Systems and methods for managing warranty information

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided that manage warranty information. A home may be populated with smart or other devices that are in wired or wireless communication with a central controller. The smart devices may be covered by an insurance policy, such as a homeowners, renters, or personal articles insurance policy. The controller may receive warranty information for the devices, and may update an inventory list to include the warranty information. The controller may detect that the warranty information indicates that a warranty corresponding to a smart device is about to expire. The controller may transmit a notification to a customer mobile device that informs the customer about, or prompts the customer to take, possible corrective actions. The smart devices may be associated with appliances, electronics, computers, televisions, jewelry, vehicles, furniture, or other equipment or personal belongings. Insurance discounts may be provided based upon the warranty management functionality.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method of managing an insurance policy associated with a property, the property populated with a hardware controller in communication with the plurality of devices, each of the plurality of devices respectively covered by a warranty, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the hardware controller via a first communication network, a plurality of warranty information respectively associated with the plurality of devices;   updating, by one or more processors, an inventory list associated with the property to include the plurality of warranty information, the inventory list including the plurality of devices;   determining, by the one or more processors, that a warranty corresponding to a first device of the plurality of devices included in the inventory list is about to expire; and   transmitting, to a customer having the insurance policy via a second communication network, a notification indicating that the warranty corresponding to the first device is about to expire to facilitate prompting the customer to take corrective action prior to warranty expiration.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the plurality of warranty information comprises:
 receiving, by the hardware controller via the first communication network, warranty information including at least one of: an expiration date, a purchase date, an amount of coverage, or a company providing the warranty.   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 upon determining that the warranty corresponding to the first device is about to expire, determining a cost for at least one of: renewing the warranty with the same warranty provider, purchasing an extended warranty from a different warranty provider, or purchasing a replacement device.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein transmitting the notification indicating that the warranty is about to expire comprises:
 transmitting, to the customer via the second communication network, the notification indicating the determined costs, wherein transmitting the notification causes an electronic device associated with the customer to provide an interface to purchase a product corresponding to the determined costs.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the hardware controller via the second communication network, a request to purchase a replacement device for the first device;   automatically facilitating, by the one or more processors, the purchase of the replacement device;   receiving, by the hardware controller via the first communication network, warranty information corresponding to the replacement device; and   updating, by the one or more processors, the inventory list with the warranty information corresponding to the replacement device.   
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the hardware controller via the second communication network, at least one of a request to renew the warranty with the same warranty provider or a request to purchase the extended warranty from the different warranty provider;   automatically facilitating, by the one or more processors, the renewal or purchase of the warranty based upon the received request; and   updating, by the one or more processors, a data record corresponding to the first device in the inventory list with warranty information corresponding to the renewed or purchased warranty.   
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 estimating, by the one or more processors, a total amount of worth of the plurality of devices when the warranty corresponding to the first device expires, wherein the total amount of worth corresponds to a value of the property covered by the insurance policy.   
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein transmitting the notification indicating that the warranty is about to expire comprises:
 transmitting, to the customer via the second communication network, the notification indicating at least one of the estimated total amount of worth of the plurality of devices or an insurance coverage associated with the insurance policy.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein transmitting the notification indicating that the warranty is about to expire comprises:
 determining, by the one or more processors, that the estimated total amount of worth of the plurality of devices exceeds the insurance coverage associated with the insurance policy; and   transmitting, to the customer via the second communication network, the notification, wherein transmitting the notification causes an electronic device associated with the customer to provide an interface to modify the insurance policy.   
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the hardware controller via the first communication network, an indication that an individual associated with the property performed an action to void a second warranty associated with a second device of the plurality of devices included in the inventory list.   
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 updating, by the one or more processors, a data record corresponding to the second device to indicate that the second warranty has been voided by the action, wherein the updated data record includes at least one of: a description of the action, a date the action occurred, a time the action occurred, visual data of the second device captured proximate to when the action occurred, or an identity of the individual associated with the property.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 estimating, by the one or more processors, a total amount of worth of the plurality of devices based upon the voiding of the second warranty corresponding to the second device, wherein the total worth corresponds to a value of the property covered by the insurance policy; and   transmitting, to an insurance provider associated with the insurance policy, at least one of the estimated total amount of worth of the plurality of devices or a portion of the updated data record corresponding the second device.   
     
     
         13 . A system for managing an insurance policy associated with a property, the property populated with a hardware controller in communication with the plurality of devices, each of the plurality of devices respectively covered by a warranty, the system comprising:
 a communication module adapted to communicate data;   a memory adapted to store non-transitory computer executable instructions; and   one or more processors adapted to interface with the communication module, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the system to:
 receive, at the communication module, a plurality of warranty information respectively associated with the plurality of devices; 
 update, by the one or more processors, an inventory list associated with the property to include the plurality of warranty information, the inventory list including the plurality of devices; 
 determine, by the one or more processors, that a warranty corresponding to a first device of the plurality of devices included in the inventory list is about to expire; and 
 transmit, to a customer having the insurance policy via the communication module, a notification indicating that the warranty corresponding to the first device is about to expire to facilitate prompting the customer to take corrective or other action prior to warranty expiration. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the system to:
 upon determining that the warranty corresponding to the first device is about to expire, determine a cost for at least one of: renewing the warranty with the same warranty provider, purchasing an extended warranty from a different warranty provider, or purchasing a replacement device.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the system to:
 receive, at the communication module, a request to purchase a replacement device for the first device;   automatically facilitate, by the one or more processors, the purchase of the replacement device;   receive, at the communication module, warranty information corresponding to the replacement device; and   update, by the one or more processors, the inventory list with the warranty information corresponding to the replacement device.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the system to:
 receive, at the communication module, at least one of a request to renew the warranty with the same warranty provider or a request to purchase the extended warranty from the different warranty provider;   automatically facilitate, by the one or more processors, the renewal or purchase of the warranty based upon the received request; and   update, by the one or more processors, a data record corresponding to the first device in the inventory list with warranty information corresponding to the renewed or purchased warranty.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the system to:
 estimate, by the one or more processors, a total amount of worth of the plurality of devices when the warranty corresponding to the first device expires, wherein the total worth corresponds to a value of the property covered by the insurance policy.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the communication module is further configured to:
 receive an indication that an individual associated with the property performed an action to void a second warranty associated with a second device of the plurality of devices included in the inventory list.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the one or more processors to:
 update, by the one or more processors, a data record corresponding to the second device to indicate that the second warranty has been voided by the action, wherein the updated data record includes at least one of: a description of the action, a date the action occurred, a time the action occurred, visual data of the second device captured proximate to when the action occurred, or an identity of the individual associated with the property.   
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions, that when executed cause one or more processors to:
 receive, by the one or more processors via a local communication network, a plurality of warranty information respectively associated with the plurality of devices;   update, by the one or more processors, an inventory list associated with the property to include the plurality of warranty information, the inventory list including the plurality of devices;   determine, by the one or more processors, that a warranty corresponding to a first device of the plurality of devices included in the inventory list is about to expire; and   transmit, to a customer having the insurance policy via a remote communication network, a notification indicating that the warranty corresponding to the first device is about to expire to facilitate prompting the customer to take corrective action prior to warranty expiration.