# US 10,121,204 B1 · Automated accident detection, fault attribution, and claims processing

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,121,204 B1
- Document ID: US10121204B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 14/313,052
- Filed: 2014-06-24
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-08
- Assignees: Allstate Insurance Company
- Applicants: Allstate Insurance Company
- Inventors: Jennifer A. Brandmaier; James Gillespie; Stephen Hughes; Daniel Koza; William Loo; Francis Lowry
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121204B1

## CPC

- G06Q 40/08: Insurance
- G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)}
- G08G 1/205: {Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})

## Abstract

A communication module may receive communications from a vehicle. A collision detection module may determine that a collision has occurred at a vehicle based on one or more of the communications received from a vehicle. A participant identification module may identify one or more participants involved in the collision based on one or more communications received from the vehicle. A fault determination module may identify one of the participants as the at-fault participant based on a comparison of a fault determination ruleset to vehicle telematics data included in one or more of the communications received from the vehicle. A claims processing module may determine whether to file an insurance claim associated with one of the participants based on the estimated repair cost.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method for automatically responding to a collision event comprising:
storing, at a data store of a computing device, one or more fault determination rules;
receiving, at the computing device from a first vehicle, one or more first communications comprising first vehicle telematics data generated by the first vehicle during operation of the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the first vehicle;
receiving, at the computing device from a second vehicle, one or more second communications comprising second vehicle telematics data generated by the second vehicle during operation of the second vehicle, wherein the second vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the second vehicle;
repeatedly analyzing, automatically by the computing device, the first vehicle telematics data until determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred including detecting a change in velocity of the first vehicle within a predefined time period;
in response to determining that the collision involving the first vehicle has occurred,
creating a new collision record in a data store;
activating one or more recording devices to record an area surrounding the first vehicle;
identifying, automatically by the computing device, a first participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the first vehicle telematics data, and
determining, automatically by the computing device, whether the second vehicle was involved in the collision based on the second vehicle telematics data; and
in response to determining that the second vehicle was involved in the collision,
identifying, automatically by the computing device, a second participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the second vehicle telematics data,
analyzing, automatically by the computing device, the first and second vehicle telematics data according to at least one of the one or more fault determination rules;
selecting, automatically by the computing device, one of the first or second participants as an at-fault participant based, at least in part, on the at least one fault determination rule; and
transmitting, to one of first or second participants, a message comprising an identification of the at-fault participant.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more first communications are received from communication equipment installed at the first vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more first communications are received from a communication equipment attached to a diagnostics port of the first vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein one of the first communications received identifies a current geographic location of the first vehicle and further comprising:
identifying one or more repair service centers that are located within a predetermined radius of the current geographic location; and
transmitting, to a communication device associated with an operator of the first vehicle, a communication that includes information that identifies the one or more repair service centers.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 further comprising:
receiving, from the communication device, a communication that identifies one of the repair service centers selected by the operator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5 wherein the first vehicle telematics data received includes vehicle diagnostic data associated with the first vehicle and further comprising:
transmitting the vehicle diagnostic data to a communication device associated with the repair service center selected by the operator.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 further comprising:
indicating, in the communication transmitted to the communication device, that one or more of the repair service centers are preferred repair service centers.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 further comprising:
providing a reward to the operator in response to receipt of a communication from the communication device that identifies one of the preferred repair service centers selected by the operator.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the reward is a discount associated with an insurance policy purchased by the operator.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting a request to the first vehicle for additional information regarding the collision; and
receiving, at the computing device from the first vehicle, one or more additional communications that include the additional information regarding the collision.

### Claim 11

A system for automatically responding to a collision event comprising:
a data store that stores one or more fault determination rules;
one or more processors; and
memory storing computer-readable instructions that are executed by at least one of the processors and cause the system to
receive, from a first vehicle, one or more first communications comprising first vehicle telematics data generated by the first vehicle during operation of the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the first vehicle,
receive, from a second vehicle, one or more second communications comprising second vehicle telematics data generated by the second vehicle during operation of the first vehicle, wherein the second vehicle telematics data is generated, in part, by a multiple-axis accelerometer within the second vehicle,
repeatedly analyze the first vehicle telematics data until determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred, determining that a collision involving the first vehicle has occurred including detecting a change in velocity of the first vehicle within a predefined time period;
in response to determining that the collision involving the first vehicle has occurred,
create a new collision record in the data store;
activate one or more recording devices to record an area surrounding the first vehicle;
automatically identify a first participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the first vehicle telematics data, and
automatically determine whether the second vehicle was involved in the collision based on the second vehicle telematics data; and
in response to determining that the second vehicle was involved in the collision,
automatically identify a second participant involved in the collision based, at least in part, on the second vehicle telematics data,
automatically analyze the first and second vehicle telematics data according to at least one of the one or more fault determination rules,
automatically select one of the first or second participants as an at-fault participant based, at least in part, on one or more of the fault determination rules and the first and second vehicle telematics data received, and
transmit, to one of the first or second participants, a message comprising an identification of the at-fault participant.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more first communications are received from a communications module installed at the first vehicle.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more first communications are received from a communications module attached to a diagnostics port of the first vehicle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11 wherein:
one of the first communications received identifies a current geographic location of the first vehicle; and
the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to:
identify one or more repair service centers that are located within a predetermined radius of the current geographic location, and
transmit, to a communication device associated with an operator of the first vehicle, a communication that includes information that identifies the one or more repair service centers.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14 wherein:
the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to receive, from the communication device, a communication that identifies one of the repair service centers selected by the operator.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15 wherein:
the first vehicle telematics data received includes vehicle diagnostic data associated with the first vehicle; and
the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to transmit the vehicle diagnostic data to a communication device associated with the repair service center selected by the operator.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14 wherein:
the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to indicate that one or more of the repair services centers are preferred repair service centers.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17 wherein a reward is provided to the operator in response to receipt at the system of a communication from the communication device that identifies one of the preferred repair service centers selected by the operator.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18 wherein the reward is a discount associated with an insurance policy purchased by the operator.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11 wherein:
the instructions are executed by at least one of the processors and further cause the system to
transmit a request to the first vehicle for additional information regarding the collision, and
receive, at the computing device from the first vehicle, one or more additional communications that include the additional information regarding the collision.