Electronic damaged vehicle estimating system that downloads part price data

• US 20070179868A1
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Audatex North America Incorporated (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Audatex North America Incorporated (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bozym, William
• Application Number:
  US11/334,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20070179868A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system for generating electronic cost repair estimates for damaged vehicles. The system includes one or more client computers connected to a server through a network. The server maintains a database of current vehicle part prices. The current vehicle part prices are downloaded to the client computers through the network. The vehicle part prices are used to generate a repair cost estimate.

Claims

1. A system for generating a repair cost estimate for a damaged vehicle, the system being coupled to a network, comprising:

a server that is coupled to the network and contains a plurality of server vehicle part prices that are transmitted through the network; and

,

a client computer that is coupled to the network, said client computer providing a plurality of graphical user interfaces to generate a repair cost estimate that includes a plurality of client computer vehicle part prices, said client computer updates said client computer vehicle part prices with said server vehicle part prices that are transmitted from said server through the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said server vehicle part prices are transmitted in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said client computer provides a graphical user interface to select said schedule for transmitting said server vehicle part prices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said client computer provides a graphical user interface to restart said client computer to utilize said transmitted server vehicle part prices.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of client computers that each receive said server vehicle part prices, said client computers cannot utilize said server vehicle part prices until every client computer has restarted a program.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said client computer provides a notice of a date when said client computer part prices were updated.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a delta number of vehicle part prices have varied from a time said client computer requests a download to a time said client computer last updated said vehicle price parts, said server only downloads said delta vehicle part prices to said client computer.

8. A system for generating a repair cost estimate for a damaged vehicle, the system being coupled to a network, comprising:

a server that is coupled to the network and contains a plurality of server vehicle part prices that are transmitted through the network; and

,

a client computer that is coupled to the network, said client computer having estimate means for providing a plurality of graphical user interfaces to generate a repair cost estimate that includes a plurality of client computer vehicle part prices and updating said client computer vehicle part prices with said server vehicle part prices that are transmitted from said server through the network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said server vehicle part prices are transmitted in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said estimate means provides a graphical user interface to select said schedule for transmitting said server vehicle part prices.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said estimate means provides a graphical user interface to restart said client computer to utilize said transmitted server vehicle part prices.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of client computers that each receive said server vehicle part prices, said client computers cannot utilize said server vehicle part prices until every client computer has restarted a program.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said estimate means provides a notice of a date when said client computer part prices were updated.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein a delta number of vehicle part prices have varied from a time said client computer requests a download to a time said client computer last updated said vehicle price parts, said server only downloads said delta vehicle part prices to said client computer.

15. A computer program storage medium that causes a client computer to provide graphical user interfaces for generating a repair cost estimate for a damaged vehicle, the system being coupled to server through a network, the server contains a plurality of server vehicle part prices, comprising:

a computer program storage medium that includes a program that causes a client computer to provide a plurality of graphical user interfaces to generate a repair cost estimate that includes a plurality of client computer vehicle part prices, and download the server vehicle part prices through the network to update said client computer vehicle part prices with said server vehicle part prices transmitted from the server through the network.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein said program causes said server vehicle part prices to be transmitted in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein said program causes said client computer to provide a graphical user interface to select said schedule for transmitting said server vehicle part prices.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein said program causes said client computer to provide a graphical user interface to restart said client computer to utilize said transmitted server vehicle part prices.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of client computers that each receive said server vehicle part prices, said client computers cannot utilize said server vehicle part prices until every client computer has restarted a program.

20. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein said program causes said client computer to provide a notice of a date when said client computer part prices were updated.

21. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein a delta number of vehicle part prices have varied from a time said client computer requests a download to a time said client computer last updated said vehicle price parts, said server only downloads said delta vehicle part prices to said client computer.

22. A method for generating a repair cost estimate for a damaged vehicle, comprising:

transmitting a plurality of vehicle part prices from a server to a client computer through a network;

providing one or more graphical user interfaces to select at least one vehicle part at the client computer;

selecting a vehicle part from said graphical user interface; and

,

displaying at least one of the transmitted vehicle part prices with the selected vehicle part at the client computer.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the vehicle part price is transmitted in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing a graphical user interface to select the schedule for transmitting the vehicle part price.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the client computer is restarted after receiving the vehicle part price.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the vehicle part price is transmitted to a plurality of client computer which cannot utilize the downloaded vehicle part price until every client computer has restarted a program.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing a graphical user interface with a notice of a date when the client computer part prices were updated.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising updating the vehicle part prices at a first time, requesting an update of the vehicle part prices at a second time and transmitting only the vehicle part prices that have changed from the first time to the second time.