VEHICLE DATA COLLECTION AND VERIFICATION

• US 20130345896A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mile Auto, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vehcon, Inc.
• Inventors: Blumer, Frederick T., Fuller, Joseph R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/02 Recognising information on displays, dials, clocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for a data aggregation application. Operational data and image data may be captured from a client device. Odometer readings can be extracted from the image data. The operational data and image data can be verified by comparing an instrument panel depicted in the image data to a known instrument panel depiction.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

an application executable in the at least one computing device, the application comprising;

logic that obtains, from a client device, at least one image data capturing an odometer display of a vehicle;

logic that generates, from the image data, an odometer reading from the image data; and

logic that associates the odometer reading with the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises:

logic that obtains, from the client device, operational data associated with a usage of the vehicle; and

logic that associates the operational data with the account.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises logic that determines whether the at least one image data comprises altered or transformed image data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application is a first application, and obtaining the at least one image data is facilitated by a second application executed in the client device, and the application further comprises:

logic that obtains, from the client device, user account data associated with the second application; and

logic that verifies that the image data embodies the odometer reading of a specified vehicle as a function of the user account data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises:

logic that obtains, from the client device, metadata associated with a context during which the image data was generated; and

logic that verifies that the image data embodies the odometer reading of a specified vehicle as a function of the metadata.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises logic that verifies the odometer reading as being greater than a temporally earlier odometer reading.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the metadata comprises a wireless carrier identifier, one or more network identifiers, one or more cellular tower identifiers, or a global positioning system location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the image data is a first at least one image data, and the application further comprises:

logic that obtains, from the client device, a second at least one image data capturing a unique identifier associated with the vehicle; and

logic that identifies the vehicle as a function of the second at least one image data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the unique identifier comprises a vehicle identification number (VIN), a Quick Response (QR) code, a barcode, or other human-readable or machine-readable image.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one image data further captures an instrument panel of the vehicle, and the application further comprises:

logic that identifies the vehicle as a function of the instrument panel captured in the at least one image data.

11. A method, comprising the steps of:

obtains, by first computing device, from a client device, at least one image data capturing an instrument panel of a vehicle;

selecting, by the computing device, an account associated with the client device and a vehicle identification; and

determining, by the computing device, the vehicle corresponds to the vehicle identification as a function of the instrument panel captured in the at least one image data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by the computing device, from the client device, operational data associated with a usage of the vehicle; and

associating, by the computing device, the operational data with the account.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by the computing device, from the client device, login information associated with the account and an application executed in the client device; and

wherein the determining is further performed as a function of the login information.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by the computing device, from the client device, metadata associated with a context during which the image data was generated; and

wherein the determining is further performed as a function of the metadata.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the metadata comprises a client device identifier, an image resolution, or a software version.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the metadata comprises a wireless carrier identifier, one or more network identifiers, one or more cellular tower identifiers, or a global positioning system location.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the image data is a first at least one image data, and further comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by the computing device, from the client device, a second at least one image data capturing a unique identifier associated with the vehicle; and

wherein the determining is further performed as a function of the unique identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the unique identifier comprises a vehicle identification number (VIN), a Quick Response (QR) code, a barcode, or other human-readable or machine-readable image.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one image data further captures an odometer, and the method further comprises:

generating, by the computing device, an odometer reading from the at least one image data; and

associating, by the computing device, the odometer reading with the account.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating the odometer reading from the at least one image data further comprises applying, by the computing device, an image recognition algorithm to the at least one image data.