System for processing insurance coverage requests

• US 8,140,360 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kwan, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilligan, Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRAN N
• Application Number:
  US12/849,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A system for processing insurance coverage requests. An insurance data processing system (IDPS) implements a method that processes the requests. The IDPS receives at least one request from a customer relating to insurance coverage for the customer. Each request independently requests activation or deactivation of the insurance coverage. The requests are ordered in a time sequence if the at least one request includes more than one request. The IDPS verifies, for each request received, that it is permissible for the IDPS to accommodate each request. After each request is verified, the IDPS archives each request in a non-volatile storage medium of the IDPS.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable storage media having computer readable program code stored therein, said computer readable program code configured to be executed by a processor comprised by a insurance data processing system (IDPS) to implement a method for processing insurance coverage requests, said IDPS further comprising:

(a) a wireless device consisting of a mobile electronic device provided to a customer, (b) an insurance activation server, and (c) an archive database connected to the insurance activation server, said method comprising;

receiving, by the IDPS, a plurality of requests from the customer relating to insurance coverage for the customer, each request requesting activation or deactivation of the insurance coverage;

confirming by the IDPS, for each request received, that it is permissible for the IDPS to accommodate each request based on each request'"'"'s requested activation or deactivation; and

after said confirming for each request, archiving by the IDPS each request in a non-volatile storage medium of the IDPS;

wherein the mobile electronic device comprises the non-volatile storage medium;

wherein said receiving, said confirming, and said archiving are performed with respect to each request by the mobile electronic device while the mobile electronic device is in an offline mode, said offline mode characterized by the mobile electronic device being disconnected from the insurance activation server and any other external communication device;

wherein after said archiving is performed, the method further comprises;

while a connection is established between the mobile electronic device and the insurance activation server, said server updating the archive database with each request archived in the non-volatile storage medium;

wherein the method further comprises determining that an insurance claim by the customer relating to an accident is valid by verifying that the insurance coverage was active at a time when the accident occurred based on the most recent requested activation or deactivation, said verifying occurring when the mobile electronic device is connected to the insurance activation server and comprising determining by the server that a request to submit the insurance claim is stored in the mobile electronic device operating in the offline mode.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

said mobile electronic device tracking insurance coverage credits in a bank while the mobile electronic is operating in the offline mode, said insurance coverage credits being credits for insurance coverage time purchased by the customer.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the insurance coverage credits are time credits in a bank tracked by the mobile device.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to a new request received from the customer for activation of the insurance coverage for a time duration, ascertaining that the remaining amount of time of said time credit exceeds the time duration; and

responsive to said ascertaining, granting the new request.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the requests of the plurality of requests are ordered in a time sequence.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic device is configured to be used in the offline mode by the customer to activate the insurance coverage from any insurer of a plurality of insurers offering competing insurance products pertaining to the insurance coverage.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each request requesting activation or deactivation is implemented through use of a single push button in the mobile electronic device to toggle between said activation and said deactivation.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said verifying further comprises that a date/time stored in the mobile electronic device in response to the mobile electronic device having been turned off and entered into a read-only mode corresponds to the time when the accident occurred.

9. An insurance data processing system (IDPS) comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing program code configured to be executed by the processor to implement a method for processing insurance coverage requests, said IDPS further comprising:

(a) a wireless device consisting of a mobile electronic device provided to a customer, (b) an insurance activation server, and (c) an archive database connected to the insurance activation server, said method comprising;

receiving, by the IDPS, a plurality of requests from the customer relating to insurance coverage for the customer, each request requesting activation or deactivation of the insurance coverage;

confirming by the IDPS, for each request received, that it is permissible for the IDPS to accommodate each request based on each request'"'"'s requested activation or deactivation; and

after said confirming for each request, archiving by the IDPS each request in a non-volatile storage medium of the IDPS;

wherein the mobile electronic device comprises the non-volatile storage medium;

wherein said receiving, said confirming, and said archiving are performed with respect to each request by the mobile electronic device while the mobile electronic device is in an offline mode, said offline mode characterized by the mobile electronic device being disconnected from the insurance activation server and any other external communication device;

wherein after said archiving is performed, the method further comprises;

while a connection is established between the mobile electronic device and the insurance activation server, said server updating the archive database with each request archived in the non-volatile storage medium;

wherein the method further comprises determining that an insurance claim by the customer relating to an accident is valid by verifying that the insurance coverage was active at a time when the accident occurred based on the most recent requested activation or deactivation, said verifying occurring when the mobile electronic device is connected to the insurance activation server and comprising determining by the server that a request to submit the insurance claim is stored in the mobile electronic device operating in the offline mode.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the insurance coverage credits are time credits in a bank tracked by the mobile device.

11. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to a new request received from the customer for activation of the insurance coverage for a time duration, ascertaining that the remaining amount of time of said time credit exceeds the time duration; and

responsive to said ascertaining, granting the new request.

12. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the requests of the plurality of requests are ordered in a time sequence.

13. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the mobile electronic device is configured to be used in the offline mode by the customer to activate the insurance coverage from any insurer of a plurality of insurers offering competing insurance products pertaining to the insurance coverage.

14. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein each request requesting activation or deactivation is implemented through use of a single push button in the mobile electronic device to toggle between said activation and said deactivation.

15. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein said verifying further comprises that a date/time stored in the mobile electronic device in response to the mobile electronic device having been turned off and entered into a read-only mode corresponds to the time when the accident occurred.

16. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

said mobile electronic device tracking insurance coverage credits in a bank while the mobile electronic is operating in the offline mode, said insurance coverage credits being credits for insurance coverage time purchased by the customer.