Patent Grant
8725584
1. Field
The subject invention relates to online sales of vehicle history reports and, in particular, to tools for increasing sales of vehicle history reports.
2. Related Art
When consumers make choices to purchase vehicles, they often consult vehicle history reports. These vehicle history reports include information that help the consumer make their decision to purchase a vehicle, such as the make, model, and year of the vehicle, the number of previous owners, a status identifier (e.g., accident indicator, or other negative history indicators), etc. When a dealer is selling a vehicle, the dealer often provides the consumer with the vehicle history report associated with the vehicle to assist the consumer with their decision. Some consumers are more likely to purchase vehicles from dealers who provide vehicle history reports, and consumers are more likely to purchase vehicles that have favorable vehicle history reports (i.e., no accidents, few previous owners, etc.)
Dealers get these vehicle history reports from a service that specializes in generating vehicle history reports, such as Carfax which can be accessed at carfaxonline.com. To order vehicle history reports, dealers individually enter each VIN for each desired vehicle, such as specific vehicles in their inventory, to obtain each vehicle history report from the service. This process is cumbersome and dealers, thus, often fail to order reports. Dealers also have little guidance as to how to prioritize report purchases if they prefer not to purchase vehicle history reports for every vehicle.
The following summary of the invention is included in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention and as such it is not intended to particularly identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.
The inventors developed a batch delivery tool to automatically determine the dealer's retail inventory and automatically provide the vehicle history report for each vehicle in the inventory (without any dealer interaction). The dealers, however, have little control over the number of reports ordered. In addition, the dealers are billed on a per VIN (report) basis, which sometimes causes the dealers to exceed their budget for vehicle history reports.
A hybrid tool for providing vehicle history reports to dealers is described. The tool creates and delivers to the dealer a summary report that includes information about the vehicles in the dealer's inventory for which the dealer has not yet purchased a vehicle history report. The summary report may also include additional information about the vehicles in the inventory, such as whether the vehicles are a certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle, the number of consumers who have purchased the vehicle history report for a vehicle, the number of consumers who have run record checks for a vehicle, an incident identifier (e.g., accident identifier or other negative history identifiers), etc. The dealer can selectively purchase none, one, several or all of the vehicle history reports corresponding to the vehicles in the summary report. A process for creating and delivering the summary report and selected vehicle history reports is also described.
The summary report, and tools and methods for creating and presenting the summary report, are advantageous because they save dealers a considerable amount of time, but also allow the dealer to save money by selecting only those vehicle history reports that they need or feel are a good investment. The vehicle history report seller can sell more vehicle history reports because the process of purchasing vehicle history reports is much easier and less time consuming than running individual reports. In addition, the list of vehicles in the dealer's inventory is determined proactively, often locating vehicles that are missed by the dealer's internal process. The dealer also does not need to be concerned with purchasing duplicate reports.
According to an aspect of the invention, a method is provided that includes identifying consumer activity for a vehicle report associated with a vehicle identification number (VIN); determining whether the vehicle report has been purchased by a dealer; generating an alert if the vehicle report has not been purchased by the dealer; and transmitting the alert to the dealer for display on a dealer's computing device.
The vehicle history report may include information retrieved from a plurality of vehicle history records.
The dealer's computing device may be a mobile computing device.
The consumer activity may include a consumer purchase of the vehicle report.
The consumer activity may include a consumer inquiry.
The consumer activity may occur at a third party and the method may also include receiving a notification of the consumer activity from the third party.
The method may also include identifying the dealer that is selling a vehicle corresponding with the consumer activity before determining whether the vehicle report has been purchased by the dealer.
The alert may be an email, a pop-up window, a text message, a page viewable via a link to a site, a notification or a mobile notification.
According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage media is disclosed having computer executable instructions store thereon which cause a computer system to carry out a method when executed, the instructions including instructions for identifying consumer activity for a vehicle report associated with a vehicle identification number (VIN); instructions for determining whether the vehicle report has been purchased by a dealer; instructions for generating an alert if the vehicle report has not been purchased by the dealer; and instructions for transmitting the alert to the dealer for display on a dealer's computing device.
The vehicle history report may include information retrieved from a plurality of vehicle history records.
The consumer activity may be a consumer purchase.
The consumer activity may be a consumer inquiry.
The consumer activity may occur at a third party site and the instructions may also include instructions for receiving a notification of the consumer activity from the third party.
The computer-readable storage media may also include instructions for identifying the dealer that is selling a vehicle corresponding with the consumer inquiry before determining whether the vehicle report has been purchased by the dealer.
The alert may be an email, a pop-up window, a text message, a page viewable via a link to a site, a notification or a mobile notification.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a computer system is disclosed that includes a consumer activity data store; a dealer usage data store; and a processor configured to identify consumer activity for a vehicle report associated with a vehicle identification number (VIN) using the consumer activity data store, determine whether the vehicle report has been purchased by a dealer using the dealer usage data store, generate an alert if the vehicle report has not been purchased by the dealer, and transmit the alert to the dealer for display on a dealer's computing device.
The consumer activity data store may include a consumer inquiry data store and a consumer purchase data store.
The vehicle history report may include information retrieved from a plurality of vehicle history records.
The system may also include a vehicle history report generator configured to generate the vehicle history report and transmit the vehicle history report to the dealer.
The consumer activity may be a consumer purchase of the vehicle report and the consumer activity may be identified using the consumer purchase data store.
The consumer activity may be a consumer inquiry originating from a third party site, and the consumer activity may be identified using the consumer inquiry data store.
The processor may be further configured to identify the dealer that is selling a vehicle corresponding with the consumer activity before determining whether the vehicle report has been purchased by the dealer.
The alert may be an email, a pop-up window, a text message, a page viewable via a link to a site, a notification or a mobile notification.
