Auto insurance system integration

• US 9,262,728 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Nuggehalli, Jayasimha, Lu, Zhenyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US13/946,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20150026174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758, 707/736, 707/769, 707/E17.005, 707/E17.014, 707/E17.017, 707/E17.041, 707/E17.04, 707/4, 707/E17.108, 705/1, 705/2, 705/3, 705/4, 705/39, 600/27, 600/301, 600/306
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An approach is provided for acquiring and integrating data into external services. According to the approach, image and/or video data and identification data are received from a client device. The image and/or video data includes one or more images and/or video data of an object that are acquired by the client device and the identification data is data that uniquely identifies the object. Record data is generated and stored that includes the identification data and at least a reference to the image and/or video data. The image and/or video data and the identification data are transmitted to an external service. This identification data allows an external service to associate the image and/or video data with other data maintained by the external service.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memories storing instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause;

receiving, via one or more wireless communications networks from a first mobile client device having at least a data acquisition component that includes a camera and is configured to acquire images of automobiles and identification data that uniquely identifies the automobiles, both first image data that includes a first set of images of a first set of one or more automobiles and first identification data that uniquely identifies the first set of one or more automobiles,

generating and storing first record data that includes the first identification data and at least a reference to the first image data,

receiving, via the one or more wireless communications networks from a second mobile client device having at least a data acquisition component that includes a camera and is configured to acquire images of automobiles and identification data that uniquely identifies the automobiles, both second image data that includes a second set of images of a second set of one or more automobiles and second identification data that uniquely identifies the second set of one or more automobiles,

generating and storing second record data that includes the second identification data and at least a reference to the second image data, and

causing the first image data associated with the first set of one or more automobiles, the first identification data that uniquely identifies the first set of one or more automobiles, the second image data associated with the second set of one or more automobiles and the second identification data that uniquely identifies the second set of one or more automobiles to be transmitted via one or more communications networks to an auto insurance system that is external to the apparatus utilizing one or more application program interfaces that are supported by the auto insurance system and not supported by the first mobile client device and the second mobile client device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more memories store additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving, via the one or more communications networks from the first mobile client device, additional first data that includes one or more of location data, text data, timestamp data, or user identification data, and

storing the additional data in the first record data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more memories store additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

performing one or more of monitoring a file transfer protocol (FTP) folder, monitoring an electronic mail folder or receiving a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) post, and

in response to detecting receipt of the first image data and the first identification data via the FTP folder, the electronic mail folder or the HTTP post, retrieving the first image data and the first identification data from the FTP folder, the electronic mail folder or the HTTP post.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first identification data and the second identification data are encoded data represented by one or more of a bar code, a QR code, or a signature.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data identification data that uniquely identifies the automobiles is acquired by the data acquisition components from the automobiles.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first mobile client device includes a scanner for acquiring the first identification data in an encoded form and the second mobile client device includes a scanner for acquiring the second identification data in an encoded form.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform:

generating and providing via the one or more communications networks to the first mobile client device user interface data which, when processed at the first mobile client device, cause a graphical user interface to be displayed on the first mobile client device, wherein the graphical user interface allows a user to perform one or more of view and upload history for the auto insurance system or view an error log for the auto insurance system.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, via one or more wireless communications networks from a first mobile client device having at least a data acquisition component, both first image data associated with a first set of one or more automobiles and first identification data that uniquely identifies the first set of one or more automobiles,

generating and storing first record data that includes the first identification data and at least a reference to the first image data,

receiving, via the one or more wireless communications networks from a second mobile client device having at least a data acquisition component, both second image data associated with a second set of one or more automobiles and second identification data that uniquely identifies the second set of one or more automobiles,

generating and storing second record data that includes the second identification data and at least a reference to the second image data, and

causing the first image data associated with the first set of one or more automobiles, the first identification data that uniquely identifies the first set of one or more automobiles, the second image data associated with the second set of one or more automobiles and the second identification data that uniquely identifies the second set of one or more automobiles to be transmitted via one or more communications networks to an auto insurance system that is external to the apparatus utilizing one or more application program interfaces that are supported by the auto insurance system and not supported by the first mobile client device and the second mobile client device.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the one or more memories store additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving, via the one or more communications networks from the first mobile client device, additional first data that includes one or more of location data, text data, timestamp data, or user identification data, and

storing the additional data in the first record data.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the one or more memories store additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

performing one or more of monitoring a file transfer protocol (FTP) folder, monitoring an electronic mail folder or receiving a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) post, and

in response to detecting receipt of the first image data and the first identification data via the FTP folder, the electronic mail folder or the HTTP post, retrieving the first image data and the first identification data from the FTP folder, the electronic mail folder or the HTTP post.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the first identification data and the second identification data are encoded data represented by one or more of a bar code, a QR code, or a signature.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the data identification data that uniquely identifies the automobiles is acquired by the data acquisition components from the automobiles.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, the first mobile client device includes a scanner for acquiring the first identification data in an encoded form and the second mobile client device includes a scanner for acquiring the second identification data in an encoded form.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform:

generating and providing to the first mobile client device user interface data which, when processed at the first mobile client device, cause a graphical user interface to be displayed on the first mobile client device, wherein the graphical user interface allows a user to perform one or more of view and upload history for the auto insurance system or view an error log for the auto insurance system.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, via one or more wireless communications networks from a first mobile client device having at least a data acquisition component, both first image data associated with a first set of one or more automobiles and first identification data that uniquely identifies the first set of one or more automobiles,

generating and storing first record data that includes the first identification data and at least a reference to the first image data,

receiving, via the one or more wireless communications networks from a second mobile client device having at least a data acquisition component, both second image data associated with a second set of one or more automobiles and second identification data that uniquely identifies the second set of one or more automobiles,

generating and storing second record data that includes the second identification data and at least a reference to the second image data, and

causing the first image data associated with the first set of one or more automobiles, the first identification data that uniquely identifies the first set of one or more automobiles, the second image data associated with the second set of one or more automobiles and the second identification data that uniquely identifies the second set of one or more automobiles to be transmitted via one or more communications networks to an auto insurance system that is external to the apparatus utilizing one or more application program interfaces that are supported by the auto insurance system and not supported by the first mobile client device and the second mobile client device.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the one or more memories store additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

receiving, via the one or more communications networks from the first mobile client device, additional first data that includes one or more of location data, text data, timestamp data, or user identification data, and

storing the additional data in the first record data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the one or more memories store additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

performing one or more of monitoring a file transfer protocol (FTP) folder, monitoring an electronic mail folder or receiving a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) post, and

in response to detecting receipt of the first image data and the first identification data via the FTP folder, the electronic mail folder or the HTTP post, retrieving the first image data and the first identification data from the FTP folder, the electronic mail folder or the HTTP post.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the first identification data and the second identification data are encoded data represented by one or more of a bar code, a QR code, or a signature.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the data identification data that uniquely identifies the automobiles is acquired by the data acquisition components from the automobiles.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the first mobile client device includes a scanner for acquiring the first identification data in an encoded form and the second mobile client device includes a scanner for acquiring the second identification data in an encoded form.