System and method for incentivizing driving characteristics by monitoring operational data and providing feedback

• US 10,726,493 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2016
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Kyne, Michael, Camarano, Joel T., Prasad, Bharat, Oakes, III, Charles Lee, Vijayvergia, Gunjan C., Brown, Christine Marie, Gonzales, Rod
• Primary Examiner(s): Kanervo, Virpi H
• Application Number:
  US15/296,898
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00

Abstract

A system includes a monitoring device coupled to a vehicle. The monitoring device includes a processor. The monitoring device also includes an output interface coupled to the processor that communicates information to a driver of the vehicle. The monitoring device further includes a communication interface coupled to the processor. The processor receives, via the communication interface, sensor information relating to operating the vehicle. The processor also receives, via the communication interface, a risk factor relating to operating the vehicle based at least in part on the sensor information. The processor further outputs, via the output interface, an adjustment to an insurance premium of the driver, an adjustment to an insurance deductible of the driver, or a payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on the risk factor.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computing device configured to;

receive location information of a vehicle from a monitoring device coupled to the vehicle;

determine a risk factor relating to operating the vehicle based at least in part on the location information of the vehicle and traffic data corresponding to the location information, wherein the traffic data is stored on a blockchain that is stored in a distributed cloud database; and

generate an adjustment to an insurance premium of a driver of the vehicle, an adjustment to an insurance deductible of the driver, or a payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on the risk factor;

the monitoring device, comprising;

a processor,

an output interface coupled to the processor and configured to communicate information to the driver of the vehicle;

a communication interface communicatively coupling the monitoring device to the computing device; and

a memory comprising instructions that cause the processor to;

receive, via the communication interface, the location information of the vehicle from a location sensor of the vehicle or a mobile device;

send, via the communication interface, the location information of the vehicle to the computing device;

receive, via the communication interface, the adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver of the vehicle, the adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or the payment amount of the driver from the computing device; and

output, via the output interface, the adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver, the adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or the payment amount of the driver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the output interface is configured to couple to a video or audio device of the vehicle, wherein the video or audio device of the vehicle is configured to output an indication of the adjustment to the insurance premium, the adjustment to the insurance deductible, or the payment amount.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the output interface is configured to couple to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to output an indication of the adjustment to the insurance premium, the adjustment to the insurance deductible, or the payment amount.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein outputting, via the output interface, the adjustment to the insurance premium, the adjustment to the insurance deductible, or the payment amount, occurs in real time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic data stored on the blockchain is immutable.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic data is indicative of a high degree of traffic corresponding to the location information, wherein the computing device is configured to:

determine an increased risk factor based at least in part on the high degree of traffic corresponding to the location information; and

generate an increased adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver, an increased adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or an increased payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on the increased risk factor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to determine the risk factor based at least in part on a construction zone, a school zone, a degree of safety, or any combination thereof, corresponding to the location information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to determine the risk factor based at least in part on a traffic accident, historical traffic congestion data, historical traffic accident data, or any combination thereof, corresponding to the location information.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, via one or more processors, sensor information indicative of a geographical location from a sensor of a vehicle or a mobile electronic device in the vehicle;

receiving, via the one or more processors, contextual information from a blockchain stored in a distributed cloud database based on the sensor information, wherein the contextual information indicates a degree of crime in the geographical location of the vehicle;

generating, via the one or more processors, a risk factor relating to the degree of crime in the geographical location;

generating, via the one or more processors, an adjustment to an insurance premium of a driver of the vehicle, an adjustment to an insurance deductible of the driver, or a payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on the risk factor; and

outputting, via the one or more processors and an output interface of the vehicle, the adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver of the vehicle, the adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or the payment amount of the driver.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the output interface couples to a video or audio device of the vehicle, wherein the video or audio device of the vehicle outputs an indication of the adjustment to the insurance premium, the adjustment to the insurance deductible, or the payment amount.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the output interface couples to the mobile electronic device, and the mobile electronic device outputs an indication of the adjustment to the insurance premium, the adjustment to the insurance deductible, or the payment amount.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein outputting, via the one or more processors, the adjustment to the insurance premium, the adjustment to the insurance deductible, or the payment amount, occurs in real time.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the risk factor comprises an indication of whether at least the sensor information suggests safe or risky behavior.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the geographical location is associated with a high degree of crime, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, via the one or more processors, that the vehicle is within the geographical location; and

outputting, via the one or more processors and the output interface of the vehicle, a decreased adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver, a decreased adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or a decreased payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on determining that the vehicle consistently avoids the geographical location over time.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the geographical location is associated with a high degree of crime, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, via the one or more processors, that the vehicle consistently enters the geographical location; and

offering, via the one or more processors, one or more alternate routes that avoid the geographical location.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, via the one or more processors, that the vehicle consistently avoids the geographical location; and

outputting, via the one or more processors and the output interface of the vehicle, a lowered adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver, a lowered adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or a lowered payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on determining that the vehicle consistently avoids the geographical location.

17. One or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media comprising instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive sensor information relating to operating a vehicle in a geographical area from a location sensor of the vehicle or a mobile electronic device in the vehicle;

receive contextual information from a blockchain stored in a distributed cloud database based on the sensor information, wherein the contextual information indicates a presence of the vehicle in a construction zone or a school zone in the geographical area;

generate a risk factor relating to operating the vehicle based at least in part on the presence of the vehicle in the construction zone or the school zone;

generate an adjustment to an insurance premium of a driver of the vehicle, an adjustment to an insurance deductible of the driver, or a payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on the risk factor; and

output, via an output interface of the vehicle, the adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver of the vehicle, the adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or the payment amount of the driver.

18. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processor to receive additional sensor information relating to operating the vehicle from a vehicle speed sensor of the vehicle.

19. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processor to:

determine that a speed of the vehicle does not exceed a speed limit associated with the construction zone or the school zone; and

output, via the output interface of the vehicle, a lowered adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver, a lowered adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or a lowered payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on determining that the speed of the vehicle does not exceed the speed limit associated with the construction zone or the school zone.

20. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processor to:

determine that the risk factor is greater than a threshold risk factor; and

output, via the output interface of the vehicle, an increased adjustment to the insurance premium of the driver, an increased adjustment to the insurance deductible of the driver, or an increased payment amount of the driver, based at least in part on determining that the risk factor is greater than the threshold risk factor.