U.S. patent application number 14/633030 was filed with the patent office on 2015-10-29 for method and system for recording and transferring motor vehicle information.
The applicant listed for this patent is Digital Recognition Network, Inc.. Invention is credited to Cort Dehart.
Application Number | 20150310293 14/633030 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46927304 |
Filed Date | 2015-10-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150310293 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dehart; Cort |
October 29, 2015 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RECORDING AND TRANSFERRING MOTOR VEHICLE
INFORMATION
Abstract
An improved system and method for capturing and uploading
pertinent information related to a motor vehicle that is accurate,
simple to use, and may be implemented on a wide array of mobile
devices in a cost-effective manner. Methods are also disclosed for
users of the mobile devices to send identifying information to a
database, where the identifying information is compared to other
motor vehicle identifying information located the database.
Inventors: |
Dehart; Cort; (Fort Worth,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Digital Recognition Network, Inc. |
Fort Worth |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
46927304 |
Appl. No.: |
14/633030 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13412373 |
Mar 5, 2012 |
8971582 |
|
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14633030 |
|
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61449477 |
Mar 4, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
382/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 9/325 20130101;
G06K 9/00523 20130101; G08G 1/127 20130101; G06K 9/22 20130101;
G06K 9/00536 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06K 9/32 20060101
G06K009/32; G06K 9/22 20060101 G06K009/22; G06K 9/00 20060101
G06K009/00 |
Claims
1. A method of analyzing information related to a motor vehicle,
the method comprising the steps of: using a handheld mobile device,
obtaining image data of at least a portion of a motor vehicle;
obtaining a mobile device location; receiving automobile
information at the handheld mobile device, wherein the automobile
information relates to attributes of the motor vehicle; wherein the
image data and the automobile information form a first set of
identifying information; displaying at the handheld mobile device a
vehicle license plate data that has been extracted from the image
data; receiving confirmation that the vehicle license plate data is
accurate; comparing the first set of identifying information to a
second set of identifying information concerning a plurality of
vehicles of interest; and displaying on a user interface one or
more user instructions relating to the motor vehicle if there is a
correlation between the first and second sets of identifying
information.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a processor
in the handheld mobile device to extract the license plate
data.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a processor
that is located remotely from the handheld mobile device to extract
the license plate data.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the automobile information
comprises license plate information input to the handheld mobile
device by a user.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the automobile information
comprises motor vehicle make and model information.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user inputs the automobile
information without capturing a photograph of the motor
vehicle.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the automobile information is
automatically received from an analysis of the image data.
8. A system for analyzing information related to a motor vehicle,
the system comprising: a handheld mobile device including: a camera
for capturing an image data of a motor vehicle; a location module
for determining a location of the handheld mobile device; and an
input device to receive user input of automobile information about
the motor vehicle; a processor for processing the image data to
extract image information; the handheld mobile device further
comprising a user confirmation engine for receiving user
confirmation that the extracted image information is accurate,
wherein the extracted image information and the automobile
information together comprise a first set of identifying
information; a database comprising a second set of identifying
information concerning a plurality of motor vehicles of interest; a
calculation engine for comparing. after the user confirmation
engine has received user confirmation that the extracted image
information is accurate, the first set of identifying information
with the second set of identifying information and indicating
correlation between the first set of identifying information and
the second set of identifying information; and a notification
engine for displaying a notification if there is a correlation
between the first set of identifying information and the second set
of identifying information.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a software program on
the mobile device for capturing a photograph and receiving
automobile information from a user.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the handheld mobile device
comprises the processor.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the automobile information
comprises motor vehicle make and model information.
12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a communication link
for establishing communication between the mobile device and a
remote computer.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the remote computer comprises
the database.
14. The system of claim 8, wherein the automobile information
comprises a vehicle identification number that is input by a user
without the camera having captured image data of the motor
vehicle.
15. The system of claim 8, wherein the automobile information is
automatically input from an analysis of the image data.
16. A method of analyzing information related to a motor vehicle,
the method comprising the steps of: provide a database containing a
first set of identifying information for a plurality of motor
vehicles of interest; receiving image data of at least a portion of
a motor vehicle from a handheld mobile device; receiving automobile
information from the handheld mobile device, wherein the automobile
information relates to attributes of the motor vehicle, wherein the
image data together with the automobile information concerning the
vehicle form a second set of identifying information; comparing the
first and second sets of identifying information to determine
whether there is a correlation between the first and second sets of
identifying information; and sending a notification to the handheld
mobile device if there is a correlation between the first and
second sets of identifying information.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the handheld mobile device is a
mobile phone.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending user
instructions to the handheld mobile device regarding the
automobile.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising extracting from the
image data a license plate number data.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving
confirmation that the license plate number data is accurate.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
13/412,373, filed Mar. 5, 2012, now pending, to be issued as U.S.
