US6052631A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and system for facilitating vehicle inspection to detect previous damage and repairs
Assignee: MANAGEMENT SERVICES DATA SYSTEMS Inc A/K/A/ MSDS Inc
•
Filing: 1997-08-08
•
Granted: 2000-04-18
•
Expires: 2017-08-08
Abstract
Abstract Computer-based methods and systems for facilitating the inspection of a vehicle to detect the presence of prior damage and problems with previous repair are provided. Exemplary embodiments provide an inspection facilitator, which includes an inspection engine and an inspection interface. The inspection engine and inspection interface are implemented as an expert system, which directs a technician or apparatus to perform a uniform inspection process. The inspection facilitator, after receiving vehicle specific information, first directs and guides an inspection of the underbody of the vehicle to detect gross level damage or repair. The inspection facilitator then dynamically directs and guides an inspection of the outerbody of the vehicle based upon the nonconformities indicated in response to each directed inspection task. The areas to be inspected and inspection tasks are determined dynamically by comparing nonconformity input to facts and rules programmed into the inference engine of the inspection facilitator in combination with retrieved manufacturing specifications and industry standard repair procedures.
Inventors
- 👤 James L. Busch
- 👤 Michael E. Sterling
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 06:00
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R16/00; B60R16/02; B60R16/023; B60R16/0231; B60R16/0232; B60R16/0234; B62; B62D; B62D65/00; B62D65/005; G; G01; G01M; G01M17/00; G01M17/007; G06; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/08; G06Q20/20; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/0283
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 67
Claim 1
Independent Claim
269 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect problems with unknown repair, the vehicle having an underbody portion and an outerbody portion, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information including an indication of vehicle type; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle type, repair specifications and vehicle specifications that include alignment tolerances and; (c) determining whether damage has occurred to the vehicle by, (c1) receiving a plurality of underbody alignment measurements; (c2) comparing the received underbody alignment measurements to the retrieved alignment tolerances; and (c3) indicating a set of alignment nonconformities; (d) when it is determined that damage has occurred to the vehicle, facilitating the detection and location of previously performed repair work to the vehicle by, (d1) using an inference engine, requesting inspection of certain areas of the outerbody portion based upon the indicated alignment nonconformities; (d2) for each of the requested certain areas of inspection, receiving an indication of a current condition of the certain area; and (d3) comparing the received indications of current conditions of the certain areas to the retrieved specifications to identify areas of repair; (e) when repair areas have been identified, (e1) using an inference engine, requesting inspection of further areas; (e2) for each of the requested further areas of inspection, receiving an indication of the current condition of the further area; and (e3) comparing the received indications of current conditions of the further areas to the retrieved repair specifications to identify repair nonconformities and potential safety hazards; (f) determining a conclusion as to whether the vehicle has been properly repaired; and (g) outputting the conclusion.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
269 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect problems with unknown repair, the vehicle having an underbody portion and an outerbody portion, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information including an indication of vehicle type; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle type, repair specifications and vehicle specifications that include alignment tolerances and; (c) determining whether damage has occurred to the vehicle by, (c1) receiving a plurality of underbody alignment measurements; (c2) comparing the received underbody alignment measurements to the retrieved alignment tolerances; and (c3) indicating a set of alignment nonconformities; (d) when it is determined that damage has occurred to the vehicle, facilitating the detection and location of previously performed repair work to the vehicle by, (d1) using an inference engine, requesting inspection of certain areas of the outerbody portion based upon the indicated alignment nonconformities; (d2) for each of the requested certain areas of inspection, receiving an indication of a current condition of the certain area; and (d3) comparing the received indications of current conditions of the certain areas to the retrieved specifications to identify areas of repair; (e) when repair areas have been identified, (e1) using an inference engine, requesting inspection of further areas; (e2) for each of the requested further areas of inspection, receiving an indication of the current condition of the further area; and (e3) comparing the received indications of current conditions of the further areas to the retrieved repair specifications to identify repair nonconformities and potential safety hazards; (f) determining a conclusion as to whether the vehicle has been properly repaired; and (g) outputting the conclusion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a certificate of structural integrity.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the vehicle information includes a vehicle identification number ("VIN") of the vehicle, and further comprising: determining whether the VIN has been altered; and determining the presence of stolen vehicle parts.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
194 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) generating and indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
194 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) generating and indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the overall condition indicates one of: the vehicle has been damaged but was repaired properly; the vehicle has been damaged but was not repaired properly; and the vehicle has been damaged and poses a safety hazard.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the indicated repair nonconformities are weighted to determine the overall condition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 4 wherein each indicated repair nonconformity is weighted and the weight of an indicated repair nonconformity is based upon the severity of the nonconformity in comparison to a tolerance specified by a manufacturer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 4 wherein each indicated repair nonconformity is weighted and the weight of an indicated nonconformity is based upon the location of the nonconformity in the vehicle.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the receiving of the indication of the existence of the nonconformity of the first portion of the vehicle is further based upon the age of the vehicle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the receiving of the indication of the existence of the nonconformity of the first portion of the vehicle is further based upon the mileage of the vehicle.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying a report of the overall condition of the vehicle including a plurality of indicated nonconformities.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 11 wherein the report is customized to include some indicated nonconformities and not others.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the vehicle information includes a VIN of the vehicle and further comprising determining whether the VIN has been altered.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the vehicle information includes a VIN of the vehicle and further comprising using the VIN to determine the presence of stolen vehicle parts.