According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method is disclosed, the method including determining a set of vehicles in a dealer inventory; determining a subset of the vehicles in the dealer inventory for which the dealer has not purchased a vehicle history report; transmitting a summary report to a dealer, the summary report including information about at least some of the vehicles in the subset of the vehicles; receiving a selection to purchase a vehicle history report for at least one of the vehicles in the summary report; and transmitting the vehicle history report corresponding to the selection to the dealer.
Determining the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory may include receiving the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from the dealer.
Determining the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory may include receiving a set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from a third party inventory web site.
Determining the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory may include receiving the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from the dealer and receiving a set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from a third party inventory web site.
The method may also include transmitting a detailed summary report to the dealer, the detailed summary report including a list of the subset of the vehicles.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers that have accessed a vehicle history report associated with a vehicle in the summary report.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers that have purchased a vehicle history report associated with a vehicle in the summary report.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers that have requested a record check associated with a vehicle in the summary report.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers who accessed the vehicle history report at a web site associated with the dealer.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers who accessed the vehicle history report at a web site associated with a third party inventory web site.
Each vehicle may be associated with a vehicle identification number (VIN).
The list of vehicles may include a list of VINs.
Receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include receiving a selection of one of the vehicles from the summary report.
Receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include receiving a selection of a plurality of the vehicles from the summary report.
Receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include receiving a selection of all of the vehicles from the summary report.
Transmitting the summary report to the dealer may include presenting a purchase indicator in proximity to each vehicle in the list of vehicles.
Presenting the purchase indicator may include presenting a deselectable purchase indicator.
Receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include identifying the vehicles in the list that have the purchase indicator selected.
The deselectable purchase indicator may include a box with a selectively viewable marking.
Receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include identifying the vehicles in the list that have the purchase indicator still in proximity to the vehicle identifier.
Transmitting the vehicle history report corresponding to the selection to the dealer may include providing a plurality of vehicle history reports corresponding to the selection to the dealer.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method is disclosed that includes accessing a vehicle identification number (VIN) data store to determine an inventory of vehicles of a dealer, each vehicle in the inventory associated with a VIN; accessing a dealer usage data store to identify vehicle history reports purchased by the dealer; identifying a subset of vehicles in the inventory of vehicles of the dealer for which the dealer has not purchased a vehicle history report; and transmitting a summary report about the subset of vehicles to the dealer for display on a dealer's computer display, the summary report allowing a dealer to selectively purchase vehicle history reports corresponding to the vehicles in the summary report.
The summary report may include a list of vehicles with a purchase indicator in proximity to each vehicle in the list of vehicles.
The method may also include transmitting a detailed summary report about the subset of vehicles to the dealer, and the detailed summary report may include a list of vehicles with a purchase indicator in proximity to each vehicle in the list of vehicles.
The purchase indicator may be deselectable.
The method may also include accessing a consumer usage data store; identifying a number of consumer activities for a vehicle history report for each vehicle in the subset of vehicles; associating the number of consumer activities for each vehicle history report with the summary report; and transmitting the summary report with the associated number of consumer activities to the dealer.
Identifying a number of consumer activities for each vehicle in the subset of vehicles may include identifying a number of consumers that purchased the vehicle history report.
Identifying a consumer activities for each vehicle in the subset of vehicles may include identifying a number of consumers that requested a record check for a vehicle in the subset of vehicles.
The method may also include accessing a certified pre-owned (CPO) unit data store to identify vehicles that are CPO units.
The method may also include presenting information about vehicles that are CPO units in the summary report.
The method may also include adding the vehicles that are identified as CPO units to the inventory of vehicles of the dealer.
The method may also include receiving a selection to purchase at least one vehicle history report.
The method may also include transmitting the purchased vehicle history report to the dealer.
Transmitting the list of vehicles may include presenting a list of VINs associated with each vehicle.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage media is disclosed having computer executable instructions stored thereon which cause a computer system to carry out a method when executed, the instructions including instructions for determining a set of vehicles in a dealer inventory; instructions for determining a subset of the vehicles in the dealer inventory for which the dealer has not purchased a vehicle history report; instructions for presenting a summary report to a dealer, the summary report including information about at least some of the vehicles in the subset of the vehicles; instructions for receiving a selection to purchase a vehicle history report for at least one of the vehicles in the summary report; and instructions for providing the vehicle history report corresponding to the selection to the dealer.
The instructions for determining the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory may include instructions for receiving the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from the dealer.
The instructions for determining the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory may include instructions for receiving a set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from a third party inventory web site.
The instructions for determining the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory may include instructions for receiving the set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from the dealer and instructions for receiving a set of vehicles in the dealer inventory from a third party inventory web site.
The computer-readable storage media may also include presenting a detailed summary report to the dealer, the detailed summary report including a list of the subset of the vehicles.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers that have accessed a vehicle history report associated with a vehicle in the summary report.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers that have purchased a vehicle history report associated with a vehicle in the summary report.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers that have requested a record check associated with a vehicle in the summary report.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers who accessed the vehicle history report at a web site associated with the dealer.
The summary report may include information about a number of consumers who accessed the vehicle history report at a web site associated with a third party inventory web site.
Each vehicle may be associated with a vehicle identification number (VIN).
The list of vehicles may include a list of VINs.
The instructions for receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include instructions for receiving a selection of one of the vehicles from the summary report.
The instructions for receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include instructions for receiving a selection of a plurality of the vehicles from the summary report.
The instructions for receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include instructions for receiving a selection of all of the vehicles from the summary report.
The instructions for presenting the summary report to the dealer may include instructions for presenting a purchase indicator in proximity to each vehicle in the list of vehicles.
