Assistance on the go

• US 10,600,127 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2018
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• 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 A
• Application Number:
  US16/028,215
• Time in Patent Office: 628 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 system for a roadside assistance provider comprising:

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

a telematics device that provides telematics information to the mobile application,

wherein the mobile application determines a time to travel utilizing the telematics information, the roadside assistance request, and a set of roadside assistance provider information for a plurality of roadside assistance providers, wherein the time to travel utilizes route information and traffic information,

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

wherein the mobile application transmits the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider and receives confirmation of the roadside assistance order from the selected roadside assistance provider and further wherein the mobile application receives 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 system of claim 1, wherein the mobile application provides 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 system of claim 1, wherein the mobile application receives 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 system of claim 1 wherein the mobile application provides an electronic payment to the selected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of 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 system of claim 1, wherein the set of 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 system of claim 1, wherein 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 system 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 roadside assistance service system of claim 15, wherein the mobile application receives 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 roadside assistance system for a roadside assistance provider comprising:

a mobile device related to an electronic membership card, wherein, after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, the mobile device receives input related to the electronic membership card and the electronic membership card includes a set of membership information associated with the vehicle received from a data store and further wherein the set of membership information includes roadside assistance services available to the vehicle to remedy the roadside event;

a mobile application executing on the mobile device having at least one processor, wherein the mobile application receives a roadside assistance request from a user; and

a telematics device that provides telematics information to the mobile application and the roadside assistance system,

wherein the mobile application and the roadside assistance system determines a time to travel utilizing the telematics information and the roadside assistance request, wherein the time to travel utilizes route information and traffic information,

wherein the mobile application and the roadside assistance system provides a selected roadside assistance provider and a set of roadside assistance provider information based on a shortest time to travel,

wherein the mobile application and the roadside assistance system receives a roadside assistance order from the user and transmits the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider and further wherein the mobile application and the roadside assistance system provides an electronic payment to the selected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider.

10. The roadside assistance system of claim 9, wherein the mobile application and the roadside assistance system receives a set of tracking information for the selected roadside assistance provider.

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

12. The roadside assistance system of claim 9, wherein the set of 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 roadside assistance system of claim 9, wherein the set of 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 roadside assistance system 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. A roadside assistance service system comprising:

a mobile application executing on a mobile device having at least one processor, wherein the mobile application, after occurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, receives a roadside assistance request from a user, and further wherein the mobile device retrieves 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 the mobile application receives input at the mobile device related to an electronic membership card and the membership information associated with the vehicle; and

a telematics device connected to the that provides telematics information to the mobile application,

wherein the mobile application determines a time to travel utilizing the telematics information and the roadside assistance request, wherein the time to travel utilizes route information and traffic information,

wherein the mobile application receives 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 a set of roadside assistance provider information and further wherein the mobile application transmits the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider and provides an electronic payment to the selected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order.

17. The roadside assistance service system 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 roadside assistance service system of claim 15, wherein the set of 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 roadside assistance service system of claim 15, wherein the set of 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 roadside assistance service system 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.