Abstract:
A method and apparatus are provided that allow insurance agents to virtually present insurance quotes to potential clients over the Internet and the web. This is accomplished by first collecting information from a user and generating an insurance quote based on the information collected from the user. An agent list is then presented to the user, who, in turn, selects an agent from the agent list. Finally, the insurance quote is presented to the user together with information regarding the selected agent. As a result, the insurance quote is presented to the user as if the selected agent were actually providing the quote directly to the user. This presentation mode allows captive agents to maintain their exclusive quote presentation role with users of the system, while, at the same time, eliminating the time delay introduced by the off-line quoting process.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
         [0001]    Microfiche appendix A, which is part of the present disclosure, is an appendix consisting of a single sheet of microfiche containing a total of 21 frames listing segments of a computer program and related data, according to an embodiment of the invention. These listings of computer program contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the present disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to computers and, more particularly, to computer-implemented systems for providing insurance quote information.  
           [0004]    2. Related Art  
           [0005]    Computer systems are routinely used to generate insurance quotes based on information provided by the insured. The information that is provided by the insured varies depending on both the subject of the insurance policy to be underwritten and the type of coverage desired. For instance, in the case of automobile insurance, the information provided by the insured includes information about the vehicle or vehicles to be covered under the policy, information about the driver or drivers to be covered under the policy, and information about the type of coverage requested by the insured.  
           [0006]    Since insurance quotes are typically based on statistical data which is correlated to the information provided by the insured, computers can greatly reduce the time and expense associated with generating insurance quotes. In particular, computer quoting systems allow insurance agents to provide accurate quotes to potential clients in a matter of minutes by inputting the client&#39;s information into the system and automatically generating quotes based on the information provided by the client.  
           [0007]    The increasing popularity of the Internet and the World-Wide Web (the web) have led to the development of automated insurance quoting systems that are accessible directly over the web. Operation of one such system is illustrated in FIG. 1. In automated insurance quoting operation  100  of FIG. 1, a computer program is first executed in stage  110 , whereby information is collected from a user of a client computer connected to a server computer via the Internet and the web. The information collected in stage  110  varies accordingly to the type of insurance quote requested by the user (e.g., automobile, homeowner, life, health, etc.) and may include information about the user (e.g., name, address, date of birth, etc.), information about the subject of the insurance policy to be underwritten (e.g., automobile information for auto insurance, medical history for health insurance, etc.) and information about the type of coverage requested (e.g., deductible amount, maximum liability, etc.). In stage  120 , the computer program then evaluates the information provided by the user and generates a number of insurance quotes by comparing the information provided by the user with insurance rate information provided by insurance carriers.  
           [0008]    A quote pad page is then presented to the user in stage  130 . The Quote Pad page contains information about both on-line and off-line quotes available to the user. On-line quotes can be presented directly to the user by the computer program, while off-line quotes are sent to the user by alternate means such as e-mail or regular mail at a later time. In stage  150 , the user elects whether to receive off-line quotes, in which case operation  100  proceeds to stage  152 . Otherwise, if the user elects to receive on-line quotes, operation  100  proceeds to stage  190 . In addition, during stage  130 , the user can opt to save the information already entered for use at a later time by accessing an account creation page in stage  140 . In stage  152 , the user enters personal information. Stage  154  then determines whether any agents are able to provide a quote to the user, in which case operation  100  proceeds to stage  160 ; otherwise operation  100  proceeds to stage  170 . In stage  160 , an agent selection page is presented to the user. The user then selects an agent from whom to receive an off-line quote. The user information is then sent to the selected agent who, in turn, sends a quote to the user, typically, by mail.  
           [0009]    In case the user elects to receive on-line quotes from companies that do not require agents to present quotes, a page displaying the quote details is presented to the user in stage  190 . If the user then elects to request coverage, personal contact information is entered by the user in stage  195  and forwarded to the quoting insurance company for further processing of the insurance application. Operation  100  then proceeds to stage  170 .  
           [0010]    Finally, in stage  170 , a thank you page is presented to the user summarizing the quotes presented and providing the user with a further option for storing the information entered by accessing the account creation page in stage  180 .  
           [0011]    This system, however, presents some limitations for insurance companies that present insurance quotes exclusively through their agents. Such agents, sometimes referred to as captive agents, typically work exclusively for one insurance company. In exchange for the exclusivity, the insurance company agrees to sell insurance policies only through its captive agents. To fit within the captive agent model, the system of FIG. 1 relies on an off-line quoting system in which the user requests a quote by selecting an agent and the agent later contacts the user with the quote. The offline quoting, however, adds additional time to the quoting process. There is thus a need for a system that allows captive agents to provide insurance quotes to users on-line.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    The method and apparatus of the present invention allow insurance agents to virtually present insurance quotes to potential clients over the Internet. This is accomplished by first collecting information from a user and generating an insurance quote based on the information collected from the user. An agent list is then presented to the user, who, in turn, selects an agent from the agent list. Finally, the insurance quote is presented to the user together with information regarding the selected agent.  
