Patent Issued for Method and system for customizing a vehicle (USPTO 11200609): United Services Automobile Association

2022 JAN 03 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Bourn, Gary Don (Bulverde, TX, US), Dennis, Jr., Doyle Russell (La Vernia, TX, US), Latronico, Brian Thomas (San Antonio, TX, US), Mays, Teresa A. (Helotes, TX, US), Phelps, David Anthony (San Antonio, TX, US), Spears, James Malcolm (San Antonio, TX, US), Thornley, Kevin W. (Spring Branch, TX, US), filed on January 31, 2020, was published online on December 14, 2021.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11200609 is United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “The customization and/or purchasing of vehicles such as cars, trucks, boats, and airplanes is frequently very cumbersome. Considerations in customizing and purchasing vehicles may include cost of the vehicle, pre-paid maintenance costs of the vehicle, pre-paid repair costs, historical repair and/or maintenance costs of the vehicle, leasing or purchasing vehicle, use of the vehicle, lifestyle of purchaser (customer), projected geographical location of the operation of the vehicle, dealer installed option packages, and insurance costs. However, there are so many considerations for purchasers and purchasers cannot easily make cost comparisons and judgements while negotiating the purchase price of a vehicle. Therefore, there is a need for potential customers to locate a desired vehicle, customize the desired vehicle by selecting option packages, and purchase a desired vehicle for a predetermined price which does not require negotiation by the purchaser at the dealership.

“There is a need in the art for a method and system that addresses the shortcomings discussed above.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In one aspect, a method for customizing a vehicle for a user from a dealer through a user interface of a mobile device, may include initiating a vehicle customization application stored on the mobile device, selecting the vehicle from a plurality of vehicles through the user interface of the mobile device using the vehicle customization application, creating a user desires profile for the user of the vehicle customization application, retrieving all dealer installed option packages for the selected vehicle from a dealer database of the dealer, generating a list of dealer installed option packages for the user from the retrieved dealer installed option packages using artificial intelligence, selecting dealer installed option packages from the generated list of dealer installed option packages though the user interface, transmitting a customized vehicle specification of the vehicle including the selected dealer installed option packages to the dealer from the mobile device, receiving the customized vehicle specification from the mobile device and installing the dealer installed option packages on the vehicle, and receiving the vehicle by the user.

“In another aspect, a method for customizing a vehicle for a user from a dealer through a user interface of a mobile device, may include initiating a vehicle customization application stored on the mobile device, retrieving personal information and approved loan information from a financial institution database of a financial institution through a network in response to a request for personal information and approved loan information from the vehicle customization application, selecting the vehicle from a plurality of vehicles through the user interface of the mobile device using the vehicle customization application, creating a user desires profile for the user of the vehicle customization application including the personal information, approved loan information, and the selected vehicle, generating a list of dealer installed option packages for the selected vehicle for the user using artificial intelligence based upon available dealer installed option packages retrieved from a dealer database of the dealer through the network, the personal information, and the approved loan information, selecting dealer installed option packages from the generated list of dealer installed option packages through the user interface, generating a customized vehicle specification of the vehicle including the selected dealer installed option packages, transmitting the customized vehicle specification of the vehicle to the dealer from the mobile device, receiving the customized vehicle specification from the mobile device and installing the dealer installed option packages on the vehicle, and receiving vehicle by the user.

“In another aspect, a method for customizing a vehicle for a user from a dealer through a user interface of a mobile device, may include retrieving approved loan information, domicile information, insurance information, and lifestyle information of the user from the financial institution database of the financial institution using the vehicle customization application, generating, using artificial intelligence, one or more questions for the user to answer through the user interface based on the approved loan information, domicile information, insurance information, and lifestyle information, answering one or more questions through the user interface of the mobile device, creating, using artificial intelligence, a user desires profile for the user of the vehicle customization application based upon the answers to the one or more questions, approved loan information, domicile information, insurance information, and lifestyle information, generating a list of vehicles with benefits and detractions associated with each vehicle for consideration by the user using artificial intelligence based upon the user desires profile, selecting the vehicle from among the list through the user interface, generating a list of dealer installed option packages and list of financial option packages for the user from dealer installed option packages and financial option packages stored in a dealer database by applying artificial intelligence, selecting one or more dealer installed option packages and one or more financial option packages from the generated list of dealer installed option packages through the user interface, transmitting an order of the vehicle including the one or more selected dealer installed option packages and one or more financial option packages to the dealer from the mobile device, receiving the order from the mobile device and installing the dealer installed option packages on the vehicle, and receiving vehicle by the user.

“Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description and this summary, be within the scope of the disclosure, and be protected by the following claims.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A method for improving the efficiency of customizing a vehicle with dealer installed option packages, the method being implemented by an application running on a mobile device and the application being in communication with a dealer database of a dealer, the dealer having a dealer location, the method comprising: initiating a vehicle customization application stored on the mobile device; receiving, via the vehicle customization application, a user selected vehicle; automatically generating, using machine learning, one or more questions for the user; creating a user desires profile for the user of the vehicle customization application based on responses to the one or more questions, the user desires profile indicating at least an intended use of the vehicle; retrieving all dealer installed option packages for the selected vehicle from the dealer database of the dealer; generating, based on the intended use of the vehicle, a list of dealer installed option packages for the user from the retrieved dealer installed option packages and displaying, via the application, the list for the user; receiving, via the vehicle customization application, a user selected dealer installed option package from the list; transmitting a customized vehicle specification of the vehicle including the user selected dealer installed option package to the dealer from the mobile device; retrieving, via a GPS application, a current location of the mobile device; generating a route from the current location to the dealer location; and displaying, via the vehicle customization application, the route for the user.