Pat. No. 8,971,582 on Mar. 3, 2015, which claims priority from
Application No. 61/449,477, filed Mar. 4, 2011, each of which is
hereby incorporate by reference in its entirety for all
purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a method and
system for capturing and uploading identifying information
concerning a motor vehicle to a database. The database compares the
uploaded information with identifying information in the database
to determine whether there is a correlation between the two sets of
information. The invention makes use of a software program running
on a mobile device, such as a cellular telephone, operated by a
user of the mobile device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Currently, an industry exists that is supported by multiple
companies, software, databases, and tools known as the "skip
tracing" industry. Skip tracing describes the technique wherein one
or more individuals use various resources to locate an individual
or property for any number of purposes. Individuals who locate
other individuals using such resources are colloquially known as
skip tracers; they are quasi-investigators who use communications
skills, investigative skills, skip tracing software, public and
private databases, and other means to locate an individual.
[0004] One particular use of skip tracing is to locate individuals
who allegedly owe a debt to a creditor. Often times, a person is
being sought because he/she owes money to a creditor and has
defaulted on the obligation. These obligations are usually secured
by tangible property, assets or collateral which the lender is
seeking to recover. For instance, a debtor may purchase a motor
vehicle under a loan from a lender, with the lender taking a
security interest in the motor vehicle. Should the debtor default
by failing to meet the obligations of the loan terms, the lender
may seek to recover the motor vehicle to help satisfy the
conditions of the loan. Skip tracing may therefore be used to find
the person(s), which may or may not be the debtor, who most likely
has access to the motor vehicle that secures the loan. Skip tracing
may also be used to locate the security interest itself (i.e., the
motor vehicle). Upon locating the motor vehicle, the lender may
choose to recover the asset to help satisfy the outstanding
debt.
[0005] A potential problem encountered by skip tracers is that when
a subject motor vehicle is located, there is no efficient and cost
effective method to verify the description of the motor vehicle in
order to determine whether the correct motor vehicle has been
located.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is therefore a general object of the present invention to
provide an improved system and method for capturing and uploading
pertinent information related to a motor vehicle that is accurate,
simple to use, and may be implemented on a wide-array of mobile
devices in a cost-effective manner. It is another object of the
present invention to provide methods for users of the mobile
devices to send identifying information to a database, where the
identifying information is compared to other motor vehicle
identifying information located the database.
[0007] A method and system for tracking information identifying a
vehicle or other asset, which includes capturing and uploading a
photograph or date extracted from a photograph and related
identifying information of a motor vehicle with a mobile device
operated by a user. The mobile device includes certain hardware
such as a camera for capturing an image of a motor vehicle, a
processor for processing the image of the motor vehicle and for
user input of extra identifying information about the mobile
vehicle, a global positioning satellite ("GPS") transceiver for
determining the present location of the mobile vehicle, an input
device configured for user input of further identifying information
about the mobile vehicle, storage means for saving the captured
photograph and identifying information, and a communication link
for establishing communications between the mobile device and a
database containing identifying information related to a plurality
of motor vehicles.
[0008] The user may use a software program on the mobile device,
such as a cellular phone, to capture a photograph of a motor
vehicle. The photograph may be of the vehicle itself or image data
concerning the vehicle, such as the license plate number or vehicle
identification number (VIN). The software program concurrently
utilizes a GPS transceiver located on the mobile device to
determine the present location of the mobile device, and hence the
location of the motor vehicle. After the photograph and GPS
location have been captured, the software program stores the
information onto storage means such as flash memory located on the
mobile device. The software may utilize optical character
recognition to extract image data from the photograph onboard the
mobile device. Alternatively, data can be extracted using OCR or
similar algorithms after a photograph is transmitted to a remote
database. Using an input interface provided by the mobile device,
the user may then input further or additional identifying
information related to the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle
identifying information may comprise information such as: the motor
vehicle license plate number, the state for which the license plate
was issued, or the make, model, or year of the motor vehicle. Once
the user has finished entering identifying information, the
software program stores the identifying information related to the
photograph of the motor vehicle in storage means located on the
mobile device.
