Patent Issued for System to monitor and process risk relationship sensor data (USPTO 11818801): Hartford Fire Insurance Company

2023 DEC 06 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Hartford, Connecticut, United States) has been issued patent number 11818801, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Bush, Bret M. (Austin, TX, US), Campany, Daniel L. (Wethersfield, CT, US), Chidozie, Elvis C. (Windsor, CT, US), Cushing, Tobias (Glastonbury, CT, US), Eshoo, Alexander Scott (Bloomfield, CT, US), Norcia, Marie C. (Spencer, MA, US).

This patent was filed on May 28, 2021 and was published online on November 14, 2023.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “An enterprise may want to monitor and/or process risk relationship sensor data. For example, a general contractor might want to receive an alert message when a person is detected at a construction site (e.g., representing an increased risk of theft or vandalism damage during the weekend or at night when no workers are present). Similarly, an enterprise might want to be informed when a retail store regularly has more customers than expected, what area of the stores they seem to be visiting, etc. (representing an increased risk of slip and fall damage). Manually placing a risk relationship sensors based on an expert’s knowledge and then interpreting data from those sensors, however, can be an expensive and error-prone process. For example, it might not be immediately obvious that an unexplained drop in temperature in one area of a construction site is being caused by a broken water pipe. Moreover, normal risk relationship sensor data patterns may vary considerably (e.g., substantially more foot traffic might normally be detected during the day as compared to an overnight period), making it difficult to set or program appropriate “thresholds” to trigger an alert message. As a result, improved ways to facilitate monitoring and/or processing of risk relationship sensor data may be desired.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “According to some embodiments, systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code and means may facilitate monitoring and/or processing of risk relationship sensor data. In some embodiments, A plurality of risk relationship sensors, including at least one image capturing sensor (e.g., a camera), may each include an environment characteristic detection element, a power source, and a communication device to transmit data associated with risk relationship sensor data at a site. A risk relationship data store may contain electronic records associated with prior risk relationship events at other sites along with risk relationship sensor location data for those sites. An enterprise analytics platform may automatically analyze the electronic records in the risk relationship data store to create a predictive analytics algorithm. The data associated with potential risk relationship sensor data at the site may then be automatically analyzed, in substantially real-time, using the predictive analytics algorithm, and a result of the analysis may then be transmitted (e.g., to a party associated with the site).

“Some embodiments provide: means for collecting, from a plurality of risk relationship sensors, including at least one image capturing sensor, data associated with a risk relationship at the site via communication network, wherein each risk relationship sensor includes: (i) an environment characteristic detection element to sense an environment characteristic, (ii) a power source, and (iii) a communication device, coupled to the environment characteristic detection element and the power source, to transmit the data associated with a risk relationship; means for storing, in a risk relationship data store, electronic records associated with prior risk relationship events at other sites along with risk relationship sensor location data for those sites; means for automatically analyzing, by a computer processor of an enterprise analytics platform, the electronic records in the risk relationship data store to create a predictive analytics algorithm; means for automatically analyzing, by the computer processor of the enterprise analytics platform in substantially real-time, the data associated with a risk relationship at the site using the predictive analytics algorithm; and means for transmitting, from the enterprise analytics platform, an indication of a result of the analysis.

“A technical effect of some embodiments of the invention is an improved, secure, and computerized method to facilitate monitoring and/or processing of risk relationship sensor data. With these and other advantages and features that will become hereinafter apparent, a more complete understanding of the nature of the invention can be obtained by referring to the following detailed description and to the drawings appended hereto.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system associated with a site, comprising: a plurality of risk relationship sensors, including at least one image capturing sensor, each risk relationship sensor including: an environment characteristic detection element to sense an environment characteristic, a power source, and a communication device, coupled to the environment characteristic detection element and the power source, to transmit data associated with a risk relationship at the site via communication network; a risk relationship data store containing electronic records associated with prior risk relationship events at other sites along with risk relationship sensor location data for those sites; and an enterprise analytics platform, coupled to the risk relationship data store and a third-party information interface, including a computer processor programmed to: (i) automatically analyze the electronic records in the risk relationship data store to create a predictive analytics algorithm, (ii) receive the data associated with a risk relationship at the site, (iii) automatically analyze, in substantially real-time, the data associated with the risk relationship at the site, including data from the at least one image capturing sensor, using the predictive analytics algorithm, and (iv) transmit an indication of a result of the analysis including a map showing all of: 1. risk relationship sensor and camera locations, 2. areas that signify particular levels of potential damage, wherein the particular levels relate to a cost of the potential damage, and 3. at least one icon associated with an occurrence of a risk relationship event.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image capturing sensor comprises at least one of: (i) a camera, (ii) a video camera, (iii) an infrared camera, (iv) an autonomous platform, (v) a drone, and (vi) a wearable device.

