Apparatus and method for automated vehicle roadside assistance

• US 8,583,320 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Esurance Insurance Services Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Esurance Insurance Services Incorporated (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Harris, Frederick Miles, Srinivasan, Deepak Kumar, Swift, Philip James, Sykes, Paul David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/493,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/31, 701/35, 701/36, 701/200, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/211, 701/213, 701/300, 701/117, 701/29.1, 701/29.2, 701/29.3, 701/29.4, 701/29.6, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/32.3, 701/32.4, 701/32.7, 701/33.2, 701/34.2, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 701/411, 701/412, 701/414, 701/418, 701/422, 701/423, 701/428, 701/430, 701/431, 701/445, 701/450, 701/451, 701/454, 701/455, 701/457, 701/465, 701/466, 701/467, 701/468, 701/515, 701/516, 701/519, 701/532, 701/537, 701/538, 701/302, 705/1.1, 705/4, 340/901, 340/902, 340/903, 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/991, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 340/995.14, 340/995.25, 340/995.27, 340/995.13, 340/995.15, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A computer readable storage medium includes executable instructions to receive from a mobile device a request regarding a stranded vehicle. The request is processed to determine the location of the stranded vehicle. Additional information regarding the stranded vehicle may be retrieved. The location of the stranded vehicle and the additional information may be communicated as a dispatch request. The location of the stranded vehicle relative to a dispatched vehicle is delivered to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A non-transient computer readable storage medium comprising executable instructions to:

receive from a mobile device a request regarding a stranded vehicle;

process the request to determine the location of the stranded vehicle; and

deliver to the mobile device the location of the stranded vehicle relative to a dispatched vehicle, wherein the executable instructions to deliver include executable instructions to automatically deliver a graphical map of location updates associated with the dispatched vehicle relative to the stranded vehicle.

2. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the request is received via a mobile web application in the mobile device.

3. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to process the request comprise executable instructions to retrieve additional information regarding the stranded vehicle.

4. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the additional information comprises vehicle status information, vehicle coverage information and vehicle insurance policy information.

5. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions to process the request further comprise executable instructions to automatically provision the dispatched vehicle to a user based on the additional information and the location of the stranded vehicle.

6. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to deliver include executable instructions to automatically deliver at least one of information from a short message service (SMS) and an email message comprising location updates associated with the dispatched vehicle relative to the stranded vehicle.

7. A non-transient computer readable storage medium comprising executable instructions to:

receive from a mobile device a request regarding a stranded vehicle;

process the request to determine the location of the stranded vehicle;

obtain vehicle insurance policy information for the user of the mobile device;

perform an evaluation of the vehicle insurance policy information to confirm a coverage level to cover the cost of dispatching a vehicle to the stranded vehicle; and

selectively dispatch a vehicle to the stranded vehicle based upon the evaluation.

8. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 7 further comprising executable instructions to access a map service.

9. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 8 further comprising executable instructions to deliver to the mobile device the location of the stranded vehicle relative to a dispatched vehicle.

10. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 9 further comprising executable instructions to automatically deliver a graphical map of location updates associated with the dispatched vehicle relative to the stranded vehicle.