Patent Issued for Tow And Emergency Roadside Assistance Locating And Tracking Mobile Application (USPTO 10,327,120)

2019 JUL 02 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent by the inventors Dulee, George T. (Bloomington, IL); Smith, Natalie R. (Alpharetta, GA); Clarenson, Matthew (Chatham, IL); Curtis, Michelle Ann (Heyworth, IL); Davis, Justin (Normal, IL); Alt, Jacob (Downs, IL), filed on April 24, 2018, was published online on July 1, 2019, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents.

Patent number 10,327,120 is assigned to State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Existing software-based and mobile device-based systems for aiding motorists seeking roadside assistance rely on a fractured collection of information databases and lack effective means for adequate real-time quality and security control. For example, the most common method for a motorist to locate and obtain tow assistance involves opening a web browser or mobile application, searching a provider aggregation or mapping database for a provider in the area, and contacting the provider of choice. Occasionally, the motorist may access a provider review database to obtain information regarding one or more such providers before selecting one to contact. Such steps, when taken, involve accessing different information databases, leading to longer waits and complicated search efforts.

“Motorists’ fragmented reliance on multiple databases and database operators also hinders the ability of operators and providers to effectively track service calls from start to completion. For example, a review website operator may capture a subset of its users’ subjective thoughts regarding provider efficacy; but such an approach does not capture other details regarding the providers’ performance with non-reporting motorists and with respect to unreported aspects of service calls. Attempts to obtain such information directly from providers are even less likely to result in a trustworthy cross-section of data.

“Certain existing systems combine provider contact information and provider review databases for access at a single URL or via a single mobile application. However, such systems rely on a patchwork of voluntarily-provided motorist feedback for quality and security control. Such feedback may be provided in the form of electronically-submitted comments or via survey soliciting numerical rankings and scalars that may be aggregated with other reviews to rate the providers. But the low response rate from motorists and the inevitable skew toward responses that are either unusually good or unusually bad tend to reduce the usefulness of these systems. Moreover, any security benefits motorists might realize are backward-looking; such solutions do not provide real-time information about the specific employee assigned to a motorist by a provider, nor about that employee’s progress on the job.

“There is therefore a need for a new system and method for aiding motorists in obtaining secure, location-based roadside resource matching and tracking.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “Embodiments of the present technology relate to systems and computer-implemented methods for dynamic roadside assistance coordination. The embodiments may provide comprehensive coverage of customer-side and provider-side activities throughout and in relation to service runs. The embodiments may also enable a system operator not only to provide useful real-time progress and security data to customers, but to maintain a rich and dynamic network of providers in which customers are informed by objective, system-observed data. These benefits may be realized by a network of customer software applications, a network of provider software applications, and an operations server for performing and coordinating the system of embodiments of the present technology.

“More particularly, in a first aspect, a system for providing dynamic roadside assistance coordination may be provided. The system may comprise a mobile electronic device of a provider. The provider mobile electronic device may execute a provider software application configured to obtain and transmit provider location information in connection with a service run by the provider. The system may also include a mobile electronic device of a customer. The customer mobile electronic device may execute a customer software application configured to obtain and transmit customer location information and to receive and display the provider location information on a screen. The system may further include an operations server having a memory element configured to store availability information associated with a plurality of roadside assistance service providers including the provider. The system may further include a processing element that executes an operations software application. The operations software application may be configured to receive the customer location information and compare the customer location information with the availability information to match the customer with the provider to facilitate providing roadside assistance to the customer or customer location. The system may include additional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

“In another aspect, a system for managing a dynamic roadside assistance network may be provided. The system may include a provider network having a plurality of copies of a provider software application installed separately on a plurality of provider mobile electronic devices belonging to a plurality of roadside assistance service providers. The provider software application may be configured to obtain and transmit provider location information in connection with the service runs. The system may further include a customer network having a plurality of copies of a customer software application installed separately on a plurality of customer mobile electronic devices belonging to a plurality of customers. The customer software application may be configured to obtain and transmit customer location information and to receive and display the provider location information on a screen. The system may further include an operations server having a memory element configured to store availability information associated with the plurality of roadside assistance service providers. The operations server may further have a processing element executing an operations software application. The operations software application may be configured to receive the customer location information and compare it to the availability information to match the customer with at least one provider of the plurality of roadside assistance service providers. The system may include additional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

“In still another aspect, a system for facilitating roadside assistance may be provided. The system may include a mobile electronic device of a provider that executes a provider software application. The provider software application may be configured to obtain and transmit provider location information in connection with a service run by the provider. The system may further include a mobile electronic device of a customer that executes a customer software application. The customer software application may be configured to obtain and transmit customer location information and to receive and display the provider location information on a screen. The system may further include an operations server having a memory element configured to store availability information associated with a plurality of roadside assistance service providers including the provider. The operations server may further have a processing element that executes an operations software application. The operations software application may be configured to receive the customer location information and compare the customer location information with the availability information to match the customer with the provider. The system may include additional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

