Assistance on the go

• US 10,032,228 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Wasserman, Robert, Kozlowski, Tara Cavallaro, Briggs, Ryan M., Iqbal, Imran
• Primary Examiner(s): Franklin, Jamara
• Application Number:
  US15/593,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20170249702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 235375, 235384, 705 4, 705 13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A mobile computerized apparatus or method configured to coordinate towing facilities and roadside assistance providers and their available capacity to tow and provide roadside assistance and match users with those towing facilities and roadside assistance providers is disclosed. The apparatus or method may be configured to consider the following factors in matching the towing facilities/roadside assistance providers and users: (a) availability of nearby towing facilities; (b) telematics information from the vehicle to assist with the diagnosis/repairs; (c) preset preferences of the user; (d) insurance information (such as the type of the vehicle the user has and the user'"'"'s home address); and (e) the capabilities of the towing facility.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, receiving, through a mobile application executing on a mobile device having at least one processor, a roadside assistance request from a user, wherein the roadside assistance request is received through the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile application, telematics information from a telematics device;

determining, by the mobile application, a time to travel utilizing the telematics information, the roadside assistance request, and roadside assistance provider information, wherein the time to travel utilizes route information and traffic information;

receiving, by the mobile application, a roadside assistance order from the user that includes a selected roadside assistance provider based on a shortest time to travel;

transmitting, by the mobile application, the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider;

receiving, by the mobile application, confirmation of the roadside assistance order from the selected roadside assistance provider; and

receiving, by the mobile application, a set of tracking information for the selected roadside assistance provider, wherein the set of tracking information includes location, velocity, route, time to travel, and destination of the selected roadside assistance provider.

2. The method of claim 1 further include the step of:

providing, by the mobile application, a reward to the user based on the roadside assistance order, wherein the reward is one or more of the following;

cash back, a discount for the roadside assistance order, or a bonus roadside assistance item for the roadside assistance order.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

receiving, by the mobile application, insurance information from an insurance company, wherein the insurance information includes information about the user, vehicle information, and a home address for the user, wherein the selected roadside assistance provider is also based on the insurance information to select a route to the user from the location of the roadside assistance provider that is a safest route based on a set of previous accidents and previous claims in the insurance information.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

providing, by the mobile application, an electronic payment to the selected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadside assistance provider information includes:

locations of available roadside assistance providers, type of roadside assistance providers, and a set of ratings of the roadside assistance providers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadside assistance provider information includes real-time information that includes one or more of the following:

a wait time, a time-to-arrival time, service provider locations, service provider availability.

7. The method of claim 1, where the roadside assistance request is for one or more of the following:

a lock out of the vehicle, a flat tire of the vehicle, a dead battery of the vehicle, an out of gas condition of the vehicle, or a mechanical failure of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected roadside assistance provider is further based on the following factors:

an availability of nearby roadside assistance providers, telematics information from the vehicle to assist with a diagnosis and repairs of the vehicle, preset preferences of the user, and a set of capabilities of the roadside assistance providers.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, further including the step of:

(i) receive, by the mobile application, insurance information from an insurance company, wherein the insurance information includes information about the user, vehicle information, and a home address of the user,

and further wherein the selected roadside assistance provider is based on the insurance information to select a route to the vehicle from the selected roadside assistance provider that is a safest route based on a set of previous accidents and previous claims in the insurance information.

9. A method comprising:

after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, receiving input at a mobile device related to an electronic membership card;

retrieving, from a data store, membership information associated with the vehicle, where the membership information includes roadside assistance services available to the vehicle to remedy the roadside event;

receiving, by a roadside assistance system with a mobile application executing on the mobile device having at least one processor, a roadside assistance request from a user;

receiving, by the roadside assistance system, telematics information from a telematics device;

determining, by the roadside assistance system, a time to travel utilizing the telematics information and the roadside assistance request, wherein the time to travel utilizes route information and traffic information;

providing, by the roadside assistance system, a selected roadside assistance provider and roadside assistance provider information based on a shortest time to travel;

receiving, by the roadside assistance system, a roadside assistance order from the user;

transmitting, by the roadside assistance system, the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider; and

providing, by the roadside assistance system, an electronic payment to the selected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider.

10. The method of claim 9, further including the step of:

receiving, by the roadside assistance system, a set of tracking information for the selected roadside assistance provider.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of tracking information includes location, velocity, route, and destination of the selected roadside assistance provider.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the roadside assistance provider information includes:

locations of available roadside assistance providers, type of roadside assistance providers, and a set of ratings of the roadside assistance providers.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the roadside assistance provider information includes real-time information that includes one or more of the following:

a wait time for each roadside assistance provider, a time-to-arrival time for each roadside assistance provider, a location for each roadside assistance provider, and an availability for each roadside assistance provider.

14. The method of claim 9, where the roadside event comprises at least one of:

a lock out of the vehicle, a flat tire of the vehicle, a dead battery of the vehicle, an out of gas condition of the vehicle, and a mechanical failure of the vehicle.

15. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

(a) after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, retrieve, from a data store, membership information associated with the vehicle, where the membership information includes roadside assistance services available to the vehicle to remedy the roadside event;

(b) receive, by a roadside assistance system with a mobile application executing on a mobile device having at least one processor, a roadside assistance request from a user;

(c) receive, by the roadside assistance system, telematics information from a telematics device;

(d) determine, by the roadside assistance system, a time to travel utilizing the telematics information and the roadside assistance request, wherein the time to travel utilizes route information and traffic information;

(e) receive, by the mobile application, a roadside assistance order automatically selected based on a roadside assistance provider with a shortest time to travel, wherein the roadside assistance order includes a selected roadside assistance provider and roadside assistance provider information;

(f) after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, receiving input at a mobile device related to an electronic membership card;

(g) transmit, by the mobile application, the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider; and

(h) provide, by the mobile application, an electronic payment to the selected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the selected roadside assistance provider is based on the following factors:

an availability of nearby roadside assistance providers, telematics information from the vehicle to assist with a diagnosis and repairs of the vehicle, preset preferences of the user, and a set of capabilities of the roadside assistance providers.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the roadside assistance provider information includes:

location of available roadside assistance providers, type of roadside assistance providers, and a set of ratings of the roadside assistance provider.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the roadside assistance provider information includes real-time information that includes one or more of the following:

a wait time, a time-to-arrival time, roadside assistance provider locations, service provider availability.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, where the roadside event comprises at least one of:

a lock out of the vehicle, a flat tire of the vehicle, a dead battery of the vehicle, an out of gas condition of the vehicle, and a mechanical failure of the vehicle.