Roadside assistance service provider assignment system

• US 9,282,430 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Brandmaier, Jennifer A., Balabas, Jason, Spinneweber, Robert A., Lieggi, Christopher J., Chen, Tao
• Primary Examiner(s): Lett, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/798,138
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/426.1, 455/521
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0234 related to maintenance or repairing of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure provide a computer-implemented method and system for the assignment of roadside assistance service providers such as tow trucks to distressed vehicles/drivers requiring roadside assistance. The methods and systems may include a roadside assistance service provider system with a collection module, an assignment module, and a feedback module. The collection module collects roadside assistance service provider information and historical statistics from real-world information and stores the information in a database that may then be analyzed using particular rules and formulas. The assignment module assigns particular roadside assistance service providers to particular distressed vehicles/drivers based on one or more characteristics. The feedback module may provide near real-time cues to the tow truck driver'"'"'s mobile device, such as alerting when the amount of time spent on a task exceeds a predefined threshold, flagging high priority tasks/assignments, providing a step-by-step checklist for the repair.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, through a roadside assistance service provider application executing on a roadside assistance service provider server having at least one processor, a roadside assistance service request from a driver of a distressed vehicle;

collecting, by a plurality of sensors in communication with a vehicle of a roadside assistance service provider, roadside assistance service provider information;

collecting, by the roadside assistance server provider server, historical statistics data based on real-world roadside assistance services;

receiving, by the roadside assistance service provider server, telematics information from a telematics device;

comparing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, the roadside assistance service request with the roadside assistance service provider information, the telematics information, and the historical statistics data to determine a timeline and a distance for each individual roadside assistance service provider;

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, a prioritized ranking of roadside assistance service providers based on the roadside assistance service provider information, the telematics information, the historical statistics data, and the roadside assistance service request;

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, an assignment for roadside assistance services to the highest ranked roadside assistance service provider from the comparison and prioritized ranking steps; and

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, roadside assistance event notifications for the roadside assistance services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritized ranking of roadside assistance service providers is based on one or more of the following:

proximity in location between the distressed vehicle and the roadside assistance service provider, prior driver'"'"'s ratings for the roadside assistance service provider, a skill set of the roadside assistance service provider or a cost of the roadside assistance service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event notifications are near real-time cues to the roadside assistance service provider via a mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the event notifications include one or more of the following:

alerting when an amount of time spent on a task exceeds a predefined threshold, flagging high priority tasks, flagging high priority assignments, and providing a step-by-step checklist for the roadside assistance service request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the telematics information includes location, velocity, route, and destination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadside assistance service provider information includes a location of the service provider, a type of the service provider, a set of ratings of the service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadside assistance service provider information includes real-time information that includes one or more of the following:

an availability of the service provider, a start time for the service provider, or a completion time for the service provider.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadside assistance service request includes one or more of the following:

jump start the distressed vehicle, flat tire change, tow automobile, or locked out of vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining, by the roadside assistance service provider server, an amount of time for each task within the roadside assistance service provider request necessary for a given roadside assistance service provider.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritized ranking of roadside assistance service providers is based on a current queue for each roadside assistance service provider and an amount of time to complete the tasks in the queue.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritized ranking of roadside assistance service providers is based on a set of skill levels required for a given task associated with the roadside assistance service request.

12. The method of claim 1, further including:

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, a reassignment of the roadside assistance service request, wherein the reassignment includes shuffling the assignments of an assignment process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the reassignment is triggered by a flagging of the roadside assistance service request as a priority roadside assistance service.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritized ranking of roadside assistance service providers is based on one or more of the following:

preferred roadside assistance services provider, safest route, fastest route, highest rated roadside assistance service provider, verified roadside assistance service provider.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the event notification is on a display to the roadside assistance service provider.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the display provides a reminder to the roadside assistance service provider when the roadside assistance service provider has gone beyond an average time for a particular task.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the display provides the roadside assistance service provider an alert as to whether the roadside assistance service provider is within their estimated time of arrival.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the display provides a list of the tasks associated with the roadside assistance service request and an average time for each task.

19. The method of claim 1, further including:

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, a reward if the roadside assistance service provider meets particular times for the roadside assistance service request.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward includes moving the roadside assistance service provider moving up in a queue for the assignment of the roadside assistance service request.

21. A method comprising:

receiving, through a roadside assistance service provider application executing on a roadside assistance service provider server having at least one processor, a roadside assistance service request from a driver of a distressed vehicle, wherein the roadside assistance service request includes one or more of the following;

jump start the distressed vehicle, flat tire change, tow automobile, or locked out of vehicle;

collecting, by a plurality of sensors in communication with a vehicle with a roadside assistance driver, roadside assistance driver information;

collecting, by the roadside assistance server provider server, historical statistics data based on real-world roadside assistance services;

receiving, by the roadside assistance service provider server, telematics information from a telematics device;

comparing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, the roadside assistance service request with the roadside assistance driver information, the telematics information, and the historical statistics data to determine a timeline and a distance for each individual roadside assistance driver;

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, a prioritized ranking of roadside assistance drivers based on the roadside assistance driver information, the telematics information, the historical statistics data, and the roadside assistance service request;

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, an assignment for roadside assistance services to the highest ranked roadside assistance driver from the comparison and prioritized ranking steps;

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, a reassignment of the roadside assistance service request, wherein the reassignment includes shuffling the assignments during an assignment process;

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, roadside assistance event notifications for the roadside assistance services; and

providing, by the roadside assistance service provider server, a reward if the roadside assistance driver meets particular times for the roadside assistance service request.

22. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

(a) receive, through a roadside assistance service provider application executing on a roadside assistance service provider server having at least one processor, a roadside assistance service request from a driver of a distressed vehicle;

(b) collect roadside assistance service provider information by a plurality of sensors in communication with a vehicle of a roadside assistance service provider;

(c) collect, by the roadside assistance server provider server, historical statistics data based on real-world roadside assistance services;

(d) determine, by the roadside assistance service provider server, an amount of time for each task within the roadside assistance service provider request necessary for a given roadside assistance service provider

(e) receive, by the roadside assistance service provider server, telematics information from a telematics device;

(f) compare, by the roadside assistance service provider server, the roadside assistance service request with the roadside assistance service provider information, the telematics information, and the historical statistics data to determine a timeline and a distance for each individual roadside assistance service provider;

(g) provide, by the roadside assistance service provider server, a prioritized ranking of roadside assistance service providers based on the roadside assistance service provider information, the telematics information, the historical statistics data, and the roadside assistance service request;

(h) provide, by the roadside assistance service provider server, an assignment for roadside assistance services to the highest ranked roadside assistance service provider from the comparison and prioritized ranking steps; and

(i) provide, by the roadside assistance service provider server, roadside assistance event notifications for the roadside assistance services, wherein the event notification is on a display to the roadside assistance service provider, and further wherein the display provides a reminder to the roadside assistance service provider when the roadside assistance service provider has gone beyond an average time for each of the tasks.