Computer-assisted and/or enabled systems, methods, techniques, services and user interfaces for conducting motor vehicle and other inspections

• US 9,904,908 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Manheim Investments Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Manheim Investments Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Couch, William Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US14/797,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/00 Testing of engines
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

A computer-assisted inspection system including an integrated software suite provides vehicle inspection services for various clients. Features include automatic grading, flat car part picking, easy to use, ability to run in an environment where the inspector has no constant connectivity to the network (no guaranteed access to the internet, full data replication, intermittent connectivity, synch back up), inspectors can be geographically separated (e.g., all over the country), and the system is installable over the internet to provide efficient installation to far-flung install sites.

Claims

1. An item inspection system for performing vehicle inspections comprising:

a handheld device comprising;

a handheld housing;

a touch screen disposed on the handheld housing, the touch screen including a display and a touch-sensitive surface, the touch-sensitive surface being structured to provide display visual presentations including at last one specific question on the display and provide input signals in response to touching of the touch-sensitive surface,

a wireless communications device disposed in the handheld housing and operatively connected to the touch screen, the wireless communications device enabling wireless communication with a server external of the handheld housing; and

a processor system including at least one processor operatively coupled to the touch screen and the wireless communications device, the processor system being configured to at least;

provide data including the at least one specific question for visual presentation on the touch screen;

receive vehicle inspection data inputted into the handheld computer device via the touch sensitive surface at least in part in response to the visual presentation;

transmit said received vehicle inspection data including an answer to the at least one specific question to the server via the wireless communications device; and

receive damage valuation data from the server including an automatically computed grade value indicating overall condition of a vehicle based at least in part on the transmitted vehicle inspection data, the grade value being based on total vehicle damage as modified based on the answer to the at least one specific question causing a poor grade to be automatically assigned to the vehicle.

2. The item inspection system of claim 1 wherein the processor system is disposed within the handheld housing.

3. The inspection system of claim 2 wherein the server is configured to wirelessly report the grade value to the handheld device via the wireless communications device.

4. A non-transitory computer readable storage system including at least one storage device, the storage system storing instructions for controlling an item inspection system including a handheld device, the instructions when executed by a processor, being configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

presenting a user interface at least in part via a touch screen of the handheld device including a display and a touch-sensitive surface, including displaying at least one specific question, the touch-sensitive surface being structured to provide input signals including an answer to the at least one specific question in response to touching indications displayed on the display;

receiving input of inspection data via the touch sensitive surface; and

automatically ascertaining a grade value for grading condition of the item based at least in part on the received input of inspection data, including computing a grade value indicating overall condition of the vehicle based on total damage as modified to automatically assign a poor grade to the vehicle based on the received answer to the at least one specific question.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage system of claim 4 wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage system is disposed in the handheld device.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage system of claim 5 wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage system stores further instructions that control the processor to wirelessly report the grade value to a computing device external of the handheld device.