Method and system for displaying an initial loss report including repair information

• US 10,460,535 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Leise, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Akintola, Olabode
• Application Number:
  US15/477,201
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 701 314, 701482, 701 291
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/00 Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0275 Fault isolation and identification, e.g. classify fault; estimate cause or root of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 : Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

To determine a treatment facility for repairing a damaged vehicle, a display allows a user to select from several treatment facilities assigned to the same treatment complexity level category as the damaged vehicle. The display may be generated by receiving and analyzing sensor data for the damaged vehicle to determine an extent of damage to the vehicle. The extent of damage is then used to determine the treatment complexity level for the vehicle. The display may also include availability information for each treatment facility, an estimated amount of time for completing the treatment, and/or an estimated cost of repair. Once the user selects a treatment facility for performing the treatment, a request to transport the damaged vehicle to the treatment facility may be sent to the selected treatment facility or to a vehicle transporter.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an initial loss report for a damaged vehicle, the method executed by one or more processors programmed to perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, sensor data from a vehicle connected to a plurality of sensors including a plurality of;

vehicle part position data from spatial sensors disposed within the vehicle, vehicle image data from an image capturing device disposed within the vehicle, vehicle acceleration data from an accelerometer disposed within the vehicle, vehicle velocity data from a positioning device disposed within the vehicle, or vehicle direction data from the positioning device and an indication of a crash for the vehicle;

analyzing, by the one or more processors, the sensor data to determine an extent of damage to the vehicle;

in response to determining the extent of the damage to the vehicle, automatically determining, by the one or more processors, a treatment complexity level based on the extent of the damage to the vehicle, the treatment complexity level representing a degree of difficulty associated with treating the vehicle;

causing, by the one or more processors, indications of one or more treatment facilities capable of performing treatment for the vehicle at the determined treatment complexity level to be displayed on a user interface;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a selection of one of the one or more displayed treatment facilities; and

transmitting, by the one more processors, information associated with transporting the vehicle to the selected treatment facility.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising for each of the one or more displayed treatment facilities, causing, by the one or more processors, one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics to be displayed on the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the one or more processors, an authorization from an owner of the vehicle for the selected treatment facility to begin the treatment on the vehicle after the treatment facility has been selected.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

causing, by the one or more processors, a notification to be displayed to the owner of the vehicle requesting the owner to authorize the treatment from the treatment facility, wherein the notification includes indications of one or more vehicle parts requiring treatment and an associated cost for each vehicle part.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein causing indications of one or more treatment facilities to be displayed comprises:

receiving, at the one or more processors, a plurality of indications of treatment facilities;

assigning, by the one or more processors, each of the plurality of indications of treatment facilities to one of a plurality of treatment complexity levels;

for each of the plurality of treatment complexity levels, ranking, by the one or more processors, each of the plurality of indications of treatment facilities assigned to the treatment complexity level based on the one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics; and

causing, by the one or more processors, a subset of treatment facilities assigned to the same complexity level as the determined complexity level for treating the vehicle and ranked above a predetermined threshold ranking to be displayed on the user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics includes at least one of:

duration data for the treatment facility, a treatment facility quality rating, a treatment facility availability, a price schedule for treating damaged vehicles, treatment facility location data, or a quality rating for one or more suppliers used by the treatment facility.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein

the duration data for the treatment facility includes an estimated number of days for completing the treatment on the vehicle,

the treatment facility quality rating includes a grade for the treatment facility, and

the treatment facility availability includes a projected date for beginning the treatment on the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein causing one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics to be displayed on the user interface comprises for each of the one or more displayed treatment facilities, causing, by the one or more processors, a calendar to be displayed on the user interface, wherein the calendar includes at least one of:

an indication of a first projected date for the displayed treatment facility to begin the treatment on the vehicle, or

an indication of a second projected date for the displayed treatment facility to complete the treatment on the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment complexity level includes a price schedule for treating the vehicle, and a time duration for completing the treatment of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing one or more indications of a current status of vehicle repair for the vehicle to be displayed on the user interface, wherein each indication signifies that a portion of a vehicle repair process has been completed.

11. A system for displaying an initial loss report for a damaged vehicle, the system comprising:

a communication network; and

one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the communication network, each of the one or more computing devices having a memory and one or more processors and at least one of the computing device configured to;

receive sensor data from a vehicle connected to a plurality of sensors including a plurality of;

vehicle part position data from spatial sensors disposed within the vehicle, vehicle image data from an image capturing device disposed within the vehicle, vehicle acceleration data from an accelerometer disposed within the vehicle, vehicle velocity data from a positioning device disposed within the vehicle, or vehicle direction data from the positioning device and an indication of a crash for the vehicle,

analyze the sensor data to determine an extent of damage to the vehicle;

in response to determining the extent of the damage to the vehicle,

automatically determine a treatment complexity level based on the extent of the damage to the vehicle, the treatment complexity level representing a degree of difficulty associated with treating the vehicle,

cause indications of one or more treatment facilities capable of performing treatment for the vehicle at the determined treatment complexity level to be displayed on a user interface,

receive a selection of one of the one or more displayed treatment facilities, and

transmit, via the communication network, information associated with transporting the vehicle to the selected treatment facility.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to for each of the one or more displayed treatment facilities, cause one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics to be displayed on the user interface.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to receive an authorization from an owner of the vehicle for the selected treatment facility to begin the treatment on the vehicle after the treatment facility has been selected.

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

cause a notification to be displayed to the owner of the vehicle requesting the owner to authorize the treatment from the treatment facility, wherein the notification includes indications of one or more vehicle parts requiring treatment and an associated cost for each vehicle part.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein to cause indications of one or more treatment facilities to be displayed, the at least one computing device is configured to:

receive a plurality of indications of treatment facilities via the communication network,

assign each of the plurality of indications of treatment facilities to one of a plurality of treatment complexity levels,

for each of the plurality of treatment complexity levels, rank each of the plurality of indications of treatment facilities assigned to the treatment complexity level based on the one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics, and

cause a subset of treatment facilities assigned to the same complexity level as the determined complexity level for treating the vehicle and ranked above a predetermined threshold ranking to be displayed on the user interface.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics includes at least one of:

duration data for the treatment facility, a treatment facility quality rating, a treatment facility availability, a price schedule for treating damaged vehicles, treatment facility location data, or a quality rating for one or more suppliers used by the treatment facility.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein

the duration data for the treatment facility includes an estimated number of days for completing the treatment on the vehicle,

the treatment facility quality rating includes a grade for the treatment facility, and

the treatment facility availability includes a projected date for beginning the treatment on the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 12, to cause one or more treatment facility evaluation characteristics to be displayed on the user interface, the at least one computing device is configured to for each of the one or more displayed treatment facilities, cause a calendar to be displayed on the user interface, wherein the calendar includes at least one of:

an indication of a first projected date for the displayed treatment facility to begin the treatment on the vehicle, or

an indication of a second projected date for the displayed treatment facility to complete the treatment on the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the treatment complexity level includes a price schedule for treating the vehicle, and a time duration for completing the treatment of the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to cause one or more indications of a current status of vehicle repair for the vehicle to be displayed on the user interface, wherein each indication signifies that a portion of a vehicle repair process has been completed.