Remote contents estimating system and method

• US 8,655,683 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Grundel, Lev, Woods, Mark Steven, Jannak, Torpum, Miller, Steven Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunham, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): MISIASZEK, AMBER ALTSCHUL
• Application Number:
  US10/357,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,032 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A contents estimating system and method for providing an estimate of the cost of settling an insurance claim which includes a server having an embedded program compiled on the server and embedded in a web page, a client having a browser removably connected to the server, an inventory data acquirer for acquiring inventory data of each of the items that are the subject of the insurance claim and insert them into the web page, a price data acquirer for acquiring prices of the items of inventory data that are the subject of the insurance claim and insert them into the web page, and a liability limits data acquirer for acquiring liability limits data for the insurance claim and insert them into the web page, in which, upon receipt of a claim of loss from the insured, the web page is displayed on the screen of the client, the embedded program is executed within a client process with substantially unrestricted access to the client'"'"'s system resources, and an estimate of the cost of settling a claim is produced by mapping an item of the inventory data to the price data, subject to the liability limits data, and is provided to the insured upon calculation, at the insured'"'"'s location or the location of the loss.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a loss claim at a client device, the loss claim corresponding to inventory data comprising a list of a plurality of items lost in an event resulting in the loss claim;

receiving liability limits data for the loss claim from a claim processing server;

receiving inventory data for the list of the plurality of items;

receiving price data for the list of the plurality of items from the claim processing server, wherein the price data is adjusted by a taxable status adjustment factor that is determined based on at least one of an actual cash value (ACV) and full replacement cost (FRC) of each of the plurality of items;

storing the liability limits data, the inventory data, and the adjusted price data in a memory of the client device;

using a claims processor associated with the client device, mapping each item of the list of the plurality of items to the adjusted price data to determine an estimated cost of replacement for each item, wherein the mapping comprises selecting a lowest price for a first item when the first item of the plurality of items maps to a plurality of prices of the adjusted price data in the memory of the client device;

calculating, using the claims processor, an estimate of a cost of settling the loss claim based on a sum of the estimated costs of replacement of each item;

using the claims processor, capping the estimate by applying the liability limits data;

using a display device associated with the client device, outputting the estimate to a web page; and

using the claims processor, settling the loss claim by taking into account a difference between an actual cash valuation (ACV) and a full replacement cost (FRC) of the plurality of items.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

updating the inventory data in the memory based on receiving input describing additional items related to the loss claim;

revising the list of the plurality of items to include the additional items related to the loss claim in the memory;

using the claims processor, mapping each item of the revised list to the adjusted price data to determine an estimated cost of replacement of each item of the revised list;

using the claims processor, revising the estimate based on the additional items related to the loss claim;

using the claims processor, capping the revised estimate by applying the liability limits data; and

using the display device associated with the client device, outputting the revised estimate at a location of said insured to which the loss claim corresponds or a location of the loss claim.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising uploading the updated inventory data or the revised estimate from the memory of the client device to the claims processing server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a portion of a screen of the display device that is affected by one of the updated list, the updated inventory, and the revised estimate is repainted.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping further comprises showing at least two of the plurality of prices on the display device.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing the insured with the estimate at a location of the insured.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing the insured with the estimate at a location of the loss claim.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a loss claim at a client device located at a location of the loss, the loss claim corresponding to inventory data comprising a list of a plurality of items lost in an event resulting in the loss claim;

receiving liability limits data for the loss claim at the client device;

receiving inventory data for the list of the plurality of items at the client device;

receiving price data for the list of the plurality of items at the client device, wherein the price data is adjusted by a taxable status adjustment factor that is determined based on at least one of an actual cash value (ACV) and full replacement cost (FRC) of each of the plurality of items;

storing the liability limits data, the inventory data, and the adjusted price data in a memory of the client device;

using a claims processor associated with the client device at the location of the loss, mapping each item of the list of the plurality of items to the adjusted price data to determine an estimated cost of replacement for each item, wherein the mapping comprises selecting a lowest price for a first item when the first item of the plurality of items maps to a plurality of prices of the adjusted price data in the memory of the client device;

calculating, using the claims processor, an estimate of a cost of settling the loss claim based on a sum of the estimated costs of replacement of each item;

using the claims processor, capping the estimate by applying the liability limits data; and

using a display device associated with the client device, displaying the estimate at the location of the loss;

updating the inventory data in the memory based on receiving input describing additional items related to the loss claim at the location of the loss;

in the memory of the client device, revising at the location of the loss the list of the plurality of items to include the additional items related to the loss claim; and

using the claims processor, settling the loss claim by taking into account a difference between an actual cash valuation (ACV) and a full replacement cost (FRC) of the plurality of items and the additional items.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

using the claims processor, mapping at the location of the loss each item of the revised list to the adjusted price data to determine an estimated cost of replacement of each item of the revised list;

using the claims processor, revising at the location of the loss the estimate based on the additional items related to the loss claim;

using the claims processor, capping at the location of the loss the revised estimate by applying the liability limits data; and

using the display device associated with the client device, outputting the revised estimate at the location of the loss.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the location of the loss is also a location of the insured.