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the indicated repair nonconformities indicate the presence of improper repair to the vehicle after a collision involving the vehicle has occurred.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 4 further comprising storing the indicated nonconformities in a remote data repository for later access.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the first portion of the vehicle is an underbody portion.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the second portion of the vehicle is an outerbody portion.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 4, further comprising: for each received indication of a nonconformity, encoding an inspection result; and storing the encoded inspection results.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 19 wherein the encoded inspection results are coalesced into a single encoding and stored as a single encoding.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 19 wherein the stored encoded inspection results are physically stored on the vehicle for later identification of nonconformities.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
222 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle, wherein the indications of inspection instructions are generated using an inference engine that determines the flow of inspection instructions based upon an indicated nonconformity of a portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
222 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle, wherein the indications of inspection instructions are generated using an inference engine that determines the flow of inspection instructions based upon an indicated nonconformity of a portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 22 wherein the inference engine indicates further inspection instructions based upon the received indication of the existence of previously performed repair work.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
211 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities, wherein the overall condition of the vehicle is determined by an inference engine based upon the indicated repair nonconformities.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
211 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities, wherein the overall condition of the vehicle is determined by an inference engine based upon the indicated repair nonconformities.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
218 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications, wherein each indicated repair nonconformity is weighted and the weight of an indicated nonconformity is based upon an amount of deviation from a standardized repair procedure; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
218 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating inspection of a vehicle to detect damage and problems with previous repair, the vehicle having a plurality of portions, the method comprising: (a) receiving vehicle identification information; (b) retrieving, based upon the received vehicle identification information, vehicle specifications and repair specifications; (c) determining whether at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle by receiving an indication of the existence of a nonconformity of a first portion of the vehicle to the retrieved vehicle specifications; (d) when it is determined that at least one of damage and repair has occurred to the vehicle, (d1) indicating inspection instructions based upon the indicated nonconformities of the first portion of the vehicle; and (d2) receiving, in response to the indicated inspection instructions, an indication of the existence of previously performed repair work to a second portion of the vehicle; (e) when the indication of the existence of previously performed repair work is received, receiving indications of repair nonconformities, the repair nonconformities based upon the retrieved repair specifications, wherein each indicated repair nonconformity is weighted and the weight of an indicated nonconformity is based upon an amount of deviation from a standardized repair procedure; and (f) determining an overall condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of repair nonconformities.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
164 words
A method in a computer system for detecting substandard previously performed repair to a vehicle having an underbody portion and an outerbody portion, the method comprising: (a) retrieving a set of manufacturer tolerances based upon a received vehicle type; (b) retrospectively determining whether general damage has occurred to the vehicle by requesting inspection of the underbody portion, receiving alignment data, and evaluating the alignment data in view of the retrieved set of manufacturer tolerances; (c) automatically directing inspection of an area of the outerbody portion based upon the evaluated alignment data; (d) receiving an indication of previous repair work; (e) automatically directing inspection of a further plurality of areas of the outerbody portion based upon the received indication of previous repair work, wherein the inspection of the further areas includes examining at least one interaction between vehicle parts that are mechanically unrelated; and (f) producing an indication of the overall condition of the vehicle in accordance with the received indication of previous repair work.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
164 words
A method in a computer system for detecting substandard previously performed repair to a vehicle having an underbody portion and an outerbody portion, the method comprising: (a) retrieving a set of manufacturer tolerances based upon a received vehicle type; (b) retrospectively determining whether general damage has occurred to the vehicle by requesting inspection of the underbody portion, receiving alignment data, and evaluating the alignment data in view of the retrieved set of manufacturer tolerances; (c) automatically directing inspection of an area of the outerbody portion based upon the evaluated alignment data; (d) receiving an indication of previous repair work; (e) automatically directing inspection of a further plurality of areas of the outerbody portion based upon the received indication of previous repair work, wherein the inspection of the further areas includes examining at least one interaction between vehicle parts that are mechanically unrelated; and (f) producing an indication of the overall condition of the vehicle in accordance with the received indication of previous repair work.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 26 wherein the automatic directing of inspections are performed by an inference engine.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 26 wherein the indication of the overall condition is performed by an inference engine.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 26 wherein the automatic directing of inspection of the further plurality of areas of the outerbody portion is specific to the damage and the repair work indicated so far.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 26, further comprising producing a report.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 30, further comprising receiving additional indications of previous repair work after directing inspection of the further plurality of areas, wherein the report includes at least one of the received indications of previous repair work.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 26, further comprising producing a certificate of structural integrity when the indicated overall condition indicates that no substandard repair work has been located.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 26 wherein the previous repair indicates that the vehicle has been in a collision.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
141 words
