Patent Application
20120010906
The technical field generally relates to telematics using wireless communications and more specifically is directed to telematics embedded in vehicles to provide value added services to subscribers and insurers.
With ubiquitous cellular telephone coverage now the norm, and with the development of location tracking to offer location-based services, there are no telematics services which allow a person traveling in a vehicle to automatically collect location, driving information, and automobile diagnostic information and use that information to obtain more cost effective automobile insurance or to enable automobile insurance companies to better evaluate and manage the risk profiles of its customers. One prior art system is General Motors' OnStar system, which, according to its website, is an in-vehicle safety and security system which is intended to protect the drivers of a vehicle on the road. It's system offers 24-hour access to advisors for navigational purposes, a connection to emergency assistance, and access to hands-free calling using the OnStar system. OnStar also collects on-board diagnostic information and provides monthly emails to its subscribers, specifically tire pressure information, oil life indication, and mileage tracking for preventive maintenance reminders. OnStar also tracks mileage and through association with GMAC Insurance, offers discounts to drivers based on the amount of miles driven in the vehicle. Notwithstanding OnStar's suite of features, it does nothing to ensure that consumers and insurers are getting the best deal or that drivers are getting the necessary feedback to gain driving efficiencies.
The present invention is directed to a method for providing a customer with a competitive insurance quote from an insurance carrier including collecting driving information relating to a customer for a time period, generating a driving report for the time period, providing the driving report to at least two potential insurance carriers, requesting insurance bids from the potential insurance carriers, and sending at least one of the insurance bids to the customer. In a preferred embodiment, the collecting step is performed by a telematics device installed on a vehicle or by a mobile device. The collecting step includes receiving driving information using a wireless network and wherein the driving information includes driver identification, vehicle speed and vehicle location and may include audio or visual data. In a preferred embodiment, the insurance bids are compared and only the lower bids are sent to the customer and a contract between the driver and the insurer is facilitated.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is a method for receiving a competitive bid from an insurance carrier including collecting driving information within a vehicle, transmitting the driving information to at least two potential insurance carriers over a wireless network, requesting competitive bids from the potential insurance carriers, and receiving the competitive bids electronically. The collecting step is preferably performed by a telematics device within the vehicle which may be an after-market unit installable by a customer. The driving information includes driver identification, vehicle speed and vehicle location and includes audio or visual data and may be collected for a defined time period prior to the transmitting step or may and sent in near real time and aggregated prior to the transmitting step.
In accordance with the present invention, there is a system for obtaining competitive insurance quotes for a vehicle including a telematics unit within a vehicle configured to collect data from sensors located within the vehicle wherein the sensors provide information relating to the vehicle, a wireless telecommunications interface connected to the telematics unit, a network in communication with the wireless telecommunications interface, at least two insurer terminals connected to the network, wherein each terminal is configured to receive the information; analyze the information, and provide a competitive bid for insurance based on the analysis of the information; and a user terminal configured for receiving the competitive bids and selecting at least one of the competitive bids.
In accordance with the present invention, there is a telematics unit for use in providing competitive insurance quotes, including a driver authentication module to identify the current driver of a vehicle, an interface to a GPS system for receiving location information, a vehicle interface for collecting vehicle status data relating to one of the vehicle's driving parameters or maintenance parameters, an interface to a wireless network configured to transmit information including the identity of the driver, the vehicle's location history and the vehicle status data history to a plurality of insurers and to receive rate quotes from one of the plurality of insurers, wherein the rate quotes from the plurality of insurers are based on the transmitted information. In an alternative embodiment, the driver authentication module may identify a plurality of drivers and the transmitted information includes aggregated data for the plurality of drivers. The telematics unit may further include a browser interface for sending and receiving data to and from the wireless network.
The following description is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.