“In still another aspect, a computer-implemented method for providing dynamic roadside assistance coordination may be provided. The method may include: (1) receiving customer location information from a mobile electronic device of a customer; (2) matching, via an operations server, the customer to a provider based upon the customer location information and availability information relating to a plurality of roadside assistance service providers including a provider; and/or (3) receiving provider location information of the provider relating to a service run from a provider mobile electronic device. The method may include additional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

“In still another aspect, another computer-implemented method for providing dynamic roadside assistance coordination may be provided. The method may include: (1) distributing a customer software application configured to transmit customer location information via a customer mobile electronic device; (2) matching, via an operations server, the customer to a provider based upon the customer location information and availability information relating to a plurality of roadside assistance service providers including the provider; and/or (3) distributing a provider software application configured to transmit provider location information of the provider on a service run via a provider mobile electronic device. The method may include additional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

“In still another aspect, a computer-implemented method for managing a dynamic roadside assistance network may be provided. The method may include: (1) providing a provider software application for execution on provider mobile electronic devices of a plurality of roadside assistance service providers, the provider software application being configured to obtain and transmit provider location information in connection with service runs; (2) providing a customer software application for execution on customer mobile electronic devices of a plurality of customers, the customer software application being configured to obtain and transmit customer location information and to receive and display the provider location information on a screen; (3) storing, via an operations server, availability information associated with the plurality of roadside assistance service providers; (4) receiving, via the operations server, the customer location information; and/or (5) comparing, via the operations server, the customer location information with the availability information to match the customer with a provider of the plurality of roadside assistance service providers. The method may include additional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

“In still another aspect, a computer-implemented method for facilitating roadside assistance may be provided. The method may include: (1) receiving customer location information from a mobile electronic device of a customer; (2) matching, via an operations server, the customer to a provider based upon the customer location information and availability information relating to a plurality of roadside assistance service providers including a provider; and/or (3) receiving provider location information of the provider relating to a service run from a provider mobile electronic device. The method may include additional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

“Advantages of these and other embodiments will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the exemplary embodiments which have been shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the present embodiments described herein may be capable of other and different embodiments, and their details are capable of modification in various respects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

“1. A computer-implemented method for providing dynamic roadside assistance coordination, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving customer location information from a mobile electronic device of a customer; matching, via an operations server, the customer to a provider based upon the customer location information and availability information relating to a plurality of roadside assistance service providers including a provider, the availability information including information about pricing offered by the plurality of roadside assistance service providers; receiving provider location information of the provider relating to a service run from a provider mobile electronic device; converting the provider location information into an e-alert format, the e-alert format providing additional context to the provider location information and includes text to be used as at least one of an overlay on a real-time tracking map graphic or a discrete notification; and transmitting the provider location information to the customer mobile electronic device as a series of e-alerts.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provider location information is received automatically.

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provider location information is transmitted continuously by the provider mobile electronic device.

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the customer location information to the provider mobile electronic device.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provider location information and the customer location information are received in a global positioning coordinate format.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving desired provider type information from the mobile electronic device of the customer; comparing the desired provider type against a provider type stored in a memory element of the operations server, and determining if the desired provider type satisfies a coverage criteria associated with the customer.

“7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the coverage criteria is based upon an insurance policy status.

“8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, via the operations server and following the matching step, a service run confirmation request to the provider.

“9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a response to the service run confirmation request and, if the response is negative, performing a second matching step.

“10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the service run confirmation request is transmitted to the provider mobile electronic device.

“11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising receiving at the operations server, after the provider has positively affirmed the service run confirmation request, an estimated arrival time relating to the service run.

“12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the estimated arrival time to the customer mobile electronic device.

“13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the estimated arrival time comprises provider location information.

“14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the estimated arrival time provider location information includes data in a global positioning coordinate format.

“15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: processing the provider location information to determine time to arrival on site information for the service run.

“16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining and transmitting provider employee security information to the customer mobile electronic device, the employee security information including a photograph of the employee.

“17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provider employee security information is obtained via activation of a sensor of the provider mobile electronic device.

“18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the availability information further indicates a qualification to complete the service run under one or more insurance coverage types.

“19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provider may bill an insurer electronically using the provider software application running on the provider mobile electronic device.”

URL and more information on this patent, see: Dulee, George T.; Smith, Natalie R.; Clarenson, Matthew; Curtis, Michelle Ann; Davis, Justin; Alt, Jacob. Tow And Emergency Roadside Assistance Locating And Tracking Mobile Application. U.S. Patent Number 10,327,120, filed April 24, 2018, and published online on July 1, 2019. 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=10,327,120.PN.&OS=PN/10,327,120RS=PN/10,327,120

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