System and Method for Improved Rental Vehicle Reservation Management

• US 20120203581A1
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Crawford Group Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Original Assignee: The Crawford Group Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Inventors: Smith, David G., DeVallance, Kimberly A., Miller, Owen R., Miller, Regina M., Jouris, Jon B., Concannon, Maribeth, Cormier, Shawn R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for managing a rental vehicle reservation based at least in part on automated processing of vehicle repair data corresponding to a disabled vehicle that is related to the rental vehicle reservation. For example, a preferred method and system can automatically compute from the vehicle repair data an amount of time that is likely to be needed by a repair facility to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, which in turn can drive more accurate management of an authorization period for the rental vehicle reservation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a rental vehicle reservation for a replacement vehicle corresponding to a disabled vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle;

storing a plurality of business rules in a memory, the business rules being associated with a plurality of parties, wherein each business rule associated with a party comprises data indicative of how a duration for a repair to a disabled vehicle is to be computed from vehicle repair data such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for computing the data indicative of repair duration;

determining a party associated with the received vehicle repair data;

selecting the stored business rule that is associated with the determined party;

automatically computing data indicative of the duration for the repair to the disabled vehicle based on an application of the selected business rule to the received vehicle repair data; and

performing a management operation on the replacement rental vehicle reservation that corresponds to the disabled vehicle based on the computed data indicative of the repair duration; and

wherein the method steps are performed by a processor in cooperation with the memory.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the replacement rental vehicle reservation is associated with data indicative of an authorization duration for that replacement rental vehicle reservation, and wherein the management operation performing step comprises:

the processor determining whether the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle based on the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data; and

in response to a determination by the processor that the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle, the processor automatically extending the replacement rental vehicle reservation to thereby associate the replacement rental vehicle reservation with a new authorization duration.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the automatically extending step comprises the processor automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the automatically extending step comprises:

the processor determining whether a difference between an end of the authorization duration and an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computer repair duration data is less than a threshold; and

in response to a determination by the processor that the difference is less than the threshold, the processor automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the business rules further comprise a plurality of automated extensions rules such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for automatically extending replacement rental vehicle reservations, the method further comprising:

the processor selecting the stored automated extension rule that is associated with the determined party; and

the processor performing the automatically extending step in accordance with the selected automated extension rule.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the party comprises an insurance company.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the party comprises a repair facility.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the party comprises an insurance company-repair facility pair.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the automatically computing step comprises:

the processor applying a formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the repair duration data, the formula configured to compute the repair duration data according to;

TD=ƒ

(r)+┌

WH(i,ƒ

(r),RSD)┐

wherein TD represents an estimate as to how long a repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, wherein f(r) represents a function of the received vehicle repair data r, and wherein WH(i,f(r),RSD) represents a weekends and holidays amount as defined for the determined party i and based on the function f(r) and a reservation start date (RSD), wherein the function f(r) is represented by;

10. The method of claim 2 wherein the automatically computing step comprises:

the processor applying a formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the repair duration data, the formula configured to compute the repair duration data according to;

CD=┌

ƒ

(r)+WH(i,ƒ

(r),RSD)┐

wherein CD represents an estimate as to how long a repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, wherein f(r) represents a function of the received vehicle repair data r, and wherein WH(i,f(r),RSD) represents a weekends and holidays amount as defined for the determined party i and based on the function f(r) and a reservation start date (RSD), wherein the function f(r) is represented by;

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the automatically computing step comprises:

the processor applying a formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the repair duration data, the formula configured to compute the repair duration data according to;

CD=ƒ

(r)+┌

WH(i,ƒ

(r),RSD)┐

wherein CD represents an estimate as to how long a repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, wherein f(r) represents a function of the received vehicle repair data r, and wherein WH(i,f(r),RSD) represents a weekends and holidays amount as defined for the determined party i and based on the function f(r) and a reservation start date (RSD), wherein the function f(r) is represented by;

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the replacement rental vehicle reservation is associated with data indicative of an authorization duration for that replacement rental vehicle reservation, and wherein the management operation performing step comprises:

the processor determining whether the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle based on the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data; and

in response to a determination by the processor that the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle, the processor automatically sending an extension request for the replacement rental vehicle reservation to a manager for that replacement rental vehicle reservation.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the extension request includes the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the processor and memory are resident within a rental vehicle reservation management computer system.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises the processor receiving the vehicle repair data from a repair facility computer.