[0009] The software program on the mobile device may allow the user
to upload the saved photograph and/or extracted image data and
input identifying information to a database containing identifying
information for a plurality of motor vehicles. The mobile device
and database establish a communication link in order to facilitate
transfer of the photograph and identifying information. Once the
mobile device has finished uploading the photograph and identifying
information to the database, the software program may notify the
user that the upload was successful. Further, if OCR takes place
remotely from the device, the recognized characters may be
transmitted back to the mobile device for verification by the
user.
[0010] After upload to the database, the photograph and/or
identifying information is compared to other identifying
information already contained in the database to determine whether
the user uploaded identifying information matches the description
of any motor vehicles in the database. When this validation process
is complete, the database sends the results back to the mobile
device via the communications link. The results are then processed
by the software program on the mobile device, and the user is
notified whether there is a "hit." A hit would notify the user that
the motor vehicle identifying information submitted by the user
matches at least one motor vehicle description in the database. The
software program may then provide the user with further instruction
related to the motor vehicle, such as instructions on repossessing
the motor vehicle.
[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the software
program may determine identifying information related to the motor
vehicle by utilizing optical character recognition (OCR) of visual
information in the captured photograph.
[0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, the OCR
software and processing occurs onboard the handheld device and the
resulting extracted data is transmitted to the database for
comparison and other analysis. as set forth above.
[0013] In another embodiment of the present invention, the software
program allows the user to submit a number when capturing a
photograph is unavailable.
[0014] In another embodiment of the present invention, the software
program displays error messages to the user in the event of an
error and logs the errors.
[0015] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the
communication link between the mobile device and the database is a
3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, a WiMAX any other suitable wireless communication
link.
[0016] In still another embodiment of the present invention, the
database gives further instructions to the user on actions to take
regarding the motor vehicle.
[0017] As referred to hereinabove and throughout, the "present
invention" refers to one or more exemplary embodiments of the
present invention, which may or may not be claimed, and such
references are not intended to limit the language of the claims, or
to be used to construe the claims in a limiting manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The objects and features of the invention will become more
readily understood from the following detailed description and
appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings in which like numerals represent like elements.
[0019] The drawings constitute a part of this specification and
include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be
embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some
instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated
or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for utilizing a mobile
device to capture a photograph of a motor vehicle and uploading
information to a database.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process of utilizing a
software program on the mobile device for capturing a photograph of
a motor vehicle.
[0022] FIG. 3(a) is a picture of an exemplary embodiment of a login
screen for a software program on a mobile device.
[0023] FIG. 3(b) is a picture of an exemplary embodiment of a
camera interface for a software program on a mobile device.
[0024] FIG. 3(c) is a picture of an exemplary embodiment of a
notification from a database.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The following description is presented to enable any person
skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided
in the context of a particular application and its requirements.
Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles
defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be
limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest
scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
As used herein, "substantially" is to be construed as a term of
approximation.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system 11 for capturing a
photograph of a motor vehicle 123. System 11 may comprise a mobile
device 111, a motor vehicle 113, a network 115, and a database 117.
Mobile device Ill may include a camera for capturing an image of
the motor vehicle, a processor for processing the captured
photograph of motor vehicle 113 to extract identifying information
about motor vehicle 113, an input device configured for user input
of further identifying information about the motor vehicle, a GPS
transceiver, storage means for storing electronic information on
the mobile device, and a communications means for establishing a
communications link with database 117 via network 115.
[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, mobile
device 111 may be a cellular phone such as an Apple iPhone, an
Android powered smartphone, or any number of cellular phones with a
processor, a camera means, a GPS means, storage means, and a
communications link for data transfer. In another preferred
embodiment of the present invention, mobile device 111 may be a
notebook computer, a tablet computer, or any other mobile device
with a processor, a camera means, a GPS means, storage means, and a
communications link for data transfer.
[0028] Mobile device 111 may include a software program for
capturing a photograph of motor vehicle 113. A user of mobile
device 111 may utilize the software program to capture a photograph
of motor vehicle 113. After capturing a photograph of motor vehicle
113, the user may input identifying information related to the
motor vehicle by way of an input device configured for user input
of further identifying information. In a preferred embodiment of
the present invention, input device is a physical keyboard attached
to mobile device 111. In another preferred embodiment of the
present invention, input device is a virtual keyboard displayed on
a screen on the mobile device, with the user able to utilize the
input device through the use of a physical accessory such as a
stylus or by the user's finger.
