Insurance claims estimate, text, and graphics network and method

Claim 1

A communications network for communicating vehicular information and repair estimates, said communications network comprising: a communications channel; imaging means for capturing an electronic image in digital form of a damaged vehicle; a claim terminal, operatively coupled to said imaging means, operatively coupled to said communications channel, for sending assignment data, including customer information, vehicle information, damage information, and the electronic image, through said communications channel, the claim terminal comprising: a display; a data port; a memory for storing digital data for a multiplicity of vehicles, said digital data including a data base of a plurality of groups of parts and a plurality of associated parts graphics images; means for inputting vehicle-identification data of said damaged vehicle to said claim terminal; first means responsive to the vehicle-identification data for displaying, on said display, said electronic image and a list of groups of parts for said damaged vehicle; second means responsive to selecting a first group of parts from said list of groups of parts for displaying, on said display, said electronic image and a parts description from said data base of the first group of parts; graphics means responsive to selecting a first part from the parts description for retrieving from said memory a first parts graphics image, stored in digital form and associated with said first part, said graphics means for loading said first parts graphics image into a first memory buffer, said graphics means for generating, in digital form, a first magnified graphics image from said first parts graphics image, and said graphics means for loading said first magnified graphics image into a second memory buffer; third means responsive to loading said first parts graphics image into said first memory buffer for displaying, on said display, said electronic image and said first parts graphics image; and fourth means responsive to selecting said first magnified graphics image for swapping said first magnified graphics image from said second memory buffer with said first parts graphics image on said display, and displaying said electronic image with said first magnified graphics image; interface means, operatively coupled to said imaging means, operatively coupled to said data port of said claim terminal, for transferring said electronic image from said imaging means through said data port to said memory means of said claim terminal; a body shop terminal, operatively coupled to said claim terminal through said communications channel, responsive to assignment data from said claim terminal, for sending a cost estimate and a supplemental estimate through said communications channel to said claim terminal, for sending first parts information, parts order information, and parts graphics images through said communication channel, the body shop terminal comprising: a display; a data port; a memory storing digital data for a multiplicity of vehicles, said digital data including a data base of a plurality of groups of parts and a plurality of associated parts graphics images; means for inputting vehicle-identification data of said damaged vehicle to said body shop terminal; first means responsive to the vehicle-identification data for displaying, on said display, said electronic image and a list of groups of parts for said damaged vehicle; second means responsive to selecting a first group of parts from said list of groups of parts for displaying, on said display, said electronic image and a parts description from said data base of the first group of parts; graphics means responsive to selecting a first part from the parts description for retrieving from said memory a first parts graphics image, stored in digital form and associated with said first part, said graphics means for loading said first parts graphics image into a first memory buffer, said graphics means for generating, in digital form, a first magnified graphics image from said first parts graphics image, and said graphics means for loading said first magnified graphics image into a second memory buffer; third means responsive to loading said first parts graphics image into said first memory buffer for displaying, on said display, said electronic image and said first parts graphics image; and fourth means responsive to selecting said first magnified graphics image for swapping said first magnified graphics image from said second memory buffer with said first parts graphics image on said display, and displaying said electronic image with said first magnified graphics image; a vendor terminal, operatively coupled to said body shop terminal through said communications channel, responsive to said parts graphics images and said parts order information from said body shop terminal, for sending to said body shop terminal an acknowledgement signal and back order parts invoice information; and a salvage terminal, operatively coupled to said body shop terminal through said communications channel, responsive to the first parts information, for sending information of used parts to said body shop terminal.

Claim 22

A method using a communications network including a claim terminal, a body shop terminal, and a communications channel, each of the claim terminal and the body shop terminal having a display and a memory for storing digital data including a parts graphics image, comprising the steps of: inputting vehicle-identification data of a damaged vehicle into the claim terminal; sending the vehicle-identification data from the claim terminal through the communications channel to the body shop terminal; displaying, on the body shop terminal, a list of groups of parts for the damaged vehicle; selecting from the list of groups of parts a first group of parts for display; displaying, on the display of the body shop terminal, the first group of parts; selecting from the first group of parts a first part for display; retrieving from the memory of the body shop terminal, in response to selecting the first part, a first cost for repairing the first part; loading, in response to selecting the first part, the parts graphics image into a first memory buffer; generating from the parts graphics image a magnified graphics image in digital form; loading the magnified graphics image into a second memory buffer; displaying, from the first memory buffer onto the display, the parts graphics image; selecting the magnified graphics image for display; swapping the magnified graphics image, from the second memory buffer onto the display of the body shop terminal, with the parts graphics image; selecting from the first group of parts a second part for display; retrieving from the memory of the body shop terminal, in response to selecting the second part, a second cost for repairing the second part; loading, in response to selecting the second part, the parts graphics image into the first memory buffer; generating from the parts graphics image a magnified graphics image in digital form; loading the magnified graphics image into the second memory buffer; displaying, from the first memory buffer onto the display of the body shop terminal, the parts graphics image; selecting the magnified graphics image for display; swapping the magnified graphics image, from the second memory buffer onto the display, with the parts graphics image; computing a sum of the first cost and the second cost; retrieving from the memory means of the body shop terminal a replacement cost for the first group; determining a lower cost of the replacement cost and the sum; displaying the lower cost on the display of the body shop terminal; and sending the lower cost as an estimate from the body shop terminal through the communications channel to the claim terminal.

Claim 54

A method using a communications network including a claim terminal, a repair terminal, and a communications channel, each of the claim terminal and the repair terminal having a display and a memory for storing digital data including a parts graphics image, comprising the steps of: inputting object-identification data of a damaged object into the claim terminal; sending the object-identification data from the claim terminal through the communications channel to the repair terminal; displaying, on the repair terminal, a list of groups of parts for the damaged object; selecting from the list of groups of parts a first group of parts for display; displaying, on the display of the repair terminal, the first group of parts; selecting from the first group of parts a first part for display; retrieving from the memory of the repair terminal, in response to selecting the first part, a first cost for repairing the first part; loading, in response to selecting the first part, the parts graphics image into a first memory buffer; generating from the parts graphics image a magnified graphics image in digital form; loading the magnified graphics image into a second memory buffer; displaying, from the first memory buffer onto the display, the parts graphics image; selecting the magnified graphics image for display; swapping the magnified graphics image, from the second memory buffer onto the display of the repair terminal, with the parts graphics image; selecting from the first group of parts a second part for display; retrieving from the memory of the repair terminal, in response to selecting the second part, a second cost for repairing the second part; loading, in response to selecting the second part, the parts graphics image into the first memory buffer; generating from the parts graphics image a magnified graphics image in digital form; loading the magnified graphics image into the second memory buffer; displaying, from the first memory buffer onto the display of the repair terminal, the parts graphics image; selecting the magnified graphics image for display; swapping the magnified graphics image, from the second memory buffer onto the display, with the parts graphics image; computing a sum of the first cost and the second cost; retrieving from the memory means of the repair terminal a replacement cost for the first group; determining a lower cost of the replacement cost and the sum; displaying the lower cost on the display of the repair terminal; and sending the lower cost as an estimate from the repair terminal through the communications channel to the claim terminal.