Assistance on the go

• US 8,805,603 B1
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Briggs, Ryan Mark, Iqbal, Imran, Cavallaro Kozlowski, Tara
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/961,000
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 701/24
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/388 using mutual authentication without cards, e.g. challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• 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
• 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: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 : for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A mobile computerized apparatus for use with a roadside assistance program to assist in identifying a service provider, such as a tow truck, is disclosed. The apparatus transmits relevant information to a remote server. The server in turn provides information about a plurality of service providers available to service the vehicle.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method comprising:

determining that a user'"'"'s membership level does not include a roadside assistance service;

generating as deactivated an icon at a mobile apparatus of the user;

receiving, at the mobile apparatus, an activation of the roadside assistance service, wherein the receiving includes accessing pre-registration information associated with the user;

displaying the icon as activated at the mobile apparatus of the user to indicate that the user'"'"'s membership level includes roadside assistance service;

transmitting, by a wireless component in the mobile apparatus at a location of an occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, relevant information to a remote server, the relevant information comprising a selected service, user identification information, and vehicle location information;

receiving, at the apparatus, information about a selected service provider to remedy the roadside event to the vehicle, where the selected service provider was selected by a remote server using an acceptance message comprising at least one of a price quote and an estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle, and where the information about a selected service provider includes a name of the selected service provider and the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle; and

receiving, at the apparatus, updates from the remote server about the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, where the roadside event comprises at least one of:

a lock out of the vehicle, a flat tire of the vehicle, a dead battery of the vehicle, an out of gas condition of the vehicle, and a mechanical failure of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, where the updates about the estimated time of arrival are received at the apparatus on a periodic basis.

4. The method of claim 1, where the selected service is determined based on diagnostic codes received from the vehicle and translated, using a mapping table.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected service provider is selected only when the price quote does not exceed a maximum charge allowed for the selected service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining feedback information from the user about the selected service while the user waits for the selected service provider; and

transmitting, by the wireless component, the feedback information to the remote server.

7. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a first apparatus, event information indicative of a selected service type to service a vehicle involved in a roadside event;

after occurrence of the roadside event to the vehicle, transmitting, by the first apparatus, relevant information to a second apparatus, the relevant information comprising the selected service type, user identification information, and vehicle location information;

receiving, at the first apparatus, provider information about a plurality of service providers competent in the selected service type and in proximity to the vehicle'"'"'s location, wherein at least one of the plurality of service providers is identified based on a preferred relationship with a roadside assistance program;

displaying, at the first apparatus, a list of the plurality of service providers that are competent in the selected service type;

receiving, at the first apparatus, an input selecting a selected service provider from the displayed list of the plurality of service providers that are competent in the selected service type;

transmitting, by the first apparatus, a new service request to the second apparatus; and

receiving, at the first apparatus, updates from the second apparatus about the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting, by the second apparatus in response to receiving the new service request from the first apparatus, the new service request to a third apparatus that is associated with the selected service provider.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to receiving an acceptance message from the third apparatus, transmitting, by the second apparatus, a confirmation message to the third apparatus, wherein;

the new service request includes at least part of the relevant information; and

the acceptance message comprises at least one of a price quote and an estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, at the first apparatus and in response to the transmitting, a name of the selected service provider, the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle, and a telephone number of the selected service provider.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the roadside event comprises at least one of:

a lock out of the vehicle, a flat tire of the vehicle, a dead battery of the vehicle, an out of gas condition of the vehicle, and a mechanical failure of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to receiving the updates, displaying an updated map, at the first apparatus, that is indicative of an approximate location of the selected service provider'"'"'s truck that will be servicing the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at the first apparatus, the updates about the estimated time of arrival on a periodic basis.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining the selected service type based on diagnostic codes received from the vehicle and translated using a mapping table.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

representing, by the first apparatus, the telephone number of the selected service provider on a display of the first apparatus by a selectable icon; and

when the selectable icon is selected, causing the first apparatus to call the selected service provider.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

retrieving, by the first apparatus, vehicle location information through a global positioning system circuitry.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining the vehicle location information by a user entering the vehicle location information into the first apparatus.

18. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle is not registered with the roadside assistance program;

determining whether the vehicle is pre-registered with the roadside assistance program; and

receiving, at the first apparatus, additional authorization information to cause activation of the roadside assistance program for the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

obtaining the additional authorization information by a user entering a credit card number through the first apparatus.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the activation of the roadside assistance program occurs at a location of the occurrence of the roadside event.

21. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at the first apparatus, an input indicating successful completion of services provided by the selected service provider; and

causing the second apparatus to authorize payment to the selected service provider.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the authorized payment to the selected service provider is funded by a company providing the roadside assistance program.

