Patent Application
20060036473
1. Field
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for insuring mobile equipment from all risk perils. More particularly, it relates to a method, apparatus and product to insure the owner and/or GPS manufacturer of mobile equipment adapted with a GPS system from loss.
2. State of the Art
Heavy equipment theft losses exceeded $1 billion last year in the United States alone, according to the National Equipment Register (2002). This report goes on to say that between 10 and 15 percent of all stolen equipment is ever recovered. Over 50% of all heavy equipment losses are due to theft. Since 1996, heavy equipment theft has increased by upwards of 20% annually in the United States. Sophisticated, organized crime rings are the main perpetrators according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (2002). On average it takes 10 to 15 minutes for a thief to steal heavy equipment. It takes several days for the same theft to be discovered. The low recovery rate makes critical the emphasis on theft prevention; see Police research Series, Paper 117 (1999).
To properly protect this equipment, it must be immobilized every night. In addition, immediate action must be taken if it is stolen. A number of GPS systems have been designed for installation on mobile heavy equipment for tracking and immobilization when not in use.
Presently, there is no method for providing discounted all risk insurance coverage for owners of mobile equipment employing these global positioning systems. This is because the equipment owner would have to list by separate schedule equipment having GPS systems and that which did not; resulting in combined coverage, and therefore little or no rate reduction. The process of reducing the mobile equipment rate on a schedule with GPS equipment and non GPS also can not happen for reason that the non GPS equipment is subject to theft without any protection. As such, the non GPS equipment will pollute the sample in the study, thereby preventing actuarial calculation of an overall all risk loss discount.
The method, apparatus and product described below provide such discounted all risk insurance coverage.
The invention comprises a method and apparatus to issue a master all risk insurance policy to the manufacturer of GPS systems tied to GPS systems installed on mobile equipment. Thus only GPS scheduled equipment is covered from all risk theft, fire, wind, and any peril under a single rate. As the inland marine insurance rate for mobile equipment is rated substantially for the insured peril of theft, a significant discounted rate can be provided by the employment of GPS systems with this mobile equipment. Credits to reduce insurance premiums are given for the following reasons:
Inland Marine is the term used to cover equipment. It is common knowledge that equipment of all kinds and values are located on the same schedule on the policy. For this reason, equipment with GPS protection and without is found on the same Schedule. This process pollutes the actuarial data needed to develop worthy credit programs. Thus, it is essential to isolate the sample for actuarial as well as underwriting purposes. This currently is not being accomplished by the insurance industry before applicant's invention.
The first part of the process is to isolate the GPS equipment from the equipment not having GPS units. This is done by creating a new reduced rate GPS all risk insurance policy in the name of the manufacturer, or revising the schedules of an existing all risk insurance policy to isolate GPS scheduled equipment in the owner's name (the scheduled equipment listed must have verification that the GPS equipment was installed and is functioning). Manufacturer as used herein is the Manufacturer of the GPS device. Once the GPS equipment is installed and functioning, the equipment owner can then: a) elect to add the equipment to his certificate on the GPS all risk insurance policy provided by the manufacturer, or b) reduce the premium of his existing re-scheduled all risk policy. The certificate will function similarly to that of an insurance policy, giving the same protection. The one exception is that the rate will be reduced for reason that the sample of GPS device equipment is isolated warranting the credit reduction.
The method must utilize the physical apparatus of a GPS device. The GPS system not only tracks the location of the mobile equipment, but generally employs an automatic alarm and disabling feature during predefined hours, or on demand. Equipment relocation during off-hours is tracked and suspicious activities immediately reported to the machine's owner and/or security and law enforcement personnel. This reporting is done automatically similar to a silent alarm and is undetectable, effective, and reliable to provide around the clock surveillance. More particularly, the GPS device has the following features:
The anti-theft technology uses a hardware unit mounted on the customer's asset. The hardware unit contains a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and a wireless communication radio. Both the GPS receiver and wireless communication radio have an antenna, and in some cases the two antennas are combined into a single one.
