Vehicle data collection and verification

• US 9,183,441 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mile Auto, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vehcon, Inc.
• Inventors: Blumer, Frederick T., Fuller, Joseph R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US13/829,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701400-541, 340988-996
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/02 Recognising information on displays, dials, clocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for a data aggregation application. Operational data and image data may be captured from a client device. Odometer readings can be extracted from the image data. The operational data and image data can be verified by comparing an instrument panel depicted in the image data to a known instrument panel depiction.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

an application executable in the at least one computing device, the application comprising;

logic configured to obtain, from a mobile device, a first at least one image data capturing an odometer display of a vehicle;

logic configured to generate, from the first at least one image data, an odometer reading;

logic configured to associate the odometer reading with the vehicle;

logic configured to obtain, from the mobile device, a second at least one image data capturing a unique identifier associated with the vehicle;

logic configured to verify that the vehicle corresponds to a vehicle identification as a function of the instrument panel captured in the at least one image data and the unique identifier captured in the second at least one image data; and

wherein the unique identifier comprises a vehicle identification number (VIN), a Quick Response (QR) code, a barcode, or other human-readable or machine-readable image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises:

logic configured to obtain, from the mobile device, operational data associated with a usage of the vehicle; and

logic configured to associate the operational data with the account vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises logic configured to determine whether the first at least one image data comprises altered or transformed image data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application is a first application, and obtaining the first at least one image data is facilitated by a second application executed in the mobile device, and the application further comprises:

logic configured to obtain, from the mobile device, user account data associated with the second application; and

logic configured to verify that the first at least one image data embodies the odometer reading of a specified vehicle as a function of the user account data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises:

logic configured to obtain, from the mobile device, metadata associated with a context during which the first at least one image data was generated; and

logic configured to verify that the first at least one image data embodies the odometer reading of a specified vehicle as a function of the metadata.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the application further comprises logic configured to verify the odometer reading as being greater than a temporally earlier odometer reading.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the metadata comprises a wireless carrier identifier, one or more network identifiers, one or more cellular tower identifiers, or a global positioning system location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic configured to identify the vehicle as a function of the instrument panel captured in the first at least one image data further comprises logic configured to compare the first at least one image data to an image knowledge base facilitating an identification of the vehicle.

9. A method, comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by a computing device, from a mobile device, a first at least one image data capturing an instrument panel of a vehicle;

selecting, by the computing device, an account associated with the mobile device and a vehicle identification;

obtaining, by the computing device, from the mobile device, a second at least one image data capturing a unique identifier associated with the vehicle; and

verifying, by the computing device, that the vehicle corresponds to the vehicle identification as a function of the instrument panel captured in the first at least one image data and the unique identifier captured in the second at least one image data; and

wherein the unique identifier comprises a vehicle identification number (VIN), a Quick Response (QR) code, a barcode, or other human-readable or machine-readable image.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by the computing device, from the mobile device, operational data associated with a usage of the vehicle; and

associating, by the computing device, the operational data with the account.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by the computing device, from the mobile device, login information associated with the account and an application executed in the mobile device; and

wherein the verifying is further performed as a function of the login information.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining, by the computing device, from the mobile device, metadata associated with a context during which the image data was generated; and

wherein the verifying is further performed as a function of the metadata.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the metadata comprises a mobile device identifier, an image resolution, or a software version.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the metadata comprises a wireless carrier identifier, one or more network identifiers, one or more cellular tower identifiers, or a global positioning system location.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first at least one image data further captures an odometer, and the method further comprises:

generating, by the computing device, an odometer reading from the first at least one image data; and

associating, by the computing device, the odometer reading with the account.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of generating the odometer reading from the first at least one image data further comprises applying, by the computing device, an image recognition algorithm to the at least one image data.