VIRTUAL RENT-A-CAR SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH IN-CAR CONCIERGE DEVICE
First Claim
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1. A system for enhancing the convenience of a vehicle rental experience comprising:
- an in-car device configured to be located in a rental vehicle and configured to receive and store input data remotely communicated to the in-car device, the input data corresponding to a rental customer preference, and to produce a message determined by the stored preference data, the message perceptible to a rental customer in the vehicle.
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Abstract
A virtual rent-a-car system and method with an in-car device and related systems and methods are disclosed for providing customer service interactions, tools, and entertainment to a vehicle rental customer. The functions of the in-car device include, for example, navigational assistance, local recommendations, driving condition alerts, itinerary management, vehicle comfort controls, and entertainment media play controls.
44 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A system for enhancing the convenience of a vehicle rental experience comprising:
an in-car device configured to be located in a rental vehicle and configured to receive and store input data remotely communicated to the in-car device, the input data corresponding to a rental customer preference, and to produce a message determined by the stored preference data, the message perceptible to a rental customer in the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A system for enhancing the convenience of a vehicle rental experience comprising:
an in-car device configured to be operatively connected to a rental vehicle and, when connected to the rental vehicle, to detect a state of a manually adjustable vehicle comfort setting and store input data corresponding to the state of the comfort setting, and to cause the comfort setting to adjust to a stored state corresponding to the stored input data. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for alerting a vehicle rental customer in a rental vehicle to a driving condition requiring an action by the customer, comprising
an in-car device configured to be located in the rental vehicle, the device configured to automatically receive information indicating the driving condition and to communicate a message indicating the driving condition to the customer.
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16. A system for providing a mobile internet connection to a rental vehicle customer comprising:
an in-car device configured to be located in a rental vehicle, the in-car device configured to connect to the internet wirelessly and to permit a customer device to connect to the internet by connecting to the in-car device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for providing an in-car wireless communication service to a vehicle rental customer comprising
an in-car device configured to be located in a rental vehicle, to remotely receive data indicating a customer'"'"'s preferred wireless communication service prior to a customer accessing the rental vehicle, and to permit the rental customer to send and receive text messages via the selected service.
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26. A system for real-time remote reporting of damage to a rental vehicle comprising
an in-car device configured to be located in the rental vehicle, the in-car device configured to receive input from a user indicating damage to the vehicle and to automatically transmit the damage input to a remote server.
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31. A virtual car rental system comprising:
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a vehicle access device having memory for storing customer data; a reader mounted on a vehicle for wirelessly reading data from the vehicle access device; means for automatically unlocking the doors of the vehicle in response to a signal from the reader; and a device configured for use in the vehicle and configured to be operatively connected to the vehicle.
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32. A virtual car rental method comprising:
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sending to a customer'"'"'s personal electronic device a message containing rental vehicle information, wherein the message further contains one or more offers for an alternate vehicle; receiving from the customer'"'"'s personal electronic device a response to the one or more offers; modifying the rental vehicle information based on the response if the customer has accepted one of the offers; and sending to the customer'"'"'s personal electronic device a message containing the modified rental vehicle information.
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Specification