[0029] In one embodiment of the present invention, mobile device
111 includes optical character recognition (OCR) or other pattern
recognition software that is capable of extracting data from the
photograph, which may be of a license plate, the VIN plate, or
another part of the vehicle that offers identifying information.
The data can then be extracted by the software and transmitted to
the database or remote server along with or in lieu of the
photograph and/or user-input identifying information. Whether the
data is the photograph itself or data derived from the photograph,
such as numbers extracted by OCR or similar processes, the data is
referred to herein as "image data" to distinguish it from manually
entered or other data or information that is not present in or
derived from an image or photograph, referred to herein as
"identifying information."
[0030] After the user has utilized the software program to capture
a photograph of the motor vehicle "image data" and input
identifying information related to the motor vehicle into mobile
device Ill, mobile device Ill may upload the photograph and
identifying information to database 117 containing identifying
information for a plurality of motor vehicles. The mobile device
and database establish a communication link through network 115 in
order to facilitate transfer of the photograph and identifying
information. Once mobile device Ill has finished uploading the
photograph or extracted data (image data) and identifying
information to the database, the software program may notify the
user that the upload was successful.
[0031] If OCR or pattern recognition is performed on the photograph
at the remote server or database 117, the extracted data may be
returned via data link 117 to mobile device 111 for verification by
the user. After upload to database 117, the database compares the
image data and identifying information to other motor vehicle
identifying information already located in database 117 to
determine whether the user uploaded information matches or "hits"
the description of any motor vehicles in the database. When this
validation process is complete, database 117 sends the results back
to the mobile device via the network communications link. The
results are then processed by the software program on the mobile
device, and the user is notified whether there is a "hit." A hit
would notify the user that the motor vehicle identifying
information submitted by the user matches at least one motor
vehicle description in the database. The software program may then
provide the user with further instruction on repossessing the motor
vehicle.
[0032] Turning to FIG. 2, a flow chart of the method steps for a
preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. In step
211, a user opens a software program on mobile device 111. The
software program may then request the user login to verify the
identity or credentials of the user. A preferred embodiment of the
login screen is shown at FIG. 3(a). The user may proceed to login
to the software program by entering a user name into a user name
field 311, and password into a password field 313 in the software
program. The password field 313 may be encrypted to further secure
the user's login credentials. The user may input the user name and
password information through an input means provided by mobile
device 111. Input means may either be a physical keypad or a
virtual one displayed on the screen of mobile device 111. In
another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the user may
input a unique ID as part of the login process. The software may
prompt the user to enter a unique ID in lieu of a user name and
password combination, or the software may request the user enter a
unique ID in addition to the user name and password. In still
another embodiment of the present invention, the user may login to
the software program through any number of other suitable methods
for verifying the user's credentials, including but not limited to,
voice recognition, facial feature recognition, and fingerprint
verification.
[0033] After successfully completing the login process, the user
may capture a photograph of a motor vehicle 113 at step 213, by
navigating to a selection available in the software program for
capturing a photograph. Upon selecting the option to capture a
photograph, the user may use mobile device Ill to capture a
photograph of the motor vehicle 113. During the capture process,
the software program may display a preview of the image to be
captured. Once the user determines that the photograph has been
suitably framed, the user may capture the photograph through the
input interface of mobile device 111.
[0034] During the capture of the photograph, mobile device 111
determines the current physical location of the mobile device using
a GPS transceiver contained in mobile device 111. In a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the GPS transceiver on mobile
device 111 may be assisted or replaced by wireless networks such as
3G or 4G cellular networks, Wi-Fi networks, WiMAX networks, or any
other suitable wireless communication link. The mobile device may
be able to utilize wireless communications signals to assist in
determining the current physical location of the mobile devices, or
may use wireless communications signals alone when GPS signals are
unavailable, such as when the mobile device is being utilized in a
covered garage where GPS signals are weak or unavailable.
[0035] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
software program may allow the user to review the presently
captured photograph. In another preferred embodiment, the software
program may provide the user the option of retaking the photograph
if the user is unsatisfied with the quality of the currently
captured photograph. The captured photograph and the current GPS
coordinate information are then stored in mobile device 111 at step
215. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, storage
means may include any number of non-volatile, rewritable memory,
such as flash memory or hard disk drives.
