Method and apparatus to facilitate determining insurance policy element availability

Abstract

A computing platform ( 201 ) of choice can be configured and arranged to access ( 102 and 103 ) a first memory ( 202 ) that stores attributes which specifically characterize a particular candidate insurance entity and a second memory ( 203 ) that stores mappings which relate insurance policy element availability for a plurality of insurance policy elements to various corresponding insurance entity characterizing attributes. The aforementioned attributes, by one approach, correspond to respective end user-configurable dimensions. This platform can then serve ( 104 ) as a matching component by automatically using the aforementioned mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of these attributes and then automatically using ( 105 ) those available insurance policy elements to configure an insurance policy consistent with these mappings.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a first memory having stored therein attributes that specifically characterize a particular candidate insurance entity, wherein at least some of the attributes correspond to respective end user-configurable dimensions;   a second memory having stored therein mappings that relate insurance policy element availability for a plurality of insurance policy elements to various corresponding insurance entity characterizing attributes;   a processor operably coupled to the first memory and the second memory, and being configured and arranged to:
 serve as a matching component and use the mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of the attributes; 
 use the available insurance policy elements to configure an insurance policy consistent with the mappings. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the apparatus further comprises:
 a user interface that is operably coupled to the processor; and wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to permit an administrator to dynamically configure the end user-configurable dimensions.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to permit an administrator to dynamically configure the end user-configurable dimensions by at least one of:
 adding additional insurance entity characterizing dimensions;   deleting one of the insurance entity characterizing dimensions;   changing one of the insurance entity characterizing dimensions.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to permit an administrator to dynamically configure the end user-configurable dimensions by permitting the administrator to correlate a given one of the end user-configurable dimensions to at least one instruction regarding how to determine the insurance entity characterizing attribute that correlates to that end user-configurable dimension. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the at least one instruction comprises an administrator-entered expression which, when evaluated, yields the insurance entity characterizing attribute. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein at least some of the insurance policy elements each have a corresponding plurality of the end user-configurable dimensions, and wherein the end user-configurable dimensions as correspond to a given one of the insurance policy elements can accommodate differing combinations of the insurance entity characterizing elements. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to serve as a matching component and use the mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of the attributes by identifying a particular one of the mappings having a combination of the insurance entity characterizing elements that at least substantially matches the attributes that specifically characterize the particular candidate insurance entity. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to use the mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of the attributes by, at least in part, using an instruction as comprises a part of at least one of the end user-configurable dimensions to extract a corresponding value for a given one of the attributes that correlates to that end user-configurable dimension. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to use the available insurance policy elements to configure an insurance policy consistent with the mappings by at least one of automatically:
 providing options regarding a plurality of available insurance policy elements which are available to select and incorporate into the insurance policy;   identifying insurance policy elements for an existing policy that are no longer available and which should be removed;   adding elements to an existing policy that are identified as being presently required.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to use the mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of the attributes by using the mappings to detect a wildcard characterization which accords all potential attribute values as correspond to a given one of the end user-configurable dimensions as correlating positively to insurance policy element availability. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to use the mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of the attributes by using the mappings to determine that a particular insurance policy element is available for the particular candidate insurance entity upon detecting a match between a particular one of the attributes and a corresponding value in the mappings. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to use the mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of the attributes by using the mappings to determine that a particular insurance policy element is unavailable for the particular candidate insurance entity upon detecting a match between a particular one of the attributes and a corresponding value in the mappings. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to permit an administrator to dynamically configure the mappings by at least one of:
 adding an additional mapping;   deleting one of the mappings;   changing one of the mappings.   
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 at a computing platform:
 accessing a first memory having stored therein attributes that specifically characterize a particular candidate insurance entity, wherein at least some of the attributes correspond to respective end user-configurable dimensions; 
 accessing a second memory having stored therein mappings that relate insurance policy element availability for a plurality of insurance policy elements to various corresponding insurance entity characterizing attributes; 
 serving as a matching component by automatically using the mappings to determine available insurance policy elements for the particular candidate insurance entity as a function of the attributes; 
 automatically using the available insurance policy elements to configure an insurance policy consistent with the mappings. 
   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the method further comprises:
 at the computing platform:
 receiving from a user interface instructions regarding dynamically configuring the end user-configurable dimensions with respect to at least one of: 
 adding additional insurance entity characterizing dimensions; 
 deleting one of the insurance entity characterizing dimensions; 
 changing one of the insurance entity characterizing dimensions. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the method further comprises:
 at the computing platform:
 receiving from a user interface instructions regarding dynamically configuring the end user-configurable dimensions by correlating a given one of the end user-configurable dimensions to at least one instruction regarding how to determine the insurance entity characterizing attribute that correlates to that end user-configurable dimension. 
   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the at least one instruction comprises an administrator-entered expression which, when evaluated, yields the insurance entity characterizing attribute. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14  wherein automatically using the available insurance policy elements to configure an insurance policy consistent with the mappings comprises at least one of automatically:
 providing options regarding a plurality of available insurance policy elements which are available to select and incorporate into the insurance policy;   identifying insurance policy elements for an existing policy that are no longer available and which should be removed;   adding elements to an existing policy that are identified as being presently required.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the method further comprises:
 at the computing platform:
 receiving from a user interface instructions regarding dynamically configuring the mappings with respect to at least one of: 
 adding additional mappings; 
 deleting one of the mappings; 
 changing one of the mappings.