           [0013]    As a result, the insurance quote is presented to the user as if the selected agent were actually providing the quote directly to the user. This presentation mode allows captive agents to maintain their exclusive quote presentation role with users of the system, while, at the same time, eliminating the time delay introduced by the off-line quoting process. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the operation of a prior art automated insurance quoting system.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2A is a flow diagram of the operation of an agent-centric automated insurance quoting system according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2B is a flow diagram of stage  205  of the operation of FIG. 2A.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is a diagram of a quote pad page, according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 is a diagram of an agent selection page, according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5A is a diagram of an agent information page, according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5B is a diagram of an agent information page including geo-coded directions to an agent&#39;s office.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5C is a diagram of an agent information page, according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a diagram of a quote details page, according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is a diagram of the quote pad page of FIG. 3, after an agent selection operation.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a client computer and a server computer connected by a global network.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8B is a block diagram of the logical structure of the hardware and software components of the client computer of FIG. 8A.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 8C is a flow diagram illustrating the execution of a software program on the server computer of FIG. 8A when a “home page” of the automated insurance quoting system of FIG. 2 is accessed.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8D is a flow diagram illustrating the execution of a software program on the server computer of FIG. 8A when subsequent pages of the automated insurance quoting system of FIG. 2 are accessed.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0028]    The present invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically quoting insurance policy rates based on information supplied by the user, where the insurance quote is presented by a virtual insurance agent.  
         [0029]    A flow diagram of the operation of an automated insurance quoting system  200  in accordance to an embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, information about the user, the object of the insurance policy to be underwritten and the type of coverage desired is collected in stage  205 , in a manner analogous to the one described with respect to the prior art system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2B illustrates the flow of operation  200  during stage  205  in greater detail. First, in stage  260 , the user selects an insurance type for which the quote is requested. In stage  265 , the user&#39;s information (e.g., address, date of birth, etc.) is optionally collected. Information about the object of the insurance policy to be underwritten is collected in stage  270 . Finally, information about the type of coverage requested by the user is collected in stage  275 .  
         [0030]    Those skilled in the art realize that the particular order of the operations depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B is purely illustrative. In fact, these operations can be performed in any order that does not violate data dependencies described herein. For example, information about the object of the insurance policy could be collected either before of after the user&#39;s information is collected. However, insurance quotes cannot be determined based on the user&#39;s information unless such information has been collected in a previous stage.  
         [0031]    In stage  210 , the information entered by the user is evaluated and compared to information supplied by insurance companies to determine whether individual insurance companies provide the coverage requested by the user and, if so, at what rates. A quote pad page  300  (FIG. 3) is then displayed to the user in stage  215 . Quote pad page  300  includes a summary section  310 , an on-line quote section  320  and an off-line section  330 . Summary section  310  displays a summary of the number of on-line and off-line insurance quotes available to the user. On-line section  320 , in turn, displays information regarding on-line quotes available to the user. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, the information displayed for each available quote displayed in on-line section  310  are an insurance company icon  322   n  (where n=A, B, C), an action button  324   n , a quote field  326   n , a term field  327   n , an S&amp;P rating field  328   n  and an A.M. Best rating field  329   n . Insurance company icon  322   n  indicates the insurance company that is presenting the quote. If the insurance company indicated by insurance company icon  322   n  allows quotes to be presented directly to the user, the corresponding action button  324   n  indicates that the quote can be directly displayed by clicking on action button  324   n  (action buttons  324 B and  324 C). Alternatively, if the insurance company requires that quotes be presented by an agent, the corresponding action button indicates to the user that additional information is required (action button  324 A). If the user clicks action button  324 A, in stage  225  one or more agents representing the insurance company are selected based on the geographical information provided by the user and an agent selection page  400  (FIG. 4) is displayed in stage  230 . If the user clicks save button  340 , the information entered by the user is saved in stage  220 , in a manner analogous to the one described with respect to stage  255 .  
         [0032]    Agent selection page  400  has an agent list  410  and a return-to-quote-pad button  420 . In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the information displayed for each insurance agent listed in agent list  410  includes a select button  412   n  (where n=A, B, C, D, E), an agent name  414   n , an agent address  416   n , and an agent city  418   n . In order to select an insurance agent from agent list  410 , the user simply clicks on a corresponding select button  412   n  in stage  230 , the agent information is collected in stage  235  and displayed to the user in an agent information page  500 . FIGS. 5A, 5B and  5 C illustrate embodiments of agent information page  500 .  
         [0033]    The agent information page  500  shown in FIG. 5A includes a name field  505 , a specialty field  510 , a license number field  515 , an e-mail address field  520 , a picture icon  525 , an office address field  530 , a phone number field  535 , a notes field  540 , a directions field  550 , a personal information field  555 , a select button  560 , a quote pad button  565 , and an agent list button  570 .  
         [0034]    The layout of agent information page  500  shown in FIG. 5B is identical to the one shown in FIG. 5A except that a map  575  is shown in place of directions field  550 . The layout of agent information page  500  shown in FIG. 5C is identical to the one shown in FIG. 5A except that picture icon  525 , directions field  550  and personal information field  555  are not shown.  