The instructions for presenting the purchase indicator may include instructions for presenting a deselectable purchase indicator.
The instructions for receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include instructions for identifying the vehicles in the list that have the purchase indicator selected.
The deselectable purchase indicator may include a box with a selectively viewable marking.
The instructions for receiving a selection of at least one of the vehicles from the summary report may include instructions for identifying the vehicles in the list that have the purchase indicator still in proximity to the vehicle identifier.
The instructions for providing the vehicle history report corresponding to the selection to the dealer may include instructions for providing a plurality of vehicle history reports corresponding to the selection to the dealer.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage media is disclosed having computer executable instructions stored thereon which cause a computer system to carry out a method when executed, the instructions including instructions for accessing a vehicle identification number (VIN) data store to determine an inventory of vehicles of a dealer, each vehicle in the inventory associated with a VIN; instructions for accessing a dealer usage data store to identify vehicle history reports purchased by the dealer; instructions for identifying a subset of vehicles in the inventory of vehicles of the dealer for which the dealer has not purchased a vehicle history report; and instructions for presenting a summary report about the subset of vehicles to the dealer for display on a dealer's computer display, the summary report allowing a dealer to selectively purchase vehicle history reports corresponding to the vehicles in the summary report.
The summary report may include a list of vehicles with a purchase indicator in proximity to each vehicle in the list of vehicles.
The computer-readable storage media may further include instructions for presenting a detailed summary report about the subset of vehicles to the dealer, the detailed summary report including a list of vehicles with a purchase indicator in proximity to each vehicle in the list of vehicles.
The purchase indicator may be deselectable.
The computer-readable storage media may further include instructions for accessing a consumer usage data store; instructions for identifying a number of consumer activities for a vehicle history report for each vehicle in the subset of vehicles; instructions for associating the number of consumer activities for each vehicle history report with the summary report; and instructions for presenting the summary report with the associated number of consumer activities to the dealer.
The instructions for identifying a number of consumer activities for each vehicle in the subset of vehicles may include instructions for identifying a number of consumers that purchased the vehicle history report.
The instructions for identifying a number of consumer activities for each vehicle in the subset of vehicles may include instructions for identifying a number of consumers that requested a record check for a vehicle in the subset of vehicles.
The computer-readable storage media may also include instructions for accessing a certified pre-owned (CPO) unit data store to identify vehicles that are CPO units.
The computer-readable storage media may also include instructions for presenting information about vehicles that are CPO units in the summary report.
The computer-readable storage media may also include instructions for adding the vehicles that are identified as CPO units to the inventory of vehicles of the dealer.
The computer-readable storage media may also include instructions for receiving a selection to purchase at least one vehicle history report.
The computer-readable storage media may also include instructions for presenting the purchased vehicle history report to the dealer.
The instructions for presenting the list of vehicles may include instructions for presenting a list of VINs associated with each vehicle.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, exemplify the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain and illustrate principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to illustrate major features of the exemplary embodiments in a diagrammatic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of actual embodiments nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale.
Systems and methods for creating summary reports that allow dealers to selectively purchase vehicle history reports associated with vehicles described in the summary reports are described. The summary reports allow the dealer an opportunity to purchase only the vehicle history reports that are most needed, and may include additional information about each vehicle to aid the dealer in deciding which vehicle history reports to purchase. The summary reports allow the vehicle history report service (e.g., Carfax, accessed at carfaxonline.com) to sell more vehicle history reports. The summary report also make it more convenient for the dealer to run reports on more of their inventory, which may increase consumer confidence, help the dealer turn their inventory faster, etc.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to
The server 104 is configured to receive requests from computers 112, process the requests and provide responses to the requests to the computers 112. The server 104 may include one or more server computers networked to one another. An exemplary server is the Apache server. The server 104 includes a processor 116 to execute instructions, which is connected to memory 120 that stores data. The processor 116 executes instructions and accesses data in the memory 120 to, for example, generate reports, sell reports to consumers and dealers, allow consumers and dealers and other entities, such as banks, insurance companies, law firms, etc., to purchase reports and transmit reports and selling information to consumers and/or dealers. It will be appreciated that the server 104 may be implemented with any type of hardware and software, and that the server 104 may have a different configuration than shown in
The network 108 may be any type of communications channel, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, direct computer connections, and the like. The connection may be accomplished in a wireless manner using radio frequency, infrared, or other technologies, using any type of communication hardware and protocols, through other communication mediums, such as electric cable, fire optic cable, and/or through other technologies.
The computers 112 include consumer computers and dealer computers, which access the server 104 through the network 108. It will be appreciated that the consumers may also communicate with the dealers over the network 108. The computer 112 may be a server, a personal computer, a portable computer, a hand held device, a wireless device, and the like. The computer may be a single device at a single location or multiple devices at a single or multiple locations that are connected together using an appropriate communication protocols over any communication medium.
In one embodiment, the server 104 generates a summary report and transmits the summary report to one of the computers 112 associated with a dealer over the network 108. For example, the server 104 may include a website that is accessible by the computer 112 through a web browser located at the computer 112 over the network 108. The website provides the summary report generated for that dealer at the web browser at computer 112. Alternatively, the server 104 may email the summary report to the dealer over the network 108, the email accessible by the computer 112 through the web browser located at the computer 112. The dealer then transmits a request from its computer 112 back to the server 104 over the network 108 indicating a desire to purchase one or more vehicle history reports from the summary report. For example, the dealer may select a link in the web browser that indicates a desire to purchase one or more vehicle history reports. The server 104 then transmits the requested vehicle history report(s) back to the web browser located at the computer 112 from which it received the request.
