System and method for determination and use of spatial and geography based metrics in a network of distributed computer systems

• US 10,628,841 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TrueCar, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TrueCar, Inc.
• Inventors: Swinson, Michael D., O'Driscoll, Lin, Salazar, Daniel, Rizzo, Ludovica, LaCivita, Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US15/711,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20180082316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Embodiments of vehicle data systems for use in distributed computer network are disclosed. Particular embodiments may determine and enhance vehicle data from various data sources distributed across the computer network, and utilize the enhanced vehicle data in the determination of normalization metrics that account for geography and population density or spatial behavioral patterns. Embodiments may utilize these normalization metrics to assign zone labels to geographic areas and present representations of the geographic areas based on the normalization metrics across the distributed computer network.

Claims

1. A vehicle data system for determining and utilizing spatial or geography based metrics in a distributed computing environment based on enhanced data obtained from distributed sources, comprising

a data store;

and

a plurality of computing devices coupled to one another, one or more user computer devices, and a plurality of distributed data sources over a network, wherein;

a first computer device of the vehicle data system performs a back-end process including;

obtaining a set of historical transaction data associated with a vehicle make from a first distributed data source, where the set of historical transaction data comprises data on transactions associated with vehicles of the vehicle make;

enhancing the set of historical transaction records with additional vehicle data collected from a second distributed data sources by VIN by correlating the additional vehicle data collected from the second distributed data sources with data on transactions of the set of historical transaction data;

determining a competition zone index for a first dealer, a geographic area and the make of vehicle, the competition zone index quantifying the competitiveness of the first dealer in the geographic area, wherein determining the competition zone index comprises determining a distance between the geographic area and the first dealer, a distance between the geographic area and a closest second dealer, and a typical distance traveled from the zip code to purchase a vehicle of the vehicle make; and

assigning a zone label to the geographic area for the first dealer and vehicle make based on the competition zone index determined for the geographic area for the first dealer and vehicle make; and

a second computer device of the vehicle data system performs a front-end process operating distinctly from the back-end process to respond in real-time to requests received over the network using the zone label assigned to the geographic area by;

receiving a request over a channel, the request associated with the first dealer and specifying the make;

identifying a set of geographic areas within a distance of the first dealer;

obtaining a zone label associated with the first dealer and the vehicle make for each of the set of geographic areas;

generating an interface providing a visual representation of each of the set of geographic areas and the zone labels of each of the set of geographic areas associated with the first dealer and the vehicle make; and

responding to the request in real-time over the network by distributing the generated interface over the network over one or more of a plurality of channels.

2. The vehicle data system of claim 1, wherein the first dealer is a member of a first set of dealers that is the closest to the geographic area and the second dealer is a member of a second set of dealers.

3. The vehicle data system of claim 1, wherein the typical distance is a median or mean of all distances traveled from the zip code to purchase the vehicle make.

4. The vehicle data system of claim 1, wherein the zone label is one of:

backyard where the first dealer has a geographical advantage, competitive where the first dealer is at a comparable distance with other dealers, or conquest where the first dealer is at a disadvantage in terms of distance.

5. The vehicle data system of claim 1, wherein each of the zone labels are associated with a corresponding ranges of competition index values.

6. The vehicle data system of claim 1, wherein the corresponding ranges of competition index values are based on a mapping between competition index values and close rate.

7. The vehicle data system of claim 1, wherein the visual representation of each of the set of geographic areas and the zone labels of each of the set of geographic areas associated with the first dealer and the vehicle make is a map with each of the set of geographic areas color coded according to the zone label associated with the geographic area, the first dealer and the vehicle make.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for determining and utilizing spatial or geography based metrics in a distributed computing environment based on enhanced data obtained from distributed sources,

a first portion of the instructions embodied on a first computer readable medium at a first computer device of a vehicle data system, the first instructions for performing a back-end process including:

obtaining a set of historical transaction data associated with a vehicle make from a first distributed data source, where the set of historical transaction data comprises data on transactions associated with vehicles of the vehicle make;

enhancing the set of historical transaction records with additional vehicle data collected from a second distributed data sources by VIN by correlating the additional vehicle data collected from the second distributed data sources with data on transactions of the set of historical transaction data;

determining a competition zone index for a first dealer, a geographic area and the make of vehicle, the competition zone index quantifying the competitiveness of the first dealer in the geographic area, wherein determining the competition zone index comprises determining a distance between the geographic area and the first dealer, a distance between the geographic area and a closest second dealer, and a typical distance traveled from the zip code to purchase a vehicle of the vehicle make; and

assigning a zone label to the geographic area for the first dealer and vehicle make based on the competition zone index determined for the geographic area for the first dealer and vehicle make; and

a second portion of the instructions embodied on a second computer readable medium at a second computer device of the vehicle data system, the second instructions for performing a front-end process operating distinctly from the back-end process to respond in real-time to requests received over the network using the zone label assigned to the geographic area by;

receiving a request over a channel, the request associated with the first dealer and specifying the make;

identifying a set of geographic areas within a distance of the first dealer;

obtaining a zone label associated with the first dealer and the vehicle make for each of the set of geographic areas;

generating an interface providing a visual representation of each of the set of geographic areas and the zone labels of each of the set of geographic areas associated with the first dealer and the vehicle make; and

responding to the request in real-time over the network by distributing the generated interface over the network over one or more of a plurality of channels.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first dealer is a member of a first set of dealers that is the closest to the geographic area and the second dealer is a member of a second set of dealers.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the typical distance is a median or mean of all distances traveled from the zip code to purchase the vehicle make.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the zone label is one of:

backyard where the first dealer has a geographical advantage, competitive where the first dealer is at a comparable distance with other dealers, or conquest where the first dealer is at a disadvantage in terms of distance.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein each of the zone labels are associated with a corresponding ranges of competition index values.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the corresponding ranges of competition index values are based on a mapping between competition index values and close rate.

14. The vehicle data system of claim 8, wherein the visual representation of each of the set of geographic areas and the zone labels of each of the set of geographic areas associated with the first dealer and the vehicle make is a map with each of the set of geographic areas color coded according to the zone label associated with the geographic area, the first dealer and the vehicle make.