Split sensing method

• US 10,600,126 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2017
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Baker, Nicholas R., Thurber, David W., Rutkowski, Paul Christopher, Bowne, Benjamin F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tinkler, Muriel S
• Application Number:
  US15/782,382
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

Client side and server side methods for combining data originating from an On Board Diagnostics (OBD) cap with data originating from a client computing device are presented. The method includes receiving, from a client computing device via a computer network, a plurality of OBD cap data originating from an OBD cap and receiving, from the client computing device via the computer network, a plurality of client computing device data originating from the client computing device. The method also includes selecting, at a processor, a first data parameter from the plurality of OBD cap data and selecting, at the processor, a second data parameter from the plurality of client computing device data. The method further includes analyzing, at the processor, the first data parameter and the second data parameter and flagging, at the processor, an insurance account associated with the OBD device as a result of the analysis.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, via a data server, combined data transmitted from a client computing device, the combined data containing (i) On Board Diagnostic (OBD) cap data generated by an OBD cap associated with a vehicle that includes first location data indicative of geographic locations of the vehicle and acceleration data indicative of accelerations of the vehicle, and (ii) client computing device data generated by a client computing device while being located in the vehicle that includes second location data indicative of geographic locations of the vehicle,

augmenting, via the data server, the second location data with the acceleration data to improve upon how accurately the first location data indicates the geographic locations of the vehicle as a result of the OBD cap being mechanically coupled to the vehicle and being in a stationary position as the OBD cap data is generated; and

flagging, via the data server, an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when geographic locations of the vehicle, as indicated by the first location data and the second location data, do not match one another.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the data server, additional ODB cap data stored by the client computing device upon an additional OBD cap being within wireless reception range of the client computing device,

wherein the additional OBD cap data indicates a location and a time that the additional OBD cap is proximal to the OBD cap.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

flagging, via the data server, an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when the location data included in the additional OBD cap data does not match the geographic location of the vehicle as indicated by the OBD cap.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the additional ODB cap is associated with an additional vehicle that is separate from the vehicle associated with the OBD cap, and

wherein the vehicle and the additional vehicle are each associated with the insurance account.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,

analyzing, via the server, the first location data and the second location data to identify a distribution of vehicle locations over time;

and

assessing, via the server, vehicle insurance associated with the insurance account based upon the distribution of vehicle locations.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the combined data includes receiving the combined data in real time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the OBD cap data includes first acceleration data, wherein the client computing device data includes second acceleration data, and further comprising:

determining, via the server, whether the first acceleration data matches the second acceleration data by correlating the timing of the first acceleration data to the second acceleration data and determining whether the correlation meets a threshold correlation amount; and

flagging, via the data server, an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when the first acceleration data does not match the second acceleration data.

8. A computer server, comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory, and in response to;

receive combined data transmitted from a client computing device, the combined data containing (i) On Board Diagnostic (OBD) cap data generated by an OBD cap associated with a vehicle that includes first location data indicative of geographic locations of the vehicle and acceleration data indicative of accelerations of the vehicle, and (ii) client computing device data generated by a client computing device while being located in the vehicle that includes second location data indicative of geographic locations of the vehicle,

augment the second location data with the acceleration data to improve upon how accurately the first location data indicates the geographic locations of the vehicle as a result of the OBD cap being mechanically coupled to the vehicle and being in a stationary position as the OBD cap data is generated; and

flag an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when geographic locations of the vehicle, as indicated by the first location data and the second location data, do not match one another.

9. The computer server of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory, and in response to:

receive additional ODB cap data stored by the client computing device upon an additional OBD cap being within wireless reception range of the client computing device,

wherein the additional OBD cap data indicates a location and a time that the additional OBD cap is proximal to the OBD cap.

10. The computer server of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory, and in response to:

flag an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when the location data included in the additional OBD cap data does not match the geographic location of the vehicle as indicated by the OBD cap.

11. The computer server of claim 9, wherein the additional ODB cap is associated with an additional vehicle that is separate from the vehicle associated with the OBD cap, and

wherein the vehicle and the additional vehicle are each associated with the insurance account.

12. The computer server of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory, and in response to:

analyze the first location data and the second location data to identify a distribution of vehicle locations over time; and

assess vehicle insurance associated with the insurance account based upon the distribution of vehicle locations.

13. The computer server of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to receive the combined data in real time.

14. The computer server of claim 8, wherein the OBD cap data includes first acceleration data, wherein the client computing device data includes second acceleration data, and wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory, and in response to:

determine whether the first acceleration data matches the second acceleration data by correlating the timing of the first acceleration data to the second acceleration data and determining whether the correlation meets a threshold correlation amount; and

flag an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when the first acceleration data does not match the second acceleration data.

15. A system, comprising:

an On Board Diagnostic (OBD) cap configured to generate OBD data associated with a vehicle that includes first location data indicative of geographic locations of the vehicle and acceleration data indicative of accelerations of the vehicle;

a client computing device configured to generate a client computing device data while being located in the vehicle that includes second location data indicative of geographic locations of the vehicle, and to transmit the OBD Cap data and the client computing device data as combined data; and

a server configured to (i) receive the combined data, (ii) augment the second location data with the acceleration data to improve upon how accurately the first location data indicates the geographic locations of the vehicle as a result of the OBD cap being mechanically coupled to the vehicle and being in a stationary position as the OBD cap data is generated, and (iii) flag an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when geographic locations of the vehicle, as indicated by the first location data and the second location data, do not match one another.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the client computing device is further configured to transmit additional ODB cap data upon an additional OBD cap being within wireless reception range of the client computing device, the additional OBD cap data indicating a location and a time that the additional OBD cap is proximal to the OBD cap, and

wherein the server is further configured to flag an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when the location data included in the additional OBD cap data does not match the geographic location of the vehicle as indicated by the OBD cap.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the additional ODB cap is associated with an additional vehicle that is separate from the vehicle associated with the OBD cap, and

wherein the vehicle and the additional vehicle are each associated with the insurance account.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the first location data and the second location data to identify a distribution of vehicle locations over time, and to assess vehicle insurance associated with the insurance account based upon the distribution of vehicle locations.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the combined data in real time.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the OBD cap data includes first acceleration data, wherein the client computing device data includes second acceleration data, and wherein the server is further configured to determine whether the first acceleration data matches the second acceleration data by correlating the timing of the first acceleration data to the second acceleration data and determining whether the correlation meets a threshold correlation amount, and to flag an insurance account associated with the OBD cap when the first acceleration data does not match the second acceleration data.