The dealer data store 212 includes data regarding vehicle history reports that the dealer has previously purchased. The dealer data store 212 may also include data regarding the dealer's inventory. Alternatively, another data store may be provided that includes data regarding the dealer's inventory. The dealer data store 212 may include data about vehicle history reports that the dealer has purchased from the service that is generating the summary report and/or third parties.
The partner data store 216 includes data regarding vehicles in a dealer's inventory that is obtained from a third party inventory site. The third party inventory site may be a dealer web host provider or online vehicle listing site that markets the dealer's vehicles online to consumers. For example, the partner data store 216 may include data from third party online vehicle listing sites, such as autotrader.com or cars.com.
The consumer data store 220 includes information about consumer activity related to vehicle history reports. The consumer data store 220 may include information regarding consumer record checks, in which the consumer requests a summary of the vehicle history report. After the consumer runs the record check and reviews the summary of the vehicle history report, the consumer can then decide to purchase the vehicle history report or not. The consumer data store 220 may also include information regarding whether the consumer actually purchased and viewed the vehicle history report. The purchase information may include data regarding consumers who first performed a record check and then purchased the vehicle history report and consumers who directly purchased the vehicle history report (without the record check). It will be appreciated that two separate data stores or databases can be provided (e.g, a record check database and a separate purchase database).
The CPO data store 220 includes information regarding whether vehicles are CPO units. Vehicles are typically identified as CPO according to CPO rules. The CPO rules may be defined by the manufacturer and may include inspection requirements, certain model years, a positive vehicle history reports, etc. The CPO rules may also be defined by state laws.
The vehicle history information data store 228 includes data regarding the VIN of the vehicle, the year, make and model of the vehicle, whether the vehicle has been in accidents, the number of previous owners, etc. In another embodiment, the vehicle history information data may be divided into multiple data stores. For example, a first data store may include the VIN, make, model and year, and a second data store may include information on accidents and previous owners.
The report generator 204 accesses the data in the dealer data store 212, partner data store 216, consumer data store 220, CPO data store 224 and vehicle history information data store 228 to generate the summary reports, which the report generator 204 stores in the report data store 208. In another embodiment, a summary report is not stored in the report data store 208. Instead, the report generator 204 compiles the data from the data stores 212-228 and stores the compiled data in a database in the report data store 208. The summary report is then generated using the data compiled and stored in the database in the report data store 208 (e.g., by the server 104 or the report generator 204 in cooperation with the server 104). The generated summary report or compiled data includes information about the vehicles in the dealer's inventory. The summary report includes a list of each vehicle in the dealer's inventory for which the dealer does not have a vehicle history report. In one embodiment, the summary report may simply summarize some of the contents of the vehicle history reports. For example, the summary report may be: “You have 16 vehicles listed online without a Carfax report—6 of which are 1-owner and 3 have accidents or other incidents.” In another embodiment, the summary report includes information about the number of owners, number of accidents, consumer information, and the like, adjacent to each vehicle in the list. It will be appreciated that the summary report may include both the summarized content and the specific information for each vehicle in the list.
It will be appreciated that the report generator 204 does not need to access all of the dealer data store 212, partner data store 216, consumer data store 220, CPO data store 224 and vehicle history information data store 228 to generate summary reports. For example, a summary report can be generated using only the data in the dealer data store 212. If the dealer provides data regarding their inventory, and the dealer data store 212 also includes information regarding the previously purchased vehicle history reports, then the report generator 204 can generate a summary report that only includes information regarding the subset of vehicles in the dealer inventory for which the dealer has not previously purchased a vehicle history report using the dealer data store 212. In another example, the summary report can be generated using only the data in the dealer data store 212 and the partner data store 216. The data in the partner data store 216 can be used to determine the set of vehicles in the dealer's inventory, and the data in the dealer data store can be used to determine the subset of vehicles for which the dealer has not purchased a vehicle history report. It will be appreciated that other combinations of accessing data from the data stores can be accessed by the report generator 204 to generate the summary report.
In addition, although the data stores 212-228 are referred to as data stores that store data, it will be appreciated that the data stores may store databases of the data that can be accessed by the report generator 204. For example, each of the data stores 212-228 may be organized according to the vehicle identification number (VIN) of each vehicle.
The process 300 begins by accessing a vehicle identification number (VIN) data store to determine a retail inventory of vehicles of a dealer, each vehicle in the retail inventory associated with a VIN (block 304). For example, with reference to
With reference back to
Referring to
Referring again to
Obtaining inventory VINS from partners (block 404) includes accessing data from partners 416. These partners 416 may include for example, AutoTrader 420 and cars.com 424, etc. In one embodiment, the inventory VINS are obtained by receiving an ftp file 428 at the server from the partners 416. The ftp file 428 is stored in a partner data store (e.g., the Partner VIN Archive 432).
Comparing the inventory VINS to dealer usage (block 408) includes determining whether VINS are active dealer VINS 436 using the Dealer Usage data stored in the Dealer Usage data store 440. If the VINS are active, then the VINS are not used 448. If the VINS are not active, then the VINS are eligible candidate VINS 452.
Retrieving consumer information (block 412) includes retrieving consumer information 456. The consumer information may include consumer checks 460, consumer purchases 464 and CPO vehicles 468. The retrieved consumer information 456 is then stored in the Semi-AutoReports Database 472. The data in the Semi-Auto Reports Database 472 can be used to generate a summary report.
Pre-processing and collecting eligible VINS (block 504) starts from a stored procedure to create a view of candidate VINS with information to be displayed to the user. The data includes VINS, usage, source of VINS, create date, etc. If the inventory data comes from partner data, the procedure runs after the partner (e.g., autotrader.com and/or cars.com) process completes.
