Methods and systems for inventorying personal property and business equipment with backend business development system

• US 8,615,450 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Protectovision, LLC
• Original Assignee: Protectovision, LLC
• Inventors: Fanelli, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZARE, SCOTT A
• Application Number:
  US13/277,861
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Methods and systems for documenting an inventory of items by accessing an inventory algorithm for creating an inventory list, adding two or more items to the inventory list, adding details about one or more of the items in the inventory list, identifying one or more real properties containing items in the inventory list, and linking one or more images with one or more of the items in the inventory list. The inventory can be created by providing a user with an access code to access the inventory list corresponding to the user, providing a reseller with access to the inventory algorithm for setting up a new user account and providing an authorized inventory professional with access to the inventory algorithm for creating the inventory list for the user.

Claims

1. A method for documenting an inventory of items for use by a user for a fee comprising the steps of:

accessing an algorithm stored on a program server from a remote location via a graphical interface for creating an inventory list, the accessing step comprising;

accessing the algorithm by the user to create the inventory list;

accessing the algorithm by a reseller to sell use of the algorithm to the user; and

accessing the algorithm by an authorized inventory professional to sell use of and create the inventory list for the user;

displaying an inventory screen having two or more selectable account tabs corresponding to a customer inventory;

selecting an inventory tab to display two or more selectable inventory item tabs;

adding two or more items to the inventory list, each item identifiable with one or more selectable item details;

adding item details about one or more of the items in the inventory list, adding item details comprising;

entering an item detail selected from a group consisting of property, location and category;

selecting one or more remember fields corresponding to each of the property, location and category fields to automatically pre-populate the item detail field corresponding to the remembered item details;

selecting save and add new item to save entered item and add a next new item to the inventory list with the item name field cleared and the remembered item detail fields pre-populated; and

selecting save and add item details to save the entered new item details and display item detail screen;

identifying one or more real properties containing items in the inventory list;

sorting inventory items based on one or more item detail fields selectable from a group consisting of property, location, category, date, purchase price, and beneficiary; and

linking one or more images with one or more of the items in the inventory list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of adding two or more items comprises the step of:

selecting one of adding another item to the inventory list, deleting one of the items, viewing details about one of the items and editing details about one of the items.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the adding details step comprises the step of:

associating each item in the inventory list with one of the real properties.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the adding details step comprises the step of:

adding one or more of notes, audio, video, documents, warranty information and maintenance records with each item in the inventory list.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the adding details step comprises the steps of:

associating a category with one or more of the items in the inventory list.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the adding details step comprises the steps of:

selecting one of adding one or more digital images for each one of the items in the inventory list, deleting one or more of the digital images and selecting one of the digital images as a default image of the item.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the linking step comprises the steps of:

uploading a batch of plural images; and

associating each one of the plural images in the batch with at least one of the items in the inventory list.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the adding details step comprises the steps of:

uploading a digital video to one or more of the items in the inventory list.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of uploading a digital video includes the step of:

automatically playing the video during the uploading step.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

scanning a barcode or scan code associated one of the items;

identifying the barcode or scan code; and

automatically populating an item name corresponding to the recognized barcode or scan code to add items to the inventory list from a stored recognition database.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the automatically populating an item name further comprises the step of:

automatically populating one or more item details associated with the recognized barcode or scan code from the stored recognition database.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

importing a video of one or more inventory items;

recognizing one or more items in the video from a stored recognition database; and

populating an item name field corresponding to the recognized item to add items to the inventory list from the stored recognition database.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the automatically populating an item name comprises the step of:

automatically populate item details associated with the recognized barcode or scan code to the item details from the stored recognition database.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessing an algorithm step comprises the step of:

providing the user with an access code to access the inventory list corresponding to the user;

providing the reseller with access to the inventory algorithm for setting up a new user account; and

providing the authorized inventory professional with access to the inventory algorithm for creating the inventory list for the user.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein providing the reseller with access comprises the step of:

displaying reseller commission data.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the displaying step includes the step of:

displaying a selected one of reseller sales commission, reseller renewal commission, reseller unpaid commission, reseller payment summary and reseller paid commission.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing an administrative tab for selecting one or more of product pricing, email messages, friend referrals, categories, locations, document types, analytics, users, login activity, transactions and reseller commissions.