Insurance claim payment card system

• US 8,204,766 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Meridian Enterprises Corporation
• Inventors: Bush, Lawrence P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunham, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALTSCHUL, AMBER L
• Application Number:
  US10/294,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20060106650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,505 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system for the adjudication of insurance claims, such as automobile repair claims, by an insurance provider is provided. A claim submitted by a policyholder is received is received by the insurance provider. The claim is assigned to an insurance adjuster. The insurance provider receives a determination of a dollar value of the claim from the adjuster, and uses this information to determine how much money to disburse to the policyholder. The insurance provider then issues an account funded with the dollar value of the claim to the policyholder, accessible by the policyholder through a card. As the card is used, the insurance provider collects purchase information, such as information relating to the date, place, and amount of each purchase made on the account. The insurance provider may then collate the purchase information in a database and analyze the data for mathematically significant trends and relationships.

Claims

1. A method for administering insurance claims and monitoring claim-related data in a database, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a claim;

(b) determining a dollar value of the claim;

(c) issuing a bill-on-redemption card account funded with a point value corresponding to at least a portion of said dollar value of the claim;

(d) paying at least some portion of the dollar value of the claim when the card account is used by a card recipient;

(e) collecting purchase information from the card account; and

(f) entering the purchase information into the database.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(g) using the database to review purchase trends.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(g) using the database to review insurance investigations for accuracy.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the card account is a debit card account.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the card account is a credit card account.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to Workman'"'"'s Compensation.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to employee disability payments.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim is an insurance claim.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the purchase information reflects an actual repair cost of an automobile and further comprising the step of:

(g) comparing the determined dollar value of the claim to the actual repair cost of the automobile.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to an automobile accident.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to medical treatment.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to death benefits.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to property damage.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to property loss.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the claim relates to theft.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information collected in step (e) includes a time of purchase.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information collected in step (e) includes an amount of purchase.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information collected in step (e) includes a place of purchase.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information collected in step (e) includes a time, place, and amount of each purchase.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(g) closing the account after a predetermined amount of time.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

before step (g), reimbursing the card account recipient any money remaining in the account.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the card account is managed by an independent claim service provider.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the card account is managed by an insurance company.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the dollar value of the claim received in step (b) was made by an insurance adjuster;

wherein the purchase information collected in step (e) includes the actual amount spent on repairing an automobile; and

further comprising the steps of;

(g) comparing the dollar value of the claim to the actual amount spent on repairing the automobile; and

(h) evaluating the performance of the insurance adjuster.