Accident detection and recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9773281-B1
Application number	US-201414487899-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 16, 2014
Priority date	Sep 16, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

One or more devices in an accident detection and recovery computing system may be configured to determine that vehicle accidents have occurred, collect and analyze accident characteristics and other related data, and providing customized accident recovery services. Mobile computing devices, alone or in combination with vehicle-based systems and external devices, may detect accidents or receive accident indication data. After determining that an accident has occurred, mobile computing devices and/or vehicle-based systems may be configured to determine accident characteristics, retrieve vehicle data and vehicle occupant data from one or external servers, determine the damages or potential damages resulting from the accident, and determine one or more accident recovery options or recommendations based on the accident damages. Various user interface screens may be generated and displayed via the user's mobile device and/or a vehicle-based display device to provide the user with accident information, damages, and recovery options or recommendations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more hardware memory units; and
one or more network interfaces,
wherein the mobile computing device is configured to access and employ the hardware memory units and processors to:
receive, via the one or more network interfaces and via a wireless communication network, an accident detection and recovery application;
execute the accident detection and recovery application, executing the accident detection and recovery application including executing computer-readable instructions to:
receive current location and time data from a Global Positioning System (GPS) associated with the mobile device;
determine, using at least one of: movement sensors and location sensors within the mobile computing device, that the mobile computing device is within a vehicle that was involved in an accident;
determine, based at least on data received from the at least one of the movement sensors and the location sensors, one or more accident characteristics associated with the accident;
determine at least one of a type of potential damages or an amount of potential damages associated with the accident, based on the accident characteristics, determining the at least one of a type of potential damages or an amount of potential damages associated with the accident including:
comparing the accident characteristics to a plurality of predetermined impact types and speed thresholds;
identifying an impact type and speed threshold corresponding to the accident characteristics; and
determining the at least one of a type of potential damages or an amount of potential damages based on the identified impact type and speed threshold;

determine, based on the identified impact type and speed threshold, a part of a body of one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury; and
generate and display an accident recovery user interface on the mobile computing device, the accident recovery user interface including recommendations based on the determined type or amount of potential damages and recommendations based on the determined part of the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury, the recommendations based on the determined part of the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury including a medical care facility and further being based on the location and current time data received from the GPS.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein determining that the mobile computing device is in a vehicle that was involved in an accident further includes:
receiving, via the one or more network interfaces, data from a vehicle-based computing device of a first vehicle indicating that the first vehicle was involved in an accident.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 2 , wherein determining the accident characteristics associated with the accident comprises:
receiving, from the vehicle-based computing device of the first vehicle, at least one of:
a speed of the first vehicle at the time of the accident;
an area of impact on the first vehicle during the accident; or
a number of passengers in the first vehicle at the time of the accident.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein determining that the mobile computing device is in a vehicle that was involved in an accident further includes:
retrieving and analyzing data from at least one of:
an accelerometer of the mobile computing device;
a speedometer of the mobile computing device; or
the Global Positioning System (GPS) or other location-based service (LBS) of the mobile computing device.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein determining the type of potential damages or amount of potential damages associated with the accident further includes:
retrieving, from an external computer server, via the one or more network interfaces, at least one of physical attribute data or medical history data for the one or more occupants of the vehicle; and
determining at least one of a type or amount of potential medical damages to the occupants of the vehicle, based on the retrieved physical attribute data or medical history data of the occupants of the vehicle, based on the accident characteristics, and based on the determined part of the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein generating and displaying the accident recovery user interface comprises:
determining one or more insurance coverage characteristics applicable to the accident; and
determining an accident recovery recommendation based on the insurance coverage characteristics applicable to the accident, and based on the accident characteristics.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 6 , wherein the mobile computing device is further configured to access and employ the memory units and processors to:
initiate at least one of:
an insurance claim;
a title transfer process; or
a vehicle damage repair estimate,

wherein the initiation of the insurance claim, title transfer process, or vehicle damage repair estimate is based on determined type or amount of potential damages associated with the accident, and the insurance coverage characteristics applicable to the accident.

8. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a mobile computing device and via a wireless communication network, an accident detection and recovery application;
executing, by the mobile computing device, the accident detection and recovery application, executing the accident detection and recovery application including executing a series of computer-readable instructions to:
receive, from a Global Positioning System (GPS) associated with the mobile computing device, current time and location data of the mobile computing device;
determine, by the mobile computing device and using at least one of: movement sensors and location sensors within the mobile computing device, that the mobile computing device is in a vehicle that was involved in an accident;
determine, by the mobile computing device and based at least on data received from the at least one of the movement sensors and the location sensors, one or more accident characteristics associated with the accident;
determine, by the mobile computing device, at least one of a type of potential damages or an amount of potential damages associated with the accident, based on the accident characteristics, determining the at least one of a type of potential damages or an amount of potential damages associated with the accident including:
comparing the accident characteristics to a plurality of predetermined impact types and speed thresholds;
identifying an impact type and speed threshold corresponding to the accident characteristics; and
determining the at least one of a type of potential damages or an amount of potential damages based on the identified impact type and speed threshold;

determine, based on the identified impact type and speed threshold, a part of a body of one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury; and
generate and display, by the mobile computing device, an accident recovery user interface, the accident recovery user interface including recommendations based on the determined type or amount of potential damages and recommendations based on the determined part of the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury, the recommendations based on the determined part of the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury including a medical care facility and further being based on the location and current time data received from the GPS.

9. The method of claim 8 , wh

Assignees

• Allstate Insurance Co

Inventors

• Hanson Randall M

Classifications

• G01P15/00

  Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration · CPC title

• G16H10/60

  for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records · CPC title

• G06Q40/08 Primary

  Insurance · CPC title

• G01P3/00

  Measuring linear or angular speed; Measuring differences of linear or angular speeds (G01P5/00 - G01P11/00 take precedence; {direction and speed indication G01P13/045}; counting mechanisms G06M) · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title