System for rule-based insurance underwriting suitable for use by an automated system

• US 8,793,146 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2002
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Life Insurance Company (Pacific Mutual Holding Company)
• Original Assignee: Genworth Holdings, Inc. (Genworth Financial Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bonissone, Piero Patrone, Messmer, Richard Paul, Durham, William Michael, Yang, Dan, Pavese, Marc, Russell, Diane Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Najarian, Lena
• Assistant Examiner(s): PASS, NATALIE
• Application Number:
  US10/171,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,425 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4, 705/38, 705/36.R, 705/9, 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705/41, 705/51, 705/39, 705/7.28, 600/300, 707/5, 707/7, 707/3, 707/104, 706/46
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system for at least a partial underwriting of insurance policies is described. Various rules are created, along with a degree of satisfaction for each rule. Rules may be directed toward various insurance underwriting components (e.g., cholesterol levels, blood pressure, etc.). Based on the degree of satisfaction for each rule, a component may be assigned to a category. Based on the category for each component, the insurance application may be assigned an underwriting category.

Claims

1. A system for underwriting an insurance application, the system in the form of a tangibly embodied computer, the system comprising:

a receiver, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that receives a request to underwrite an insurance application, where the request includes information about at least one application component;

an evaluation module, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that evaluates the at least one application component based on at least one rule associated with the at least one application component; and

an assignment module, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that;

a) assigns an assigned measurement to the at least one application component constituted by assigning a measurement from a sliding scale, the application component constituted by a physical parameter of a person to be insured, the physical parameter being at least one selected from the group consisting of cholesterol level, blood pressure level, a pulse measurement, weight-to-height ratio, or other physical parameter of the person to be insured; and

b) assigns the at least one application component to a specific component category out of a plurality of component categories based on the assigned measurements;

the at least one application component assigned to a first component category, out of component categories, when a first threshold is satisfied, else;

the at least one application component assigned to a further component category, out of a plurality of component categories, when a further threshold is satisfied; and

the assignment module further assigns the insurance application to a specific application category out of a plurality of application categories, where the one specific application category is assigned based at least in part on the specific component category, and

the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories;

wherein the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories, in that the plurality of component categories correspond to the plurality of application categories, the component categories being constituted by cat1, cat2and cat3, and the application categories being constituted by cat1, cat2and cat3.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation of the at least one application component includes:

defining the at least one rule;

assigning the at least one rule to the at least one application component; and

defining at least one parameter associated with the at least one rule.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories, the component categories being constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3, and the application categories being constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one rule is a fuzzy logic rule.

5. A system for underwriting an insurance application, the system in the form of a tangibly embodied computer, the system comprising:

a receiver, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that receives a request to underwrite an insurance application, wherein the insurance application includes a plurality of application components;

an evaluation module, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that evaluates the plurality of application components based on a plurality of rules, wherein each of the plurality of rules is associated with each of the plurality of application components; and

an assignment module, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that;

a) assigns an assigned measurement to each of the plurality of application components constituted by assigning a measurement from a sliding scale, the application component constitute by a physical parameter of a person to be insured, the physical parameter being at least one selected from the group consisting of cholesterol level, blood pressure level, a pulse measurement, weight-to-height ratio, or other physical parameter of the person to be insured; and

b) assigns each of the plurality of application components to a specific component category out of a plurality of component categories based on the assigned measurements;

the at least one application component assigned to a first component category, out of plurality component categories, when a first threshold is satisfied, else;

the at least one application component assigned to a further component category, out of plurality component categories, when a first threshold is satisfied; and

the assignment module further assigns the insurance application to a specific application category out of a plurality of application categories, wherein the specific application category is assigned based at least in part on the component categories for each of the plurality of component categories, and

the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories such that the categories to which the insurance application is assigned are the same as the categories to which the application components are assigned;

wherein the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories, the component categories being constituted by cat1, cat2and cat3, and the application categories being constituted by cat1, cat2and cat3.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the evaluation of the plurality of application components includes:

defining the plurality of rules;

assigning each of the plurality of rules to one of the plurality of components; and

defining at least one parameter associated with at least one rule.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories, the component categories being constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3, and the application categories being constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of rules are fuzzy logic rules.

