Patent Issued for System for capturing passenger and trip data for a vehicle (USPTO 11501384): Allstate Insurance Company

2022 DEC 01 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Brinkmann, Margaret A. (Palo Alto, CA, US), Bryer, Nathan M. (Arlington Heights, IL, US), Huls, Eric (Chicago, IL, US), Kraft, Daniel (Libertyville, IL, US), Warden, Thomas Michael (Belmont, CA, US), filed on April 6, 2021, was published online on November 15, 2022.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11501384 is Allstate Insurance Company (Northbrook, Illinois, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Telematics may be described as use of technology to communicate information from one location to another. Telematics has been used for various applications, including for the exchange of information with electronic sensors. As telematics technology has progressed, various communication methodologies have been incorporated into automobiles and other types of vehicles.

“One example of telematics systems currently in use in automobiles are on-board diagnostics (OBD) systems. From early versions of OBD systems that included crude implementations of control for features such as fuel injection to more sophisticated and standardized OBD-I and OBD-II units, these units have served as an electronic gateway into the health of a vehicle. These systems have allowed users to monitor a wide variety of engine sensors and systems, including emissions control, coolant temperature, engine RPM, vehicle speed, timing advance, throttle position, and oxygen sensing, among other things. Moreover, handheld units, mobile devices, personal computers, data loggers, and other devices may be connected to the OBD systems to serve as the interface for displaying data outputted by the OBD system. Data obtained from OBD systems has been used for a variety of purposes, including maintenance, diagnosis, and analysis.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods and systems for calculating and utilizing a driving score. In at least one embodiment, a plurality of real-time driving data or inputs is captured by a telematics device. The real-time driving inputs may include one or more of one or more of speed, acceleration, braking, steering, user of turn signals, user of seat belts, use of radio, use of a phone, location, miles driven, type of trip, engine status, oil level, tire pressure, number of passengers, and lane departures. One or more driving conditions may be received. The driving conditions may be one or more of weather, road conditions, type of road, and time of day. A processor may calculate the driving score. The driving score may be based at least in part on the plurality of real-time driving inputs and the one or more driving conditions. The calculated driving score may be sent to one or more devices or entities, such as a portable device.

“In at least one embodiment, the driving score is validated by a validating agency. The validated driving score may be sent to one or more third parties. The third parties may be one or more of a financial institution, an insurance company, a credit agency, a department of motor vehicles. The third party may utilize the driving score in aspects of its business. The driving score may be sent to and stored on a device. The device may be a computing device or may be a portable device, such as a key fob or a mobile telephone.

“In at least one embodiment, the driving score is displayed to the driver. The driving score may be displayed on a device belonging to the driver, such as a key fob or a mobile telephone. Alternatively, the driving score may be displayed on an item within a vehicle, such as a windshield or rearview mirror. The driving score may be a numerical, alphabetical, or graphical value.

“In at least one embodiment, a driving report is generated. The driving report may be sent to one or more individuals and/or entities. For example, the driving report may be sent to an insurance company or the driver. The driving report may contain information relating to the real-time driving inputs collected and the driving conditions received. The driving report may also include information relating to the driving score and the habits of the driver. The driving report may also include recommendations relating to the driver’s habits and or the effects of the driver’s habits.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. An apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive, from a telematics device, using a first network connection with the telematics device: an indication of a vehicle; and trip data comprising a type of a trip taken by the vehicle and a number of miles driven during the trip; determine, based on comparing the indication of the vehicle with a plurality of available vehicles, an identity of the vehicle; generate a driving score for the vehicle based, at least in part, on the identity of the vehicle, the type of the trip, and the number of miles driven during the trip; and provide the driving score, wherein providing the driving score comprises: sending, to a computing device associated with a driver of the vehicle and using a second network connection, the driving score; sending, using a third network connection, the driving score to a validation agency; receiving a validation of the driving score from the validation agency; and sending the driving score to at least one device associated with an entity different than the driver of the vehicle.

“2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telematics device provides a notification of the driving score comprising at least one of: an audible alert, or a visual alert.

“3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to generate the driving score further based on a number of passengers in the vehicle during the trip.

“4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to generate the driving score further based, at least in part, on a type of the vehicle.

“5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to generate the driving score further based on a duration of the trip.

“6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the entity determines, based on the driving score, one or more of: an insurance policy, or an insurance rate.

“7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the entity manages the plurality of available vehicles, and wherein the plurality of available vehicles comprises the vehicle.

“8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to determine that the type of trip taken by the vehicle is an errand trip, a commute trip, or a new trip.

“9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first network connection and the second network connection are a same network connection.

“10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the trip data further comprises data representing a driving action prevented by the vehicle; and generating the driving score is based, at least in part, on the data representing the driving action prevented by the vehicle.

“11. A method comprising: receiving, by a first computing device and from a telematics device using a first network connection with the first computing device: an indication of a vehicle; and trip data comprising a type of a trip taken by the vehicle and a number of miles driven during the trip; determining, by the first computing device, an identity of the vehicle based on comparing the indication of the vehicle with a plurality of available vehicles; generating, by the first computing device, a driving score for the vehicle based, at least in part, on the identity of the vehicle, the type of the trip, and the number of miles driven during the trip; and providing the driving score, wherein providing the driving score comprises: sending, to a second computing device associated with a driver of the vehicle, the driving score; sending, using a third network connection, the driving score to a validation agency; receiving a validation of the driving score from the validation agency; and sending the driving score to at least one device associated with an entity different than the driver of the vehicle.

“12. The method of claim 11, wherein the telematics device provides a notification of the driving score comprising at least one of: an audible alert, or a visual alert.

“13. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating the driving score further based, at least in part, on a type of the vehicle.

“14. The method of claim 11, wherein the entity manages the plurality of available vehicles, and wherein the plurality of available vehicles comprises the vehicle.

“15. A system comprising: a telematics device comprising: one or more first processors; and first memory storing first instructions that, when executed by the one or more first processors, cause the telematics device to: collect, via one or more sensors: an indication of a vehicle; and trip data comprising a type of a trip taken by the vehicle and a number of miles driven during the trip; and a computing device comprising: one or more second processors; and second memory storing second instructions that, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the computing device to: receive, from the telematics device and using a first network connection, the indication of the vehicle and the trip data; determine, based on comparing the indication of the vehicle with a plurality of available vehicles, an identity of the vehicle; generate a driving score for the vehicle based, at least in part, on the identity of the vehicle, the type of the trip, and the number of miles driven during the trip; and provide the driving score, wherein providing the driving score comprises: sending, to a computing device associated with a driver of the vehicle and using a second network connection, the driving score; sending, using a third network connection, the driving score to a validation agency; receiving a validation of the driving score from the validation agency; and sending the driving score to at least one device associated with an entity different than the driver of the vehicle.

“16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first instructions, when executed by the one or more first processors, further cause the telematics device to provide a notification comprising at least one of: an audible alert, or a visual alert.

“17. The system of claim 15, wherein the second instructions, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the computing device to generate the driving score further based on a number of passengers in the vehicle during the trip.

“18. The system of claim 15, wherein the second instructions, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the computing device to generate the driving score further based, at least in part, on a type of the vehicle.

“19. The system of claim 15, wherein the second instructions, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the computing device to generate the driving score further based on a duration of the trip.

“20. The system of claim 15, wherein the entity determines, based on the driving score, at least one of one or more of: an insurance policy, or an insurance rate.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Brinkmann, Margaret A. System for capturing passenger and trip data for a vehicle. U.S. Patent Number 11501384, filed April 6, 2021, and published online on November 15, 2022.

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