23. A computer-assisted method for supporting a roadside assistance program to assist in identifying a service provider, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a first apparatus, event information indicative of a selected service type required to service a vehicle resulting from a roadside event;

after occurrence of the roadside event to the vehicle, transmitting, by the first apparatus, relevant information to a second apparatus, the relevant information comprising the selected service type, user identification information, and vehicle location information;

receiving, at the first apparatus, provider information about a plurality of service providers competent in the selected service type and in proximity to the vehicle'"'"'s location, where at least some of the plurality of service providers are identified based on a preferred relationship with the roadside assistance program;

displaying, at the first apparatus, a list of the plurality of service providers that are competent in the selected service type;

receiving, at the first apparatus, an input selecting a selected service provider from the displayed list of the plurality of service providers that are competent in the selected service type;

transmitting, by the first apparatus, a new service request to a second apparatus, wherein the new service request is configured to cause the second apparatus to;

transmitting, by the second apparatus in response to receiving the new service request from the first apparatus, the new service request to a third apparatus that is associated with the selected service provider;

in response to receiving an acceptance message from the third apparatus, transmitting, by the second apparatus, a confirmation message to the third apparatus, wherein;

the new service request includes at least part of the relevant information; and

the acceptance message comprises at least one of a price quote and an

estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle;

receiving, at the first apparatus, a name of the selected service provider, the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle, and a telephone number of the selected service provider; and

receiving, at the first apparatus, updates from the second about the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause an apparatus to perform a method comprising:

transmitting, by a wireless component in the apparatus, relevant information to a remote server, the relevant information comprising a selected service, user identification information, and vehicle location information;

receiving a plurality of service providers in proximity to the vehicle'"'"'s location;

receiving input selecting one of the plurality of service providers;

transmitting a new service request to the remote server, where the new service request is configured to cause the remote server to;

transmit the new service request to a service provider server associated with the selected service provider; and

in response to receiving an acceptance message from the service provider server, transmitting a confirmation message to the service provider server, where the new service request includes at least part of the relevant information, and where the acceptance message comprises at least one of a price quote and an estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle;

receiving a name of the selected service provider, the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle, and a phone number of the service provider; and

receiving updates from the remote server about the estimated time of arrival by the selected service provider at the vehicle.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the apparatus to perform steps further comprising:

determining that the vehicle is not registered with the roadside assistance program;

determining that the vehicle is pre-registered with the roadside assistance program; and

receiving additional authorization information to cause activation of the roadside assistance program for the vehicle.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, where the updates from the remote server about the estimated time of arrival include displaying an updated map, at the apparatus, indicating an approximate location of the selected service provider'"'"'s vehicle.

27. A computerized apparatus, comprising:

a communications interface with a vehicle'"'"'s onboard diagnostics system;

a processor for executing computer-executable instructions;

a memory storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to perform steps comprising;

after occurrence of a roadside event to the vehicle, receiving input at the apparatus related to an electronic membership card;

retrieving, from a data store, membership information associated with the vehicle, wherein the membership information includes available roadside assistance services available to the vehicle;

dynamically updating, by the apparatus, the electronic membership card with the membership information from the data store;

displaying, by the apparatus, the electronic membership card that uniquely identifies a user in a roadside assistance program;

receiving, through the communications interface, a vehicle diagnostic code from the vehicle; and

selecting a selected roadside assistance service based on the vehicle diagnostic code and the available roadside assistance services contained in the membership information.

28. A computer-assisted method comprising:

after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, receiving input at an apparatus related to an electronic membership card, wherein the apparatus comprises a processor and a display;

retrieving, from a data store, membership information associated with the vehicle, wherein the membership information includes available roadside assistance services available to the vehicle;

dynamically updating, by the apparatus, the electronic membership card with the membership information from the data store;

displaying, by the apparatus, the electronic membership card that uniquely identifies a user in a roadside assistance program;

receiving, through a communications interface with the vehicle, a vehicle diagnostic code from the vehicle; and

selecting a selected roadside assistance service based on the vehicle diagnostic code and the available roadside assistance services contained in the membership information.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause an apparatus to perform a method comprising:

after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, receiving input at the apparatus related to an electronic membership card;

retrieving, from a data store, membership information associated with the vehicle, wherein the membership information includes available roadside assistance services available to the vehicle;

dynamically updating, by the apparatus, the electronic membership card with the membership information from the data store;

displaying, by the apparatus, the electronic membership card that uniquely identifies a user in a roadside assistance program;

receiving, through a communications interface with the vehicle, a vehicle diagnostic code from the vehicle; and

selecting a selected roadside assistance service based on the vehicle diagnostic code and the available roadside assistance services contained in the membership information.