System and method for providing a user interface for vehicle mentoring system users and insurers

• US 9,117,246 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inthinc Technology Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inthinc Technology Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: McClellan, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): AMELUNXEN, BARBARA J
• Application Number:
  US12/379,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,385 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/576, 340/441, 340/905, 340/439, 340/539.12, 340/573.7, 701/1, 701/29, 701/35, 701/32.4, 701/34.4, 701/409, 701/93, 705/4, 705/10, 705/400, 705/2, 705/14.63, 734/89
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

System and method for communicating between an insurer and insured. The system detects operating characteristics of a driver or vehicle, and a cost of insuring the driver or vehicle, as decided by the insurer in consideration of the detected operating characteristics. The system provides an interface system for communicating the operating characteristics and the cost of insuring the driver or vehicle between the insurer and the insured. The system provides a vehicle monitoring system for monitoring the operating characteristics and for providing mentoring feedback to a driver, and a storage system for storing the operating characteristics. The system includes a processing system for deciding the cost of insuring the driver or vehicle based upon the monitored operating characteristics.

Claims

1. A system of mentoring a driver of a vehicle to provide the driver with awareness of how the driver'"'"'s behavior while operating the vehicle affects the driver'"'"'s insurance rating, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors installed in a vehicle which detect parameters from which data is derived that defines the following information;

i) where the vehicle is being driven, ii) date and time as to when the vehicle is being driven, iii) how the vehicle is being operated, iv) road conditions, v) whether vehicle equipment is being correctly used, and vi) one or more driver behaviors that are related to safe driving behaviors;

an on-board vehicle monitoring system which comprises system memory and one or more processors for data processing, and which receives as inputs i) the detected parameters from said plurality of sensors installed in the vehicle, ii) thresholds which define criteria against which one or more of the detected parameters are evaluated, and iii) identification information for the driver of the vehicle;

the on-board vehicle monitoring system using the one or more processors to evaluate the input detected parameters by performing the following computer-implemented data processing;

determining a particular date, time and street where the vehicle is traveling; and

determining from the input parameters and the one or more thresholds whether one or more of the following violations is occurring;

the vehicle is being operated in an unsafe manner, the driver of the vehicle is engaging in unsafe behavior, or vehicle equipment is failing to be properly utilized or is being improperly utilized;

one or more processors determining an impact for one or more determined violations on an insurance rating for the driver or an entity associated with driver, the one or more processors comprising either the same one or more processors of the on-board vehicle monitoring system, or one or more processors different from the on-board vehicle processors;

a warning device installed in the vehicle that provides in real-time a discernible warning to the driver of the vehicle of how a determined violation is impacting the insurance rating;

at the on-board vehicle monitoring system, in response to a warning provided by the on-board vehicle monitoring system, observing by the driver that the warning is inconsistent with actual driving conditions and then activating in response to a single driver input a real-time error indication that a warning issued by the vehicle monitoring system to the driver of the vehicle is an error based on the vehicle driver'"'"'s observation of the actual traffic conditions or vehicle operation; and

so that the most current parameters are used to evaluate drivers, in response to said activation by the driver of said error indication, the vehicle monitoring system performing the following;

storing in system memory the data for the error indication, including identification of the driver, a particular street location, the date and time the vehicle was traveling on the particular street, and vehicle operation; and

sending to a central server or database said data for the error indication in order to enable evaluation of the driver using the most current parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected parameters comprise a given location of the vehicle and a speed limit associated with the location, and the speed of the vehicle at the given location, and wherein the one or more processors of the on-board vehicle monitoring system perform the following data processing:

determining whether more than one speed limit may be associated with the given location, and then determining which speed limit is the most likely correct speed limit for the given location.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein determining which speed limit is the most likely correct speed limit for the given location comprises determining an average speed limit from a plurality of possible speed limits associated with the given location.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein determining which speed limit is the most likely correct speed limit for the given location is based at least in part upon heading information associated with the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected parameters comprise a given location of the vehicle and a speed limit associated with the location, and the speed of the vehicle at the given location, and wherein the error activation mechanism comprises an interface adapted to receive from the driver an input indicating that the speed limit associated with the location is an error so that the detected speed of the vehicle is not determined to be in excess of a speed threshold.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are located remotely from the interface system.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are located proximately to the interface system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the said impact for the one or more determined violations on the driver'"'"'s insurance rating is determined in real-time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the impact for the one or more determined violations on the driver'"'"'s insurance rating comprises a future cost of insuring the driver or another entity associated with the driver.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected parameters are adjustable by adjusting a sampling rate of one or more of said installed sensors.

