Patent Issued for Dynamic safe storage of vehicle content (USPTO 12005910): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2024 JUN 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States) has been issued patent number 12005910, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Christensen, Scott T. (Salem, OR, US), Fields, Brian Mark (Phoenix, AZ, US), Prevatt, Stephen R. (Normal, IL, US), Roberson, Steve (Normal, IL, US).

This patent was filed on April 4, 2023 and was published online on June 11, 2024.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “The interior configuration and layout of a vehicle has changed only incrementally since the invention of automobiles over a century ago. Conventional interior vehicle configurations were adapted so that a human could effectively and safely, and manually, operate a vehicle. Accordingly, existing interior vehicle configurations are confined to certain layouts to accommodate these requirements. For instance, space in the vehicle must be devoted to the steering wheel, brake, accelerator, and gear shifter, and the driver must be positioned to accessibly operate this equipment while having a clear view of the road and traffic in all directions. Additionally, user interface control panels must also be arranged to conform to this layout. In existing vehicles, a vehicle operator has no way to adjust his/her physical position without abandoning the vehicle controls, thereby increasing the likelihood of an accident. Therefore, a driver and/or passenger is seemingly limited to a certain position regardless of driving conditions and/or the vehicle’s actions, which in turn can place detrimental force and strain on the vehicle driver and/or passenger’s body.

“Existing vehicle safety technology has been limited in form and/or function in order to also conform to existing configurations. Each year millions of individuals are injured as a result of vehicular accidents emanating from operator error, inattention, inexperience, misuse, or distraction; inclement weather conditions; treacherous road conditions; and other driving environment conditions. While existing vehicle safety technologies have improved vehicle driver and passenger safety, many of these technologies, such as airbags, do not deploy until after a vehicle has already been involved in a collision. Similarly, other existing vehicle safety technologies, such as seatbelts, can only perform a single function and provide limited or no benefit in certain situations. In some instances, the existing safety technology installed in a vehicle can cause more harm than it prevents because of the specific type of accident and/or the physical attributes of the vehicle’s passenger. A passenger’s specific body position during a collision can affect how his/her body is impacted by the collision, and just a few inches or degrees of difference in body positioning can be the difference between a passenger walking away from a collision alive and unscathed, as opposed to life-altering injuries or death. However, given the near-instantaneous nature of most accidents, it is almost impossible for a driver or passenger to brace for impact or make changes to his/her position to reduce a risk of injury. Even if a passenger was somehow able to foresee an impending accident, his/her physical movement would be limited due to the existing and confined standard interior vehicle configurations. Additionally, it would often be impossible for a human passenger to determine, especially in an instant, what precise movements needed to be made to avoid/reduce injury, make such movements, and/or verify such movements had been accurately taken.

“Additionally, these configurations limit which type of safety devices are used in current vehicles. In current vehicles, for examples, seatbelts are only provided for specific designated locations and orientations within the vehicle. This requires that passengers sit in a specific physical configuration in order to maximize safety. Consequently, this limits what actions a passenger can undertake while traveling in a vehicle, and in some cases prevents a passenger from using time spent in a vehicle more productively. For example, long, cross-country trips must be spent sitting in tight, uncomfortable conditions. Meanwhile, to sleep more comfortably while traveling in a car, for example, a passenger must often adjust his/her body to a position that compromises safety, by being in a position that is not adequately covered by an airbag and/or in which a seatbelt is less effective. Further, in the event an accident does occur, current vehicle safety devices (e.g., airbags) can only deploy in one predetermined manner, often only marginally reducing the risk of injury to a passenger, or in some instances even injuring the passenger because of the manner in which the airbag was deployed.

“While some activities, such as reading or working on a computer, can be safely performed while traveling in a vehicle, engaging in such behavior can still be difficult or undesirable, especially for long periods of time, as a result of vehicle operation conditions such as the speed at which the vehicle is traveling, traffic conditions (e.g., “stop and go” traffic), road conditions (e.g., uneven surfaces, pot holes, etc.), terrain conditions (e.g., steep roads, winding roads, etc.) and/or other driving conditions. Further, passengers who attempt to eat and/or drink while riding in a vehicle risk choking if certain sudden/unexpected maneuvers are attempted, as well as the less serious consequence of spilling their food/drinks. Thus, traveling by way of current vehicles can be tremendously time consuming, stressful, dangerous, and/or inefficient as a result of the physical configuration. In turn, this can increase the cost of travel both monetarily and in opportunity cost. Vehicle operators and passengers may need to take breaks to rest, sleep, eat, and/or use the restroom, and a passenger is very limited in terms of the activities that can be performed while the vehicle is operating.

