Patent Issued for Systems and methods for homeowner-directed risk of property damage mitigation (USPTO 11651441): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2023 JUN 05 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, 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 February 4, 2022, was published online on May 16, 2023.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11651441, is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States).

Reporters 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.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors 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 configured to monitor various conditions associated with the property, the method comprising: receiving, via a communication network and from a mobile or other computer device, an indication of a first action, wherein the first action is intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with a predicted insurance-related event; generating, by the one or more processors, a first instruction, wherein the first instruction is configured to control at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the first action; based upon an analysis of the first action, determining, by the one or more processors, that the first action 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 control at least a second device from among the plurality of devices to perform a second action intended to prevent or mitigate the predicted insurance-related event; and controlling, by the one or more processors, the second device to perform the second action by transmitting, via a wired or wireless communication network, the second instruction, wherein the transmission of the second instruction causes the second device to interpret the second instruction and perform the second action.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the method further comprising: controlling, by the one or more processors, the at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the first action by transmitting, via the wired or wireless communication network, the first instruction, wherein the transmission of the first instruction causes the at least one of the plurality of devices to interpret the first instruction and perform the first action.

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

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first action is insufficient to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the predicted insurance-related event comprises: analyzing, by the one or more processors, at least one of audio data, video data, and operational data received from the plurality of devices on the property.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the first action comprises: transmitting, to mobile or other computer device associated with the individual via a second communication network, an instruction, wherein the instruction causes the mobile or other computer device to: display an indication of a 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 analyzing the first action comprises: determining, by the one or more processors, that the first action is 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 second instruction to the at least one of the plurality of devices causes the second device 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 a 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 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, from the mobile device of the individual via the communication module, an indication of a first action, wherein the first action is intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with a predicted insurance-related event; generate, by the one or more processors, a first instruction, wherein the first instruction is configured to control at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the first action; based upon an analysis of the first action, determine, by the one or more processors, that the first action 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 control at least a second device from among the plurality of devices to perform a second action intended to prevent or mitigate the predicted insurance-related event; and control, by the one or more processors, the second device to perform the second action by transmitting, via a wired or wireless communication network, the second instruction, wherein the transmission of the second instruction causes the second device to interpret the second instruction and perform the second action.

“10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: control, by the one or more processors, the at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the first action by transmitting, via the wired or wireless communication network, the first instruction, wherein the transmission of the first instruction causes the at least one of the plurality of devices to interpret the first instruction and perform the first action.

“11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein 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.

“12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to determine that the first action is insufficient to prevent or mitigate damage associated with the predicted insurance-related event, the one or more processors are further configure to: analyze at least one of audio data, video data, or operational data received from the plurality of devices on the property via the communication module.

“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 analyze the first action, the one or more processors are configured to: determine that the first action is 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.

“15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein to transmit the second instruction to the second device, the communication module is further configured to cause the second device to 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.

“17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions, that when executed cause one or more processors to: receive, at a controller disposed on a property and from a mobile device of an individual associated with the property, a first instruction, wherein the first instruction is configured to control at least one of a plurality of devices disposed on the property to perform a first action intended to prevent or mitigate damage associated with a predicted insurance-related event; generate, by the one or more processors, a first instruction, wherein the first instruction is configured to control at least one of the plurality of devices to perform the first action based upon an analysis of the first action, determine, by the one or more processors, that the first action 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 control at least a second device from among the plurality of devices to perform a second action intended to prevent or mitigate the predicted insurance-related event; and control, by the one or more processors, the second device to perform the second action by transmitting, via a wired or wireless communication network, the second instruction, wherein the transmission of the second instruction causes the second device to interpret the second instruction and perform the second action.”

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

For more information, see this patent: Binion, Todd. Systems and methods for homeowner-directed risk of property damage mitigation. U.S. Patent Number 11651441, filed February 4, 2022, and published online on May 16, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11651441)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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