16. An apparatus for managing a rental vehicle reservation for a replacement vehicle corresponding to a disabled vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory configured to store a plurality of business rules, the business rules being associated with a plurality of parties, wherein each business rule associated with a party comprises data indicative of how a duration for a repair to a disabled vehicle is to be computed from vehicle repair data such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for computing the data indicative of repair duration; and

wherein the processor is configured to (1) receive vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle, (2) determine a party associated with the received vehicle repair data, (3) select the stored business rule that is associated with the determined party, (4) automatically compute data indicative of the duration for the repair to the disabled vehicle based on an application of the selected business rule to the received vehicle repair data, and (5) perform a management operation on the replacement rental vehicle reservation that corresponds to the disabled vehicle based on the computed data indicative of the repair duration.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the memory is further configured to store data indicative of an authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation in association with that replacement rental vehicle reservation, and wherein the processor is further configured to perform the management operation by (1) determining whether the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle based on the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data, (2) in response to a determination by the processor that the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle, automatically extending the replacement rental vehicle reservation to thereby associate the replacement rental vehicle reservation with a new authorization duration.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically extend the replacement rental vehicle reservation by automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically extend the replacement rental vehicle reservation by (1) determining whether a difference between an end of the authorization duration and an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computer repair duration data is less than a threshold, and (2) in response to a determination by the processor that the difference is less than the threshold, automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the business rules further comprise a plurality of automated extensions rules such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for automatically extending replacement rental vehicle reservations, the processor being further configured to (1) select the stored automated extension rule that is associated with the determined party, and (2) perform the automatic extension in accordance with the selected automated extension rule.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the memory is further configured to store data representative of an insurance company, the insurance company being the party associated with the received vehicle repair data.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the memory is further configured to store data representative of a repair facility, the repair facility being the party associated with the received vehicle repair data.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the automatic computation by applying a formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the repair duration data, the formula configured to compute the repair duration data according to:

TD=ƒ

(r)+┌

WH(i,ƒ

(r),RSD)┐

wherein TD represents an estimate as to how long a repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, wherein f(r) represents a function of the received vehicle repair data r, and wherein WH(i,f(r),RSD) represents a weekends and holidays amount as defined for the determined party i and based on the function f(r) and a reservation start date (RSD), wherein the function f(r) is represented by;

25. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the automatic computation by applying a formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the repair duration data, the formula configured to compute the repair duration data according to:

CD=┌

ƒ

(r)+WH(i,ƒ

(r),RSD)┐

wherein CD represents an estimate as to how long a repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, wherein f(r) represents a function of the received vehicle repair data r, and wherein WH(i,f(r),RSD) represents a weekends and holidays amount as defined for the determined party i and based on the function f(r) and a reservation start date (RSD), wherein the function f(r) is represented by;

26. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the automatic computation by applying a formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the repair duration data, the formula configured to compute the repair duration data according to:

CD=ƒ

(r)+┌

WH(i,ƒ

(r),RSD)┐

wherein CD represents an estimate as to how long a repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, wherein f(r) represents a function of the received vehicle repair data r, and wherein WH(i,f(r),RSD) represents a weekends and holidays amount as defined for the determined party i and based on the function f(r) and a reservation start date (RSD), wherein the function f(r) is represented by;

27. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the memory is further configured to store data indicative of an authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation in association with that replacement rental vehicle reservation, and wherein the processor is further configured to perform the management operation by (1) determining whether the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle based on the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data, and (2) in response to a determination by the processor that the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle, automatically sending an extension request for the replacement rental vehicle reservation to a manager for that replacement rental vehicle reservation.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the extension request includes the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data.

29. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a rental vehicle reservation management computer system, the processor and memory being resident within the rental vehicle reservation management computer system.

30. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to receive the vehicle repair data from a repair facility computer.

23. The apparatus of claim wherein the memory is further configured to store data representative of an insurance company and a repair facility, a pair of the insurance company and the repair facility being the party associated with the received vehicle repair data.

31. A computer-implemented method for managing a rental vehicle reservation for a replacement vehicle corresponding to a disabled vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle;

storing a plurality of business rules in a memory, the business rules being associated with a plurality of parties, wherein each business rule associated with a party comprises data indicative of how an authorization period is to be computed for a replacement rental vehicle reservation from vehicle repair data such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for computing the data indicative of the authorization period;

determining a party associated with the received vehicle repair data;

selecting the stored business rule that is associated with the determined party;

automatically computing data indicative of the authorization period for the replacement rental vehicle reservation based on an application of the selected business rule to the received vehicle repair data; and

storing data in the memory in association with the replacement rental vehicle reservation to thereby define the authorization period in accordance with the computed data; and

wherein the method steps are performed by a processor in cooperation with the memory.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the party comprises at least one member of the group consisting of (1) an insurance company, (2) a repair facility, and (3) an insurance company-repair facility pair.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising the processor repeating the method steps to automatically extend the replacement rental vehicle reservation to a new authorization period.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the repeating step comprises:

the processor receiving vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle that is an update relative to previously received vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle;

the processor determining whether the authorization period for the replacement rental vehicle reservation needs to be extended based on an application of the selected business rule to the received vehicle repair data update; and

in response to a determination by the processor that the authorized period needs to be extended, the processor automatically extending the replacement rental vehicle reservation to the new authorization period.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein the processor and memory are resident within a rental vehicle reservation management computer system.

36. An apparatus for managing a rental vehicle reservation for a replacement vehicle corresponding to a disabled vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory configured to store a plurality of business rules, the business rules being associated with a plurality of parties, wherein each business rule associated with a party comprises data indicative of how an authorization period is to be computed for a replacement rental vehicle reservation from vehicle repair data such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for computing the data indicative of the authorization period; and

wherein the processor is configured to (1) receive vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle, (2) determine a party associated with the received vehicle repair data, (3) select the stored business rule that is associated with the determined party, (3) automatically compute data indicative of the authorization period for the replacement rental vehicle reservation based on an application of the selected business rule to the received vehicle repair data, and (4) store data in the memory in association with the replacement rental vehicle reservation to thereby define the authorization period in accordance with the computed data.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the memory is further configured to store data representative of at least one member of the group consisting of (1) an insurance company, (2) a repair facility, and (3) an insurance company and a repair facility, the at least one member being the party associated with the received vehicle repair data.

38. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the processor is further configured to repeat the operations of claim 36 to automatically extend the replacement rental vehicle reservation to a new authorization period.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the processor is further configured to (1) receive vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle that is an update relative to previously received vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle, (2) determine whether the authorization period for the replacement rental vehicle reservation needs to be extended based on an application of the selected business rule to the received vehicle repair data update, and (3) in response to a determination by the processor that the authorized period needs to be extended, automatically extend the replacement rental vehicle reservation to the new authorization period.

40. The apparatus of claim 36 further comprising a rental vehicle reservation management computer system, the processor and memory being resident within the rental vehicle reservation management computer system.