The anti-theft technology provides any and all of the following protection methods:
The first step of the method is to gather, prepare, and maintain sufficient GPS equipment data to actuarially compute a rate reduction for mobile equipment all risk insurance coverage to be written and provided to owners of GPS systems installed on their mobile equipment. The method next involves the installation of GPS systems on mobile equipment by the GPS systems manufacturer, which is tested for operability by transmission via satellite to the GPS manufacturer's central control facility. The anti-theft GPS technology employed uses a hardware unit mounted on the customer's equipment asset. It has a remote tracking unit with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and a wireless communication radio. Both the GPS receiver and wireless communication radio have an antenna, and in some cases the two antennas are combined into a single one. As an option, though not required for the system to work, the detecting of an alarm condition may send a notification to a number of different mediums. These include, but are not limited to: email, text messaging, alphanumeric pager, and websites. The GPS system sends a signal to the GPS manufacturer's central control facility monitoring unit once correctly installed. This GPS manufacturer's central control facility then transmits the position, type, and equipment operation data to an insurance company receiver to update its GPS mobile equipment database with the latest data. From the database pool of GPS mobile equipment data, an actuarial rate is generated by the insurance receiver for issuing an insurance policy. The insurance policy is issued to the GPS system manufacturer or equipment owner. This insurance policy is issued and the discounted rate transmitted to the GPS mobile equipment central control facility to add this insurance charge to its GPS monitoring charges for payment by the owner and operator for all risk insurance coverage. Premiums can also be billed individually to the owners of the equipment who are the certificate holders on the master policy.
The apparatus for providing GPS mobile equipment with discounted all risk insurance coverage thus comprises: a plurality of GPS transmitters installed in designated vehicles in communication with an orbital satellite GPS receiving and relay system. The GPS receiving and relay system transmits the status of the mobile equipment to the GPS manufacturer's equipment control center. The manufacturer's equipment control center has transmitters to transmit electronic information regarding the location, type of mobile equipment unit, and condition of the same to corresponding receptors and transmitters in an insurance control center. The insurance control center receives the GPS electronic information from the manufacturer's equipment control center and enters the same into a database. This database is entered into a computer in the insurance control center. This computer has an actuarial program to generate a discount insurance rate for all risk insurance covering the GPS mobile equipment. This discount all risk insurance rate is then transmitted via a computer transmitter to send an all risk mobile equipment discount rate insurance policy covering both the GPS system operator and owner to the GPS control center. The insurance center then bills the owner.
Owners and Dealers are therefore the certificate holders on a master all risk insurance policy. Equipment is moved to a single schedule on the master policy once the GPS is properly installed and functioning. Using installation of the GPS device provides a unique insurance method, apparatus and product or credit structure on existing policies not currently offered. The isolation process purifies the data pool and allows the actuarial theory to be applied. Thus, a national rate and not territorial rate, which are largely affected based on local theft exposure is provided. This simplifies the rating as well as the underwriting process.
With the introduction of this business process method, apparatus and product patent the sample can be actuarially proven. This being the case the rate for mobile equipment will be substantially reduced. Rates provided by an A++ insurance company implementing this invention for the first time are as follows:
Although coverage is automatically electronically provided in unalterable form, a written policy may also generated and transmitted to the GPS mobile equipment manufacturer and/or owner. The invention has been designed to accomplish the following:
The above data is preferably received on-line via the internet, or in a variety of media types, including tapes, cartridges, discs, etc. and is integrated with a data integration system to include all relevant data, even though this initially generates redundant entries. Once the GPS mobile equipment insurance data is entered, it generally doesn't change unless the unit is damaged.
The other information varies continuously, and has to be periodically updated and inputted by the GPS equipment manufacturer to reflect the current equipment status and identity of each unit. The GPS all risk equipment coverage begins on the date of installation or an operable GPS unit, and ends as of the date the equipment is sold or transferred. Continuous monitoring insures that uninstalled GPS equipment is not covered, and that the current owner is covered as an additional insured. This policy rate lowers the overall cost of providing the all risk discount GPS insurance to the owner by reducing risk of loss, and administrative fees passed on to the owner. For example, monthly entries are inputted by the GPS equipment manufacturer via screens gathering the necessary information for transmittal through the internet or GPS network system. This information is thus preferably reported on standardized combined or separate interactive computer screens.
The above method and apparatus thus provides a simple means for meeting the needs of both the GPS equipment manufacturer and equipment owner with discounted all risk insurance unique as to the time coverage begins and ends and its cost.
Although the foregoing specification refers to the illustrated embodiments, it is not intended to restrict the scope of the appended claims. The claims themselves recite the features deemed essential to the invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of the provisional patent application entitled “GPS Mobil Equipment Insurance Method, Apparatus, and Product” filed Aug. 11, 2004 and assigned Ser. No. 60/600,608.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60600608 | Aug 2004 | US |
