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

• US 8,239,388 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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:
  US13/084,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20110246468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 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 creating a database of vehicle records, the method comprising:

analyzing, with a processing 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, using the processing device, vehicle records in the collection that have been determined in said analyzing step to correspond to vehicles having branded title; and

storing in a physical memory device the vehicle records corresponding to only the vehicles having clean title in a computer readable database.

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

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

flagging, using the processing device, vehicle history records in the collection that have been determined in said analyzing step to have discrepancies; and

storing in a physical memory device the vehicle history records corresponding to only the vehicles not having discrepancies in a computer readable database.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.

7. 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;

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

wherein the computing device is programmed to store in a designated database of a physical computer memory the vehicle records corresponding to only the vehicles not having discrepancies in a computer readable database.

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

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

10. 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;

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

wherein the computing device is programmed to store in a designated database of a physical computer memory the vehicle history records corresponding to only the vehicles not having discrepancies in a computer readable database.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle records include vehicle history records having vehicle history information.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle records each correspond to a particular vehicle.