System, method, and computer-readable medium for facilitating treatment of a vehicle damaged in a crash

• US 9,990,677 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Leise, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Eric T
• Application Number:
  US14/732,326
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/00 Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0275 Fault isolation and identification, e.g. classify fault; estimate cause or root of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• 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: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 : Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-readable medium for facilitating treatment of a vehicle damaged in a crash utilizes near real-time monitoring of the market value of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, its vehicle parts, and/or one or more arranged vehicle treatments to approximate an extent of damage to the damaged vehicle and determine a prospective vehicle treatment facility for treating the damaged vehicle. In particular, the system continually monitors the market value of a vehicle, its vehicle parts, and/or a prescribed vehicle treatment to calculate a treatment complexity level, e.g., vehicle repair, total loss; for treating the damaged vehicle.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computer system for facilitating treatment of a vehicle damaged in a crash, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, vehicle market information of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, the vehicle market information including a market value for the vehicle type, a vehicle part for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, and/or a prescribed vehicle treatment for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle;

incorporating, by the one or more processors, the received vehicle market information with vehicle collision data of the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle stored in a memory device;

monitoring, by the one or more processors, the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

detecting, by the one or more processors, a change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

modifying, by the one or more processors, the vehicle collision data with the detected change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

receiving, by the one or more processors via one or more sensors coupled to the vehicle, crash information about the damaged vehicle, the crash information including vehicle operating data of the damaged vehicle near or at the time of the crash including acceleration data from an accelerometer disposed within the damaged vehicle, and vehicle direction data from a positioning device disposed within the damaged vehicle;

evaluating the received crash information with the modified vehicle collision data;

determining, by the one or more processors, a vehicle treatment complexity level associated with treating the damaged vehicle based on the evaluation of the received crash information and the modified vehicle collision data;

selecting, by the one or more processors, a vehicle treatment facility for treating the damaged vehicle based on the determined treatment complexity level; and

transmitting, by the one or more processors, information associated with treating the damaged vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment includes periodically monitoring the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment, wherein the periodic monitoring includes a period of a minute, an hour, a day, or a week.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving crash information about a damaged vehicle includes receiving a description of the damaged vehicle, and wherein the received description includes an auditory description and/or a visual description.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment complexity level further includes a price schedule for treating the damaged vehicle and/or a time duration for completing treatment of the damaged vehicle, wherein treating the damaged vehicle includes repairing, salvaging, or scrapping the damaged vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the treatment complexity level includes evaluating, via the one or more processors, the crash information of the damaged vehicle with the modified vehicle collision data of the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the treatment complexity level includes analyzing the crash information of the damaged vehicle.

7. A method implemented on a computer system for facilitating treatment of a vehicle damaged in a crash, the method executed by one or more processors programmed to perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, vehicle market information of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, the vehicle market information including a market value for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, a vehicle part for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, and/or a prescribed vehicle treatment for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle;

incorporating, by the one or more processors, the received vehicle market information with vehicle collision data of the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle stored in a memory device, wherein the vehicle collision data includes a vehicle treatment code;

monitoring, by the one or more processors, the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

detecting, by the one or more processors, a change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

modifying, by the one or more processors, the vehicle treatment code to include the detected change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

receiving, by the one or more processors via one or more sensors coupled to the vehicle, crash information about the damaged vehicle, the crash information including vehicle operating data of the damaged vehicle near or at the time of the crash including acceleration data from an accelerometer disposed within the damaged vehicle, and vehicle direction data from a positioning device disposed within the damaged vehicle;

evaluating the received crash information with the modified vehicle treatment code;

determining, by the one or more processors, a vehicle treatment complexity level associated with treating the damaged vehicle based on the evaluation of the received crash information and the modified vehicle treatment code;

selecting, by the one or more processors, a vehicle treatment facility for treating the damaged vehicle based on the determined treatment complexity level; and

transmitting, by the one or more processors, information associated with treating the damaged vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the monitoring of the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment includes periodically monitoring the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment, wherein the periodic monitoring includes a period of a minute, an hour, a day, or a week.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving crash information about a damaged vehicle includes receiving a description of the damaged vehicle, and wherein the description of the damaged vehicle includes an auditory description and/or a visual description.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the modified vehicle treatment code includes a price schedule for the modified treatment code and/or a time duration for completing the modified treatment code, and wherein the treatment complexity level includes repairing, salvaging, or scrapping the damaged vehicle.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes evaluating, by the one or more processors, the crash information of the damaged vehicle with at least one modified vehicle treatment code of the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a treatment complexity level includes analyzing the crash information of the damaged vehicle.

13. A computer system for facilitating treatment of a vehicle damaged in a crash, the computer system comprising:

a computing device including one or more processors;

one or more sensors coupled to the vehicle and the one or more processors of the computing device; and

one or more memory devices coupled to the one or more processors of the computing device, the one or more memory devices storing executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device cause the computer system to;

receive vehicle market information of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, the vehicle market information including a market value for the vehicle type, a vehicle part for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, and/or a prescribed vehicle treatment for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle;

incorporate the received vehicle market information with vehicle collision data of the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle stored in a memory device;

monitor the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

detect a change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

modify the vehicle collision data with the detected change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

receive, by the one or more processors via the one or more sensors, crash information about the damaged vehicle, the crash information including vehicle operating data of the damaged vehicle near or at the time of the crash including acceleration data from an accelerometer disposed within the damaged vehicle, and vehicle direction data from a positioning device disposed within the damaged vehicle;

evaluate the received crash information with the modified vehicle collision data;

determine a vehicle treatment complexity level associated with treating the damaged vehicle based on the evaluation of the received crash information and the modified vehicle collision data;

select a vehicle treatment facility for treating the damaged vehicle based on the determined treatment complexity level; and

transmit information associated with treating the damaged vehicle.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the information associated with treating the damaged vehicle includes information associated with transporting the damaged vehicle to a selected treatment facility, and wherein selection of the selected treatment facility is based on the treatment complexity level.

15. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

an analyzer operatively coupled to the one or more processors and evaluating the vehicle operating data of the damaged vehicle with the vehicle collision data of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle collision data includes a particular treatment complexity level equated to a particular collision data.

17. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a computer system cause the computer system to:

receive vehicle market information of a vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, the vehicle market information including a market value for the vehicle type, a vehicle part for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle, and/or a prescribed vehicle treatment for the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle;

incorporate the received vehicle market information with vehicle collision data of the vehicle type that includes the damaged vehicle stored in a memory device;

monitor the market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

detect a change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

modify the vehicle collision data with the detected change in the monitored market value for the vehicle type, the vehicle part, and/or the prescribed vehicle treatment;

receive, by one or more sensors coupled to the vehicle, crash information about the damaged vehicle, the crash information including vehicle operating data of the damaged vehicle near or at the time of the crash including acceleration data from an accelerometer disposed within the damaged vehicle, and vehicle direction data from a positioning device disposed within the damaged vehicle;

evaluate the received crash information with the modified vehicle collision data;

determine a vehicle treatment complexity level associated with treating the damaged vehicle based on the evaluation of the received crash information and the modified vehicle collision data;

select a vehicle treatment facility for treating the damaged vehicle based on the determined treatment complexity level; and

transmit information associated with treating the damaged vehicle.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the information associated with treating the damaged vehicle includes information associated with transporting the damaged vehicle to a selected treatment facility, and wherein selection of the selected treatment facility is based on the treatment complexity level.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the vehicle collision data includes a particular treatment complexity level equated to a particular collision data.