System and method for determining and monitoring auto insurance incentives

• US 9,208,525 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Hayward, Gregory, Christensen, Scott T., Gay, Christopher E., Cielocha, Steven, Binion, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Maguire, Lindsay M
• Application Number:
  US14/203,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 1/00 Tyres characterised by the chemical composition or the physical arrangement or mixture of the composition
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A computer system or computer-implemented method may provide incentives to an insured customer for receiving sensor data indicating risk-reducing and risk-increasing behavior during the policy term. In-vehicle sensors or other devices may gather information about the vehicle and its use during the policy term and send the information to a back-end system for analysis. Based on this analysis, the back-end system may determine that the received information is indicative of risk-reducing or increasing behavior. Upon confirmation that the information indicates risk-reducing or increasing behavior, the back-end system may perform one or more actions defined by a set of rules to establish an incentive or disincentive for the customer corresponding to the behavior.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing incentives or disincentives to an insured customer during the term of an insurance policy, the method comprising:

receiving, via a computer network, sensor data from one or more sensors, the sensor data (i) including data that measures characteristics of an operating insured vehicle and its use, and (ii) sent by the one or more sensors in real time during operation of the operating insured vehicle;

accessing vehicle conditions data including data related to an environment at a particular location;

once the sensor data is received from the one or more sensors, correlating the sensor data with the vehicle conditions data by;

determining that the operating insured vehicle is operating at the particular location,

identifying a rule corresponding to the sensor data and the vehicle conditions data, and

calculating a risk score for the insured customer, the risk score based on a degree that the sensor data and the vehicle conditions data exceeds a threshold according to the rule;

assigning, by one or more processors, the risk score to insurance policy data corresponding to the insured customer;

determining, by one or more processors, an action to execute an incentive or a disincentive for the insured customer based on the risk score; and

executing, by one or more processors, the action.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action includes one or more of sending, by one or more processors, a message, an email, or a letter to the insured customer, modifying, by one or more processors, the insurance policy data corresponding to the insured customer, sending, by one or more processors, a gift card to the insured customer, sending, by one or more processors, a check to the insured customer, sending, by one or more processors, a coupon to the insured customer, or awarding, by one or more processors, points to the insured customer, wherein the message, the email, and the letter indicate one or more risk-reducing behaviors or risk-increasing behaviors that correspond to the rule.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, via the computer network, system data from a sensor, the system data describing a state of the sensor while measuring the sensor data, the system data including a trip start time indicating when a trip with the insured vehicle began, and a trip stop time indicating when the trip ended.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein accessing the vehicle conditions data comprises accessing the vehicle conditions data from a remote data repository, the vehicle conditions data describing one or more of environmental data, accident data, traffic data, roadway data, or crime data corresponding to a vehicle location for the sensor data and the system data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the environmental data includes weather data indicating time and location of rain, snow, cloud cover, or other adverse weather conditions, sunrise and sunset data, crime incident and location data, accident time and location data or other accident statistics that correspond to the vehicle location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising causing, by one or more processors, one or more of the sensors to pair with an on-board data system of the insured vehicle.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors includes a component of a mobile computing device, the component including one or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a camera, a GPS receiver, or a microphone of a mobile computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the sensor data includes one or more of an engine start time indicating when an engine of the insured vehicle started, an engine stop time indicating when the engine stopped, a distance the insured vehicle moved between the start time and the stop time, an average speed the insured vehicle traveled along the distance, and a number of driving events made along the distance.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors are in communication with both a mobile computing device and the insured vehicle.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising causing, using one or more processors, a computer device including lights to one or more of alternately indicate a first color when the risk score is below a risk threshold and to indicate a second color when the risk score is above the risk threshold, or blink.

11. A computer device for providing incentives or disincentives to an insured customer during the term of an insurance policy, the computer device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more memories including computer executable instructions stored therein that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive sensor data from one or more sensors, the sensor data (i) including data that measures characteristics of an operating insured vehicle and its use, and (ii) sent by the one or more sensors in real time during operation of the operating insured vehicle;

access vehicle conditions data including data related to an environment at a particular location;

once the sensor data is received from the one or more sensors, correlate the sensor data with the vehicle conditions data by;

determining that the operating insured vehicle is operating at the particular location,

identifying a rule corresponding to the sensor data and the vehicle conditions data, and

calculating a risk score for the insured customer, the risk score based on a degree that the sensor data and the vehicle conditions data exceeds a threshold according to the rule;

assign the risk score to insurance policy data corresponding to the insured customer;

determine an action to execute an incentive or a disincentive for the insured customer based on the risk score; and

execute the action.

12. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the action includes computer executable instructions stored in the one or more memories that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to send a message, an email, or a letter to the insured customer, modify the insurance policy data corresponding to the insured customer, send a gift card to the insured customer, send a check to the insured customer, send a coupon to the insured customer, or award points to the insured customer, wherein the message, the email, and the letter indicate one or more risk-reducing behaviors or risk-increasing behaviors that correspond to the rule.

13. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to receive system data from a sensor, the system data describing a state of the sensor while measuring the sensor data, the system data including a trip start time indicating when a trip with the insured vehicle began, and a trip stop time indicating when the trip ended.

14. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the vehicle conditions data describes one or more of environmental data, accident data, traffic data, roadway data, or crime data corresponding to a vehicle location for the sensor data and the system data, wherein the environmental data includes weather data indicating time and location of rain, snow, cloud cover, or other adverse weather conditions, sunrise and sunset data, crime incident and location data, accident time and location data or other accident statistics that correspond to the vehicle location.

15. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to cause one or more of the sensors to pair with an on-board data system of the insured vehicle.

16. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors includes a component of a mobile computing device, the component including one or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a camera, a GPS receiver, or a microphone of a mobile computing device.

17. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause a computer device including lights to one or more of alternately indicate a first color when the risk score is below the threshold, to indicate a second color when the risk score is above the threshold, or to blink.

18. A tangible computer-readable medium including non-transitory computer readable instructions stored thereon for providing incentives or disincentives to an insured customer during the term of an insurance policy, the instructions comprising:

receiving sensor data from one or more sensors, the sensor data (i) including data that measures characteristics of an operating insured vehicle and its use, and (ii) sent by the one or more sensors in real time during operation of the operating insured vehicle;

accessing vehicle conditions data including data related to an environment at a particular location;

once the sensor data is received from the one or more sensors, correlating the sensor data with the vehicle conditions data by;

determining that the operating insured vehicle is operating at the particular location,

identifying a rule corresponding to the sensor data and the vehicle conditions data, and

calculating a risk score for the insured customer, the risk score based on a degree that the sensor data and the vehicle conditions data exceeds a threshold according to the rule;

assigning a risk score to insurance policy data corresponding to the insured customer;

determining an action to execute an incentive or a disincentive for the insured customer based on the risk score; and

executing the action.

19. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the action includes one or more computer readable instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable medium comprising one or more of sending a message, an email, or a letter to the insured customer, modifying the insurance policy data corresponding to the insured customer, sending a gift card to the insured customer, sending a check to the insured customer, sending a coupon to the insured customer, or awarding points to the insured customer, wherein the message, the email, and the letter indicate one or more risk-reducing behaviors or risk-increasing behaviors that correspond to the rule.

20. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise receiving system data from a sensor, the system data describing a state of the sensor while measuring the sensor data, the system data including a trip start time indicating when a trip with the insured vehicle began, and a trip stop time indicating when the trip ended.

21. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the vehicle conditions data describes one or more of environmental data, accident data, traffic data, roadway data, or crime data corresponding to a vehicle location for the sensor data and the system data, wherein the environmental data includes weather data indicating time and location of rain, snow, cloud cover, or other adverse weather conditions, sunrise and sunset data, crime incident and location data, accident time and location data or other accident statistics that correspond to the vehicle location.

22. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more sensors includes a component of a mobile computing device, the component including one or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a camera, a GPS receiver, or a microphone of a mobile computing device, the sensor data includes one or more of an engine start time indicating when an engine of the insured vehicle started, an engine stop time indicating when the engine stopped, a distance the insured vehicle moved between the start time and the stop time, an average speed the insured vehicle traveled along the distance, and a number of driving events made along the distance, and the one or more sensors are in communication with both a mobile computing device and the insured vehicle.