System and method for administering insurance discounts for mobile device disabling technology

• US 10,395,318 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russo, James A., McLaughlin, Kelly J., Opena, Lawrence J., DeLeon, Cindy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fu, Hao
• Application Number:
  US14/062,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system and method for processing and administering insurance policy premium discounts for mobile device disabling technology to promote safer driver is disclosed. An insurance policy premium discount is determined based on the level of disabling technology implemented by a user on a user'"'"'s mobile device.

Claims

1. A system for providing for implementation and verification of use of a mobile device disabling technology, comprising:

a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to;

execute instructions of an installed mobile device disabling application, the mobile device disabling application;

causing the mobile device to communicate with a vehicle computer system, disabling one or more communications capabilities of the mobile device responsive to receipt from the vehicle computer system of data indicative of the vehicle being in a gear other than park;

execute instructions of an installed verification application to compare to verification rules results of;

checking configuration settings of the mobile device;

checking logs of sent and received calls, text messages, website activity and application activity of the mobile device to check that the mobile device disabling application is installed and operating;

checking for one or more empty logs, including at least an empty text message log, on the mobile device to verify absence of tampering; and

causing the mobile device to transmit results of the verification, the transmitted results of the verification, responsive to determining that a text message log is empty, an indication that an empty text message log has been identified;

a central computer system, in communication with the mobile device, comprising;

one or more data storage devices storing a database comprising data indicative of remote users, and mobile device disabling technology associated with remote users and third parties;

and a rules processor configured to;

initiate a communication to a third party having data indicative of whether the mobile device disabling application is activated or has been disabled;

wherein;

the central computer system further comprises one or more data storage devices storing a database having data indicative of a plurality of mobile device disabling technologies, a plurality of discount levels and correlations between each of the mobile device disabling technologies and the discount levels, the correlations comprising;

(a) mobile device disabling technologies that completely disable any use of a mobile device while driving corresponding to a first discount level;

(b) mobile device disabling technologies that allow use of a mobile device and convert text to speech while driving corresponding to a second discount level representing a lesser discount than the first discount level; and

(c) mobile device disabling technologies that block text communications while driving with no blocking of voice or social media, corresponding to a third discount level representing a discount between the first discount level and the second discount level;

the rules processor is further configured to;

correlate the remote user'"'"'s selected mobile device disabling technology to one of the plurality of discount levels;

determine an insurance premium for an insurance policy based on the correlated discount level;

transmit the determined premium to the remote user;

receive the result of the verification from the mobile device;

based on the result of the verification, maintain the determined premium, or modify the determined premium by discontinuing the determined premium or applying a different one of the plurality of discount levels; and

transmit by the communications interface to the mobile device data indicative of the modified discount level.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein periodically verify user of the selected mobile device disabling technology comprises communicating with a third party wireless service provider to verify use of the selected mobile device disabling technology.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein correlating the remote user'"'"'s selected mobile device disabling technology to one of the plurality of discount levels is based on an effectiveness rating assigned to each one of the plurality of mobile device disabling technologies, the effectiveness rating being stored in the database.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein a greater effectiveness rating corresponds to a greater discount.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device disabling technologies comprise a text blocking technology, a text to speech technology and a GPS based blocking technology.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the discount levels range from 1 percent to 10 percent off a total premium for a policy term.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance rules processor is further configured to receive periodic discount eligibility data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the eligibility data is an identification of a mobile device disabling app.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the discount is in addition to any other applicable discount for the customer applicable to the insurance policy.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance rules processor is configured to receive data indicative of a removal of the disabling technology, and to terminate a discount responsive to receiving data indicative of removal of the disabling technology.

