Systems and methods for marketing and/or servicing personal property insurance

• US 8,370,178 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Mills, Steven Carl, Chavez, Daniel A., Noriega, Tony, Sausman, Sandra Lynn Sherman
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Kito R
• Application Number:
  US11/872,465
• Time in Patent Office: 1,940 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

Insurance coverage on valuable personal property (“VPP”) can be marketed and/or serviced through an expert system that interacts with a user through a web site and web browser. VPP coverage tends to have many facets and complexities, and a system can be used to explain the various complexities and to guide said user through the process of selecting coverage, obtaining a quote, and purchasing said policy. The system can provide various forms of user education, such as graphical and/or text screens that explain features of coverage, can also provide said user with a linear process flow for those tasks that can be accomplished simply, and can involve a human representative for more complicated tasks.

Claims

1. A system for providing a price to insure personal property, said system comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor and storing a plurality of instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to provide the price to insure the personal property, the plurality of instructions comprising;

instructions that cause the processor to display a plurality of categories of personal property;

instructions that cause the processor to receive, from a user, a selection of at least one category of the plurality of categories of personal property;

instructions that cause the processor to receive, from the user, an indication of value of personal property to be insured in the at least one category of the plurality of categories of personal property;

instructions that cause the processor to consult a database of policyholders;

instructions that cause the processor to determine, based on said database, that said user has a homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy with an organization that is being requested to issue personal property insurance on said personal property;

instructions that cause the processor to retrieve location information associated with said user from data associated with said homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy;

instructions that cause the processor to provide, to said user, the price to insure said personal property based on said indication of value and on said location information; and

instructions that cause the processor to communicate, to said user, an explanation of a difference between insuring said personal property though said homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy and insuring said personal property though a personal property insurance policy.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

instructions that cause the processor to communicate, to said user, educational content that comprises at least one image of an item that falls within said at least one of said categories.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said personal property falls within a fine arts category, wherein the system further comprises:

instructions that cause the processor to retrieve a fire rating based on said location information wherein said price is further based on said fire rating.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

instructions that cause the processor to receive, from said user, a description of said personal property.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said description is received in the form of an image of a document that describes said personal property.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

instructions that cause the processor to receive, from said user, a name;

instructions that cause the processor to persist said name and said price; and

instructions that cause the processor to subsequently retrieve said price using said name.

7. A method of providing a price to insure personal property, the method comprising:

providing a computer having a processor and memory;

displaying a plurality of categories of personal property;

receiving, from a user, a selection of at least one category of the plurality of categories of personal property;

receiving, from the user, an indication of value of personal property to be insured in the at least one category of the plurality of categories of personal property;

consulting a database of policyholders using the processor;

determining, based on said database and using the processor, that said user has a homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy with an organization that is being requested to issue personal property insurance on said personal property;

retrieving, using the processor, location information associated with said user from data associated with said homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy;

providing, to said user, said price to insure said personal property based on said indication of value and on said location information; and

communicating, to said user, an explanation of a difference between insuring said personal property though said homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy and insuring said personal property though a personal property insurance policy.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

communicating, to said user, educational content that comprises at least one image of an item that falls within said at least one of said categories.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said personal property falls within a fine arts category, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving a fire rating based on said location information, wherein said price is further based on said fire rating.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from said user, a description of said personal property.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said description is received in the form of an image of a document that describes said personal property.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from said user, a name;

persisting said name and said price using the processor; and

subsequently retrieving said price using said name.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for providing a price to insure personal property, said computer-readable instructions being executed by a computer and comprising instructions to:

display a plurality of categories of personal property;

receive, from a user, a selection of at least one category of the plurality of categories of personal property;

receive, from the user, an indication of value of personal property to be insured in

the at least one category of the plurality of categories of personal property;

consult a database of policyholders;

determine, based on said database, that said user has a homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy with an organization that is being requested to issue personal property insurance on said personal property;

retrieve location information associated with said user from data associated with said homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy;

provide, to said user, said price to insure said personal property based on said indication of value and on said location information; and

communicate, to said user, an explanation of a difference between insuring said personal property though said homeowner'"'"'s insurance policy and insuring said personal property though a personal property insurance policy.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that:

communicate, to said user, educational content that comprises at least one image of an item that falls within at least one of said categories.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein said personal property falls within a fine arts category, wherein the computer-readable instructions further comprise instructions that:

retrieve a fire rating based on said location information wherein said price is further based on said fire rating.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that:

receive, from said user, a description of said personal property.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said description is received in the form of an image of a document that describes said personal property.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that:

receive, from said user, a name;

persist said name and said price; and

subsequently retrieve said price using said name.