“2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a smartphone, a tablet, a smartwatch, a smart glass, a smart helmet, and a laptop.

“3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device is coupled to the dealer database and a financial institution database through a network.

“4. The method according to claim 3, wherein creating the user desires profile includes retrieving approved loan information from the financial institution database of the financial institution.

“5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes receiving responses to the one or more questions.

“6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method further includes using machine learning to generate the user desires profile based on the responses to the one or more questions.

“7. The method according to claim 4, wherein generating the list of dealer installed option packages includes using the approved loan information.

“8. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the customized vehicle specification includes receiving approved loan information and approved pricing information from the mobile device.

“9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, via the vehicle customization application, a user selected dealer installed option package from the list; displaying, for the user, individually selectable components of the user selected dealer installed option package; receiving, via the vehicle customization application, user selected components of the user selected dealer installed option package.

“10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the customized vehicle specification of the vehicle includes the user selected components of the user selected dealer installed option package.

“11. A method for improving the efficiency of customizing a vehicle with dealer installed option packages, the method being implemented by an application running on a mobile device and the application being in communication with a dealer database of a dealer, the method comprising: initiating a vehicle customization application stored on the mobile device; retrieving personal information and approved loan information from a financial institution database of a financial institution through a network; receiving, via the vehicle customization application, a user selected vehicle; creating, using machine learning, a user desires profile for the user of the vehicle customization application including the personal information, the approved loan information, and the user selected vehicle; generating a list of dealer installed option packages for the user selected vehicle for the user using machine learning based upon available dealer installed option packages retrieved from the dealer database of the dealer through the network, the personal information, and the approved loan information; receiving, via the vehicle customization application, a user selected dealer installed option package from the list; displaying, for the user, individually selectable components of the user selected dealer installed option package; receiving, via the vehicle customization application, user selected components of the user selected dealer installed option package; generating a customized vehicle specification of the vehicle including the user selected components of the user selected dealer installed option package; and transmitting the customized vehicle specification of the vehicle to the dealer from the mobile device.

“12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the customized vehicle specification includes loan information and approved pricing information.

“13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the personal information includes one or more of domicile information, insurance information, and lifestyle information.

“14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the lifestyle information includes intended use of the vehicle.

“15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: retrieving, via a GPS application, a current location of the mobile device; generating, via the vehicle customization application, a route from the current location to a dealer location associated with the dealer; and displaying, via the vehicle customization application, the route for the user.

“16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: generating a list of financial option packages for the user using machine learning based upon available financial packages retrieved from the dealer database of the dealer and available financial packages retrieved from the financial institution database of the financial institution through the network before generating the customized vehicle specification.

“17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: generating a list of alternative vehicles with benefits associated with each alternative vehicle for consideration by the user using artificial intelligence based upon the user desires profile; and receiving a user selection corresponding to one of the alternative vehicles and substituting the one alternative vehicle for the selected vehicle so that the one alternative vehicle becomes the selected vehicle before generating the list of dealer installed option packages.

“18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a smartphone, a tablet, a smartwatch, a smart glass, a smart helmet, and a laptop.

“19. A method for improving the efficiency of customizing a vehicle with dealer installed option packages by automatically anticipating an intended use of the vehicle, the method being implemented by an application running on a mobile device, the method comprising: communicating, via the application, with a financial institution database; retrieving from the financial institution database, via the application, approved loan information, domicile information, insurance information, and lifestyle information of the user from the financial institution database of the financial institution; automatically generating, using machine learning, one or more questions for the user to answer through the user interface based on the approved loan information, the domicile information, the insurance information, and the lifestyle information; displaying, via the application, the one or more questions for the user; receiving, at the application, answers to the one or more questions; automatically creating, using machine learning, a user desires profile for the user of the vehicle application to anticipate an intended use of the vehicle, wherein the machine learning generates the user desires profile based upon the answers to the one or more questions, the approved loan information, the domicile information, the insurance information, and the lifestyle information; generating, using machine learning, a list of vehicles with benefits and detractions associated with each vehicle for consideration by the user based upon the intended use of the vehicle; receiving, at the application, a user selected vehicle from among the list of vehicles; generating, using machine learning, a list of dealer installed option packages based on the intended use of the vehicle; receiving, at the application, one or more user selected dealer installed option packages from the generated list of dealer installed option packages; transmitting, via the application, an order of the vehicle including the one or more user selected dealer installed option packages to a dealer having a dealer location; retrieving, via a GPS application, a current location of the mobile device; generating, via the application, a route from the current location to the dealer location; and displaying, via the application, the route for the user.

“20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a smartphone, a tablet, a smartwatch, a smart glass, a smart helmet, and a laptop.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Bourn, Gary Don. Method and system for customizing a vehicle. U.S. Patent Number 11200609, filed January 31, 2020, and published online on December 14, 2021. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11200609.PN.&OS=PN/11200609RS=PN/11200609

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