11. A computerized method for providing for implementation of mobile device disabling technology, the method comprising:

by a mobile device, executing instructions of an application program for disabling the mobile device, in communication with a vehicle computer system, disabling one or more communications capabilities of the mobile device, responsive to receipt from the vehicle computer system of data indicative of the vehicle being in a gear other than park;

by the mobile device, executing instructions of an installed verification application, comparing to verification rules of results of;

checking configuration settings of the mobile device; and

checking logs of sent and received calls, text messages, and website and application activity of the mobile device to check that the application program for disabling the mobile device is installed and operating;

verifying absence of tampering at least by checking for one or more empty logs, including at least an empty text message log, on the mobile device; and

transmitting to a communications interface results of the verification, the transmitted results of the verification, responsive to determining that a text message log is empty, an indication that an empty text message log has been identified;

periodically receiving by one or more processors of a computer server, via the communications interface, mobile device disabling technology usage verification data from the a mobile device; and

initiating by the one or more processors, a communication, via the communications interface, to a third party, having data indicative of whether the application program for disabling the mobile device is activated or has been disabled;

storing data in one or more data storage devices related to a plurality of insurance policies, a plurality of mobile device disabling technologies and a plurality of discount levels correlated with each of the plurality of mobile device disabling technologies, the correlations comprising;

(a) mobile device disabling technologies that completely disable any use of a mobile device while driving corresponding to a first discount level;

(b) mobile device disabling technologies that allow use of a mobile device and convert text to speech while driving corresponding to a second discount level representing a lesser discount than the first discount level; and

(c) mobile device disabling technologies that block text communications while driving with no blocking of voice or social media, corresponding to a third discount level representing a discount between the first discount level and the second discount level;

receiving by the communications interface periodic customer eligibility data related to a remote user'"'"'s use of a mobile device disabling technology;

processing in the one or more processors the eligibility data to determine a discount level for the remote user from the plurality of discount levels; and

transmitting by the communications interface the discount level to the mobile device;

based on the verification, maintaining by the one or more processors the determined discount level, or modifying by the one or more processors the determined discount level by discontinuing the discount or applying a different one of the plurality of discount levels; and

transmitting by the communications interface to the mobile device data indicative of the modified discount level.

12. The computerized method of claim 11, further comprising computing by the one or more processors a discount level based on the duration the mobile device disabling technology is active on a trip.

13. The computerized method of claim 11, wherein periodic customer eligibility data is received at least every 6 months.

14. The computerized method of claim 11, wherein periodic customer eligibility data is received at least at a renewal time for the insurance policy.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to perform a method associated with implementing mobile device disabling technology, said method comprising:

periodically receiving data indicative of verification of use of mobile device disabling technology, the results being obtained and reported by a mobile device associated with the user, the mobile device executing instructions of an installed mobile device disabling application, the mobile device disabling application;

causing the mobile device to communicate with a vehicle computer system, disable one or more communications capabilities of the mobile device responsive to receipt from the vehicle computer system of data indicative of the vehicle being in a gear other than park;

the mobile device further executing instructions of a verification application to compare to verification rules results of one or more of;

checking configuration settings of the mobile device;

checking logs of sent and received calls, text messages, and website and application activity of the mobile device to check that the application program for disabling the mobile device is installed and operating;

verifying absence of tampering at least by checking for one or more empty logs on the mobile device; and

cause the mobile device to transmit results of the verification to a central system;

initiating a communication to a third party having data indicative of whether the mobile device disabling technology is activated or has been disabled;

storing data in one or more data storage devices related to a plurality of insurance policies, a plurality of mobile device disabling technologies and a plurality of discount levels correlated with each of the plurality of mobile device disabling technologies, the correlations comprising;

(a) mobile device disabling technologies that completely disable any use of a mobile device while driving corresponding to a first discount level;

(b) mobile device disabling technologies that allow use of a mobile device and convert text to speech while driving corresponding to a second discount level representing a lesser discount than the first discount level; and

(c) mobile device disabling technologies that block text communications while driving with no blocking of voice or social media, corresponding to a third discount level representing a discount between the first discount level and the second discount level;

receiving periodic customer eligibility data related to a remote user'"'"'s use of a mobile device disabling technology;

processing the eligibility data to determine a discount level for the remote user from the plurality of discount levels;

transmitting the discount level to the mobile device;

based on the verification, maintaining by the one or more processors the determined discount level, or modifying by the one or more processors the determined discount level by discontinuing the discount or applying a different one of the plurality of discount levels; and

transmitting to the mobile device data indicative of the modified discount level.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause a computer processor to periodically validate the mobile device suppressing technology.