Vehicle Impound and Auctioning Management system

• US 20110106669A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NOBEL Computer Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NOBEL Computer Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Baghdassarian, Levon
• Application Number:
  US12/610,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106669A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system is employed to operate a vehicle impounding facility for a municipality. A selection is received of a marked vehicle in a marked grid for titling, and an application for title for the selected vehicle is effectuated in the name of the municipality. A notation is received of a selected vehicle in a pending grid as being titled when the application for title for the selected vehicle has been approved and received. A scheduling is received of a titled vehicle in a select auction date grid for an upcoming auction. An assignment is received of a minimum bid value to a scheduled vehicle in a minimum bid guide grid in connection with the auction. Entry is received in a final auction grid of a purchase price for which a valued vehicle has been auctioned and a purchaser.

Claims

1. A computer hardware system instantiated on computer hardware including a processor and memory, the system for being employed to operate a vehicle impounding facility operated on or behalf of a municipality, the facility for holding vehicles impounded by or on behalf of the municipality, the system comprising modules instantiated in the memory by the processor, the modules comprising:

a marked grid module that displays each of several marked impounded vehicles to a system user in a marked grid, the marked grid module allowing a system user to select a marked vehicle for titling and upon receiving a selection of a marked vehicle effectuating an application for title for the selected vehicle in the name of the municipality;

a pending grid module that displays each selected vehicle to a system user in a pending grid, the pending grid module allowing a system user to note a selected vehicle as being titled when the application for title for the selected vehicle has been approved and received;

a select auction date grid module that displays each titled vehicle to a system user in a select auction date grid, the select auction date grid module allowing a system user to schedule an upcoming scheduled auction date for a titled vehicle;

a minimum bid guide grid module that displays each scheduled vehicle to a system user in a minimum bid guide grid, along with estimated vehicle values for the scheduled vehicle as obtained by the minimum bid guide grid module from a vehicle valuation service based on information available from the record for the scheduled vehicle, the minimum bid guide grid module allowing a system user to assign a minimum bid value to a scheduled vehicle in connection with the auction thereof; and

a final auction grid module that displays each valued vehicle to a system user in a final auction grid, the final auction grid module allowing a system user to enter a purchase price for which the valued vehicle has been auctioned and a purchaser to whom the valued vehicle has been auctioned.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a marking module that marks each impounded vehicle after a period of time after impoundment of the vehicle has elapsed as a marked vehicle available for auctioning.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each vehicle is represented as a record in a system database, the record for the vehicle including all pertinent information relating thereto and being updated by the modules, the record being created by electronically scanning a vehicle identification number (VIN) located on the vehicle and employing the scanned VIN to obtain corresponding vehicle identification data from a VIN database.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the marked grid module upon receiving a selection of a marked vehicle automatically creating a title application form based on information available from the record for the selected vehicle.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the marked grid module upon receiving a selection of a marked vehicle automatically moves the selected vehicle from the marked grid to the pending grid.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pending grid module upon being informed that a pending vehicle has been titled automatically moves the titled vehicle from the pending grid to the select auction date grid.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the select auction date grid module upon being informed that a titled vehicle has been scheduled for an auction date automatically moves the scheduled vehicle from the select auction date grid to the minimum bid guide grid.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the estimated vehicle values include at least one of a retail value, clean, average, and rough trade-in values, and a loan value such as would be used when employing the scheduled vehicle as collateral.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the minimum bid guide grid module pre-populates the minimum bid value for the scheduled vehicle based on the obtained estimated vehicle values.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the minimum bid guide grid module upon being informed that a scheduled vehicle has been assigned a minimum bid value automatically moves the valued vehicle from the minimum bid guide grid to the final auction grid.

11. A method performed by a computer hardware system instantiated on computer hardware including a processor and memory, the system for being employed to operate a vehicle impounding facility operated on or behalf of a municipality, the facility for holding vehicles impounded by or on behalf of the municipality, the method comprising:

displaying each of several marked impounded vehicles to a system user in a marked grid, receiving a selection of a marked vehicle in the marked grid for titling, and upon receiving the selection of the marked vehicle effectuating an application for title for the selected vehicle in the name of the municipality;

displaying each selected vehicle to a system user in a pending grid, and receiving a notation of a selected vehicle in the pending grid as being titled when the application for title for the selected vehicle has been approved and received;

displaying each titled vehicle to a system user in a select auction date grid, and receiving a scheduling of a titled vehicle in the select auction date grid for an upcoming scheduled auction date;

displaying each scheduled vehicle to a system user in a minimum bid guide grid, along with estimated vehicle values for the scheduled vehicle as obtained from a vehicle valuation service based on information available from the record for the scheduled vehicle, and receiving an assignment of a minimum bid value to a scheduled vehicle in the minimum bid guide grid in connection with the auction thereof; and

displaying each valued vehicle to a system user in a final auction grid, and receiving entry of a purchase price for which a valued vehicle in the final auction grid has been auctioned and a purchaser to whom the valued vehicle in the final auction grid has been auctioned.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising marking each impounded vehicle after a period of time after impoundment of the vehicle has elapsed as a marked vehicle available for auctioning.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein each vehicle is represented as a record in a system database, the record for the vehicle including all pertinent information relating thereto, the method comprising creating the record by electronically scanning a vehicle identification number (VIN) located on the vehicle and employing the scanned VIN to obtain corresponding vehicle identification data from a VIN database.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, upon receiving a selection of a marked vehicle, automatically creating a title application faun based on information available from the record for the selected vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, upon receiving a selection of a marked vehicle, automatically moving the selected vehicle from the marked grid to the pending grid.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, upon being informed that a pending vehicle has been titled, automatically moving the titled vehicle from the pending grid to the select auction date grid.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, upon being informed that a titled vehicle has been scheduled for an auction date, automatically moving the scheduled vehicle from the select auction date grid to the minimum bid guide grid.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the estimated vehicle values include at least one of a retail value, clean, average, and rough trade-in values, and a loan value such as would be used when employing the scheduled vehicle as collateral.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising pre-populating the minimum bid value for the scheduled vehicle based on the obtained estimated vehicle values.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, upon being informed that a scheduled vehicle has been assigned a minimum bid value, automatically moving the valued vehicle from the minimum bid guide grid to the final auction grid.