LICENSE PLATE INTEGRATION & COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20140168436A1
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Adam Pedicino
• Original Assignee: Adam Pedicino
• Inventors: Pedicino, Adam
• Application Number:
  US13/717,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20140168436A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names

Abstract

A method of posting information to an online database regarding driving behavior of motorists is provided. The posting is based on identifying driver'"'"'s by license plate number. The online database may be accessible by the public, registered website users, insurance companies, and/or law enforcement.

Claims

1. A license plate identification system comprising:

a computerized online database;

a user interface in networked communication with the online database, the user interface allowing upload of a tag to the online database, the tag comprising a license plate number and an item of additional information; and

an insurance company interface, the insurance company interface in networked communication with the online database, the insurance company interface allowing an insurance company to access the online database to identify tags relating to the license plate number.

2. The license plate identification system of claim 1 wherein the user interface allowing is an internet enabled mobile device comprising a camera, the internet enabled mobile device configured to allow uploading of the tag comprising the license plate number and further comprising an image from the camera.

3. The license plate identification system of claim 2 wherein the internet enabled mobile device is configured to automatically identify and extract a license plate number from the image from the camera, the extracted license plate number incorporated into the tag.

4. The license plate identification system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle on-board camera, the vehicle on-board camera connectable to the user interface, the on-board camera configured to allow uploading, through the user interface, of the tag comprising the license plate number and an image from the camera.

5. The license plate identification system of claim 4 wherein the user interface is a computer configured automatically to identify and extract a license plate number from the image from the camera, the extracted license plate number incorporated into the tag.

6. The license plate identification system of claim 4 wherein the user interface is an internet enabled mobile device and the on board camera is in networked communication with the internet enabled mobile device.

7. The license plate identification system of claim 4 wherein the on-board camera is in electronic communication with a motion sensor mounted on the vehicle, the on-board camera configured to record an image upon a signal from the motion sensor.

8. The license plate identification system of claim 1 further comprising a law enforcement interface, the law enforcement interface allowing a law-enforcement agency to access the online database to identify tags relating to the license plate number.

9. The license plate identification system of claim 1 wherein the item of additional information included in the tag is at least one of:

a global positioning system location, a date, a time, an image, a video, and an accident report.

10. A method of tracking a driver'"'"'s driving style by an insurance company comprising the steps of:

providing a computerized online database allowing a user to post a tag comprising a comment about a driving incident and a license plate number of a vehicle causing the driving incident, the license plate number corresponding to one of;

a vehicle insured by the insurance company, or a vehicle potentially insured by the insurance company;

displaying the tag on a website, the website in communication with the computerized online database; and

encouraging an insured driver to drive safely by providing a decreased insurance premium if there are under a target number of tags corresponding to a license plate number of the driver'"'"'s vehicle.

11. The method of tracking a driver'"'"'s driving style by an insurance company of claim 10 further comprising the step providing a delay between the posting of the tag and the displaying of the tag by the computerized online database.

12. The method of tracking a driver'"'"'s driving style by an insurance company of claim 10 further comprising the step of signing up the license plate number of the driver'"'"'s vehicle insured by the insurance company with the computerized online database;

and

providing the driver with information regarding the computerized online database.

13. The method of tracking a driver'"'"'s driving style by an insurance company of claim 10 wherein the steps of:

providing an online computerized database further comprises the step of providing access to the database by an internet enabled mobile device configured to interface with the computerized online database; and

allowing posting of the tag using the internet enabled mobile device.

14. The method of tracking a driver'"'"'s driving style by an insurance company of claim 10 further comprising the step of receiving an image by the computerized online database as part of the tag.

15. The method of tracking a driver'"'"'s driving style by an insurance company of claim 10 further comprising the step of notifying an insured, by the computerized online database, when a tag comprising the license plate number of the driver is posted, the driver being insured by the insurance company.

16. A method of notifying an authority of a driving incident comprising the steps of:

identifying a driving incident involving a vehicle by a user;

identifying a license plate number of the vehicle;

uploading a tag into a computerized online database using a user interface, the tag comprising the license plate number and a comment, the computerized online database being accessible by an authority.

17. The method of notifying an authority of a driving incident of claim 16 further comprising the step of sending the tag automatically to the authority by the computerized online database.

18. The method of notifying an authority of a driving incident of claim 17 wherein the authority is at least one of an insurance company and a law-enforcement agency.

19. The method of notifying an authority of a driving incident of claim 16 wherein the step of uploading the license plate number and comment into a computerized online database further comprises using an internet enabled mobile device to upload the tag, the internet enabled mobile device in communication with the computerized online database, the method further comprising the steps of:

uploading automatically the tag comprising an image capture in the event of a vehicle crash by the user, the vehicle crash being recorded by a motion detector mounted within the vehicle;

detecting, using the internet enabled mobile device, a license plate number of a vehicle in the image captured.

20. The method of notifying an authority of a driving incident of claim 18 further comprising the step of recording a video using a camera of the internet enabled mobile device;

and

including the video recorded in the tag.