Patent Issued for Policyholder setup in secure personal and financial information storage and chatbot access by trusted individuals (USPTO 12008671): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2024 JUN 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Banerjee, Shreeti (Bloomington, IL, US), Breitweiser, Edward W. (Bloomington, IL, US), Ingrum, Larry (Mahomet, IL, US), Steigerwald, Brian A. (Bloomington, IL, US), filed on December 5, 2022, was published online on June 11, 2024.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 12008671 is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Spouses, executors, beneficiaries and other trusted individuals often face difficult and time-consuming tasks collecting information and documentation used to close decedents’ estates. There remains a need for systems and methods to improve this process. Systems and methods of these types should provide a high degree of security.

“Conventional estate handling techniques may be inefficient, awkward, time consuming, inaccurate, timely, and/or frustrating for family members. Conventional estate handling techniques may have other drawbacks as well.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The present embodiments may include a user interface, such as a chatbot (text or voice), which assists a person in gathering and electronically storing documents and other information which would be useful to someone trying to settle their affairs when they pass away or become incompetent. Documents may be stored in a secure electronic storage area, and may be automatically obtained or manually scanned. Information such as what type funeral, where keys are, passwords to electronic accounts, etc. may also be stored. The chatbot may help walk a person through the process and reminds them to deal with steps not taken yet. One or more people, such as family members, children, or beneficiaries, may be given electronic access permission. A chatbot avatar or doppelganger may allow the estate handler to ask questions and gather information from the storage in a simulated chat with the deceased, and facilitate estate handling functionality.

“In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of setting up a computer system to provide digital asset storage, management and/or retrieval services in connection with insurance policies is disclosed. The method may comprise: with a policyholder’s permission, via one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, enrolling the policyholder in a digital asset storage, management and/or retrieval service, wherein enrolling the policyholder optionally includes establishing an account record associated with the policyholder; receiving from the policyholder, via one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about a beneficiary; accepting and storing, via one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, digital assets associated with the policyholder; sending, via one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, a notification to the beneficiary informing the beneficiary of the opportunity to use the digital asset service; receiving from the beneficiary, via one or more processors and/or transceivers, a request to enroll in the digital asset service; enrolling the beneficiary as the policyholder’s beneficiary in the digital asset service, wherein enrolling the beneficiary optionally includes storing information associated with the beneficiary in an account record associated with the policyholder; and sending to the beneficiary, via one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about a beneficiary app that the beneficiary can download onto a communication device and use in connection with the digital asset services.

“In another aspect, the computer-implemented method may further comprise receiving from the policyholder, via one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, a request to enroll in the digital asset service. In another aspect, the computer-implemented method of any or all of the above aspects may further comprise sending to the policyholder, via one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, an invitation to enroll in the digital asset service. In another aspect, the computer-implemented method of any or all of the above aspects may comprise an insurance policy including one or more of a life insurance policy, a homeowner or renter insurance policy, a vehicle insurance policy or a medical insurance policy.

“In another aspect, the computer-implemented method of any or all of the above aspects may further comprise storing information representative of a virtual personality of the policyholder or a virtual model of the policyholder based upon the digital assets. In another aspect, the computer-implemented method of any or all of the above aspects may comprise digital assets fed into a machine learning module via one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, to create a virtual avatar with a personality similar to the personality of the policyholder. In another aspect, the computer-implemented method of any or all of the above aspects may comprise a beneficiary app that allows the beneficiary to have a conversation with the avatar of the policyholder.

“In another aspect, the computer-implemented method of any or all of the above aspects may comprise receiving from the policyholder information about a beneficiary including condition information including one or more of (1) limitations on roles of the beneficiary and/or (2) the types of information that can be provided to the beneficiary. In another aspect, the computer-implemented method of any or all of the above aspects may further comprise prompting the policyholder to provide the information about a beneficiary and the digital assets.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method of setting up a computer system to provide digital asset storage, management and/or retrieval services, the method comprising: with a storage user’s permission, via one or more processors and/or transceivers, enrolling the storage user in a digital asset storage, management and/or retrieval service, wherein enrolling the storage user optionally includes establishing an account record associated with the storage user; receiving from the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about one or more access users associated with the storage user; accepting and storing, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, digital assets associated with the storage user, wherein the digital assets relate to one or more of a life insurance policy, a homeowner or renter insurance policy, a vehicle insurance policy and a medical insurance policy; sending, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, a notification to one or more of the access users informing the one or more access users of an opportunity to use a digital asset service; receiving from the one or more access users, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, a request to enroll in the digital asset service; enrolling the one or more access users in the digital asset service, wherein enrolling the one or more access users includes storing information associated with the one or more access users in an account record associated with the storage user; and sending to the one or more access users, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about an access user app that the access user can download onto a communication device and use in connection with the digital asset services.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, a request to enroll in the digital asset service.