41. A computer-implemented method for managing a rental vehicle reservation for a replacement vehicle corresponding to a disabled vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving data representative of an estimation of a number of labor hours to repair the disabled vehicle;

storing a plurality of labor hours scalars in a memory, the labor hours scalars being associated with a plurality of parties such that each labor hours scalar is associated with at least one party;

determining a party associated with the received labor hours estimation data;

selecting the stored labor hours scalar that is associated with the determined party;

automatically computing data indicative of the duration for the repair to the disabled vehicle based on an application of the selected labor hours scalar to the received labor hours estimation data; and

performing a management operation on the replacement rental vehicle reservation that corresponds to the disabled vehicle based on the computed data indicative of the repair duration; and

wherein the method steps are performed by a processor in cooperation with the memory.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the replacement rental vehicle reservation is associated with data indicative of an authorization duration for that replacement rental vehicle reservation, and wherein the management operation performing step comprises:

the processor determining whether the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle based on the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data; and

in response to a determination by the processor that the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle, the processor automatically extending the replacement rental vehicle reservation to thereby associate the replacement rental vehicle reservation with a new authorization duration.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the automatically extending step comprises the processor automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the automatically extending step comprises:

the processor determining whether a difference between an end of the authorization duration and an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data is less than a threshold; and

in response to a determination by the processor that the difference is less than the threshold, the processor automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with the end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein the business rules further comprise a plurality of automated extensions rules such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for automatically extending replacement rental vehicle reservations, the method further comprising:

the processor selecting the stored automated extension rule that is associated with the determined party; and

the processor performing the automatically extending step in accordance with the selected automated extension rule.

46. The method of claim 42 wherein the party comprises at least one member of the group consisting of (1) an insurance company, (2) a repair facility, and (3) an insurance company-repair facility pair.

47. The method of claim 41 wherein the processor and memory are resident within a rental vehicle reservation management computer system.

48. An apparatus for managing a rental vehicle reservation for a replacement vehicle corresponding to a disabled vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory configured to store a plurality of labor hours scalars in a memory, the labor hours scalars being associated with a plurality of parties such that each labor hours scalar is associated with at least one party; and

wherein the processor is configured to (1) receive data representative of an estimation of a number of labor hours to repair the disabled vehicle, (2) determine a party associated with the received labor hours estimation data, (3) select the stored labor hours scalar that is associated with the determined party, (4) automatically compute data indicative of the duration for the repair to the disabled vehicle based on an application of the selected labor hours scalar to the received labor hours estimation data, and (5) perform a management operation on the replacement rental vehicle reservation that corresponds to the disabled vehicle based on the computed data indicative of the repair duration.

49. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the memory is further configured to store data indicative of an authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation in association with that replacement rental vehicle reservation, and wherein the processor is further configured to perform the management operation by (1) determining whether the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle based on the computed repair duration data and the authorization duration data, and (2) in response to a determination by the processor that the authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation would end prior to repairs being completed for the disabled vehicle, automatically extending the replacement rental vehicle reservation to thereby associate the replacement rental vehicle reservation with a new authorization duration.

50. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically extend the replacement rental vehicle reservation by automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

51. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically extend the replacement rental vehicle reservation by (1) determining whether a difference between an end of the authorization duration and an end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data is less than a threshold, and (2) in response to a determination by the processor that the difference is less than the threshold, automatically storing data in the memory that is indicative of the new authorization duration for the replacement rental vehicle reservation such that an expiration of the new authorization duration coincides in time with the end of the repair duration corresponding to the computed repair duration data.

52. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the business rules further comprise a plurality of automated extensions rules such that a plurality of different parties employ different business rules for automatically extending replacement rental vehicle reservations, and wherein the processor is further configured to (1) select the stored automated extension rule that is associated with the determined party, and (2) perform the automatic extension in accordance with the selected automated extension rule.

53. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the memory is further configured to store data representative of at least one member of the group consisting of (1) an insurance company, (2) a repair facility, and (3) an insurance company and a repair facility, the at least one member being the party associated with the received vehicle repair data.