9. A system for underwriting an insurance application, the system in the form of a tangibly embodied computer, the system comprising:

a receiver, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that receives a request to underwrite an insurance application for a customer, wherein the insurance application includes a plurality of application components;

an evaluation module, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that evaluates the plurality of application components based on a plurality of rules, wherein each of the plurality of rules is associated with each of the plurality of application components;

an assignment module, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that;

a) assigns an assigned measurement to each of the plurality of application components constituted by assigning a measurement from a sliding scale, the application component constituted by assigning a physical parameter of a person to be insured, the physical parameter being at least one selected from the group consisting of cholesterol level, blood pressure level, a pulse measurement, weight-to-height ratio, or other physical parameter of the person to be insured;

b) assigns each of the plurality of application components to a specific component category out of a plurality of component categories based on the assigned measurements;

the at least one application component assigned to a first component category, out of a plurality of component categories, when a first threshold is satified, else;

the at least one application component assigned to a second component category, out of a plurality of component categories, when a first threshold is satisfied; and

c) assigns the insurance application to a specific application category out of a plurality of application categories, wherein the specific application category is assigned based at least in part on the specific component category, and the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories; and

an issuance module, in the form of a tangibly embodied computer portion, that issues the insurance application to the customer;

wherein the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories, the component categories being constituted by cat1, cat2and cat3, and the application categories being constituted by cat1, cat2and cat3.

10. The system according to claim 9, the component categories being further constituted by cat4, and the application categories being further constituted by cat4.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the evaluation of the at least one application component includes:

defining at least one rule of the plurality of rules;

assigning the at least one rule to a respective one component; and

defining at least one parameter associated with the at least one rule, wherein each parameter corresponds to a particular category of the plurality of component categories.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories, the component categories being constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3, and the application categories being constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of rules are fuzzy logic rules.

14. A method implemented by a computer device for underwriting an insurance application comprising:

receiving, by the computer device, a request to underwrite an insurance application for a customer, wherein the insurance application includes a plurality of application components;

evaluating, by the computer device, the plurality of application components based on a plurality of rules, wherein each of the plurality of rules is associated with each of the plurality of application components, wherein the evaluation of the plurality of application components based on the plurality of rules comprises;

defining, for each respective component, at least one rule of the plurality of rules;

assigning, for each respective component, the at least one rule to each respective one component; and

defining a plurality of parameters associated with the at least one rule, wherein each parameter corresponds to a particular category of a plurality of component categories;

assigning, by the computer device, an assigned measurement to each of the plurality of application components, the assigned measurement constituted by a numeric value, and the assigning an assigned measurement constituted by assigning a measurement from a sliding scale, the application component constituted by a physical parameter of a person to be insured, the physical parameter being at least one selected from the group consisting of cholesterol level, blood pressure level, a pulse measurement, weight-to-height ratio, or other physical parameter of the person to be insured;

assigning, by the computer device, each of the plurality of application components to a specific component category out of a plurality of component categories based on the assigned numeric value;

the at least one application component assigned to a first component category, out of the plurality of component categories, when a first threshold is satisfied, else;

the at least one application component assigned to a further component category, out of a plurality of component categories, when a further threshold is satisfied;

assigning, by the computer device, the insurance application to a specific application category out of a plurality of application categories based on the component category to which each component was assigned, and the plurality of component categories are identical to the plurality of application categories; and

outputting, by the computer device, the application category; and

wherein the plurality of component categories being identical to the plurality of application categories is constituted by;

the plurality of component categories constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3; and

the plurality of application categories constituted by cat1, cat2 and cat3; and

the assigning the insurance application including the assignment of the application components to one of cat1, cat2 and cat3 dictates the assignment of the application to one of cat1, cat2 and cat3.