Systems and methods for a social network for roadside assistance

• US 8,195,384 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Billman, Bradly Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US12/244,224
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/404.2, 455/404.1, 455/414.2, 455/415, 705/75, 705/72, 705/62, 705/317, 701/207
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system for facilitating assistance requests may comprise at least one subsystem that receives an assistance request from a requester, at least one subsystem that identifies a current location of the requester, and at least one subsystem that identifies members of an assistance network that are within a particular area relative to the current location of the requester.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating assistance requests comprising:

at least one subsystem that determines a current location of a requester requesting assistance;

at least one subsystem that identifies other users within a particular area of the requester'"'"'s current location that are registered in an assistance network as available for providing assistance;

at least one subsystem that determines whether a request from the requester fits selection criteria set by a number of identified users offering assistance;

at least one subsystem that determines a tiered list of the number of identified users that fit the selection criteria; and

at least one subsystem that presents the tiered list to the requester.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the selection criteria is regarding one or more of the following:

characteristics of the requester, characteristics of assistance requested by the requester.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the characteristics of assistance requested by the requester comprise one or more of the following:

automobile mechanical trouble, locked keys in automobile, ran out of gas, flat tire, auto accident, injury, need directions, lost.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the characteristics of the requester comprise one or more of the following:

age, gender, military rank, distance from the identified user offering assistance.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one subsystem that sends the request to the identified user offering assistance only if the request from the requester fits selection criteria set by the identified user offering assistance.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one subsystem that sends the request to appropriate emergency services if the request fits selection criteria regarding a type of assistance requested.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the selection criteria regarding a type of assistance requested comprises the request being the result of an automobile accident.

8. A method for facilitating assistance requests comprising:

executing, by a processor, computer readable instructions for;

determining a current location of a requester requesting assistance;

identifying other users within a particular area of the requester'"'"'s current location that are registered in an assistance network as available for providing assistance;

determining whether a request from the requester fits selection criteria set by a number of identified users offering assistance

determining a tiered list of the number of identified users that fit the selection criteria; and

presenting the tiered list to the requester.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the selection criteria is regarding one or more of the following:

characteristics of the requester, characteristics of assistance requested by the requester.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the characteristics of assistance requested by the requester comprise one or more of the following:

automobile mechanical trouble, locked keys in automobile, ran out of gas, flat tire, auto accident, injury, need directions, lost.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the characteristics of the requester comprise one or more of the following:

age, gender, military rank, distance from the identified user offering assistance.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising sending the request to the identified user offering assistance only if the request from the requester fits selection criteria set by the identified user offering assistance.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising sending the request to appropriate emergency services if the request fits selection criteria regarding a type of assistance requested.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the selection criteria regarding a type of assistance requested comprises the request being the result of an automobile accident.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium for facilitating assistance requests comprising computer readable instructions for:

determining a current location of a requester requesting assistance;

identifying other users within a particular area of the requester'"'"'s current location that are registered in an assistance network as available for providing assistance;

determining whether a request from the requester fits selection criteria set by a number of identified users offering assistance;

determining a tiered list of the number of identified users that fit the selection criteria; and

presenting the tiered list to the requester.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the selection criteria is regarding one or more of the following:

characteristics of the requester, characteristics of assistance requested by the requester.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the characteristics of assistance requested by the requester comprise one or more of the following:

automobile mechanical trouble, locked keys in automobile, ran out of gas, flat tire, auto accident, injury, need directions, lost.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the characteristics of the requester comprise one or more of the following:

age, gender, military rank, distance from the identified user offering assistance.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15 further comprising computer readable instructions for sending the request to the identified user offering assistance only if the request from the requester fits selection criteria set by the identified user offering assistance.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15 further comprising computer readable instructions for sending the request to appropriate emergency services if the request fits selection criteria regarding a type of assistance requested.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the selection criteria regarding a type of assistance requested comprises the request being the result of an automobile accident.