The AR_VW_SAR_Candidate Vins 512 may include the following data: comp_code, owner group, VIN, create data, last sent date, dealer int, loc gid, check counts and rpt counts. A query to create a view from data stored in multiple tables 516 is performed to generate the candidate VINs. The multiple tables include CST locations 520, GMCM_PANY 524 (e.g., dealer demographics data store), CUS_LOG_DEALER_INTEGRATOR 528 (e.g., tracking data store to collect VINs by inventory partner), CUS_COMMON 532 (e.g., service (e.g., Carfax) usage data store) and GMCM_LIST 536 (e.g., data store to collect a dealer's relationship with third party partners (i.e., dealer IDs).
The data for the summary report is compiled using the AR POPULATE SAR VINS process 540, which access the AR SAR TOOLS 544 and the SAR STORED PROCEDURE 548.
The pre-processing and determining candidate VINs 508 includes transmitting the data for the summary reports to the AR_SAR_CANDIDATE_VINS data store 552. The date the candidate VINs were sent may also be stored in the AR_SAR_SENT_DATE data store 556. The date the candidate VINs were sent from the partner can be used by the AR SAR TOOLS rules for eligibility to determine whether the VINs are eligible for SAR. The process 508 loops through the VINs, adds VIN Decode, updates, inserts and deletes VINS based on the rules for eligibility in the AR SAR TOOLS packages. MLOG 560 keeps track of changes to the candidate VIN list. The data is stored in the SWS MV SAR CANDIDATE VINS 564, which includes information regarding VIN, dealer_integrator (e.g., code identifying inventory partners)), LOC_GID (e.g., a unique identifier for a particular dealer location), COMP_CODE (e.g., an alphanumeric code used to uniquely identify a dealer), OWNER_GROUP (e.g., name of the owner group, if any, that owns the dealer), CREATE_DATE (e.g., date the VIN first showed up in the partner data files as a retail vehicle), MODEL_YEAR, MAKE_NAME, SERIES_NAME, NUM_CHECKS (e.g., number of consumers requesting a vehicle history report via a record check search for a particular VIN) and NUM_REPORTS (e.g., number of consumers purchasing a vehicle history report for a particular VIN).
The process 600 begins by determining a set of vehicles in a dealer inventory (block 604). For example, with reference to
Referring back to
The process 600 continues by presenting a summary report to a dealer, the summary report including at least some of the vehicles in the subset of the vehicles (block 612). For example, with reference to
The process 600 continues by receiving a selection to purchase a vehicle history report for at least one of the vehicles in the summary report (block 616). For example, with reference to
The process 600 continues by providing the vehicle history report corresponding to the selection to the dealer (block 620). For example, with reference to
The dealer login process 704 may include the dealer logging onto carfaxonline.com (block 714). It is then determined whether the dealer is eligible for a summary report (SAR) 716. If the dealer is not eligible for SAR, then the dealer proceeds with a normal login process 718. If the dealer is eligible, then the dealer proceeds to the SAR login 720, which accesses the Semi-Auto Reports database 724. From the dealer perspective, the dealer either has a normal login experience or the SAR summary report is presented to the dealer if the dealer is eligible for the SAR summary report and there are vehicles in the SAR summary report. The SAR summary presented to the dealer may include one or more of the VIN, year/make/model of the vehicles, the source of the VIN (e.g., autotrader.com and/or cars.com), the date the VIN was located online, the number of consumer purchases, the number of consumer record checks, the number of owners, the buyback guarantee status, select history details (e.g., accidents, etc.), ICR eligibility and CPO vehicle data. (
The summary report purchase process 708 includes receiving a dealer selection of VINs associated with vehicle history reports to purchase 728. The selected VINs are run 732 and the results page/email option 736 is presented to the dealer, including the selected vehicle history reports. (
If the dealer selects the email option 736, then the process proceeds to the email summary report process 712 and the email result page is sent 752. The information in the email is saved into a email summary database.
With reference to
As shown in
The dealer clicking on links 806 process begins by providing popup displays where the user can click “x” or Ok 848. For example, after a dealer clicks a VIN (the link), a popup confirmation window is displayed that confirms “Do you want to purchase this report”—to which the dealer can answer OK to run the report or ‘cancel’ (“X”) to not run the VIN. If the dealer selects X, the process returns to displaying the list of candidate VINs 804. If the dealer selects ok 852, the process continues by checking the submit safety net 854, which includes determining whether the VIN is in inventory and retrieving VIN information 854 from the SWS inventory data store 855 and the VHDB 856. The VINs are then processed which includes generating a vehicle history report for each VIN and writing the results into a dealer usage store 858 and logging information is written 860 using the AR_SAR_log_batch databases 862. The SAL results page is then built 864. The user selects on VIN link in the results page 866 accessing the admin SWS ARC inventory action data store 868. The user proceeds to choose email options 810.
Referring to
The illustrated summary report 904 includes a list of VINS 908, the year/make/model 912, the online listing site 916, the number of times the report was searched by consumers 920 and several purchase indicators 922 next to each VIN in the list of VINS 908. A link 924 is provided to run vehicle history report(s).
In
Although the purchase indicator is shown as being a box with a check inside it will be appreciated that any type of purchase indicator may be used as an alternative. In addition, although the summary report is shown with each vehicle initially selected, it will be appreciated that the summary report can be presented with each vehicle unselected. Other purchase indicators, such as purchase option buttons or links may be provided.
It will be appreciated that the summary report may have less information or more information than shown in
The illustrated summary report receipt page 950 includes a list of VINs 954, and, for each vehicle, the year, make and model 956, the number of owners 958, a status identifier 960, a details section 962 and the availability of the vehicle history report online 964. It will be appreciated that the summary report receipt page 950 may include less than or more than this information. The status identifier 960 may also be used in the summary report 904 to indicate a possibly negative vehicle event (e.g., accident reported, parts requested for repair, etc.)