“The physical configuration of current vehicles also effects how cargo is transported. Most current vehicles merely provide large, open areas, such as trunk space, for individuals to store articles in while traveling. This requires that an individual take safety precautions to prevent an article from moving around, spilling, cracking, spoiling, or breaking while being transported. For example, an individual may need to protect a fragile glass object in multiple layers of bubble wrap, and/or “wedge” the glass object into a constrained space, to prevent the glass object from shattering while being transported. Conversely, when transporting perishable goods, such as groceries, an individual must take precautions, like taking the groceries home immediately instead of running other errands, to prevent the groceries from spoiling/melting/etc. However, even when such precautions are taken, transportable articles still may be damaged during transport because of unforeseen circumstances and conditions. Ultimately, this can cause difficulties, inconveniences, and/or inefficiencies in regards to transporting articles.

“It is also noted that the increase in autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles has decreased the need for vehicles to be operated by humans. Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles augment vehicle operators’ information or replace vehicle operators’ actions to operate the vehicle, in whole or part, with computer systems based upon information collected by equipment within, or attached to, the vehicle. Consequently, there is a decreased need for vehicles to be confined to features and configurations (e.g., the interior layout) that are specifically designed to accommodate human operation.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The present application disclosure provides a system and method for protecting one or more transportable articles in a vehicle.

“In one embodiment, a system for protecting one or more transportable articles in a vehicle includes an interior data collection component and a plurality of article protection components configured to protect the one or more transportable articles when deployed. The system also includes one or more processors configured to receive interior vehicle configuration data. The interior vehicle configuration data includes, or is derived from data that includes, the data collected by the interior data collection component. The one or more processors are also configured to determine, by processing the interior vehicle configuration data, one or more characteristic(s) and/or trait(s) of the one or more transportable articles, select a subset of the plurality of article protection components based on the one or more characteristic(s) and/or trait(s) of the one or more transportable articles, and deploy the selected subset of the plurality of article protection components to protect the one or more transportable articles.

“In one embodiment, a method for protecting one or more transportable articles in a vehicle comprises collecting, via an interior data collection component, transportable article data; receiving, via on one or more processors, the transportable article data; determining, via the one or more processors, one or more characteristic(s) and/or trait(s) of the one or more transportable articles; selecting, via the one or more processors, a subset of a plurality of article protection components based on the one or more characteristic(s) and/or trait(s) of the one or more transportable articles; and deploying, via an actuator component, the selected subset of the plurality of article protection components to protect the one or more transportable articles.

“In one embodiment, a system for dynamically protecting a transportable article in a vehicle includes one or more processors and non-volatile memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to access sensed data representative of at least one of a characteristic or a trait of a transportable article in a vehicle, determine based on the data the at least one of the characteristic or the trait of the transportable article, select one or more article protection components based on the determined at least one of the characteristic or the trait of the transportable article, and deploy the selected one or more article protection components to protect the transportable article.

“In one embodiment, a method for dynamically protecting a transportable article in a vehicle includes accessing sensed data representative of at least one of a characteristic or a trait of a transportable article in a vehicle, determining the at least one of the characteristic or the trait of the transportable article based on the data, selecting one or more article protection components based on the determined at least one of the characteristic or the trait of the transportable article, and deploying the selected one or more article protection components to protect the transportable article.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system for dynamically protecting a transportable article in a vehicle, the system comprising: one or more processors; and non-volatile memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to: detect, based on sensed data, an emergency condition; select one or more article protection components based on (i) at least one of a characteristic or a trait of the transportable article, and (ii) the detected emergency condition; and in response to detecting the emergency condition, deploy the selected one or more article protection components to protect the transportable article.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more article protection components include at least one of a latch, locking mechanism, harness, airbag, cushion, pillow, pad, seatbelt, container, strut, temperature control device, humidity control device, or light exposure control component.

“3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more article protection components are configured to counteract at least one of shaking, tipping, sliding, toppling, spilling, cracking, a change in temperature, a change in humidity, a change in light exposure, or a change in chemical exposure.

“4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: one or more actuator components configured to deploy the selected one or more article protection components.

“5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensed data includes interior vehicle environment data representative of a change in condition of an interior space of the vehicle, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to: detect, by processing the interior vehicle environment data, the emergency condition; and in response to detecting the emergency condition, cause the one or more actuator components to adjust a state of the one or more article protection components in order to protect the transportable article.

