Determining an event

• US 10,430,889 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Ismaili, Alinawaz, DeWall, Joel T., Kwan, Randolph, Griffin, Dennis M.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Joseph W.
• Application Number:
  US14/628,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/00 Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/003 Signalling to neighbouring houses

Abstract

A system allows for a user to notify an insurance provider or other third-party with a button press. The button can notify of an emergency situation. An event determiner may analyze information of events surrounding the button press. This information may include the time of day, location, identifying information for the insured, recent locations of the button, information from similar button presses and information from previous insurance claims. Based on this information, the event determiner may provide a high percentage estimate of an abnormal condition: home break-in, car accident, flat tire, etc. The system may automatically take action, depending on the event, such as contacting the police, sending a tow truck, or starting an insurance claim.

Claims

1. A method of improving detection of an abnormal operation condition, comprising:

receiving a first signal indicative of an insurance event from a first device located in a first building at a first geographical location, the first signal indicative of an insurance event comprising an abnormal operation condition of the first building;

querying a database for information regarding one or more previous insurance events associated with reception of a second signal indicative of a second insurance event from a second device located at a second building at a second geographical location that is different from the first geographical location;

filtering and identifying, by a computer processor, that at least one of the one or more previous insurance events has an attribute in common with the first signal indicative of the insurance event comprising the abnormal operation condition of the first building;

determining a nature of the insurance event, based at least in part on the identifying that at least one of the one or more previous insurance events has an attribute in common with the first signal indicative of the insurance event comprising the abnormal operation condition of the first building; and

configuring, by the computer processor based on the determined nature of the insurance event, a controller in the first geographical location to control at least one of a mechanical function and electrical function of the first building, wherein the at least one of the mechanical function and electrical function comprises at least one of;

locking a door of the first building, unlocking a door of the first building, shutting off water to the first building, initiating an audio alarm device in the first building, turning on a light in the first building, and turning off a light in the first building.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information of the one or more previous insurance events comprises at least one insurance claim for the second building.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the attribute comprises a time of day of an occurrence of one of the one or more previous insurance events.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically initiating an insurance claim comprising information of the insurance event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute comprises a time of day of the reception of the second signal from the second device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is associated with a first user and the second device is associated with a second user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying personnel of the insurance event, wherein the personnel comprises at least one of;

a repair person, an insurance adjustor, an emergency responder, safety personnel, a home owner, and neighbor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographical location comprises an address, GPS coordinates, a zip code, a neighborhood or a street.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the abnormal operation condition comprises at least one of:

a faulty water heater, roof damage, a false alarm, and a break-in.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating with a data collection device in the first geographical location; and

collecting information for use in determining the insurance event.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is one of:

a smoke detector, a moisture detector, a microphone, a roof monitor, and home security system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first device is a smoke detector, and wherein the second device is a smoke detector, and the abnormal operation condition of the first building is a fire.

13. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the device to;

receive a first signal from a first device located in a first building at a first geographical location, the first signal indicative of an insurance event comprising an abnormal operation condition of the first building;

query a database for information regarding one or more previous insurance events associated with a geographical area comprising the first geographical location, wherein at least one of the one or more previous insurance events comprises reception of a second signal from a second device located at a second building in the geographical area, wherein the second building is at a different geographical location than the first building;

filter and identify that at least one of the one or more previous insurance events has an attribute in common with the first signal indicative of the insurance event comprising the abnormal operation condition of the first building;

determine, based at least in part on the filtering and an analysis of accumulated sensor data corresponding to the first signal and the second signal, a nature of the insurance event; and

configure, based on the determined nature of the insurance event, a controller in the first geographical location to control at least one of a mechanical function and electrical function of the first building, wherein the at least one of the mechanical function and electrical function comprises an audio alarm device of the first building and turning on a light of the first building.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the device to collect information from a data collection device in the geographical location, wherein the data collection device is at least one of:

a smoke detector, a moisture detector, a camera, a microphone, a roof monitor, and home security system.

15. The device of claim 13, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the device to determine the abnormal operation condition of the building.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the device to automatically initiate an insurance claim based on the abnormal operation condition of the building.

17. The device of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the device to notify a home owner or safety personal of the abnormal operation condition of the first building.

18. A system, comprising:

one or more non-volatile hardware memory units, the memory units storing thereon previous insurance claims; and

one or more computer processors, the computer processors configured to perform determinations relating to an insurance event, wherein the system is configured to access and employ the memory units and computer processors to;

receive a first signal from a first device located in a first building at a geographical location, the first signal indicative of the insurance event comprising an abnormal operation condition of the first building;

query a database for information regarding one or more previous insurance events associated with a geographical area comprising the first geographical location, wherein at least one of the one or more previous insurance events comprises reception of a second signal from a second device located at a second building in the geographical area, wherein the neighboring building is at a different geographical location than the first building;

filter and identify that at least one of the one or more previous insurance events having an attribute in common with the first signal indicative of the insurance event comprising the abnormal operation condition of the first building;

determine, based at least in part on the filtering, a nature of the insurance event; and

configure, based on the determined nature of the insurance event, a controller in the first geographical location to control at least one of a mechanical function and electrical function of the first building, wherein the at least one of the mechanical function and electrical function comprises at least one of;

locking a door of the first building, turning on an audio device of the first building, and turning on a light of the first building.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the system is further configured to automatically initiate an insurance claim comprising information of the insurance event.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the first device is one of:

a smoke detector, a moisture detector, and a roof monitor.