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending to the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, an invitation to enroll in the digital asset service.

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing information representative of a virtual personality of the storage user or a virtual model of the storage user based upon the digital assets.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the digital assets are fed into a machine learning module via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, to create a virtual avatar with a personality similar to the personality of the storage user.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the access user app allows the access user to have a conversation with the avatar of the storage user.

“7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving from the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about one or more access users associated with the storage user includes receiving condition information including one or more of (1) limitations on roles of the one or more access users and/or (2) types of information that can be provided to the one or more access users.

“8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the storage user to provide the information about an access user and the digital assets.

“9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computer-implemented method is offered by a third party to provide services to the storage user and/or the one or more access users.

“10. A computer system for providing digital asset storage, management and/or retrieval services, the computer system comprising one or more local or remote processors, transceivers, servers and/or sensors, the computer system configured to: with a storage user’s permission, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, enroll the storage user in a digital asset storage, management and/or retrieval service, wherein enrolling the storage user optionally includes establishing an account record associated with the storage user; receive from the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about one or more access users associated with the sotrage user; accept and store, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, digital assets associated with the storage user, wherein the digital assets relate to one or more of a life insurance policy, a homeowner or renter insurance policy, a vehicle insurance policy and a medical insurance policy; send, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, a notification to one or more of the one or more access users informing the one or more access users of an opportunity to use a digital asset service; receive from the one or more access users, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, a request to enroll in the digital asset service; enroll the one or more access users in the digital asset service, wherein enrolling the one or more access users includes storing information associated with the one or more access users in an account record associated with the storage user; and send to the one or more access users, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about an access user app that the access user can download onto a communication device and use in connection with the digital asset services.

“11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to receive from the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, a request to enroll in the digital asset service.

“12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to send to the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, an invitation to enroll in the digital asset service.

“13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to store information representative of a virtual personality of the storage user or a virtual model of the storage user based upon the digital assets.

“14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to provide a machine learning module via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, to create a virtual avatar with a personality similar to the personality of the storage user based upon the digital assets.

“15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the access user app is configured to allow the access user to have a conversation with the avatar of the storage user.

“16. The computer system of claim 10, wherein receiving from the storage user, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers, information about one or more access users associated with the storage user includes receiving condition information including one or more of (1) limitations on roles of the one or more one or more access users and/or (2) types of information that can be provided to the one or more access users.

“17. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to prompt the storage user to provide the information about an access user and the digital assets.

“18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to: enroll a storage user in a digital asset storage, management and/or retrieval service, wherein enrolling the storage user optionally includes establishing an account record associated with the storage user; receive, from the storage user, information about one or more access users associated with the storage user; accept and store digital assets associated with the storage user, wherein the digital assets relate to one or more of a life insurance policy, a homeowner or renter insurance policy, a vehicle insurance policy and a medical insurance policy; send a notification to one or more of the one or more access users informing the one or more access users of an opportunity to use a digital asset service; receive from the one or more access users a request to enroll in the digital asset service; enroll the one or more access users as the storage user’s access users in the digital asset service, wherein enrolling the one or more access users includes storing information associated with the one or more access users in an account record associated with the storage user; and send to the one or more access users information about an access user app that the access user can download onto a communication device and use in connection with the digital asset services.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Banerjee, Shreeti. Policyholder setup in secure personal and financial information storage and chatbot access by trusted individuals. U.S. Patent Number 12008671, filed December 5, 2022, and published online on June 11, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(12008671)&db=USPAT&type=ids

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)