“6. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensed data includes driving environment data representative of a driving environment of the vehicle, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to: detect, by processing the driving environment data, the emergency condition; and in response to detecting the emergency condition, cause the one or more actuator components to adjust a state of the one or more article protection components in order to protect the transportable article.

“7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to: access vehicle operation data, wherein the vehicle operation data includes, or is indicative of, vehicle control data sent to one or more operational subsystems of the vehicle; detect, by processing the vehicle operation data, a specific action taken by the vehicle; and in response to detecting the specific action taken by the vehicle, cause one or more actuator components to adjust a state of the one or more article protection components in order to protect the transportable article.

“8. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to: in response to determining the characteristic and/or the trait of the transportable article, modify, via a vehicle operation controller, a manner in which the vehicle takes a specific action to protect the transportable article.

“9. The system of claim 8, wherein the specific action taken by the vehicle includes at least one of accelerating, decelerating, turning, braking, changing lanes, merging, or moving in reverse.

“10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to: in response to determining the characteristic and/or the trait of the transportable article, cause a vehicle operation controller to restrict the vehicle from taking a specific action in order to protect the transportable article.

“11. The system of claim 10, wherein restricting the vehicle from taking the specific action includes restricting the vehicle from at least one of accelerating more than a threshold amount, decelerating more than a threshold amount, generating more than a threshold amount of G-forces, changing lanes, exceeding a threshold speed, or driving on a specific road.

“12. A method for dynamically protecting a transportable article in a vehicle, the method comprising: detecting, using one or more processors based on sensed data, an emergency condition; selecting, using the one or more processors, one or more article protection components based on (i) at least one of a characteristic or a trait of the transportable article, and (ii) the detected emergency condition; and in response to detecting the emergency condition, deploying, using the one or more processors, the selected one or more article protection components to protect the transportable article.

“13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more article protection components include at least one of a latch, locking mechanism, harness, airbag, cushion, pillow, pad, seatbelt, container, strut, temperature control device, humidity control device, or light exposure control component.

“14. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more article protection components are configured to counteract at least one of shaking, tipping, sliding, toppling, spilling, cracking, a change in temperature, a change in humidity, a change in light exposure, or a change in chemical exposure.

“15. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensed data includes interior vehicle environment data representative of a change in condition of an interior space of the vehicle, and the method further comprises: detecting, by processing the interior vehicle environment data using the one or more processors, the emergency condition; and causing, by the one or more processors via one or more actuator components, a state of the one or more article protection components to be adjusted in order to protect the transportable article in response to detecting the emergency condition.

“16. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensed data includes driving environment data representative of a driving environment of the vehicle, and the method further comprises: detecting, by processing the driving environment data using the one or more processors, the emergency condition; and causing, by the one or more processors via one or more actuator components, a state of the one or more article protection components to be adjusted in order to protect the transportable article in response to detecting the emergency condition.

“17. The method of claim 12, further comprising: accessing vehicle operation data generated by a vehicle operation controller to cause the vehicle to take a specific action; detecting, by processing the vehicle operation data using the one or more processors, the specific action taken by the vehicle; and causing, by the one or more processors via one or more actuator components, a state of the one or more article protection components to be adjusted in order to protect the transportable article in response to detecting the specific action taken by the vehicle.

“18. The method of claim 12, further comprising: generating, via a vehicle operation controller, vehicle operation data corresponding to the vehicle taking a specific action in order to protect the transportable article in response to determining the characteristic and/or the trait of the transportable article.

“19. The method of claim 18, wherein the specific action taken by the vehicle includes at least one of accelerating, decelerating, turning, braking, changing lanes, merging, or moving in reverse.

“20. The method of claim 12, further comprising: generating, via a vehicle operation controller, vehicle operation data corresponding to restricting the vehicle from taking a specific action in order to protect the transportable article in response to determining the characteristic and/or the trait of the transportable article.

“21. The method of claim 20, wherein restricting the vehicle from taking the specific action includes restricting the vehicle from at least one of accelerating more than a threshold amount, decelerating more than a threshold amount, generating more than a threshold amount of G-forces, changing lanes, exceeding a threshold speed, or driving on a specific road.”

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Christensen, Scott T. Dynamic safe storage of vehicle content. U.S. Patent Number 12005910, filed April 4, 2023, and published online on June 11, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(12005910)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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