Method and apparatus for automating multi-national insurance information requests

• US 7,933,784 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2003
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Brocci, Caroldean
• Primary Examiner(s): SEREBOFF, NEAL
• Application Number:
  US10/390,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20040186748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,961 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program product for maintaining data regarding the compliance of vendors with insurance requirements of a number of nations.

Claims

1. A method of insurance certificate tracking with a computer having a memory, the computer performing method steps of:

selecting a vendor via the computer from a vendor list stored on the memory, the vendor having an associated item list of items purchased and sold, a vendor country, and a vendor insurance policy, wherein the vendor country includes a country selected from a worldwide country list and the vendor list includes vendors from a multitude of nations;

modifying the vendor insurance policy via the computer in response to a national insurance custom associated with the vendor country, wherein the national insurance custom is an insurance practice that differs from a standard policy of the vendor country;

generating a product list via the computer, the product list including products associated with each item in the item list, wherein the vendor is tied to the product list via the item list associated with the vendor;

generating a country list via the computer, the country list including countries where each product of the product list is distributed;

accessing a minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list;

comparing the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy via the computer; and

generating an out of compliance list via the computer, the out of compliance list including countries the vendor is out of compliance with based on the comparison of the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy.

2. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

generating an in compliance list via the computer, the in compliance list including countries the vendor is in compliance with based on the comparison of the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy.

3. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

generating, via the computer, the national insurance custom associated with the vendor country.

4. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 3, further comprising a step of:

generating an in compliance list via the computer, the in compliance list including countries the vendor is in compliance with based on the comparison of the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy.

5. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

tracking personal automobile insurance policies, via the computer, for each employee of the vendor that uses their personal vehicle for vendor business.

6. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 5, further comprising steps of:

determining, via the computer, if a personal automobile insurance policy for each employee of the vendor that uses their personal vehicle for vendor business plus a vendor supplied automobile insurance policy are in compliant with a minimum automobile insurance policy; and

generating, via the computer, an out of compliance automobile insurance policy list of vendors having out of compliant automobile insurance policies based on the determination that the personal automobile insurance policy for at least one employee of the vendor plus the vendor supplied automobile insurance policy are out of compliance with the minimum automobile insurance policy.

7. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

adding, via the computer, a new vendor to the vendor list, the step of adding the new vendor including the steps of;

associating, via the computer, each item purchased by the new vendor added to the vendor list;

adding, via the computer, an address corresponding to the new vendor to the vendor list, the address including the new vendor country; and

adding, via the computer, the vendor insurance policy of the new vendor to the vendor list.

8. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

generating, via the computer, the minimum insurance policy in response to the product list.

9. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

modifying, via the computer, the vendor insurance policy in response to the national insurance custom associated with each country in the country list.

10. A method of verifying insurance certificate compliance of a multinational set of vendors on a computer having a memory, the computer performing the method steps of:

accessing a vendor list stored on the memory, via the computer, each vendor of the vendor list having an associated item list of items purchased and sold, a vendor country, and a vendor insurance policy, wherein the vendor country includes a country selected from a worldwide country list and the vendor list includes vendors from a multitude of nations;

modifying, via the computer, the vendor insurance policy for each vendor in response to a national insurance custom associated with the vendor country, wherein the national insurance custom is an insurance practice that differs from a standard policy of the vendor country;

generating, via the computer, a product list of products associated with each item in the item list, wherein each vendor of the vendor list is tied to the product list via the item list associated with the respective vendor;

generating, via the computer, a country list of countries where each product of the product list is distributed;

accessing a minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list;

comparing, via the computer, the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy; and

generating, via the computer, an out of compliance list of countries the vendor is out of compliance with based on the comparison of the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy.

11. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 10, further comprising a step of:

generating, via the computer, an in compliance list of countries the vendor is in compliance with based on the comparison of the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy.

12. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 10, further comprising a step of:

generating, via the computer, the national insurance custom associated with the vendor country.

13. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 12, further comprising a step of:

generating, via the computer, an in compliance list of countries the vendor is in compliance with based on the comparison of the minimum insurance policy for each country in the country list with the modified vendor insurance policy.

14. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 10, further comprising a step of:

tracking, via the computer, personal automobile insurance policies for each employee of the vendor that uses their personal vehicle for vendor business.

15. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 14, further comprising steps of:

determining, via the computer, if a personal automobile insurance policy for each employee of the vendor that uses their personal vehicle for vendor business plus a vendor supplied automobile insurance policy are in compliant with a minimum automobile insurance policy; and

generating, via the computer, an out of compliance automobile insurance policy list of vendors having out of compliant automobile insurance policies based on the determination that the personal automobile insurance policy for at least one employee of the vendor plus the vendor supplied automobile insurance policy are out of compliance with the minimum automobile insurance policy.

16. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 10, further comprising a step of:

adding, via the computer, a new vendor to the vendor list, the step of adding the new vendor including the steps of;

associating, via the computer, each item purchased by the new vendor added to the vendor list;

adding, via the computer, an address corresponding to the new vendor to the vendor list, the address including the new vendor country; and

adding, via the computer, the vendor insurance policy of the new vendor to the vendor list.

17. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 10, further comprising a step of:

generating, via the computer, the minimum insurance policy in response to the product list.

18. The method of insurance certificate tracking according to claim 10, further comprising a step of:

modifying, via the computer, the vendor insurance policy in response to the national insurance custom associated with each country in the country list.