Apparatus and method of use for calculating an estimate of damaged surface repair cost
First Claim
1. A method of estimating the time required to repair a surface damaged with interspaced defects, said method comprising the steps of:
- selecting a predetermined location on the surface;
obtaining a first template defining a representative area;
placing the first template adjacent to the surface at the predetermined location;
determining a number of defects within the representative area of the first template at the predetermined location;
obtaining a second template which includes at least one damage indicia relating to a defect severity;
determining a relative severity of at least one of said plurality of defects contained within the representative area of the first template at the predetermined location with reference to the at least one damage indicia; and
performing a mathematical process with a representative area data, the number of the defects within the representative area, and the relative severity of said at least one of said plurality of defects contained within the representative area of the first template in the predetermined location to determine the estimate of the time required to repair the surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of use and apparatus for estimating repair cost, particularly applicable to cost estimation of interspaced defect damaged vehicle surfaces. The method of use of the present invention provides that a defect count be made for a predetermined representative area; that a determination of relative severity be made with respect to at least one defect within the representative area; and that the repair estimate is then based upon the defect count information and defect severity. A set of physical templates may be provided, with a first template allowing the calculation of the number of dents per surface area, and a second template for grading, comparing, or otherwise determining the size or severity of the individual dents. Additionally, the defect count data and defect severity data may be determined with an electronic scanning means. Various formulae may be employed (manually or electronically) for calculating the cost estimate to repair the damaged surface.
87 Citations
8 Claims
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1. A method of estimating the time required to repair a surface damaged with interspaced defects, said method comprising the steps of:
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selecting a predetermined location on the surface;
obtaining a first template defining a representative area;
placing the first template adjacent to the surface at the predetermined location;
determining a number of defects within the representative area of the first template at the predetermined location;
obtaining a second template which includes at least one damage indicia relating to a defect severity;
determining a relative severity of at least one of said plurality of defects contained within the representative area of the first template at the predetermined location with reference to the at least one damage indicia; and
performing a mathematical process with a representative area data, the number of the defects within the representative area, and the relative severity of said at least one of said plurality of defects contained within the representative area of the first template in the predetermined location to determine the estimate of the time required to repair the surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification