State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Assigned Patent for Telematics Data-Based Risk Mitigation

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 20 -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, Bloomington, Illinois, has been assigned a patent (No. 10,354,333, initially filed Jan. 7, 2016) developed by Gregory Hayward, Bloomington, Illinois, for "providing insurance discounts based upon usage of telematics data-based risk mitigation and prevention functionality."

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=10,354,333.PN.&OS=PN/10,354,333&RS=PN/10,354,333

The abstract states: "A computer-implemented method of updating an auto insurance policy is provided. The method may include (1) determining that a customer's mobile device has a Telematics Application ("App") installed on it, the Telematics App configured to (i) receive telematics data associated with another vehicle via a wireless communication broadcast, (ii) determine a travel event from analysis of the telematics data received, and (iii) generate a corrective action based upon the telematics data received or travel event determined that alleviates the risk of vehicle collision. The method may also include (2) monitoring, with the customer's permission, an amount or percentage of usage of the Telematics App on the customer's mobile device while the customer is driving in an insured vehicle, and (3) adjusting an insurance policy premium or discount based upon usage of the Telematics App to facilitate rewarding risk-averse drivers and encourage usage of risk mitigation or prevention technology."

Written by Ranjan Behera; edited by Sudarshan Harpal.