A computer-based vehicle inspection system that retrospectively detects prior repair or damage comprising: a data repository of vehicle-related specifications; an inspection engine that, (a) receives indications of nonconformities potentially due to repair or damage; (b) automatically determines an area of inspection likely to reveal nonconformities due to repair or damage, the determination based upon the received indications of nonconformities and the vehicle-related specifications stored in the data repository; (c) generates instructions to inspect the determined area; and (d) when no more areas to inspect are determined, produces an indication of the condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of nonconformities; and an inspection interface that, (a) directs an inspection task according to the instructions generated by the inspection engine to inspect the determined area; and (b) receives indications of nonconformities and forwards the received indications to the engine component.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
141 words
A computer-based vehicle inspection system that retrospectively detects prior repair or damage comprising: a data repository of vehicle-related specifications; an inspection engine that, (a) receives indications of nonconformities potentially due to repair or damage; (b) automatically determines an area of inspection likely to reveal nonconformities due to repair or damage, the determination based upon the received indications of nonconformities and the vehicle-related specifications stored in the data repository; (c) generates instructions to inspect the determined area; and (d) when no more areas to inspect are determined, produces an indication of the condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of nonconformities; and an inspection interface that, (a) directs an inspection task according to the instructions generated by the inspection engine to inspect the determined area; and (b) receives indications of nonconformities and forwards the received indications to the engine component.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
15 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 34 wherein the inspection engine is an inference engine.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
20 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 34 wherein the inspection engine and inspection interface are implemented as an expert system.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
34 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 34 wherein the inspection interface directs a technician to inspect the vehicle according to the generated instructions and wherein the indications of nonconformities are received from the technician.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
23 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 34 wherein the inspection interface directs an apparatus to inspect the vehicle according to the generated instructions.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
29 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 34 wherein the condition of the vehicle is determined by a technician, received by the inspection engine, and indicated by the inspection engine.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
19 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 34 wherein the condition of the vehicle is determined by the inspection engine.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
15 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 40 wherein the inspection engine is an inference engine.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 34 wherein the inspection engine indicates an area of an underbody portion of the vehicle to be inspected first.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
43 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 42 wherein the inspection engine indicates an area of an outerbody portion of the vehicle to be inspected when an indication of a nonconformity is received as a result of inspecting the underbody portion of the vehicle.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
143 words
A computer-based inspection system comprising: a data repository of vehicle-related specifications; an inspection engine that, (a) receives indications of nonconformities and assigns weights to the received indicated nonconformities; (b) automatically determines an area of inspection likely to reveal nonconformities based upon the received indications of nonconformities and the vehicle-related specifications stored in the data repository; (c) generates instructions to inspect the determined area; and (d) when no more areas to inspect are determined, produces an indication of the condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of nonconformities, wherein the inspection system uses the assigned weights to determine the condition of the vehicle; and an inspection interface that, (a) directs an inspection task according to the instructions generated by the inspection engine to inspect the determined area; and (b) receives indications of nonconformities and forwards the received indications to the engine component.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
143 words
A computer-based inspection system comprising: a data repository of vehicle-related specifications; an inspection engine that, (a) receives indications of nonconformities and assigns weights to the received indicated nonconformities; (b) automatically determines an area of inspection likely to reveal nonconformities based upon the received indications of nonconformities and the vehicle-related specifications stored in the data repository; (c) generates instructions to inspect the determined area; and (d) when no more areas to inspect are determined, produces an indication of the condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of nonconformities, wherein the inspection system uses the assigned weights to determine the condition of the vehicle; and an inspection interface that, (a) directs an inspection task according to the instructions generated by the inspection engine to inspect the determined area; and (b) receives indications of nonconformities and forwards the received indications to the engine component.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer-based inspection system of claim 44 wherein an assigned weight indicates a severity of an associated nonconformity to an overall condition of the vehicle.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
120 words
A computer-based inspection system comprising: a data repository of vehicle-related specifications; an inspection engine that, (a) receives indications of nonconformities; (b) automatically determines an area of inspection likely to reveal nonconformities based upon the received indications of nonconformities and standardized repair procedures stored in the data repository; (c) generates instructions to inspect the determined area; and (d) when no more areas to inspect are determined, produces an indication of the condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of nonconformities; and an inspection interface that, (a) directs an inspection task according to the instructions generated by the inspection engine to inspect the determined area; and (b) receives indications of nonconformities and forwards the received indications to the engine component.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
120 words
A computer-based inspection system comprising: a data repository of vehicle-related specifications; an inspection engine that, (a) receives indications of nonconformities; (b) automatically determines an area of inspection likely to reveal nonconformities based upon the received indications of nonconformities and standardized repair procedures stored in the data repository; (c) generates instructions to inspect the determined area; and (d) when no more areas to inspect are determined, produces an indication of the condition of the vehicle based upon the received indications of nonconformities; and an inspection interface that, (a) directs an inspection task according to the instructions generated by the inspection engine to inspect the determined area; and (b) receives indications of nonconformities and forwards the received indications to the engine component.
