Patent Issued for Visual assist for insurance facilitation processes (USPTO 11393040): Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

2022 AUG 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. (New York, New York, United States) has been issued patent number 11393040, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Weiss, Amir (New York, NY, US).

This patent was filed on February 13, 2020 and was published online on July 19, 2022.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “There are many activities in managing insurance operations that are facilitated by data processing and computer assistance. Insurance is in fact an industry that relies on computer-managed operations, and a foundational implementation of actuarial calculations. In operation, insurance companies compete by enhancing two aspects of their business. First, insurance companies strive to offer low rates for the management of risks-such as insurance against the damage and injuries associated with the operation of automobiles and other vehicles, and insurance to cover damage caused to other property. Second, insurance companies strive to offer outstanding service to its customers if and when an accident occurs. This involves a prompt and accurate assessment of the damage, and a fair estimate of the repair bill. A corollary of this is that the assessment of damage should also discern if the policy covers the damage-either as a threshold issue or at some other junction in the process.

“Efficient management of insurance policies is often a neglected aspect of insurance business management. For example, while pricing and monitoring insurance for car and driving risks get substantial interest, the actual implementation of services by insurance companies after an accident or other claim-triggering event gets less attention. Claim processing, if done effectively, can result in substantial savings to policyholders and better service; collectively, these changes can establish long-term customer loyalty. A botched or inefficient accident investigation, on the other hand, can result in a myriad of problems-some immediate, others delayed-but in any event, problem-prone claims processing that can destroy customer satisfaction.

“It was with this understanding of the continuing problems in handling insurance operations that formed the impetus of the present invention.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “It is an object of the present invention to provide an enhanced computer environment that efficiently prompts a claims adjuster through the processing of a select insurance claim.

“It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a distributed application operable by insurance agents or adjusters in reviewing claims by policyholders.

“It is still another object of the present invention to provide a computer software method that guides the operation of a central processor to facilitate the use of a visual-based communication portal built into a wearable communication device.

“It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a computer-controlled system including a central server and a display and audio interface forming a remote terminal for implementing a sequentially driven insurance operating algorithm for assisting in claims management.

“The above and other objects of the present invention are realized in one embodiment that connects a wearable, visual-based communication device, preferably in the form of a pair of eye glasses, that places at least one small display in the field of view of the device user with a processor and audio command receiver to permit interactive operation of an insurance process, controlled via a remote server in communication with the communication device.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A wearable device in the form of eyeglasses, comprising: a non-transitory storage medium configured to store a plurality of successive prompts; an interactive display interface; a geolocation sensor configured to ascertain a location of an insured physical property; an image sensor; an audio sensor, wherein the image sensor and the audio sensor are configured to collect data relating to the insured physical property; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory storage medium, the interactive display interface, the image sensor, and the audio sensor, the processor is configured to: generate a graphical overlay window superimposed over a portion of the interactive display interface; provide, via the graphical overlay window, the plurality of successive prompts in a predetermined order, the plurality of successive prompts including instructions to collect data related to the insured physical property at a location of the insured physical property using the image sensor, the audio sensor, and the geolocation sensor; receive, using the audio sensor, a plurality of voice commands to control data collection corresponding to the insured property; capture, using the image sensor, a series of images based on the plurality of successive prompts, the series of images representing a current condition of the insured physical property; provide each image of the series of images to the display interface for display in the graphical overlay window; record, using the audio sensor, an audio description of the current condition of the insured physical property based on the plurality of successive prompts; transcribe the audio description of the current condition of the insured physical property into a text description of the current condition of the insured physical property; generate a report that includes the series of images, the audio description, and the text description; transmit, via a wireless network, the report to a remote terminal to analyze an insurance claim based on the report.

“2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the image sensor includes a digital camera, wherein the wearable device further comprises at least one of a clock, a thermometer, a humidity sensor, a barometer, or an altitude sensor.

“3. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to collect audio data, or environmental data.

“4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the insured physical property includes at least one of a vehicle or a home.

“5. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein when the processor provides information corresponding to one or more local vendors, the processor is further configured to provide an instruction prompt that requests a claim adjuster perform a subsequent action.

“6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to provide each instruction prompt according to a sequentially driven algorithm that outputs a plurality of successive instructions to a claim adjuster in a predetermined order.

“7. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to output a plurality of appointments to a claim adjuster, wherein each appointment is associated with a respective insurance claim for an insured physical property.

“8. The wearable device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to prioritize the plurality of appointments according to at least one of a submission time, travel time to the insured physical property, or a distance to the insured physical property.

“9. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to provide one or more additional instruction prompts, wherein the one or more additional instruction prompts includes at least one of: a first request to collect audio, image or video data related to the insured physical property; a second request to verbalize one or more statements to a policy holder of the insured physical property; a third request to capture a video or audio interview of a witness of the insured physical property; or a fourth request to position the wearable device proximate to the insured physical property or a related environmental object.

“10. The wearable device of claim 9, wherein the second request to verbalize the one or more statements further includes instructions to solicit at least one of: information to identify the policy holder, gain relevant information about the accident, and ascertain a mental state of an operator of the insured physical property at a time of the accident; and one or more statements regarding rights and obligations of the policy holder under an individual insurance policy.

“11. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the remote terminal is configured to monitor a location and an action of a claim adjuster based on data exchanged with the wearable device over the wireless network.

“12. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the series of images further represent damage to the insured physical property and a cause of the damage.

“13. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a scenario assessment and develop questions directed to circumstances associated with the current condition of the insured physical property.

“14. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit in real-time, via the wireless network, video or audio data between the wearable device and the remote terminal.”

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Weiss, Amir. Visual assist for insurance facilitation processes. U.S. Patent Number 11393040, filed February 13, 2020, and published online on July 19, 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=11393040.PN.&OS=PN/11393040RS=PN/11393040

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