State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Assigned Patent for Broadcasting Telematics Data

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 1 -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, Bloomington, Illinois, has been assigned a patent (No. 10,546,491, initially filed June 7, 2018) developed by Gregory L. Hayward, Bloomington, Illinois, for "broadcasting telematics data to nearby mobile devices, vehicles, and infrastructure."

The full-text of the patent can be found at 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=10,546,491.PN.&OS=PN/10,546,491&RS=PN/10,546,491

The abstract states: "A computer-implemented method of generating and broadcasting telematics and/or image data is provided. Telematics and/or image data may be collected, with customer permission, in real-time by a mobile device (or a Telematics App running thereon) traveling within an originating vehicle. The telematics data may include acceleration, braking, speed, heading, and location data associated with the originating vehicle. The mobile device may generate an updated telematics data broadcast including up-to-date telematics data at least every few seconds; and then broadcast the updated telematics data broadcast at least every few seconds via wireless communication to another computing device to facilitate alerting another vehicle or driver of an abnormal traffic condition or event that the originating vehicle is experiencing. An amount that an insured uses or otherwise employs the telematics data-based risk mitigation or prevention functionality may be used with usage-based insurance, or to calculate or adjust insurance premiums or discounts."

Written by Kusum Sangma; edited by Sudarshan Harpal.