Claim 56
Independent Claim
90 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating a retrospective inspection of a vehicle to determine the existence and quality of prior repair or the existence of prior damage comprising: receiving indications of nonconformities that are indicative of prior repair or prior damage; using an inference engine, automatically directing the inspection of the vehicle to indicate areas of inspection based upon the received indications of nonconformities; for each indicated nonconformity, encoding an inspection result; and storing the encoded inspection results in a manner that indicates the condition of the vehicle.
Claim 57
Independent Claim
90 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating a retrospective inspection of a vehicle to determine the existence and quality of prior repair or the existence of prior damage comprising: receiving indications of nonconformities that are indicative of prior repair or prior damage; using an inference engine, automatically directing the inspection of the vehicle to indicate areas of inspection based upon the received indications of nonconformities; for each indicated nonconformity, encoding an inspection result; and storing the encoded inspection results in a manner that indicates the condition of the vehicle.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 47 wherein the encoded inspection results are coalesced into a single encoding and stored as a single encoding.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 48, further comprising: retrieving the stored single encoding of the inspection results; and decomposing the retrieved encoding into individual encoded inspection results so that the nonconformities indicated during the inspection can be retrieved.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 47 wherein the stored encoded inspection results are physically stored on the vehicle for later identification of nonconformities.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 47 wherein each encoding of an inspection result encodes a location of the nonconformity on the vehicle and a weighting of the nonconformity that indicates the severity of the nonconformity.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 47 further comprising: computing an overall defect rating based upon the encoded inspection results further qualified by overall rating qualifiers; and storing the overall defect rating with the encoded inspection results.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 52 wherein the overall rating qualifiers include qualifiers based upon the age, value, and mileage of the vehicle.
Claim 64
Independent Claim
123 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating a retrospective inspection of a vehicle to assess prior repair or damage comprising: receiving an indication of a nonconformity that is potentially indicative of prior repair or damage; retrospectively determining a set of repair steps that should have been performed to the vehicle to avoid the indicated nonconformity; automatically directing an inspection of the vehicle according to the determined set of repair steps to identify whether damage was sustained to the vehicle and whether each repair step, if performed, was properly performed; receiving a plurality of inspection results; and determining from the received inspection results an overall assessment of the vehicle that indicates whether the vehicle sustained damage and whether the vehicle was repaired properly.
Claim 65
Independent Claim
123 words
A method in a computer system for facilitating a retrospective inspection of a vehicle to assess prior repair or damage comprising: receiving an indication of a nonconformity that is potentially indicative of prior repair or damage; retrospectively determining a set of repair steps that should have been performed to the vehicle to avoid the indicated nonconformity; automatically directing an inspection of the vehicle according to the determined set of repair steps to identify whether damage was sustained to the vehicle and whether each repair step, if performed, was properly performed; receiving a plurality of inspection results; and determining from the received inspection results an overall assessment of the vehicle that indicates whether the vehicle sustained damage and whether the vehicle was repaired properly.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 54 wherein the automatic direction of the inspection is provided by an inference engine.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 54 further comprising: coalescing the received inspection results into a single encoded inspection result; and storing the single encoded inspection result as part of the vehicle identity.
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| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-04-18 | 2011-10-18 | 2012-04-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |