Vehicle impound and auctioning management system

• US 9,171,329 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NOBEL Computer Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NOBEL Computer Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Baghdassarian, Levon
• Primary Examiner(s): YU, ARIEL J
• Application Number:
  US13/212,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system is employed to operate a vehicle impounding facility for a municipality. A selection is received of a marked vehicle in a marked grid for titling, and an application for title for the selected vehicle is effectuated in the name of the municipality. A notation is received of a selected vehicle in a pending grid as being titled when the application for title for the selected vehicle has been approved and received. A scheduling is received of a titled vehicle in a select auction date grid for an upcoming auction. An assignment is received of a minimum bid value to a scheduled vehicle in a minimum bid guide grid in connection with the auction. Entry is received in a final auction grid of a purchase price for which a valued vehicle has been auctioned and a purchaser.

Claims

1. A computer hardware system including a processor and memory, the system configured to manage vehicles impounded at a facility on behalf of a municipality, the system comprising modules instantiated in the memory by the processor, the modules comprising:

a marked grid module, configured to display each of a plurality of marked impounded vehicles to system users in a marked grid, the marked grid module being configured to facilitate a selection of at least one marked vehicle for titling, such that upon the selection, effectuating an application for title for the at least one selected marked vehicle in a name of the municipality;

a pending grid module, configured to display all selected marked vehicles for titling to the system users in a pending grid, the pending grid indicating that the at least one pending marked vehicle as being titled when the application for title for the at least one pending marked vehicle has been approved and received;

a select auction date grid module, configured to display each titled marked vehicle to the system users in a select auction date grid, the select auction date grid module configured to facilitate a choice of an upcoming scheduled auction date for the at least one titled marked vehicle;

a minimum bid guide grid module, configured to display all scheduled titled vehicles to the system users in a minimum bid guide grid, along with estimated vehicle values for the scheduled titled vehicles as obtained by the minimum bid guide grid module from a vehicle valuation service based on information available from a record for each of the all scheduled vehicles, the minimum bid guide grid module configured to facilitate assigning a minimum bid value to the at least one scheduled titled vehicle in connection with a corresponding one of the estimated vehicle values; and

a final auction grid module, configured to display each valued vehicle to the system users in a final auction grid, the final auction grid module configured to enter a purchase price for which the at least one valued titled vehicle has been auctioned and a purchaser to whom the at least one valued titled vehicle has been auctioned.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a marking module that marks each impounded vehicle after a period of time after impoundment of the vehicle has elapsed as a marked vehicle being available for auctioning.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each compounded vehicle is represented as a record in a system database, the record for the vehicle including all pertinent information relating thereto and being updated by the modules, the record being created by electronically scanning a vehicle identification number (VIN) located on the vehicle and employing the scanned VIN to obtain corresponding vehicle identification data from a VIN database.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the marked grid module, upon receiving a selection of at least one marked vehicle, automatically creating a title application form based on information available from the record for the at least one selected marked vehicle.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the marked grid module upon facilitating the selection of the at least one marked vehicle automatically moves the at least one selected marked vehicle from the marked grid to the pending grid.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pending grid module, upon being informed that the at least one pending marked vehicle has been titled, automatically moves the at least one titled marked vehicle from the pending grid to the select auction date grid.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the select auction date grid module, upon being informed that the at least one titled vehicle has been scheduled for an auction date, automatically moves the at least one scheduled titled vehicle from the select auction date grid to the minimum bid guide grid.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the estimated vehicle values include at least one of a retail value, clean, average, and rough trade-in values, and a loan value such as used when employing the scheduled vehicle as collateral.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the minimum bid guide grid module pre-populates the minimum bid value for the at least one scheduled titled vehicle based on the obtained estimated vehicle values.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the minimum bid guide grid module, upon being informed that the at least one scheduled titled vehicle has been assigned a minimum bid value, automatically moves the valued vehicle from the minimum bid guide grid to the final auction grid.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein any of the selection for titling, the upcoming scheduled auction date, the minimum bid value, a purchase price and a purchaser are provided by a user input.

12. A computer program product wherein computer instructions, when processed by a computer, adapt the operation of the computer to provide a method to operate a vehicle impounding facility operated on behalf of a municipality, the method comprising:

displaying each of a plurality of marked impounded vehicles to system users in a marked grid, and facilitating a selection of marked vehicle for titling, such that upon the selection, effectuating an application for title for the at least one selected marked vehicle in a name of the municipality;

displaying all selected marked vehicles as pending for titling to the system users in a pending grid, and indicating that the at least one pending marked vehicle as being titled when the application for title for the at least one pending marked vehicle has been approved and received;

displaying each titled marked vehicle to the system users in a select auction date grid, and facilitating a choice of an upcoming scheduled auction date for the at least one titled marked vehicle;

displaying all scheduled titled vehicles system users in a minimum bid guide grid, along with estimated vehicle values for the scheduled titled vehicles as obtained from a vehicle valuation service based on information available from a record for each of the all scheduled vehicles, and facilitating an assignment of a minimum bid value to the at least one scheduled titled vehicle in connection with a corresponding one of the estimated vehicle values; and

displaying each valued vehicle to the system users in a final auction grid, and receiving an entry of a purchase price for which the at least one valued titled vehicle has been auctioned and a purchaser to whom the at least one valued titled vehicle has been auctioned.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising marking each impounded vehicle after a period of time after impoundment of the vehicle has elapsed as a marked vehicle being available for auctioning.

14. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein each compounded vehicle is represented as a record in a system database, the record for the vehicle including all pertinent information relating thereto, the method comprising creating the record by electronically scanning a vehicle identification number (VIN) located on the vehicle and employing the scanned VIN to obtain corresponding vehicle identification data from a VIN database.

15. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising, upon receiving a selection of at least one marked vehicle, automatically creating a title application form based on information available from the at least one selected marked vehicle.

16. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising, upon facilitating the selection of the at least one marked vehicle automatically moving the at least one selected marked vehicle from the marked grid to the pending grid.

17. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising, upon being informed that the at least one pending marked vehicle has been titled, automatically moving the at least one titled marked vehicle from the pending grid to the select auction date grid.

18. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising, upon being informed that the at least one titled vehicle has been scheduled for an auction date, automatically moving the at least one scheduled titled vehicle from the select auction date grid to the minimum bid guide grid.

19. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the estimated vehicle values include at least one of a retail value, clean, average, and rough trade-in values, and a loan value such as used when employing the scheduled vehicle as collateral.

20. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising pre-populating the minimum bid value for the at least one scheduled titled vehicle based on the obtained estimated vehicle values.

21. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising, upon being informed that the at least one scheduled has been assigned a minimum bid value, automatically moving the valued vehicle from the minimum bid guide grid to the final auction grid.

22. A method performed by a computing device, comprising:

displaying each of a plurality of marked impounded vehicles to system users in a marked grid, and facilitating a selection of marked vehicle for titling, such that upon the selection, effectuating an application for title for the at least one selected marked vehicle in a name of the municipality;

displaying all selected marked vehicles as pending for titling to the system users in a pending grid, and indicating that the at least one pending marked vehicle as being titled when the application for title for the at least one pending marked vehicle has been approved and received;

displaying each titled marked vehicle to the system users in a select auction date grid, and facilitating a choice of an upcoming scheduled auction date for the at least one titled marked vehicle;

displaying all scheduled titled vehicles system users in a minimum bid guide grid, along with estimated vehicle values for the scheduled titled vehicles as obtained from a vehicle valuation service based on information available from a record for each of the all scheduled vehicles, and facilitating an assignment of a minimum bid value to the at least one scheduled titled vehicle in connection with a corresponding one of the estimated vehicle values; and

displaying each valued vehicle to the system users in a final auction grid, and receiving an entry of a purchase price for which the at least one valued titled vehicle has been auctioned and a purchaser to whom the at least one valued titled vehicle has been auctioned.