11. A method of mentoring a driver of a vehicle to provide the driver with awareness of how the driver'"'"'s behavior while operating the vehicle affects the driver'"'"'s insurance rating, the method comprising:

detecting at a plurality of sensors installed in a vehicle parameters from which data is derived that defines the following information;

i) where the vehicle is being driven, ii) date and time as to when the vehicle is being driven, iii) road conditions, iv) how the vehicle is being operated, v) whether vehicle equipment is being correctly used, and vi) one or more driver behaviors that are related to safe driving behaviors;

inputting to an on-board vehicle monitoring system which comprises system memory and one or more processors for data processing, i) the detected parameters from said plurality of sensors installed in the vehicle, ii) thresholds which define criteria against which the detected parameters are evaluated, and iii) identification information for the driver of the vehicle;

the on-board vehicle monitoring system evaluating the input detected parameters by performing the following computer-implemented data processing;

determining a particular date, time and street where the vehicle is traveling; and

determining from the input parameters and the thresholds whether one or more of the following violations is occurring;

the vehicle is being operated in an unsafe manner, the driver of the vehicle is engaging in unsafe behavior, or vehicle equipment is failing to be properly utilized or is being improperly utilized;

determining an impact for one or more determined violations on an insurance rating for the driver or an entity associated with the driver;

providing in real-time a discernible warning to the driver of the vehicle of how a determined violation is impacting the insurance rating;

at the on-board vehicle monitoring system, in response to a warning provided by the on-board vehicle monitoring system, observing by the driver that the warning is inconsistent with actual driving conditions and then activating in response to a single driver input a real-time error indication that a warning issued by the vehicle monitoring system to the driver of the vehicle is an error based on the vehicle driver'"'"'s observation of the actual traffic conditions or vehicle operation; and

so that the most current parameters are used to evaluate drivers, in response to said activation by the driver of said error indication, the vehicle monitoring system performing the following;

storing in system memory the data for the error indication, including identification of the driver, a particular street location, the date and time the vehicle was traveling on the particular street, and vehicle operation; and

sending to a central server or database said data for the error indication in order to enable evaluation of the driver using the most current parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the impact for the one or more determined violations on the driver'"'"'s insurance rating comprises a future cost of insuring the driver or another entity associated with the driver.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the detected parameters comprise a given location of the vehicle and a speed limit associated with the location, and the speed of the vehicle at the given location, and wherein the error indication comprises receiving from the driver an input indicating that the speed limit associated with the location is an error so that the detected speed of the vehicle is not determined to be in excess of a speed threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the interface is included as part of the on-board monitoring system and is in direct communication with the one or more processors.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the interface is a website or portal accessed via an Internet connection.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the impact for the one or more determined violations on the driver'"'"'s insurance rating comprises a graded evaluation.

17. One or more hardware memory devices containing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, implementing a method of mentoring a driver of a vehicle to provide the driver with awareness of how the driver'"'"'s behavior while operating the vehicle affects the driver'"'"'s insurance rating, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving as inputs at an on-board vehicle monitoring system which comprises system memory and one or more processors, data derived from a plurality of sensors installed in a vehicle, the data corresponding to parameters that define the following information;

i) where the vehicle is being driven, ii) date and time as to when the vehicle is being driven, iii) how the vehicle is being operated, iv) road conditions, v) whether vehicle equipment is being correctly used, and vi) one or more driver behaviors that are related to safe driving behaviors;

inputting to the on-board vehicle monitoring system i) thresholds which define criteria against which the received inputs for said parameters are evaluated, and ii) identification information for the driver of the vehicle;

the on-board vehicle monitoring system evaluating the received inputs for said parameters by performing the following computer-implemented data processing;

determining a particular date, time and street where the vehicle is traveling;

determining from the input parameters and the thresholds whether at least one or more of the following violations is occurring;

the vehicle is being operated in an unsafe manner, the driver of the vehicle is engaging in unsafe behavior, or vehicle equipment is failing to be properly utilized or is being improperly utilized;

determining, at one or more processors that may be either the same as the one or more processors of the on-board vehicle monitoring system, or different therefrom, an impact for one or more determined violations on an insurance rating of the driver or an entity associated with the driver;

providing in real-time a discernible warning to the driver of the vehicle of how a determined violation is impacting the driver'"'"'s insurance rating;

at the on-board vehicle monitoring system, in response to a warning provided by the on-board vehicle monitoring system, observing by the driver that the warning is inconsistent with actual driving conditions and then activating in response to a single driver input a real-time error indication that a warning issued by the vehicle monitoring system to the driver of the vehicle is an error based on the vehicle driver'"'"'s observation of the actual traffic conditions or vehicle operation; and

so that the most current parameters are used to evaluate drivers, in response to said activation by the driver of said error indication, the vehicle monitoring system performing the following;

storing in system memory the data for the error indication, including identification of the driver, a particular street location, the date and time the vehicle was traveling on the particular street, and vehicle operation; and

sending to a central server or database said data for the error indication in order to enable evaluation of the driver using the most current parameters.

18. The one or more hardware memory devices for implementing the computer method of claim 17, wherein the impact for the one or more determined violations on the driver'"'"'s insurance rating comprises a future cost of insuring the driver or another entity associated with the driver.

19. The one or more hardware memory devices for implementing the computer method of claim 17, wherein the detected parameters comprise a given location of the vehicle and a speed limit associated with the location, and the speed of the vehicle at the given location, and wherein the error indication comprises receiving from the driver an input indicating that the speed limit associated with the location is an error so that the detected speed of the vehicle is not determined to be in excess of a speed threshold.

20. The one or more hardware memory devices for implementing the computer method of claim 19, wherein the interface is included as part of the on-board monitoring system and is in direct communication with the one or more processors.

21. The one or more hardware memory devices for implementing the computer method of claim 19, wherein the interface is a website or portal accessed via an Internet connection.

22. The one or more hardware memory devices for implementing the computer method of claim 17, wherein the impact for the one or more determined violations on the driver'"'"'s insurance rating comprises a graded evaluation.