54. The apparatus of claim 48 further comprising a rental vehicle reservation management computer system, the processor and memory being resident within the rental vehicle reservation management computer system.

55. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically schedule a callback reminder for the replacement rental vehicle reservation in response to the received labor hours estimation data.

56. A computer-implemented method for managing a rental vehicle reservation for a replacement vehicle corresponding to a disabled vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving vehicle repair data related to the disabled vehicle into a computer program executed by a processor;

storing a plurality of business rules, each business rule defining how a formula is applied to the received vehicle repair data, wherein each stored business rule is associated with a party;

determining a party associated with the received vehicle repair data;

selecting the stored business rule that is associated with the determined party;

configuring a formula in accordance with the selected stored business rule; and

automatically computing with the computer program executed by the processor a term-related parameter for the rental vehicle reservation by applying the configured formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the term-related parameter; and

wherein the method steps are performed by a processor.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the term-related parameter comprises a value indicative of an estimate as to how long a repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle.

58. The method of claim 57 wherein the value indicative of an estimate as to how long the repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle comprises a target number of days (TD) needed by the repair facility to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle.

59. The method of claim 57 wherein the value indicative of an estimate as to how long the repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle comprises a target completion date (TCD) for the repair facility to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle.

60. The method of claim 57 wherein the vehicle repair data includes data that identifies an estimation of how many labor hours will be needed to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, and wherein the formula applying step comprises processing the labor hours data to automatically compute the term-related parameter.

61. The method of claim 60 wherein the formula applying step further comprises applying a labor hours scalar to the labor hours data to translate the labor hours data into a number of business days needed by the repair facility to perform those labor hours.

62. The method of claim 61 wherein each business rule defines the labor hours scalar on a party-specific basis.

63. The method of claim 60 wherein the formula applying step further comprises automatically computing the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to a status identifier as to whether the disabled vehicle is nondriveable.

64. The method of claim 63 wherein each business rule defines the nondriveable adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

65. The method of claim 60 wherein the formula applying step further comprises automatically computing the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to whether the time needed to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle will include any weekend days.

66. The method of claim 65 wherein each business rule defines the weekend adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

67. The method of claim 60 wherein the formula applying step further comprises automatically computing the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to whether the time needed to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle will include any holiday days.

68. The method of claim 67 wherein each business rule defines the holiday adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

69. The method of claim 67 wherein the vehicle repair data includes data corresponding to an explanation for a repair delay to the disabled vehicle, and wherein the formula applying step further comprises automatically computing the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to the explanation data.

70. The method of claim 69 wherein each business rule defines the explanation data adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

71. The method of claim 69 further comprising:

determining whether the explanation data corresponds to an explanation categorized as an adjustment explanation or an extension explanation; and

wherein the formula applying step comprises automatically computing a target completion date based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to the explanation data that has been determined to be categorized as an adjustment explanation but not on an adjustment amount corresponding to the explanation data that has been determined to be categorized as an extension explanation.

72. The method of claim 56 further comprising:

performing the receiving step and the automatically computing step for a plurality of rental vehicle reservations; and

generating an audit report for the plurality of rental vehicle reservation based at least in part on the received vehicle repair data and the computed term-related parameters.

73. The method of claim 56 wherein the parties associated with the business rules comprise a plurality of different purchasers.

74. The method of claim 56 further comprising:

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) screen for display on a computer of at least one of the parties with an associated business rule;

receiving input through the provided GUI screen; and

defining the business rule associated with the at least one party in response to the received input.

75. The method of claim 56 wherein the receiving step comprises:

receiving the vehicle repair data from a repair facility via an electronic data communication from a computer system of the repair facility.

76. The method of claim 75 further comprising:

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) screen for display on the repair facility computer system; and

wherein the receiving step further comprises receiving the vehicle repair data in response to user input through the provided GUI screen.

77. The method of claim 56 wherein the automatically computing step comprises automatically computing a value indicative of an estimate as to how long the repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle based at least in part on the received vehicle repair data.

