Systems and methods for insuring stored food

• US 8,069,068 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Billman, Bradly Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Elizabeth
• Assistant Examiner(s): OJIAKU, CHIKAODINAKA
• Application Number:
  US12/479,188
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/28, 235/380, 700/232
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/103 Encasing or enveloping the configured lamina

Abstract

A person may store food to prepare for an emergency. An insurance policy may be issue to cover the stored food against loss, theft, spoilage, etc. In issuing the insurance policy and setting the premium, the insurer may take various factors into account, such as the type of food to be stored (e.g., canned, dried, etc.), where the food is to be stored (e.g., a cellar, a closet, a food locker, etc.), and whether the stored food is rotated with new food to prevent the stored food from spoiling due to age. During the life of the insurance policy, the insurer may issue alerts to the policyholder in order to advise the policyholder to rotate old food out of storage.

Claims

1. A system for issuing an insurance policy on food, the system comprising:

at least one computing device with a processor and a memory having instructions stored therein that are executable by the processor to;

receive information about said food;

receive information about how said food is to be stored and rotated;

receive underwriting data that describes a loss experience associated with a type of said food, wherein the loss experience identifies the way in which said food is to be stored and rotated;

determine a premium of said insurance policy based on said received underwriting data, a type of food to be covered by the insurance policy, and a manner in which said food is to be stored and rotated;

issue said food insurance policy;

issue an alert to a policyholder of said insurance policy, said alert advising said policyholder to rotate said food by replacing said food with new food;

receive, from said policyholder, a confirmation that said food has been rotated; and

in the event of a claim for loss or damage to an item of food that is covered by said food insurance policy, issue a card or certificate that is redeemable for a food item commensurate in value to the item of food that that was lost or damaged.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said information about said food indicates that said food is canned food.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said information about said food indicates that said food is dry goods.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said information about how said food is to be stored indicates that said food is to be stored in a cellar.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said information about how said food is to be stored indicates that said food is to be stored in a food locker.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said information about how said food is to be stored indicates that said food is to be stored in a house of a person to whom said insurance policy is issued.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said insurance policy calls for old items of food to be rotated by replacing said old items of food with new items of food.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said type of food is cured food.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said type of food is jarred food.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said confirmation comprises a certification by said policyholder that said food has been rotated.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said card or certificate is redeemable only for the type of food for which a claim was made.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for paying a claim under a food insurance policy, the computer-readable instructions comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

receiving information about said food;

receiving information about how said food is to be stored and rotated;

receiving underwriting data that describes a loss experience associated with a type of said food, wherein the loss experience identifies the way in which said food is stored and rotated;

determining a premium of said insurance policy based on said received underwriting data, a type of food to be covered by the insurance policy, and a manner in which said food is to be stored and rotated,

issuing said food insurance policy;

issuing an alert to a policyholder of said insurance policy, said alert advising said policyholder to rotate said food by replacing said food with new food;

receiving, from said policyholder, a confirmation that said food has been rotated; and

in the event of a claim for loss or damage to an item of food that is covered by said food insurance policy, issuing a card or certificate that is redeemable for a food item commensurate in value to the item of food that that was lost or damaged.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said card or certificate is redeemable only for the type of food for which said claim was made.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said type of food comprises canned, jarred or dried food.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said manner in which said food is to be stored comprises storing said food in a food locker or in a cellar.