Granted Patent B2

US 12,254,510 · App. 18/060,724 · Granted Mar 18, 2025

Inventors: Michelle D. Adler (Sugar Hill, GA); Ashley N. Spencer (Atlanta, GA); Steven Stought (Suwanee, GA); Christopher D. Sharp (Dunwoody, GA); Cagatay Azkin (Suwanee, GA); Song Zheng (Duluth, GA); Seil Cho (Sugar Hill, GA); Lynne E. Luz (Smyrna, GA)

Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

G06Q30/0645G06Q30/0283G06Q30/0639G06Q40/08G06Q30/0625

Abstract

Claims (68)

1. A rental self-service (“RSS”) computer system for enabling a claimant to initiate an insurance replacement rental reservation after submission of an initial loss claim, the RSS computer system comprising a processor in communication with a memory, the processor programmed to:

retrieve, from an insurance provider database, policyholder insurance data using a claim identifier associated with the initial loss claim submission, and a policyholder identifier associated with a named policyholder for a subject insurance policy, the insurance provider database associated with an insurance provider providing the subject insurance policy to the named policyholder;

generate a customized link including a representation of the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier, wherein the customized link is executable on a user device associated with the claimant to cause display of a searchable interface that is prepopulated by the processor, using the representation of the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier and without additional input from the claimant, based on the retrieved policyholder insurance data, the searchable interface configured to enable the claimant to search for rentable vehicles from a plurality of vendors;

transmit, to the user device, the customized link;

in response to receiving the customized link from the user device, retrieve rental vehicle data, via Application Programming Interface (API) calls, from a plurality of vendor computing devices, the rental vehicle data including at least one rental vendor location and vehicle rental cost information;

provide content configured to cause the retrieved rental vehicle data to be displayed on the user device to enable the claimant to view available rental options; and

receive, from the user device, confirmation of a rental reservation request of a selected rental option at a selected rental vendor location.

2. The RSS computer system of claim 1 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, the processor further programmed to:

verify that the named policyholder is eligible to receive an insurance replacement rental by performing an eligibility check using the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier associated with the named policyholder; and

in response to the policyholder being verified as eligible, transmit, to the user device associated with the named policyholder, the customized link.

3. The RSS computer system of claim 1 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, the processor further programmed to:

pre-populate a portion of the searchable interface by retrieving and provide content that causes display, on the user interface in one or more corresponding search input fields, rental coverage details associated with the subject insurance policy and a primary rental vendor at a geographical location associated with the named policyholder.

4. The RSS computer system of claim 1 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, the processor further programmed to:

receive rental vehicle search input into one or more search input fields of the searchable interface;

in response to receiving the rental vehicle search input, provide content that causes display of rental vehicle data on the user device to enable the named policyholder to view available rental options and select a vehicle class available for rent; and

calculate a policyholder cost for renting a selected vehicle class based upon the policyholder data and a corresponding vehicle rental quote for the selected vehicle class, the policyholder cost including a difference between a covered rental amount indicated in the retrieved policyholder insurance data and a rental cost indicated in the vehicle rental quote.

5. The RSS computer system of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further programmed to, when the policyholder cost is greater than a threshold amount:

identify a non-selected vehicle class;

determine that selection of the non-selected vehicle class would reduce the policyholder cost below the threshold amount; and

provide content that causes to be displayed, on the user device, a recommendation that the named policyholder select the non-selected vehicle class to reduce the policyholder cost.

6. The RSS computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to, in response to receiving the confirmation, automatically instruct a computing device associated with the selected rental vendor location to confirm and schedule the rental reservation.

7. The RSS computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:

receive, from the user device, the initial loss claim submission via a software application executed on the user device; and

provide the content to cause display of the searchable interface within a user interface of the same software application executed on the user device.

8. The RSS computer system of claim 1 , wherein the claimant is a non-policyholder claimant, the processor further programmed to provide the content configured to cause the retrieved rental vehicle data to be displayed on the user device including only rental vendor locations for selection by the non-policyholder claimant.

9. A computer-implemented method for enabling a claimant to initiate an insurance replacement rental reservation after submission of an initial loss claim, the method implemented on a rental self-service (“RSS”) computing device including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the method comprising:

retrieving, from an insurance provider database, policyholder insurance data using a claim identifier associated with the initial loss claim submission, and a policyholder identifier associated with a named policyholder for a subject insurance policy, the insurance provider database associated with an insurance provider providing the subject insurance policy to the named policyholder;

generating a customized link including a representation of the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier, wherein the customized link is executable on a user device associated with the claimant to cause display of a searchable interface that is prepopulated by the processor, using the representation of the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier and without additional input from the claimant, based on the retrieved policyholder insurance data, the searchable interface configured to enable the claimant to search for rentable vehicles from a plurality of vendors;

