein the execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device further results in:

receiving, via the communication device, a broadcast of a second weather alert indicating a second weather alert type and second weather alert location.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device further results in:

identifying, by comparing the received second weather alert location to the stored indications of the plurality of locations associated with the insurance customer, that the second weather alert applies to the second location.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device further results in:

identifying, by the processing device and based on the stored insured object location data, the received second weather alert type, and the received second weather alert location, an applicable weather alert preparedness action for the second insured object;

identifying, by the processing device and based on the stored insured object status data, that the second remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object should be actuated;

transmitting, by the communication device and to the second remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, a command signal that causes the second remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object to actuate; and

updating, by the processing device, the stored insured object status data to reflect the actuation of the second remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device further results in:

prompting, by the processing device and via a touch sensitive input/output device, the insurance customer to capture images of the first location; and

receiving, by the processing device and in response to the prompting, data comprising one or more images captured of the first location.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device further results in:

verifying, by the processing device and based on the data comprising the one or more images, the stored insured object status data reflecting the actuation of the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object; and

providing, by the processing device and in response to the verifying of the stored insured object status data reflecting the actuation of the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, an incentive to the insurance customer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the incentive comprises at least one of an insurance premium discount, a lower insurance deductible, and an increase in insurance coverage.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device further results in:

receiving, by the processing device and after the receiving of the data comprising the one or more images, an indication of an insurance claim by the insurance customer; and

determining, by the processing device and based on the data comprising the one or more images, a validity of the insurance claim.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the applicable weather alert preparedness action for the first insured object, comprises:

querying, utilizing an identifier of the first location, a database of insurance data for a plurality of insurance policy locations;

identifying, based on the querying, that a type of insured object assigned to the first insured object requires protection from a weather-related peril associated with the particular weather alert type of the active weather alert; and

determining, based on the particular weather alert type of the active weather alert, the specific weather event preparation action for the first location.

13. A system for automatically selecting and moving a first remote physical object at a first one of a plurality of locations associated with an insurance customer, in response to weather event alert data for the first one of the locations, comprising:

a remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object disposed at a first location associated with a first insurance policy and a first insured object associated with the insurance customer, the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object being operable to move between a first position and a second position, and wherein the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object comprises at least one of a hurricane shutter, a door, a hatch, a lock, a latch, a relay, a solenoid, and a lift; and

a centralized controller device in communication with the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, the centralized controller comprising a processing device, a communication device, and a data storage device storing (i) insured object status data identifying a current position of the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, (ii) insured object location data, and (iii) weather action instructions, wherein execution of the weather action instructions by the processing device results in;

receiving, via the communication device, a broadcast of a weather alert indicating a weather alert type and a weather alert location;

identifying, by the processing device and based on the stored insured object location data, the received weather alert type, and the received weather alert location, an applicable weather alert preparedness action for the first insured object;

identifying, by the processing device and based on the stored insured object status data, that the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object should be moved from the current position to at least one of the first position and the second position;

transmitting, by the communication device and to the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object, a command signal that causes the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object to move to the at least one of the first position and the second position; and

updating, by the processing device, the stored insured object status data to reflect the movement of the remotely-controllable electro-mechanical physical object to the at least one of the first position and the second position.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the first position and the second position comprise, respectively, at least one of:

open and closed positions, unlocked and locked positions, and in water and out of water positions.