78. A computer system for processing data relating to a rental vehicle reservation, the computer system comprising:

a processor configured to (1) receive vehicle repair data, the vehicle repair data corresponding to repairs performed by a repair facility on a disabled vehicle associated with a driver for a rental vehicle reservation, (2) store a plurality of business rules, each business rule defining how a formula is to be applied to the received vehicle repair data, wherein each stored business rule is associated with a party, (3) determine a party associated with the received vehicle repair data, (4) select the stored business rule that is associated with the determined party, (5) configure a formula in accordance with the selected stored business rule, and (6) automatically compute a term-related parameter for the rental vehicle reservation by applying the configured formula to the received vehicle repair data to thereby compute the term-related parameter.

79. The system of claim 78 wherein the term-related parameter comprises a value indicative of an estimate as to how long the repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle.

80. The system of claim 79 wherein the value indicative of an estimate as to how long the repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle comprises a target number of days (TD) needed by the repair facility to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle.

81. The system of claim 79 wherein the value indicative of an estimate as to how long the repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle comprises a target completion date (TCD) for the repair facility to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle.

82. The system of claim 79 wherein the vehicle repair data includes data that identifies an estimation of how many labor hours will be needed to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle, and wherein the processor is further configured to process the labor hours data to automatically compute the term-related parameter.

83. The system of claim 82 wherein the processor is further configured to apply a labor hours scalar to the labor hours data to translate the labor hours data into a number of business days needed by the repair facility to perform those labor hours.

84. The system of claim 83 wherein each business rule defines the labor hours scalar on a party-specific basis.

85. The system of claim 82 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically compute the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to a status identifier as to whether the disabled vehicle is nondriveable.

86. The system of claim 85 wherein each business rule defines the nondriveable adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

87. The system of claim 85 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically compute the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to whether the time needed to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle will include any weekend days.

88. The system of claim 87 wherein each business rule defines the weekend adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

89. The system of claim 87 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically compute the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to whether the time needed to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle will include any holiday days.

90. The system of claim 89 wherein each business rule defines the holiday adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

91. The system of claim 89 wherein the vehicle repair data includes data corresponding to an explanation for a repair delay to the disabled vehicle, and wherein the processor is further configured to automatically compute the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to the explanation data.

92. The system of claim 91 wherein each business rule defines the explanation data adjustment amount on a party-specific basis.

93. The system of claim 91 wherein the processor is further configured to:

(1) determine whether the explanation data corresponds to an explanation categorized as an adjustment explanation or an extension explanation; and

(2) automatically compute the term-related parameter based at least in part on an adjustment amount corresponding to the explanation data that has been determined to be categorized as an adjustment explanation.

94. The system of claim 78 wherein the processor is further configured to:

(1) receive vehicle repair data and automatically compute a term-related parameter in response thereto for a plurality of rental vehicle reservations; and

(2) generate an audit report for the plurality of rental vehicle reservation based at least in part on the received vehicle repair data and the computed term-related parameters.

95. The system of claim 78 wherein the parties associated with the business rules comprise a plurality of different purchasers.

96. The system of claim 78 wherein the processor is further configured to:

(1) provide a graphical user interface (GUI) screen for display on a computer of at least one of the parties with an associated business rule;

(2) receive input through the provided GUI screen; and

(3) define the business rule associated with the at least one party in response to the received input.

97. The system of claim 78 wherein the computed term-related parameter comprises a value indicative of an estimate as to how long the repair facility will need to complete repairs to the disabled vehicle.

98. The system of claim 78 wherein the processor is further configured to receive the vehicle repair data from a remote repair facility computer system.

99. The system of claim 98 wherein the processor is further configured to

(1) provide a graphical user interface (GUI) screen for display on the repair facility computer system;

and

(2) receive the vehicle repair data in response to user input through the provided GUI screen.