transmitting, to the user device, the customized link;

in response to receiving the customized link from the user device, retrieving rental vehicle data, via Application Programming Interface (API) calls, from a plurality of vendor computing devices, the rental vehicle data including at least one rental vendor location and vehicle rental cost information;

providing content configured to cause the retrieved rental vehicle data to be displayed on the user device to enable the claimant to view available rental options; and

receiving, from the user device, confirmation of a rental reservation request of a selected rental option at a selected rental vendor location.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, the method further comprising:

verifying that the named policyholder is eligible to receive an insurance replacement rental by performing an eligibility check using the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier associated with the named policyholder; and

in response to the policyholder being verified as eligible, transmitting, to the user device associated with the named policyholder, the customized link.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, the method further comprising:

pre-populating a portion of the searchable interface by retrieving and provide content that causes display, on the user interface in one or more corresponding search input fields, rental coverage details associated with the subject insurance policy and a primary rental vendor at a geographical location associated with the named policyholder.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, the method further comprising:

receiving rental vehicle search input into one or more search input fields of the searchable interface;

in response to receiving the rental vehicle search input, providing content that causes display of rental vehicle data on the user device to enable the named policyholder to view available rental options and select a vehicle class available for rent; and

calculating a policyholder cost for renting a selected vehicle class based upon the policyholder data and a corresponding vehicle rental quote for the selected vehicle class, the policyholder cost including a difference between a covered rental amount indicated in the retrieved policyholder insurance data and a rental cost indicated in the vehicle rental quote.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, when the policyholder cost is greater than a threshold amount:

identifying a non-selected vehicle class;

determining that selection of the non-selected vehicle class would reduce the policyholder cost below the threshold amount; and

providing content that causes to be displayed, on the user device, a recommendation that the named policyholder select the non-selected vehicle class to reduce the policyholder cost.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, the initial loss claim submission via a software application executed on the user device; and

providing the content to cause display of the searchable interface within a user interface of the same software application executed on the user device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for enabling a claimant to initiate an insurance replacement rental reservation after submission of an initial loss claim, wherein when executed by at least one processor of an RSS computing device, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

retrieve, from an insurance provider database, policyholder insurance data using a claim identifier associated with the initial loss claim submission, and a policyholder identifier associated with a named policyholder for a subject insurance policy, the insurance provider database associated with an insurance provider providing the subject insurance policy to the named policyholder;

generate a customized link including a representation of the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier, wherein the customized link is executable on a user device associated with the claimant to cause display of a searchable interface that is prepopulated by said processor, using the representation of the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier and without additional input from the claimant, based on the retrieved policyholder insurance data, the searchable interface configured to enable the claimant to search for rentable vehicles from a plurality of vendors;

transmit, to the user device, the customized link;

in response to receiving the customized link from the user device, retrieve rental vehicle data, via Application Programming Interface (API) calls, from a plurality of vendor computing devices, the rental vehicle data including at least one rental vendor location and vehicle rental cost information;

provide content configured to cause the retrieved rental vehicle data to be displayed on the user device to enable the claimant to view available rental options; and

receive, from the user device, confirmation of a rental reservation request of a selected rental option at a selected rental vendor location.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

verify that the named policyholder is eligible to receive an insurance replacement rental by performing an eligibility check using the claim identifier and the policyholder identifier associated with the named policyholder; and

in response to the policyholder being verified as eligible, transmit, to the user device associated with the named policyholder, the customized link.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to pre-populate a portion of the searchable interface by retrieving and provide content that causes display, on the user interface in one or more corresponding search input fields, rental coverage details associated with the subject insurance policy and a primary rental vendor at a geographical location associated with the named policyholder.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the claimant is the named policyholder, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

receive rental vehicle search input into one or more search input fields of the searchable interface;

in response to receiving the rental vehicle search input, provide content that causes display of rental vehicle data on the user device to enable the named policyholder to view available rental options and select a vehicle class available for rent; and

calculate a policyholder cost for renting a selected vehicle class based upon the policyholder data and a corresponding vehicle rental quote for the selected vehicle class, the policyholder cost including a difference between a covered rental amount indicated in the retrieved policyholder insurance data and a rental cost indicated in the vehicle rental quote.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

identify a non-selected vehicle class;

determine that selection of the non-selected vehicle class would reduce the policyholder cost below the threshold amount; and

provide content that causes to be displayed, on the user device, a recommendation that the named policyholder select the non-selected vehicle class to reduce the policyholder cost.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the claimant is a non-policyholder claimant, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to provide the content configured to cause the retrieved rental vehicle data to be displayed on the user device including only rental vendor locations for selection by the non-policyholder claimant.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (32)