SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSURANCE DATA PROCESSING USING REGISTRATION AND OPERATIONAL DATA OF IP-ADDRESSABLE DEVICES

• US 20140257876A1
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: English, Gary Charles, Popadin, George K., Zandes, Nicholas A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed herein for maintaining an inventory of assets located at an insured property covered under an insurance policy based on data received from IP-addressable devices located at the property. The system includes an inventory database for storing inventory information about assets located at an insured property, a communication interface for receiving registration and operational data associated with an IP-addressable device, and a business logic computer. The business logic computer creates a data structure for storing inventory information about assets located at the insured property in the inventory database for each insured property. The business logic computer determines, for the insured property, the inventory information about the insured property'"'"'s assets based on registration and operational data received from its IP-addressable devices located at the property. The business logic computer stores the insured property'"'"'s inventory information in its associated data structure in the inventory database.

Claims

1. A computer system for processing data relating to IP-addressable devices for maintaining an inventory of assets located at a residential or commercial property covered under an insurance policy, comprising:

one or more data storage devices storing a database configured to store inventory information about assets located at an insured property;

one or more computer processors in communication with the one or more data storage devices;

a communications device configured to communicate with the one or more computer processors, the one or more data storage devices, and networks of IP-addressable devices for receiving registration data and operational data associated with one or more IP-addressable devices connected to each of the networks, the operational data associated with the one or more IP-addressable devices indicating at least one of operational status, condition, and use of one of the assets located at the insured property; and

a memory, coupled to the one or more computer processors, storing program instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to;

determine, for the insured property, the inventory information about the insured property'"'"'s assets based on one or both of the registration data and the operational data received from the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, and

store the insured property'"'"'s inventory information in the database.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors to determine an insurance policy adjustment based at least on the operational data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors, responsive to receipt of the registration data from one of the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, to:

determine an environmental risk profile for the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices;

determine, based on the environmental risk profile, whether the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices poses an environmental risk; and

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices poses the environmental risk, generate a communication, for transmittal by the communications device to a holder of the insurance policy covering the insured property, concerning the environmental risk.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors, responsive to receipt of the registration data from one of the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, to:

determine whether the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on a recalled device listing;

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on the recalled device listing, generate a communication, for transmittal by the communications device to a holder of the insurance policy covering the insured property, concerning the recalled device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors, responsive to receipt of the registration data from one of the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, to:

determine whether the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is an asset for which insurance coverage requires an insurance rider; and

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is an asset for which insurance coverage requires the insurance rider;

determine whether an existing rider to the insurance policy exists;

responsive to an affirmative determination that the existing rider exists, automatically add the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices to the existing rider; and

responsive to a negative determination that the existing rider exists, generate a communication, for transmittal by the communications device to a holder of the insurance policy covering the insured property, recommending a policy adjustment to add a rider for the asset.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors to:

responsive to receipt of the registration data and the operational data from the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, determine whether one or more non-IP-addressable assets are connected to any of the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one or more non-IP-addressable assets are connected to the one or more IP-addressable devices, add the one or more non-IP-addressable assets to the inventory information in the database.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors to:

detect, based on one or both of the registration data and the operational data, whether an asset is added to or removed from the insured property;

update, responsive to an affirmative detection, the inventory information stored in the database; and

determine, based at least in part on the registration data and the operational data, whether an actuarially significant change in the inventory has occurred.

8. The system of claim. 1, wherein the database further includes safe operating range data for each of a plurality of IP-addressable devices and wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors to:

determine, based at least in part on the received operational data and the safe operating range data in the database, whether an actuarially significant change in one of the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property has occurred.

9. A computerized method for processing data relating to an inventory of assets located at a residential or commercial property covered under an insurance policy, comprising:

storing, by one or more data storage devices, inventory information about assets located at an insured property;

receiving, by a communications device communicating with networks of IP-addressable devices, registration data and operational data associated with one or more IP-addressable devices connected to the networks, the operational data associated with the one or more IP-addressable devices indicating at least one of operational status, condition, and use of one of the assets located at the insured property;

determining, by one or more computer processors, for the insured property, the inventory information about the insured property'"'"'s assets based on one or both of the registration data and the operational data received from the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property;

storing, by the one or more computer processors in the one or more data storage devices, the insured property'"'"'s inventory information.

10. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising determining, by the one or more computer processors, an insurance policy adjustment based at least on the operational data.

11. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more computer processors, an environmental risk profile for one of the one or more IP-addressable devices;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, based on the environmental risk profile, whether the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices poses an environmental risk; and

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices poses the environmental risk, generating, by the one or more computer processors, a communication, for transmittal by the communications device to a mobile device of a holder of the insurance policy covering the insured property, concerning the environmental risk.

12. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on a recalled device listing;

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on the recalled device listing, generating, by the one or more computer processors, a communication, for transmittal by the communications device to a mobile device of a holder of the insurance policy covering the insured property, identifying the recalled device and its presence on the recalled device listing.

13. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is an asset for which insurance coverage requires an insurance rider; and

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is an asset for which insurance coverage requires the insurance rider;

determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether an existing rider to the insurance policy exists;

responsive to an affirmative determination that the existing rider exists, automatically adding, by the one or more computer processors, the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices to the existing rider; and

responsive to a negative determination that the existing rider exists, generating, by the one or more computer processors, a communication, for transmittal by the communications device to a holder of the insurance policy covering the insured property, recommending a policy adjustment to add a rider for the asset.

14. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more computer processors and responsive to receipt of the registration data and the operational data from the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, whether one or more non-IP-addressable assets are connected to any of the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one or more non-IP-addressable assets are connected to the one or more IP-addressable devices, adding, by the one or more computer processors, the one or more non-IP-addressable assets to the inventory information in the database.

15. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting, by the one or more computer processors and based on the registration data, that an asset is added to or removed from the insured property;

updating, by the one or more computer processors, the inventory information stored in the database in response to the detection;

determining, by the one or more computer processors and based at least in part on the registration data and the operational data, whether an actuarially significant change in the inventory has occurred; and

responsive to a determination that an actuarially significant change in the inventory has occurred, storing data relating to the actuarially significant change in the one or more data storage devices.

16. The computerized method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing, in the one or more data storage devices, safe operating range data for each of a plurality of IP-addressable devices;

determining, by the one or more computer processors and based at least in part on the received operational data and the safe operating range data, whether an actuarially significant change in an operation of one of the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property has occurred.

17. A computer system for processing data relating to IP-addressable devices for maintaining an inventory of assets located at a residential or commercial property covered under an insurance policy, comprising:

one or more data storage devices storing inventory information about assets located at an insured property;

one or more computer processors in communication with the one or more data storage devices;

a communications device configured to communicate with the one or more computer processors, the one or more data storage devices, and networks of IP-addressable devices for receiving registration data and operational data associated with one or more IP-addressable devices connected to each of the networks, the operational data associated with the one or more IP-addressable devices indicating at least one of operational status, condition, and use of one of the assets located at the insured property; and

a memory, coupled to the one or more computer processors, storing program instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to;

determine, for the insured property, the inventory information about the insured property'"'"'s assets based on one or both of the registration data and the operational data received from the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, and

store the insured property'"'"'s inventory information in the one or more data storage devices.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors to:

detect, based on one or both of the registration data, whether an asset is added to or removed from the insured property;

update, responsive to an affirmative detection, the inventory information stored in the one or more data storage devices;

determine, based at least in part on the registration data and the operational data, whether an actuarially significant change in the inventory has occurred; and

responsive to a determination that an actuarially significant change in the inventory has occurred, perform an underwriting modification for modifying the insurance policy covering the residential or commercial property.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors to:

determine, responsive to receipt of the registration data and the operational data from the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, whether one or more non-IP-addressable assets are connected to the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one or more non-IP-addressable assets are connected to the one or more IP-addressable devices;

add the one or more non-IP-addressable assets to the inventory information in the one or more data storage devices; and

determine whether a policy adjustment is required based on the addition of the one or non-IP-addressable assets to the inventory information.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are further operative with the one or more computer processors, responsive to receipt of registration data from one of the one or more IP-addressable devices located at the insured property, to:

determine whether the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on a recalled device listing;

responsive to an affirmative determination that the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on the recalled device listing, generate a communication, for transmittal by the communications device to a holder of the insurance policy covering the insured property, identifying repair facilities for repairing the recalled device.