Apparatus and method for perusing selected vehicles having a clean title history

• US 7,925,654 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CARFAX Incorporated (S&P Global Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CARFAX Incorporated (S&P Global Inc.)
• Inventors: Raines, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spieler; William
• Application Number:
  US12/753,464
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 707/740
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/948 Product or catalog
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system and method for allowing a consumer to search a database containing used vehicles from a variety of sellers that can be queried to provide search results that include only vehicles having clean title histories.

Claims

1. A method for searching vehicle history records, the method comprising:

analyzing, with a computing device, vehicle records having vehicle information to determine vehicle title information indicating whether vehicles corresponding to the records have at least one of clean title, in which the corresponding vehicle has no known title discrepancies, and branded title, in which the corresponding vehicle has a title discrepancy;

storing the vehicle title information in a computer readable database;

receiving a query including title search criteria and at least one other search parameter, wherein the title search criteria includes at least one of a specification of clean title or a specification of branded title;

processing the query with a computing device against the database; and

providing search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles satisfying the title search criteria and the at least one other search parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the vehicle information in the database in correspondence to the vehicle title information and wherein the search results also include the vehicle information of the vehicles satisfying the title search criteria and the at least one other parameter.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes vehicle history attributes.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes at least one of vehicle make and model.

7. A method for creating a database of vehicle records, the method comprising:

analyzing, with a computing device, a collection of vehicle records having vehicle information to determine vehicle title information indicating whether vehicles corresponding to the records have at least one of clean title, in which the corresponding vehicle has no known title discrepancies, and branded title, in which the corresponding vehicle has a title discrepancy;

flagging vehicle records in the collection that have been determined in said analyzing step to correspond to vehicles having branded title;

storing the vehicle records corresponding to the vehicles having clean title in a computer readable database;

receiving a query including search parameters;

processing the query with the computing device against the database; and

providing search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles satisfying the search parameters.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the search parameters include title search criteria.

11. A method for searching vehicle records, the method comprising:

analyzing, with a computing device, vehicle records having vehicle information to determine discrepancy information indicating whether the vehicle records of include a discrepancy;

storing the discrepancy information in a computer readable database;

receiving a query including discrepancy search criteria and at least one other search parameter;

processing the query with a computing device against the database; and

providing search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles corresponding to records satisfying the discrepancy search criteria and the at least one other search parameter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes vehicle history attributes.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of storing the vehicle information in the database in correspondence to the discrepancy information and wherein the search results also include the vehicle information of the vehicles corresponding to records satisfying the discrepancy search criteria and the at least one other parameter.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes at least one of vehicle make and model.

17. A method for creating a database of vehicle records, the method comprising:

analyzing, with a computing device, a collection of vehicle records having vehicle information to determine discrepancy information indicating whether vehicle history records include discrepancies;

flagging vehicle history records in the collection that have been determined in said analyzing step to have discrepancies;

storing the vehicle history records corresponding to the vehicles not having discrepancies in a computer readable database;

receiving a query including search parameters;

processing the query with the computing device against the database; and

providing search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles corresponding to records satisfying the search parameters.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

20. A computer system for searching vehicle history records, the computer system comprising:

a computing device programmed to analyze vehicle records having vehicle information to determine vehicle title information indicating whether vehicles corresponding to the records have at least one of clean title, in which the corresponding vehicle has no known title discrepancies, and branded title, in which the corresponding vehicle has a title discrepancy;

a computer memory configured to store the vehicle title information in a computer readable database;

a computer interface configured to receive a query including title search criteria and at least one other search parameter, wherein the title search criteria includes at least one of a specification of clean title or a specification of branded title;

a computing device programmed to process the query against the database; and

a computer interface configured to provide search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles satisfying the title search criteria and the at least one other search parameter.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

22. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

23. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the database includes vehicle information stored in correspondence to the vehicle title information and wherein the search results also include the vehicle information of the vehicles satisfying the title search criteria and the at least one other parameter.

24. The computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes vehicle history attributes.

25. The computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes at least one of vehicle make and model.

26. A computer system for creating a database of vehicle records, the computer system comprising:

a computing device programmed to analyze a collection of vehicle records having vehicle information to determine vehicle title information indicating whether vehicles corresponding to the records have at least one of clean title, in which the corresponding vehicle has no known title discrepancies, and branded title, in which the corresponding vehicle has a title discrepancy;

a computing device programmed to flag vehicle records in the collection that have been determined to correspond to vehicles having branded title;

a computer memory configured to store the vehicle records corresponding to the vehicles having clean title in a computer readable database;

a computer interface for receiving a query including search parameters;

a computing device programmed to process the query against the database; and

a computer interface configured to provide search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles satisfying the search parameters.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

28. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

29. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the search parameters include title search criteria.

30. A computer system for searching vehicle records, the computer system comprising:

a computing device programmed to analyze vehicle records having vehicle information to determine discrepancy information indicating whether the vehicle records include a discrepancy;

a computer memory configured to store the discrepancy information in a computer readable database;

a computer interface configured to receive a query including discrepancy search criteria and at least one other search parameter;

a computer device programmed to process the query with a computing device against the database; and

a computer interface configured to provide search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles corresponding to records satisfying the discrepancy search criteria and the at least one other search parameter.

31. The computer system of claim 30, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

32. The computer system as recited in claim 31, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes vehicle history attributes.

33. The computer system of claim 30, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

34. The computer system of claim 30, further wherein the vehicle information is stored in the database in correspondence to the discrepancy information and wherein the search results also include the vehicle information of the vehicles corresponding to records satisfying the discrepancy search criteria and the at least one other parameter.

35. The computer system as recited in claim 30, wherein the at least one other search parameter includes at least one of vehicle make and model.

36. A computer system for creating a database of vehicle records, the computer system comprising:

a computing device programmed to analyze a collection of vehicle records having vehicle information to determine discrepancy information indicating whether vehicle history records include discrepancies;

a computing device programmed to flag vehicle history records in the collection that have been determined to have discrepancies;

a computer memory configured to store the vehicle history records corresponding to the vehicles not having discrepancies in a computer readable database;

a computer interface configured to receive a query including search parameters;

a computing device configured to process the query against the database; and

a computer interface configured to provide search results of the processed query, whereby the search results includes a listing of vehicles corresponding to records satisfying the search parameters.

37. The computer system of claim 36, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

38. The computer system of claim 36, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.