Parts inventory management

• US 9,965,742 B1
• Filed: 01/09/2017
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Marlow, Clint J., Trinco, Robert L., Riggio, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Masud, Rokib
• Application Number:
  US15/401,670
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4, 705 16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses and computer-readable media for analyzing vehicle claim information from a vehicle that is deemed a total loss to determine one or more parts that may be removed from the total loss vehicle for reuse is presented. In some arrangements, the parts identified for reuse may be identified prior to removal from the total loss vehicle and may be identified as available inventory and may include a future availability date. One or more repair shops may then request the parts available for reuse and the part may be reserved for that shop until it becomes available.

Claims

1. A parts management system for controlling inventory flow of vehicle parts comprising:

a processing unit comprising a processor; and

a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the parts management system to;

query a database to obtain information identifying at least one part of a plurality of vehicle parts to be removed from a first vehicle for reuse;

execute an application for performing one or more inventory functions to determine a future availability date for the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse;

transmit information about the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse to a computing system of at least one vehicle repair shop, wherein the information transmitted includes the future availability date of the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse,

wherein the information about the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse is transmitted to the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop prior to the at least one part to be removed from the vehicle for reuse being available for reuse;

receive, from the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop, a request to obtain the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for use in repair of a second vehicle; and

transmit, to the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop, a confirmation that the at least one part will be transferred to the at least one vehicle repair shop on the future availability date.

2. The parts management system of claim 1, wherein the application for performing the one or more inventory functions is executed by a parts sorting device of the parts management system.

3. The parts management system of claim 1, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parts management system to transmit the information about the at least one part to a parts inventory server of an entity.

4. The parts management system of claim 3, wherein the transmitted information is accessible by the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop via the parts inventory server of the entity.

5. The parts management system of claim 1, wherein a vehicle repair shop associated with the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop is associated with an entity associated with the first vehicle.

6. The parts management system of claim 1, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parts management system to receive an indication that the at least one part matches an identified need of an entity.

7. The parts management system of claim 1, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parts management system to receive identification of the first vehicle as a total loss.

8. A parts management system for controlling inventory flow of vehicle parts, comprising:

a processing unit comprising a processor; and

a memory unit storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the parts management system to;

query a database to obtain information corresponding to damage to a first vehicle and information identifying the first vehicle as a total loss;

receive information identifying at least one part of a plurality of vehicle parts of the first vehicle to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse;

execute an application for performing one or more inventory functions to determine a future availability date for the at least one part;

prior to the at least one part being removed from the first vehicle, transmit information about the at least one part to be removed to computing systems of a plurality of vehicle repair shops, wherein the transmitted information includes the determined future availability date;

receive, from a computing system of a first vehicle repair shop, a request to obtain the at least one part for use in a repair of a second vehicle; and

transmit, to the computing system of the requesting first vehicle repair shop, a confirmation that the at least one part will be transferred to the requesting first vehicle repair shop on the future availability date.

9. The parts management system of claim 8, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parts management system to receive an indication that the at least one part matches an identified need.

10. The parts management system of claim 9, wherein the identified need is based on historical data.

11. The parts management system of claim 8, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parts management system to transmit the information about the at least one part to be removed to a parts inventory server.

12. The parts management system of claim 11, wherein the parts inventory server is accessible by the plurality of vehicle repair shops.

13. The parts management system of claim 8, wherein the second vehicle is associated with an entity associated with the first vehicle.

14. The parts management system of claim 8, further including removing the at least one part from the first vehicle.

15. The parts management system of claim 14, further including using the removed at least one part from the first vehicle in the repair of the second vehicle.

16. A method for controlling inventory flow of vehicle parts, comprising:

querying, by a parts management system having at least one processor, a database to obtain information identifying at least one part of a plurality of vehicle parts to be removed from a first vehicle for reuse;

executing, by the parts management system, an application for performing one or more inventory functions to determine a future availability date for the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse;

transmitting, by the parts management system, information about the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse to a computing system of at least one vehicle repair shop, wherein the information transmitted includes the future availability date of the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse,

wherein the information about the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for reuse is transmitted to the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop prior to the at least one part to be removed from the vehicle for reuse being available for reuse;

receiving, from the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop and by the parts management system, a request to obtain the at least one part to be removed from the first vehicle for use in repair of a second vehicle; and

transmitting, by the parts management system and to the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop, a confirmation that the at least one part will be transferred to the at least one vehicle repair shop on the future availability date.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the application for performing the one or more inventory functions is executed by a parts sorting device of the parts management system.

18. The method of claim 16, further including transmitting, by the parts management system, the information about the at least one part to a parts inventory server.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transmitted information is accessible by the computing system of the at least one vehicle repair shop via the parts inventory server of the entity.

20. The method of claim 16, further including receiving, by the parts management system, an indication that the at least one part matches an identified need of an entity.