Systems and methods for analyzing vehicle operation data to facilitate insurance policy

Abstract

Methods and systems for leveraging a plurality of sensor devices distributed in a geographical area to monitor vehicle usage for assessing, pricing, and provisioning distance-based vehicle insurance. One or more sensor devices may capture information associated with a vehicle and communicate the information to an insurance provider. In aspects, the insurance provider may analyze the information to determine a distance that the vehicle travels within a particular time period. Further, the insurance provider may determine a vehicle usage unit based on the distance traveled as well as provide various insurance coverage types to a customer associated with the vehicle. Based on a selected coverage type, the insurance provider may generate an insurance quote for a policy having an amount of the vehicle usage units and may facilitate a purchase transaction with the customer for the insurance policy.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method of offering vehicle insurance for a vehicle, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a first time, a first indication of the vehicle from a first sensor device at a first location;   receiving, at a second time, a second indication of the vehicle from a second sensor device at a second location;   calculating, by a processor, a time period between the first time and the second time;   determining, by the processor, a vehicle usage unit based on the time period; and   providing, to a customer associated with the vehicle, an option to purchase an insurance policy based at least in part on the vehicle usage unit.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the option to purchase the insurance policy comprises:
 identifying at least one coverage type for the vehicle; and   communicating the at least one coverage type to the customer, wherein each of the at least one coverage type identifies a policy rate that is based at least in part on the vehicle usage unit.   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the option to purchase the insurance policy comprises:
 providing the option to purchase the insurance policy to one of an existing customer or a potential customer.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 receiving a selection of an amount of vehicle usage units from the customer, wherein each of the vehicle usage units is available for purchase at the policy rate; and   facilitating a purchase transaction with the customer for the insurance policy for the amount of the vehicle usage units.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the option to purchase the insurance policy comprises:
 identifying an existing insurance policy associated with the customer;   providing, to the customer, an option to supplement the existing insurance policy with the insurance policy based at least in part on the vehicle usage unit.   
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the first indication and the second indication comprises:
 receiving a first image from the first sensor device;   performing an optical character recognition technique on the first image to identify a license plate of the vehicle;   receiving a second image from the second sensor device; and   performing the optical character recognition technique on the second image to identify the license plate.   
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the option to purchase the insurance policy comprises:
 providing the option to purchase the insurance policy to an electronic device associated with the customer.   
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the option to purchase the insurance policy comprises:
 providing the option to purchase the insurance policy to an on-board device in the vehicle.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 calculating a distance traveled by the vehicle based on the first location of the first sensor device and the second location of the second sensor device.   
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 9 , wherein determining the vehicle usage unit comprises:
 determining the vehicle usage unit based on the time period and on the distance traveled by the vehicle.   
     
     
         11 . A system for offering vehicle insurance for a vehicle, comprising:
 a communication module adapted to communicate data;   a memory adapted to store non-transitory computer executable instructions; and   a processor adapted to interface with the communication module, wherein the processor is configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the processor to:
 receive, via the communication module at a first time, a first indication of the vehicle from a first sensor device at a first location, 
 receive, via the communication module at a second time, a second indication of the vehicle from a second sensor device at a second location, 
 calculate a time period between the first time and the second time, 
 determine a vehicle usage unit based on the time period, and 
 provide, to a customer associated with the vehicle, an option to purchase an insurance policy based at least in part on the vehicle usage unit. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein to provide the option to purchase the insurance policy, the processor is configured to:
 identify at least one coverage type for the vehicle, and   communicate, via the communication module, the at least one coverage type to the customer, wherein each of the at least one coverage type identifies a policy rate that is based at least in part on the vehicle usage unit.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the customer is one of an existing customer or a potential customer. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to further cause the processor to:
 receive, via the communication module, a selection of an amount of vehicle usage units from the customer, wherein each of the vehicle usage units is available for purchase at the policy rate, and   facilitate a purchase transaction with the customer for the insurance policy for the amount of the vehicle usage units.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein to provide the option to purchase the insurance policy, the processor is configured to:
 identify an existing insurance policy associated with the customer;   provide, to the customer via the communication module, an option to supplement the existing insurance policy with the insurance policy based at least in part on the vehicle usage unit.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein to receive the first indication and the second indication, the processor is configured to:
 receive, via the communication module, a first image from the first sensor device,   perform an optical character recognition technique on the first image to identify a license plate of the vehicle,   receive, via the communication module, a second image from the second sensor device, and   perform the optical character recognition technique on the second image to identify the license plate.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein to provide the option to purchase the insurance policy, the processor is configured to:
 provide, via the communication module, the option to purchase the insurance policy to an electronic device associated with the customer.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein to provide the option to purchase the insurance policy, the processor is configured to:
 provide, via the communication module, the option to purchase the insurance policy to an on-board device in the vehicle.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 calculate a distance traveled by the vehicle based on the first location of the first sensor device and the second location of the second sensor device.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein to determine the vehicle usage unit, the processor is configured to:
 determine the vehicle usage unit based on the time period and on the distance traveled by the vehicle.