[0036] Next, the software program may present the user with a
number of identifying information fields to be populated with
information related to motor vehicle 113 at step 217. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the user may input
any number of information into the information fields, such as
license plate information for the motor vehicle 113, the state
where the motor vehicle is registered under, the make of the motor
vehicle, the model of the motor vehicle, and the model year of the
motor vehicle. Referring now to FIG. 3(b), an exemplary example of
the software program shows the entry of identifying information
such as license plate information being input into the software
program using a virtual keypad 315.
[0037] In another embodiment of the present invention, if no
photograph of the motor vehicle was captured, the software program
may direct the user to input a specified portion of the motor
vehicle's vehicle identification number ("VIN"). The specified
portion of the VIN may be stored along with other identifying
information in lieu of a photograph of the motor vehicle 113. In
yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
software program may utilize the mobile device's processor to
process the captured photograph of the motor vehicle in order to
extract identifying information about the motor vehicle. By way of
example, the mobile device's processor may be able to extract the
motor vehicle's license plate information from the captured
photograph and store it as an identifying information related to
motor vehicle 113. Other identifying information that may be
extracted from the stored photograph of motor vehicle 113 may
include the vehicle's make and model information.
[0038] As previously mentioned, if image data, such as license
plate number or VIN is extracted from the photograph, it may be
presented to the user for verification and confirmation by visual
comparison to the actual number.
[0039] It is to be understood that other embodiments of the present
invention may allow the user to input other types of identifying
information into the software, and the currently disclosed
embodiments are non-exhaustive. After the user has completed input
of identifying information into the information fields provided by
the software program, the software programs may save both the
captured photograph and related identifying information in storage
means located on mobile device 111.
[0040] Next, at step 219, the captured photograph along with the
user input identifying information may be uploaded to a database by
way of a communications link established between mobile device 111
and the database. The photograph may be omitted if data is
extracted from it on mobile device 111. In that case, the extracted
image data, along with user-input or other identifying information
forms the basis for comparison with similar data residing in the
database.
[0041] The software program may display a selection for uploading
the photograph and identifying information. Upon selection by a
user, the software program may display the information to be
uploaded and may attempt to upload the photograph and identifying
information using an established communications link. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communications
link may be a wireless networks such as 3G or 4G cellular networks,
Wi-Fi networks, WiMAX networks, or any other suitable wireless
communication link. In another preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the wireless network may transfer information between
mobile device 111 and database 117 through the internet. If a
communications link has not yet been established, the software
program may direct mobile device 111 to attempt to establish a
communications link with the database. If mobile device Ill fails
to establish a communications link, or the upload fails to
completely transfer the captured photograph and identifying
information, the software program may display an error message
notifying the user of an error, and that the upload was
unsuccessful. If the upload completes successfully, the software
program may display a message for the user indicating that the
upload was successful.
[0042] After database 117 receives the captured photograph and
identifying information, database 117 compares the information
received from mobile device Ill with information from database 117
to determine whether there is a correlation between the identifying
information from the mobile device and the identifying information
in the database. If database 117 determines there is a correlation
between the identifying information from mobile device 111 and the
identifying information in the database, database 117 may send a
message to mobile device 111 using network 115, at step 223. Using
the received message, mobile device 111 may then display a
validation screen for the user. Referring to FIG. 3(c), an
exemplary validation screen is shown. The validation screen may
display a status message 317 indicating to the user that a "hit"
has been determined for the particular motor vehicle 113. The
status message 317 may also indicate to the user that the user may
be eligible to repossess motor vehicle 113. If, however, database
117 determines that there is not sufficient correlation between the
identifying information from mobile device 111 and the identifying
information in the database, database 117 may send a message to
mobile device 111 over network 115 indicating to the user that the
identifying information generated no "hits." In this scenario,
status message 317 would display a different message, alerting the
user that no hits were detected.
[0043] In addition, status message 317 may also be displayed under
other circumstances and routine errors, such as if the user input
invalid license plate information. In this scenario, status message
317 may alert the user of the error and inform the user to input a
valid license plate number.
[0044] It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that
the general principles defined herein may be applied to other
embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention.
[0045] Having thus described the exemplary embodiments, it is noted
that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than
limiting in nature and that a wide range of variations,
modifications, changes, and substitutions are contemplated in the
foregoing disclosure and, in some instances, some features of the
present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of
the other features. Many such variations and modifications may be
considered desirable by those skilled in the art based upon a
review of the foregoing description of preferred embodiments.
Accordingly, it is contemplated that the appended claims will cover
any such modifications or embodiments that fall within the true
scope of the invention.
* * * * *