The summary reports are advantageous because it provides convenience to the dealers because the list of VINs is automatically populated so the dealer can quickly order vehicle history report without having to type each VIN individually. In addition, the dealers maintain control over their purchase decision. The dealers have the opportunity to individually select the VINs for which they want to run vehicle history reports.
The summary report is also advantageous because it provides information to help dealers choose vehicles for which to run vehicle history reports. For example, the status of each vehicle in the dealer's inventory is provided so that dealers can ensure that their policies regarding having a report for each car in their inventory are followed. In addition, the consumer activity related to a vehicle can influence a dealer's decision to purchase a vehicle history report. Similarly, if the vehicle is a CPO vehicle, the dealer can be alerted if the vehicle is not in compliance with the CPO program. The summary report may also identify vehicles that satisfy CPO rules but are not identified as CPO by the dealer.
In addition, the ability to have a one-click ordering process, provides convenience to the dealers, and also increases the ability for the vehicle history report service provider to sell additional vehicle history reports.
The systems and processes described above may also or as an alternative provide a notification to a dealer when consumer activity (e.g., a vehicle report inquiry, a vehicle report purchase, etc.) is detected for a vehicle offered for sale by that dealer (e.g., on the dealer's lot).
The process 1000 begins by detecting that consumer activity has occurred (block 1004). Exemplary consumer activities that may trigger a dealer notification include consumer purchases of vehicle history reports and consumer inquiries. Consumer inquiries include, for example, clicking on a link to the report site from a partner or other third party website, conducting a check for the vehicle history report directly from the website that generates the vehicle history reports (e.g., Carfax.com), vehicles searched on the website that generates the vehicle history reports, and the like. Consumer inquiries generally involve users having the opportunity to purchase a vehicle history report but choosing to not purchase the vehicle history report.
The process 1000 continues by determining whether the vehicle history report corresponding to that vehicle has been purchased by a dealer (block 1008). For example, the VIN of the vehicle corresponding to the consumer inquiry may be queried in a database of VINs for which a vehicle history report has been ordered by a dealer.
If no, the process continues by matching the VIN with a dealer that is offering the vehicle (block 1012). For example, files may be cross-referenced with third party sites, such as AutoTrader, Cars.com, etc., to identify which dealer is advertising that car online.
The process continues by issuing a notification to the dealer of the consumer activity (block 1012). The notification may be an email, text message, pop-up, notification via the host website (e.g., Carfaxonline.com) that is displayed on the dealer's computer display, or other mobile notifications. It will be appreciated that the notification may be about a specific vehicle, or the notification may include a full list of vehicles for which there has been consumer activity on vehicles in the dealer's inventory in a given time period (e.g., daily, weekly, etc.), or the like.
It will be appreciated that the notification may include a variety of information and be issued at a variety of different times. For example, the notification may be issued each time a consumer inquiry is detected, the notification may be a daily summary (i.e., an email every day capturing all record checks), and/or a market information email (including the notification of the consumer inquiry). It will be appreciated that as opposed to a daily summary, a summary may be delivered to the dealer every couple of days, weekly, etc. It will be appreciated that the notification may include market information, such as the highest Make/Model record check searches in the dealer's area, identify the other Make/Model of VINs viewed Record Checks by a particular consumer (or group of consumers if notifications are aggregated), identify market activity trends, identify the number of other dealers that have activity from that consumer (or group of consumers), identify the site from which the consumer activity was generated, etc.
An exemplary notification to a dealer is provided below:
It will be appreciated that the above exemplary notification may vary from the notification illustrated above. For example, the notification may include less information or more information.
The notification is advantageous because dealers “feel” the online consumer interest in the vehicle report more directly and immediately. The notification also reminds dealers that consumers want vehicle history information before they purchase a vehicle. After receiving the notification, the dealer is likely to purchase the vehicle history report for that vehicle. The dealer can then provide the vehicle history report to potential customers and other online shoppers interested in the vehicle.
Thus, the systems and methods described herein are able to transform data about a dealer's inventory and vehicle report purchases and inquiries into reports or alerts that inform the dealer of vehicle history reports that should be purchased. The dealer can then purchase the needed vehicle history reports and provide those reports to any user, improving the likelihood that the user will purchase that vehicle.
The exemplary computer system 1100 includes a processor 1102 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both), a main memory 1104 (e.g., read only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.) and a static memory 1106 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), which communicate with each other via a bus 1108.
The computer system 1100 may further include a video display unit 1110 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 1100 also includes an alphanumeric input device 1112 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 1114 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 1116, a signal generation device 1120 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 1122.
The disk drive unit 1116 includes a computer-readable medium 1124 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 1126) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The software 1126 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1104 and/or within the processor 1102 during execution thereof by the computer system 1100, the main memory 1104 and the processor 1102 also constituting computer-readable media.
The software 1126 may further be transmitted or received over a network 1128 via the network interface device 1122.
While the computer-readable medium 1124 is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention. The term “computer-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media.
The invention has been described through functional modules, which are defined by executable instructions recorded on computer readable media which cause a computer to perform method steps when executed. The modules have been segregated by function for the sake of clarity. However, it should be understood that the modules need not correspond to discreet blocks of code and the described functions can be carried out by the execution of various code portions stored on various media and executed at various times.
It should be understood that processes and techniques described herein are not inherently related to any particular apparatus and may be implemented by any suitable combination of components. Further, various types of general purpose devices may be used in accordance with the teachings described herein. It may also prove advantageous to construct specialized apparatus to perform the method steps described herein. The present invention has been described in relation to particular examples, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many different combinations of hardware, software, and firmware will be suitable for practicing the present invention.
