Method and apparatus for risk-related use of vehicle communication system data
First Claim
1. A method for abstracting on-board vehicle data, comprising:
- receiving data from a sensor indicative of a specific operating characteristic of the vehicle; and
converting the data into an abstract score indicative of the specific operating characteristic of the vehicle over a period of time.
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Abstract
The invention disclosed utilizes a computer system that accepts and stores information from subscribers of vehicle communication systems. This information includes information about vehicle drivers, the vehicle and scored data that represents the operational characteristics of the vehicle that has been obtained from vehicle sensors and transmitted through the vehicle communication system. Captured sensor data is processed and presented through a standardized scoring system to protect driver privacy, provide a means for assessing and measuring relative driver safety and to facilitate the offering of insurance discounts by insurance companies. The invention further provides a mechanism for vehicle owners to obtain lower insurance rates based on scored safety-related data and for insurance companies to obtain new insurance subscribers and to provide them insurance discounts based on scored safety-related data.
675 Citations
46 Claims
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1. A method for abstracting on-board vehicle data, comprising:
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receiving data from a sensor indicative of a specific operating characteristic of the vehicle; and
converting the data into an abstract score indicative of the specific operating characteristic of the vehicle over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (3, 5, 7, 8)
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2. A method as claimed in claim I further comprising:
transmitting the abstract score to a remote location. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the algorithm averages the sensor data with previously received sensor data.
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6-1. A method as claimed in claim I wherein:
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the receiving step comprises receiving data from a plurality of sensors; and
the converting step comprises converting the data into at least one abstract score.
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10. Apparatus for abstracting on-board vehicle data, the apparatus comprising:
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a sensor for monitoring a specific operating characteristic of the vehicle; and
a processor for receiving data from the sensor and for converting the data into an abstract score indicative of the specific operating characteristic of the vehicle over a period of time.
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11. A method of monitoring driving characteristics, comprising:
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receiving an abstract score respectively from a plurality of vehicles, each of the abstract scores being indicative of at least one specific operating characteristic of the vehicle; and
generating a scale based on the abstract scores. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19)
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16. A method for monitoring driving characteristics of subscribers each operating a vehicle with at least one sensor for monitoring a specific operating characteristic of the vehicle, the method comprising:
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receiving an abstract score from vehicle of each of the subscribers, each of the abstract scores being indicative of at least one specific operating characteristic of the vehicle;
generating a scale based on information correlating the abstract scores to risk measures;
converting each of the abstract scores into a scaled score based on the scale; and
transmitting the scaled score to each of the subscribers.
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20. A method for predicting risk based on driving characteristics of a driver, the method comprising:
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receiving a scaled score indicative of the driving characteristic, the scaled score being a comparison of the driving characteristic of the driver with risk measure information for the driving characteristic, the scaled score being free of specific operating charactericts; and
generating a risk factor for the driver based on the scaled score. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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23. A method for enabling automatic insurance quotes for drivers who have subscribed to an automotive service in which subscriber data have been stored in a database, the subscriber data including personal and vehicle information, at least one of the drivers further subscribing to an insurance service, the method comprising:
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maintaining a database that includes the subscriber data of the drivers subscribing to the insurance service; and
providing to an insurance company data including the subscriber data of drivers whose subscriber data meet predetermined criteria of the insurance company to enable the insurance company to generate an insurance quote for each of the drivers.
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30. A method for enabling automatic insurance quotes for drivers who have subscribed to an automotive service in which subscriber data have been stored in a database, the subscriber data including personal and vehicle information, at least one of the drivers further subscribing to an insurance service, the method comprising:
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maintaining a database that includes the subscriber data of the drivers subscribing to the insurance service; and
providing to an insurance company data including the subscriber data of drivers to enable the insurance company to generate an insurance quote for each of the drivers. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39)
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37. A method for managing of user data of drivers of vehicles who have subscribed to an automotive service, the user data including subscriber data and sensor data, the subscriber data including personal data and vehicle data, the sensor data including crash data, at least one of the drivers being a policy holder of an insurance company, the method comprising:
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receiving crash data associated with one of the drivers who is a policy holder; and
providing claim data indicative of the crash data and the subscriber data associated with the crash data to the insurance company.
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40. A method for insuring drivers of vehicles who have subscribed to an automotive service, the driver having the user data including subscriber data and sensor data, the subscriber data including personal data and vehicle data, the sensor data including crash data, the crash data being generated when the vehicle is in an accident, the method comprising:
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issuing an insurance policy to a driver; and
receiving claim data indicative of the crash data and the subscriber data associated with the crash data automatically when crash data is generated. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42)
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43. A method for insuring drivers of vehicles who have subscribed to an automotive service, the driver having the user data including subscriber data and sensor data, the subscriber data including personal data and vehicle data, the sensor data including crash data, the crash data being generated when the vehicle is in an accident, the method comprising:
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receiving an authorization from a driver to receive crash data; and
providing a discount on the insurance policy.
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44. A method for determining discounts for insurance policies based on abstract scores, each abstract score being indicative of a respective operating characteristic of a vehicle, the method comprising:
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receiving a plurality of abstract scores;
comparing each of the abstract scores against a general population;
selecting at least one of the abstract scores based on the comparison against the general population;
calculating a discount on the at least one selected abstract score. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46)
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Specification