With reference to
A high level embodiment of the ecosystem of the present invention is illustrated in
Continuing with the ecosystem diagram of
A more granular illustration of one embodiment of the ecosystem is shown in
The telematics platform 302 preferably authenticates the driver of the vehicle. For example, the driver authentication may be performed using bio-metrics, i.e, fingerprint or other scans, user driving patterns, authentication using a key fob or chip, or parental controls. Once authenticated, the telematics platform 302 may retrieve a user profile, which may, for example, identify the driver (i) by name or other code, (ii) as a parent or child or authorized user, (iii) as a mechanic or service center or (iv) as an unauthorized users. The telematics platform 302 may further include a driver feedback mechanism which provides feedback to the driver based on the real-time or historical driving behavior of the driver. The feedback mechanism may, for example, include a light display such as red/yellow/green wherein the light color displayed corresponds to the target criteria based on actual performance and wherein red is unacceptable deviation, yellow is acceptable deviation but cautions the driver to improve, and green indicates acceptable driving behavior. The feedback mechanism may also include a heads-up display whereby the feedback is projected onto the drivers windshield or dash, a mobile phone message, an audio alert, or any combination of the foregoing.
The authentication module may also be used to provide authentication and identification of a group of users (i.e., family members) to be included under one insurance policy. In that case, the individual driver information may be aggregated to provide a profile of driving behavior based on multiple users of the vehicle.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the telematics platform 302 may be configured to communicate through a browser loaded onto the telematics platform. Thus, operating in a client mode whereby data is communicated to and from the telematics device through a browser interface, the telematics platform is able to utilize data and applications that are resident on remote servers or in a cloud-computing configuration. The browser interface is configured to receive applications, requests for data, or for receiving data, and to send data wirelessly through the network to a remote server or remote servers within the network or connected to the network.
The ecosystem may be used to provide a variety of functions and services to users. For example, the ecosystem may be used to provide a variable rate insurance plan based on real-time driving behavior which is geared around objective, fair, and equitable insurance valuation criteria. The telematics platform 302 may collect data such as the driver identification, speed, tire pressure, gas volumes, odometer mileage, location, electronic systems information, breaking, acceleration, sensors, camera outputs, including video and still pictures, audio data including voice recordings, breath analysis, weather, traffic conditions, road conditions, and any other type of data that represents the driving habits of the driver, the operating condition and parameters of the vehicle, and the environment in which the vehicle is operating. The data may be collected in real time and stored until it is uploaded from the vehicle 12 through the wireless network 16 to the network 18 for downloading at workstations 20, 22. The data may be uploaded intermittently, either upon start-up of the engine, shut down of the engine, at specific time intervals, at specific mileage intervals, at service shops, or on demand or internally or externally generated request. The data may be aggregated and assimilated with other data, either prior to uploading (i.e., with other driver data from that vehicle) or after uploading (i.e., with driver data from other vehicles).
For example, the ecosystem may authenticate a driver through bio-metrics, login credentials, a key fob or chip, or any other authentication method. The ecosystem may employ parental controls and user profiles for each driver, including user profiles of parents, children, valet parkers, and even thieves. The ecosystem may provide feedback to the driver in real-time, quasi-real time, or non-real time reports. The feedback may be in the form of a visual display, including a traditional display or a heads up display, a mobile phone message, or an audio alert.
With reference to
In alternative embodiments, an insured may obtain two or more different insurance policies, one of which is active in a given set of driving conditions or driving locations and the other being active under an alternative set of driving conditions or driving locations. For example, one policy may be active when driving with city (or state) limits and another policy active for inter-city (or interstate) travel. In another alternative embodiment, different drivers of the same vehicle may have customized and differing insurance coverages or policies based on their personal driving habits.
While the present invention has been described in connection with the various embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can be used or modifications and additions can be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function without deviating therefrom. For example, one skilled in the art will recognize that the definitions and scopes of mobile alerts as described in the present application may apply to any environment, whether wired or wireless, and may be applied to any number of such devices connected via a communications network and interacting across the network. Therefore, the method and system of defining mobile alerts should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.
