Method and Apparatus for Mobile Rental of Vehicles

• US 20180225749A1
• Filed: 03/20/2018
• Published: 08/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Original Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Inventors: Shoen, Edward J., Tonan, Arthur Scott, Wathen, John Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 11,488,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system for rental of vehicles stores reservation information for a customer reservation of a rental vehicle, including a scheduled pickup time and pickup location for the rental vehicle. The system receives information from the customer'"'"'s a mobile device, including image information and location information. When the customer arrives at the rental pickup location, the system prompts the customer to use the mobile device to capture and upload an image of the customer'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license, a current image of the customer, and location information for confirming that the customer image was captured at the rental pickup location. The system displays the uploaded driver'"'"'s license image, the uploaded customer image and the stored reservation information to an operator to verify the identity of the customer before the customer is approved to pick up the rental vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for mobile rental of vehicles, the method comprising:

storing in a non-transitory computer database reservation information associated with a customer reservation of a rental vehicle to be dispatched from a rental pickup location at a scheduled pickup time, wherein the computer database is accessible by a rental management computer system;

with the rental management computer system;

advising the customer that a mobile device will be required to pick up the rental vehicle;

at or about the time when the customer arrives at the rental pickup location;

confirming via the mobile device that the customer is at the rental pickup location;

prompting the customer to use the mobile device to capture an image of the customer'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license and to upload the driver'"'"'s license image to the rental management computer system, wherein the driver'"'"'s license image includes a photograph of the customer; and

prompting the customer to use the mobile device to capture a current image of the customer and to upload to the rental management computer system the customer image; and

using the uploaded driver'"'"'s license image, the uploaded customer image and the reservation information to verify the identity of the customer before approving the customer to pick up the rental vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of confirming that the customer is at the rental pickup location comprises receiving GPS location information for the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of confirming that the customer is at the rental pickup location comprises prompting the customer to include the customer'"'"'s surroundings in the uploaded customer image to show that the customer is physically present at the rental pickup location or near the rental vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting the customer to use the mobile device to capture an image of the customer holding the customer'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license and to upload the image to the rental management computer system.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting the customer to use the mobile device to capture an image of a barcode on the customer'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license and to upload the barcode image to the rental management computer system for verifying the identity of the customer.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting the customer to use the mobile device to capture an image of a secondary form of identification that includes a photograph of the customer and the customer'"'"'s name and to upload the image of the secondary form of identification to the rental management computer system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of using the uploaded driver'"'"'s license image, the uploaded customer image and the reservation information to verify the identity of the customer comprises comparing the photograph of the customer in the uploaded driver'"'"'s license image to the uploaded customer image and at least one of:

confirming that the location where the equipment is being dispatched is in the state that issued the customer'"'"'s license; and

confirming that the reservation information matches the corresponding information from the uploaded driver'"'"' license image.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, before the customer returns the rental vehicle to a rental return location, with the rental management computer system prompting the customer via the mobile device to confirm that the customer is at the rental return location.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising, with the rental management computer system, associating with the uploaded customer image a timestamp indicating when the customer image was uploaded.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising, with the rental management computer system, storing meta data associated with the uploaded customer image that indicates when the customer image was created.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising downloading to the mobile device from the rental management computer system stored fuel level and mileage information for the rental vehicle and prompting the customer to use the mobile device to capture one or more images of the mileage display or fuel level display of the rental vehicle and to send the one or more mileage or fuel level display images to the rental management computer system.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising, if the downloaded fuel level and mileage information is not accurate, prompting the customer to manually input to the mobile device corrected fuel level and mileage information for the rental vehicle and to use the mobile device to upload the corrected fuel level and mileage information to the rental management computer system before driving the vehicle.

3. The method of claim I wherein the step of confirming that the customer is at the rental pickup location comprises using location information associated with the uploaded current image of the customer to confirm that the uploaded customer image was captured at the rental pickup location.

14. A rental management computer system for mobile rental of vehicles, the system comprising:

a database operative to store reservation information associated with a customer reservation of a rental vehicle, wherein the reservation information includes a scheduled pickup time and pickup location for the rental vehicle;

an input component operative to receive information from a mobile device used by the customer, including image information and location information; and

a processor in communication with the database and the input component and operative to;

advise the customer that a mobile device will be required to pick up the rental vehicle;

at or about the time when the customer arrives at the rental pickup location;

confirm via the mobile device that the customer is at the rental pickup location;

prompt the customer to use the mobile device to capture an image of the customer'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license and to upload to the rental management computer system the driver'"'"'s license image, wherein the driver'"'"'s license image includes a photograph of the customer; and

prompt the customer to use the mobile device to capture a current image of the customer and to upload to the rental management computer system the customer image; and

an output component operative with the processor to display the uploaded driver'"'"'s license image, the uploaded customer image and the stored reservation information to an operator to verify the identity of the customer before the customer is approved to pick up the rental vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is operative to confirm via the mobile device that the customer is at the rental pickup location by using GPS location information for the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is operative to confirm via the mobile device that the customer is at the rental pickup location by prompting the customer to include in the uploaded customer image the customer'"'"'s surroundings showing that the customer is physically present at the rental location or near the rental vehicle.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operative to prompt the customer to capture an image of the customer holding the customer'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license and to upload the image to the rental management computer system.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operative to prompt the customer to use the mobile device to capture an image of a barcode on the customer'"'"'s driver'"'"'s license and to upload the barcode image to the rental management computer system.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operative to prompt the customer to use the mobile device to capture an image of a secondary form of identification that includes a photograph associated with the customer'"'"'s name.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the output component is further operative to display the uploaded driver'"'"'s license image and the uploaded customer image to allow an operator to compare the photograph of the customer in the uploaded driver'"'"'s license image to the uploaded customer image and to display information that the operator can use to do at least one of:

confirm that the location where the equipment is being dispatched is in the state that issued the customer'"'"'s license; and

confirm that the stored reservation information matches the corresponding information from the uploaded driver'"'"' license image.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operative to prompt the customer to confirm via the mobile device that the customer is at the rental return location. before the customer returns the rental vehicle.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operative to download to the mobile device fuel level and mileage information for the rental vehicle and to prompt the customer to capture one or more images of the fuel level or mileage displays of the rental vehicle for confirming the accuracy of the downloaded fuel level and mileage information and to send the captured image information to the rental management computer system.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the processor is further operative, if the downloaded fuel level and mileage information is not accurate, to prompt the customer to manually input to the mobile device corrected fuel level and mileage information for the rental vehicle and to use the mobile device to upload the corrected fuel level and mileage information to the rental management computer system before driving the vehicle.