The present invention has been described in relation to particular examples, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many different combinations of hardware, software, and firmware will be suitable for practicing the present invention. Moreover, other implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Various aspects and/or components of the described embodiments may be used singly or in any combination. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/579,369, filed Oct. 14, 2009 and entitled “TOOL FOR SELLING AND PURCHASING VEHICLE HISTORY REPORTS,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/177,054, filed Jul. 21, 2008 and entitled “TOOL FOR SELLING AND PURCHASING VEHICLE HISTORY REPORTS,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/059,729, filed Jun. 6, 2008, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4404639 | McGuire et al. | Sep 1983 | A |
| 4989144 | Barnett et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
| 5001714 | Stark et al. | Mar 1991 | A |
| 5127005 | Oda et al. | Jun 1992 | A |
| 5361201 | Jost et al. | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5493729 | Nigawara et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
| 5521815 | Rose, Jr. | May 1996 | A |
| 5598511 | Petrinjak et al. | Jan 1997 | A |
| 5774883 | Andersen et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5794164 | Beckert et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5826258 | Gupta et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5842205 | Brann | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5844987 | Matthews et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5899978 | Irwin | May 1999 | A |
| 5899985 | Tanaka | May 1999 | A |
| 5917405 | Joao | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5931878 | Chapin, Jr. | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5963949 | Gupta et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5999878 | Hanson et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6006201 | Berent et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6026345 | Shah et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6052631 | Busch et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6076064 | Rose, Jr. | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6092193 | Loomis et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6098061 | Gotoh et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6240365 | Bunn | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6259354 | Underwood | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6263322 | Kirkevold et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6304870 | Kushmerick et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6339745 | Novik | Jan 2002 | B1 |
| 6370454 | Moore | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6397131 | Busch et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6476715 | Bromer | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6505106 | Lawrence et al. | Jan 2003 | B1 |
| 6609108 | Pulliam et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
| 6643641 | Snyder | Nov 2003 | B1 |
| 6714933 | Musgrove et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 6728685 | Ahluwalia | Apr 2004 | B1 |
| 6754564 | Newport | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6785671 | Bailey et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
| 6834048 | Cho et al. | Dec 2004 | B1 |
| 7113853 | Hecklinger | Sep 2006 | B2 |
| 20010011221 | Underwood | Aug 2001 | A1 |
| 20010053995 | Nishimoto | Dec 2001 | A1 |
| 20010054017 | Wakabayashi et al. | Dec 2001 | A1 |
| 20020016655 | Joao | Feb 2002 | A1 |
| 20020024537 | Jones et al. | Feb 2002 | A1 |
| 20020032626 | DeWolf et al. | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20020042752 | Chaves | Apr 2002 | A1 |
| 20020065707 | Lancaster et al. | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020065844 | Robinson et al. | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020072808 | Li | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020082930 | Park | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020082934 | Koda et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020087420 | Higgins et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020087423 | Palango et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020091706 | Anderson et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020099618 | Stiberman | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020107882 | Gorelick et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020123840 | Obata et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020143646 | Boyden et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20020169640 | Freeland | Nov 2002 | A1 |
| 20020194051 | Hall et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| 20030036964 | Boyden et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030167209 | Hsieh | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20040199430 | Hsieh | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20040243588 | Tanner et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040267818 | Hartenstine | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20050050031 | Matsumoto | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050114270 | Hine et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
| 20050154664 | Guy et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20050177337 | Beyer et al. | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20060015377 | Hoogs et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060149674 | Cook et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2003-30235 | Jan 2003 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| “Research Proposal for Carfax,” dated Sep. 8, 2003. |
| “Saturn Retail Project,” date printed May 2001-Sep. 2001. |
| “Carfax Rental Car Valuation Exercise,” for 2000 Honda Accord, Oct. 1, 2009. |
| www.kbb.com “Kelley Blue Book,” Advice, New Car Values/Used Car Values, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.kbb.com, “Kelley Blue Book,” Condition Quiz—Appraise Your Own Vehicle, 2002 BMW 7 Series 745Li Sedan 4D, date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| www.kbb.com, “Kelley Blue Book,” Blue Book Trade-In Report, 2002 BMW 7 Series 745Li Sedan 4D, date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| www.kbb.com, “Kelley Blue Book,” Trade-In, 2002 BMW 7 Series 745Li Sedan 4D, date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| www.edmunds.com, “Used Cars, 2001 BMW 7 Series, Used Car Appraiser, Step 1—Step 6,” date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| www.edmunds.com “Certified Pre-Owned Cars,” date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| auto.consumerguide.com “The Truth About Cars,” date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| “Powered by Intelliprice,” 2001 BMW 7 Series 4D Sedan 740iL, specify vehicle to trade, pp. 1 of 1, date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| “Powered by Intelliprice,” 2001 BMW 7 Series 4D Sedan 740iL, Verify Equipment, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| “Powered by Intelliprice,” 2001 BMW 7 Series 4D Sedan 740iL, Describe the condition of your vehicle, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| http://nada.org., “National Automobile Dealers Association Online,” Home Page, pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www2.nadaguides.com “Build and Price a New Car,” Request a new car quote, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www2.nadaguides.com “Build and Price a New Car,” Select Body Style or Category, pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www2.nadaguides.com, “Build and Price a New Car,” Select Mileage & Options, pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www2.nadaguides.com, “Build and Price a New Car,” Vehicle Report, pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.intellichoice.com, “Used Car Truck SUV Research by Make Model Price,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.intellichoice.com, “2000 Mercury Mystique—At a Glance,” Vehicle Report, pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.intellichoice.com, “2000 Mercury Mystique—Used Valuation,” Vehicle Report, pp. 1 of 3, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.intellichoice.com “2000 Mercury Mystique—Used Valuation Adjusted,”Vehicle Report, pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.autocheck.com, “AutoCheck Vehicle History Reports: Free VIN Check,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.autocheck.com, “Welcome to AutoCheck,” pp. 1 of 4, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.autocheck.com, “Sample Reports,” An AutoCheck Clean Bill of Health: 2G1WL54T4L9101564, 1990 Chevy Lumina, pp. 1 of 3, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.kbb.com, “Kelley Blue Book,” Blue Book Trade-in Report, 2002 BMW 7 Series 745 Li Sedan 4D, p. 1 of 2, date printed Jun. 10, 2003. |
| www.autotrader.com, “Used Cars, Sell Your Car, Auto Financing & Insurance,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.autotrader.com, “Used Cars for Sale: Step 2 of 2,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.autotrader.com “Used Cars for Sale: Step 2 of 2,” p. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.autotrader.com, “Used Cars for Sale: Car Details,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.autotrader com, “Find Your Car: Search Results,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.cars.com, “Listings and research to connect you with the right car,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.cars.com, “Search Results,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.cars.com., “1989 Ford Mustang LX Sport,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.carmax.com, “The Online Auto Superstore” Home Page, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.carmax.com, “The Online Auto Superstore: Quick Search,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.carmax.com, “The Online Auto Superstore: Search Results,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www.carmax.com, “The Online Auto Superstore: Clean Title,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 12, 2004. |
| www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov “Office of Defects Investigation,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov “Office of Defects Investigation, Cars/Problems/Recalls,”pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.dchusedcars.com, “DCH Auto Group, Used Car CyberLot of New Jersey—Freehold, New Jersey,” Inventory, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.dchusedcars.com, “DCH Auto Group, Used Car CyberLot of New Jersey—Freehold, New Jersey,” Inventory-results, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.dchusedcars.corn , “DCH Auto Group, Used Car CyberLot of New Jersey—Freehold, New Jersey,” Certifications, pp. 1 of 3, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.autos.yahoo.com., “New car prices, car pictures, car reviews, used cars, used car prices on Yahoo!,” pp. 1 of 3, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.used-cars.autos.yahoo.com, “Fairfax Used Cars BMW—Fairfax VA Used BMW Cars,” pp. 1 of 3, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.carprices.com “Car Prices, New car prices, Used car prices, Auto financing and car research,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.inventory.carprices.com, Match Maker, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jun. 23, 2003. |
| www.mbusa.com, “Find Starmark Certified pre owned Mercedes-Benz cars at mbusa.com,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.mbusa.com, Untitled, p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.mbusa.com, “Search Results,” for 2004 Convertible, pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.autoweb.com, “Used Cars for Sale, New Car Pricing by Autoweb/New and Used Car Prices/Autoweb,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.web1.intellipriceauto.com, “Identification Page,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.stoneage.com “Building New Roads for the Automotive Community,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.car.com, “Building New Roads for the Automotive Community,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.car.com, “New Vehicle Quote Process,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.car.com, “List My Car for Sale—Step 1,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.car.com “My Car's Value,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.car.com, “My Car's Value—Estimate Process, Step 2,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.car.com., “My Car's Value—Estimate Process, Step 3,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.carsmart.com, “New and Used Car Prices,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.web1.intellipriceauto.corn “Identification Page,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.web1.intellipriceauto.com, “Your Vehicle Condition,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.web1.intellipriceauto.com, “Your Contact Information,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 14, 2004. |
| www.dealernet.com, “The Key to Your Car, Welcome to Dealernet Prices and Reviews,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.dealernet.com, “The Key to Your Car, Trade-In Values, p. 1 of 1,” date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.dealernet.com, “The Key to Your Car, Trade-In Values for the 2000 Mercury Mystique 4dr Sedan LS,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.dealernet.com, “The Key to Your Car, Trade-In Values for the 2000 Mercury Mystique 4dr Sedan LS with Mileage Adjustment,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www2.motorplace.com, “Home Page,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.autobytel.com, “Research,” pp. 1 of 2, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.cartrackers.com, “New and Used Car Pricing and Reviews,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.dealerhq.com, “Front Page,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Jul. 15, 2004. |
| www.carfax.com, “Don't buy a used car without CARFAX!,” p. 1 of 1, date printed Nov. 8, 2004. |
| www.carfax.com “CARFAX Vehicle History Report,” pp. 1-9, date printed Nov. 8, 2004. |
| Brown, Just How Used is That Used Car? The Washington Post, Aug. 18, 1997, 4 pages. |
| Meredith Little, Buying and selling a car online. Mac©Home. Louisville: Sep. 1999. vol. 4, Iss. 9;p. 4, 7 pgs. |
| Maynard, Playing Used-Car Detective, Online, New York Times, Jul. 29, 2001, p. 10, downloaded from Pro-Quest on the Internet on Sep. 13, 2008, 4 pages. |
| Chrome Inventory Search™, “Match Vehicles They Want to the Vehicle on Your Lot”, Chrome Driving Automative Commerce™, www.chrome.com, 2 pgs., Oct. 1, 2009. |
| “Target-Based Document-Independent Information Extraction”, David W. Embley et al., Brigham Young University, www.deg.byu.edu, 11 pgs., Jun. 30, 2005. |
| “A Hierarchical Approach to Wrapper Induction”, Ion Muslea et al., University of Southern California, {muslea, minton, knablock}@isi.edu, 8 pgs., 1999. |
| “Building a Web-Based Search Tool”, Andrew Peterson, Updated: Jul. 19, 2001, Article from SQL Server Magazine, 8 pgs. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61059729 | Jun 2008 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12177054 | Jul 2008 | US |
| Child | 12579369 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12579369 | Oct 2009 | US |
| Child | 12855655 | US |