“3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data from the at least one image capturing sensor is used to estimate an occupancy.

“4. The system of claim 3, wherein the site is associated with a construction site, the risk relationship at the site is associated with at least one of fire, theft, vandalism, and water damage insurance, and a higher occupancy level results in a reduced insurance premium.

“5. The system of claim 3, wherein the site is associated with a retail store or office, risk relationship at the site is associated with at least one of personal injury, general liability, and workers’ compensation insurance, and a lower occupancy level results in a reduced insurance premium.

“6. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of risk relationship sensors is associated with (i) a door sensor, (ii) a chair sensor, (iii) a floor sensor, (iv) an elevator sensor, (v) a motion detector, (vi) a wireless network utilization sensor, (vii) a WiFi utilization sensor, and (viii) a wearable device.

“7. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitted indication of the result of the analysis is associated with an equipment use characterization.

“8. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitted indication of the result of the analysis is associated with a site space characterization.

“9. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitted indication of the result of the analysis is associated with an employee behavior characterization.

“10. The system of claim 1, wherein different risk relationship sensors sense different environment characteristics, including at least three of: (i) moisture, (ii) water flowing through a pipe, (iii) a temperature, (iv) a thermal image, (v) mold, (vi) an image captured by a camera, (vii) video streamed from a camera, (viii) audio information detected by a microphone, (ix) a water flow volume or rate determined by a smart a risk relationship meter, (x) an alarm system, and (xi) a smoke detector.

“11. The system of claim 1, further comprising: an on-site a risk relationship information hub to: (i) receive data from the plurality of risk relationship sensors via the communication network, and (ii) transmit indications associated with the received data via another communication network.

“12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication network is a wireless communication network and the other communication network is the Internet.

“13. The system of claim 11, wherein the enterprise analytics platform is associated with a cloud-based computing architecture.

“14. The system of claim 13, wherein the predictive analytics algorithm is associated with at least one of: (i) cognitive learning, (ii) pattern recognition, (iii) an early detection algorithm, (iv) a risk analysis, and (v) a risk score.

“15. The system of claim 13, wherein the indication transmitted by the enterprise analytics platform comprises an electronic alert signal.

“16. The system of claim 15, wherein the electronic alert signal is associated with at least one of: (i) an automated telephone call, (ii) an email message, and (iii) a text message.

“17. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic alert signal includes a potential cause of a risk relationship event and a recommended remedial action.

“18. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power sources is associated with at least one of: (i) a battery, (ii) a re-chargeable battery, and (iii) an Alternating Current (“AC”) power adapter.

“19. The system of claim 1, wherein the result of the analysis is to be used to calculate an event damage rating for an enterprise associated with the site.

“20. The system of claim 19, wherein the event damage rating is associated with at least one of: an insurance premium adjustment, a deductible value, a co-payment, an insurance policy endorsement, and an insurance limit value.

“21. A computerized method associated with a site, comprising: collecting, from a plurality of risk relationship sensors, data associated with a risk relationship at the site via communication network, wherein each risk relationship sensor includes: (i) an environment characteristic detection element to sense an environment characteristic, (ii) a power source, and (iii) a communication device, coupled to the environment characteristic detection element and the power source, to transmit the data associated with a risk relationship; storing, in a risk relationship data store, electronic records associated with prior risk relationship events at other sites along with risk relationship sensor location data for those sites; automatically analyzing, by a computer processor of an enterprise analytics platform, the electronic records in the risk relationship data store to create a predictive analytics algorithm; automatically analyzing, by the computer processor of the enterprise analytics platform in substantially real-time, the data associated with a risk relationship at the site using the predictive analytics algorithm; and transmitting, from the enterprise analytics platform, an indication of a result of the analysis including risk relationship sensor data for a plurality of site locations, the result signifying particular levels of potential damage related to a cost of the potential damage.

“22. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of image capturing sensors include at least one image capturing sensor comprising: (i) a camera, (ii) a video camera, or (iii) an infrared camera.

“23. The method of claim 22, wherein the data from the at least one image capturing sensor is used to estimate an occupancy.”

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Bush, Bret M. System to monitor and process risk relationship sensor data. U.S. Patent Number 11818801, filed May 28, 2021, and published online on November 14, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11818801)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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