Patent Issued for Systems and methods for homeowner-directed risk of property damage mitigation (USPTO 11270385): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2022 MAR 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Binion, Todd (Bloomington, IL, US), Bryant, Ronny S. (Bloomington, IL, US), Call, Shawn M. (Bloomington, IL, US), Criswell, Jennifer (Bloomington, IL, US), Donovan, John (Bloomington, IL, US), Hakimi-Boushehri, Daryoush (Bloomington, IL, US), Jordan, II, Jackie O. (Bloomington, IL, US), McDermeit, Elisabeth (Bloomington, IL, US), Weekes, John H. (Bloomington, IL, US), filed on April 17, 2020, was published online on March 8, 2022.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11270385 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: “Homeowner and personal property insurance exists to provide financial protection against damage to the home and personal property owner by the policyholder, respectively. There are many potential sources of damage to homes and personal property, some of which can be detected far enough in advance to take an action that may mitigate or prevent damage from occurring. Currently, many appliances and other goods are capable of communicating information about their operation via mesh networks as part of the “internet of things.” However, there is no way to aggregate and analyze all of this communicated data to manage and reduce the risks associated with insurance-related events.

“Thus, the present embodiments may, inter alia, detect and alleviate the foregoing risks, such as the risk of home damage, personal property damage, insurance claims, and/or other risks.”

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 computer-implemented method of limiting damage to a property may be provided. The property may be populated with a controller in communication with a plurality of devices in the property. Each of the plurality of devices may be configured to monitor various conditions associated with the property is provided. The method may include (1) receiving, via a first wired or wireless communication network, sensor data from at least one of the plurality of devices, the sensor data indicative of at least one potential change in at least one of the various conditions associated with the property, and/or (2) detecting, by one or more processors (such as one or more local or remote processors associated with a smart home controller and/or insurance provider, respectively), a potential insurance-related event associated with the property through analyzing the sensor data. The method may include (3) transmitting, by the one or more processors, to a mobile device (or other computing device) of an individual associated with the property via a second wireless communication network, an indication of the potential insurance-related event, and/or (4) receiving, at the one or more processors, from the mobile device (or other computing device) of the individual via the second wireless communication network, a first instruction to control the at least one of the plurality of devices. The method may further include (5) transmitting, via the first wired or wireless communication network, the first instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices, the first instruction when executed may cause the at least one of the plurality of devices to perform a first action intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the potential insurance-related event. The method may include additional, fewer, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

“In another aspect, a system for limiting damage to a property may be provided. The system may include a property populated with a controller in communication with a plurality of devices in the property. Each of the plurality of devices may be configured to monitor various conditions associated with the property. The system may include a communication module adapted to communicate data; a memory adapted to store non-transitory computer executable instructions; and/or one or more processors adapted to interface with the communication module. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the one or more processors to (1) receive, via the communication module, sensor data from at least one of the plurality of devices, the sensor data indicative of at least one potential change in at least one of the various conditions associated with the property, and/or (2) detect, by the one or more processors, a potential insurance-related event associated with the property through analyzing the sensor data. The one or more processors may also be configured to (3) transmit, to a mobile or other computing device of an individual associated with the property via the communication module, an indication of the potential insurance-related event, and/or 4) receive, from the mobile or other computing device of the individual via the communication module, a first instruction to control the at least one of the plurality of devices. The one or more processors may also be configured to (5) transmit, via the communication module, the first instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices, the first instruction when executed may cause the at least one of the plurality of devices to perform a first action intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the potential insurance-related event. The system may include additional, less, or alternate components and functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

“In still another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions may be provided. When executed, the instructions may cause one or more processors to (1) receive, via the first wired or wireless network, sensor data from at least one of a plurality of devices, the sensor data indicative of at least one potential change in at least one of the various conditions associated with a property, and/or (2) detect, by the one or more processors, a potential insurance-related event associated with the property through analyzing the sensor data. The instructions may cause the one or more processors to (3) transmit, to a mobile device (or other computing device) of an individual associated with the property via a second wireless communication network, an indication of the potential insurance-related event, and/or (4) receive, from the mobile device of the individual via the second wireless communication network, a first instruction to control the at least one of the plurality of devices. The instructions may further cause the one or more processors to (5) transmit, via the first wired or wireless communication network, the first instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices, the first instruction when executed causes the at least one of the plurality of devices to perform a first action intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the potential insurance-related event. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include additional, fewer, or alternate computer-executable instructions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method of limiting damage to a property populated with a plurality of devices on the property, each of the plurality of devices configured to monitor various conditions associated with the property, the method comprising: receiving, via a first wired or wireless communication network at a controller disposed on the property, sensor data from at least one of the plurality of devices; predicting, by one or more processors of the controller disposed on the property, that an insurance-related event associated with the property will occur by analyzing the sensor data; transmitting, via a second wireless communication network, an indication of the predicted insurance-related event to a mobile or other computer device of an individual associated with the property; receiving, via the second communication network and from the mobile or other computer device, a first instruction, wherein the first instruction is configured to control at least one of the plurality of devices to perform a first action intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the predicted insurance-related event; based upon an analysis of the first instruction, determining, by the one or more processors, that the first instruction is insufficient to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the predicted insurance-related event; in response to the determination, generating, by the one or more processors, a second instruction, wherein the second instruction is configured to identify a second action intended to prevent or mitigate the predicted insurance-related event, controlling, by the one or more processors, a first at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the first action by transmitting, via the first wired or wireless communication network, the first instruction, wherein the transmission of the first instruction causes the first at least one of the plurality of devices to interpret the first instruction and execute the first action; and controlling, by the one or more processors, a second at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the second action by transmitting, via the first wired or wireless communication network, the second instruction, wherein the transmission of the second instruction causes the second at least one of the plurality of devices to interpret the second instruction and execute the second action.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the method further comprising: transmitting, to an insurance provider via the second communication network, an indication of the predicted insurance-related event and an indication of the first and second instructions.

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the transmission causes the insurance provider to perform an insurance-related activity, wherein the insurance-related activity is at least one of providing a discount on an insurance policy, adjusting an insurance claim, or providing a recommended action or replacement device that may reduce a risk of future insurance-related events.

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the sensor data comprises: receiving at least one of audio data, video data, and operational data.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the indication of the insurance-related event comprises: transmitting, to mobile or other computer device associated with the individual via the second communication network, an instruction, wherein the instruction causes the mobile or other computer device to: display an indication of the predicted insurance-related event, and provide an interface that enables the individual to select the first action.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices causes the at least one of the plurality of devices to perform at least one of: shutting off a water or gas supply; closing a door, window or shutter; or turning off an appliance.

“7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices causes the at least one of the plurality of devices to perform at least one of: shutting off a water or gas supply; closing a door, window or shutter; turning off an appliance; or turning on a sump pump, de-watering equipment or fire sprinklers.

“8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the insurance provider via the second communication network, a notification that the insurance-related activity has occurred.

“9. A computer system for limiting damage to a property populated with a plurality of devices on the property, each of the plurality of devices configured to monitor various conditions associated with the property, the system being disposed on the property and comprising: a communication module adapted to communicate data; a memory adapted to store non-transitory computer executable instructions; and one or more processors adapted to interface with the communication module, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the one or more processors to: receive, via the communication module, sensor data from at least one of the plurality of devices; predict, by the one or more processors, that an insurance-related event associated with the property will occur by analyzing the sensor data; transmit, to a mobile device of an individual associated with the property via the communication module, an indication of the predicted insurance-related event; receive, from the mobile device of the individual via the communication module, a first instruction, wherein the first instruction is configured to control at least one of the plurality of devices to perform a first action intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the predicted insurance-related event; based upon an analysis of the first instruction, determine, by the one or more processors, that the first instruction is insufficient to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the predicted insurance-related event; in response to the determination, generate, by the one or more processors, a second instruction, wherein the second instruction is configured to identify a second action intended to prevent or mitigate the predicted insurance-related event; control, by the one or more processors, a first at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the first action by transmitting, via the communication module, the first instruction, wherein the transmission of the first instruction causes the first at least one of the plurality of devices to interpret the first instruction and execute the first action; and control, by the one or more processors, a second at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the second action by transmitting, via the first wired or wireless communication network, the second instruction, wherein the transmission of the second instruction causes the second at least one of the plurality of devices to interpret the second instruction and execute the second action.

“10. The computer system of claim 9, the one or more processors are further configured to: transmit, to an insurance provider, an indication of the predicted insurance-related event and an indication of the first and second instructions, wherein the transmission causes the insurance provider to perform an insurance-related activity.

“11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the insurance-related activity is at least one of providing a discount on an insurance policy, adjusting an insurance claim, or providing a recommended action or replacement device that may reduce a risk of future insurance-related events.

“12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to receive the sensor data comprises the communication module is further configured to receive at least one of: audio data, video data, or operational data.

“13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the communication module is further configured to: transmit, to the mobile device associated with the individual, an instruction, wherein the instruction causes the mobile device to: display an indication of the predicted insurance-related event, and provide an interface that enables the individual to select the first action.

“14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to transmit the first instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices, the communication module is further configured to cause the at least one of the plurality of devices perform at least one of: shutting off a water or gas supply; closing a door, window or shutter; turning off an appliance; or turning on a sump pump, de-watering equipment or fire sprinklers.

“15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to transmit the first instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices, the communication module is further configured to cause the at least one of the plurality of devices perform at least one of: shutting off a water or gas supply; turning off an appliance; or turning on a sump pump, de-watering equipment or fire sprinklers.

“16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the communication module is further configured to: receive, from the insurance provider, a notification that the insurance-related activity has occurred.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For additional information on this patent, see: Binion, Todd. Systems and methods for homeowner-directed risk of property damage mitigation. U.S. Patent Number 11270385, filed April 17, 2020, and published online on March 8, 2022. 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=11270385.PN.&OS=PN/11270385RS=PN/11270385

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