VEHICLE INVENTORY VERIFICATION SYSTEM, APPARATUS AND METHOD CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

• US 20160071054A1
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halcyon Consulting, LLC
• Original Assignee: Halcyon Consulting, LLC
• Inventors: Kakarala, Srinivas, Kakarala, Kartikeya
• Granted Patent: US 10,055,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A system, method, and devices are disclosed for remotely verifying and managing the record of an inventory asset, such as an automobile or other vehicle, wherein the asset in the inventory is located at a site remote from a user initiating a request for verification, A user selects from a web-based interface on a client device or mobile application the location of an asset to be verified. When an inventory verification request is initiated, a request is sent electronically to a base station/transmitter located at the dealer'"'"'s location. The transmitter sends a signal out to verify the inventory in the dealer'"'"'s to one or more receivers installed in each vehicle/inventory object. The receivers communicate data associated with vehicles/inventory objects present in the dealer'"'"'s lot back to the transmitted request with the list of data representing the inventory.

Claims

1. A method for remote verification of an inventory asset in a floorplan inventory, comprising:

sending a verification request originating from a third party from a client device remote from a dealer site to a data center;

processing the request on the data center;

routing the request from the data center to the appropriate remote server, wherein the server is associated with an automobile dealership;

receiving the verification request at the remote server, thereby triggering a transmitter connected to the remote server via hardware or wireless connection;

transmitting the verification request from the transmitter to a plurality of receivers arranged in a network, wherein each receiver is associated with an inventory asset of the floorplan inventory, the network of receivers arranged in a connected network topography;

upon receiving the request, communicating the request amongst the receivers until the asset matching the verification request is located;

responding to the request with a vehicle record associated with the asset, wherein the vehicle record comprises a list of set of data, comprising one or more of a VIN, make, model, price, mileage, geo-location;

sending the vehicle record from the receiver to the remote server; and

responding from the server to the data center.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, storing data related to the request in an electronic record of the data center.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, generating a verification request response and sending the response for display on the third party client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the asset is an automobile, a motorbike, a boat, or other motorized vehicle offered for sale by a dealership.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver associated with the asset is connected to an onboard diagnostic system of the asset and configured to retrieve system information of the asset.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a portable device to execute a method according to claim 1.

6. A system, comprising:

a client device;

a data center comprising a processor, memory, and one or more of an application module;

a remote server connected to a transmitter; and

a plurality of receivers, each receiver associated with a vehicle within a vehicle inventory floorplan of a dealership and wherein the receivers are arranged as a network;

the system configured for sending a vehicle verification request via the client device to the data center for processing, whereby processing comprises transmitting the verification request from the transmitter to the plurality of receivers over a wireless communication network, and verifying the presence of a requested vehicle in the vehicle inventory upon retrieval of vehicle information associated with the requested vehicle of the vehicle verification request by the receiver, and subsequent transmission of vehicle information of the requested vehicle to the data center.

8. A method of remotely updating a sale price of a vehicle, comprising:

entering, via a user input on a portable electronic device, a price to be displayed on an electric tag associated with a vehicle in a dealer inventory using input means on the portable electronic device, wherein price is inputted as a numerical value;

transmitting the inputted price of the vehicle to a data center, wherein the price is stored on a server of the data center in association with a vehicle record corresponding to the vehicle in the dealer inventory for which the price is being updated;

forwarding the updated price to a remote server, whereon the price is stored in association with a dealer record corresponding to the vehicle for which the price is being updated;

communicating with a transmitter connected to the remote server and transmitting the updated price from the transmitter connected to the remote server to a receiver associated with the vehicle in the dealer inventory for which the price is to be updated;

receiving the updated price by the receiver associated with the vehicle in the dealer inventory for which the price is to updated; and

displaying the price on a display screen of the electronic tag associated with and in communication with the receiver.