         [0035]    According to an embodiment of the invention, different levels of listings can be provided to insurance agents participating in automated insurance quoting system  200 . For instance, agent information page  500  of FIG. 5C can be offered as a basic subscription service for insurance agents, while agent information page  500  of FIG. 5A or  5 B is offered as an upgraded service to insurance agents.  
         [0036]    While specific embodiments are shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the invention can be applied to any variation of a page listing information regarding an insurance agent and the invention is not limited to the specific types of information shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. For example, additional information such as membership in professional organizations, certifications (e.g., e-commerce insurance training certification) could be displayed in addition to or in lieu of the information described with respect to FIGS. 5A and 5B.  
         [0037]    If the user clicks on select agent button  560 , the agent whose information is displayed on agent information page  500  is selected and operation  200  proceeds to stage  240 . Alternatively, if the user clicks on quote pad button  565 , quote pad page  300  is again displayed to the user and operation  200  reverts to stage  215 . Finally, if the user clicks on agent selection button  570 , agent selection page  400  is again displayed to the user and operation  200  reverts to stage  230 .  
         [0038]    In stage  240 , quote details page  600  (FIG. 6) is presented to the user. Quote details page  600  includes an agent introduction field  605 , a drivers section  610 , a vehicles section  620 , a rate section  630 , a premium field  640 , an agent section  650 , a request coverage button  660 , and a quote pad button  670 . Agent introduction field  605  effectively introduces the agent presenting the quote to the user. Drivers section  610  summarizes the information entered by the user for all drivers considered in generating the insurance quote. Similarly, vehicles section  620  summarizes the information entered by the user for all vehicles considered in generating the insurance quote. Rate section  630  then breaks down the insurance premium based on different types of coverage requested by the user. Premium field  640  indicates to the user the premium amount and the policy term that constitute the quote. Agent section  650  summarizes the agent information displayed in agent information window  500 .  
         [0039]    If the user clicks on request coverage button  660 , operation  200  proceeds to stage  245 . Alternatively, if the user clicks on quote pad button  670 , quote pad page  300  (FIG. 7) is again displayed to the user and operation  200  reverts to stage  215 . FIG. 7 illustrates quote pad page  300  as it appears in stage  215  of operation  200  after processing of stage  240 . The quote pad page  300  of FIG. 7 is identical to the quote pad page  300  shown in FIG. 3, except that the name of the selected agent is displayed as part of insurance company icon  322 A, action button  324 A has the same appearance as action buttons  324 B and  324 C and a quote amount is displayed in quote field  326 A. In addition, a quote selection column  710  and a request coverage button  730  are added to on-line section  320 . The user can thus request coverage based on one of the quotes displayed in on-line section  320  by first clicking on a corresponding radio button in selection column  710  and then clicking on request coverage button  730 , in which case operation  200  proceeds to stage  245 .  
         [0040]    In stage  245 , personal contact information is obtained from the user to be forwarded to the agent/insurance company selected by the user and operation  200  proceeds to stage  250 . In stage  250  a thank you page (not shown) is displayed to the user. Once the thank you page is displayed, the user has the option of either terminating operation  200  or saving the information entered for processing at a later time. If the user elects to save the information entered, operation  200  proceeds to stage  255 . In stage  255 , an identification code and a password are selected by the user to identify the information entered during operation  200  and the information is stored in a user account keyed to the identification code provided by the user and operation  200  terminates.  
         [0041]    If the user elects to use the automated insurance quoting system at a later time, an option is presented to the user to either enter new information or retrieve information stored in the user account. The information stored in the user account can then be retrieved by the user by supplying the identification code and password provided during operation  200 .  
         [0042]    One implementation of a computer system according to an embodiment of the invention is described in FIGS.  8 A- 8 D. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a client computer  800  executing a web browser program such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator connected to a server computer  810  over a global network  820  such as the Internet and the web. FIG. 8B illustrates the logical structure of the hardware and software of client computer  800 . In FIG. 8B, a web browser program such as Internet Explorer 4.0, available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond Wash., or Netscape Navigator® 4.0, available from Netscape Communications Corp. of Mountain View, Calif., is shown executing on top of an operation system such as Windows95®, Windows98®, Windows NT® 4.0, available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond Wash., or MacOS™ 8.5, available from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino Calif., in turn, executing on top of the actual hardware of client computer  800  (FIG. 8A).  
         [0043]    [0043]FIGS. 8C and 8D illustrate the operation of the software program executed by server computer  810 . As shown in FIG. 8C, a user accesses the automated insurance quoting system by first requesting the “home page” of the automated insurance quoting service via client computer  800  connected to server computer  810 . An executable program  830  running on server computer  810  then retrieves an HTT template file  840 , also stored on the server computer and one or more conditional merge files  850 . Executable program  830 , HTT template file  840  and conditional merge files  850  are protected by means of a network firewall installed on server computer  800  to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information such as insurance rating information. Executable program  830  then merges HTT file  840  and merge files  850  to generate processed HTML document  860  that is displayed on a screen of client computer  800 . Conditional merge files  850  store information such as individual insurance companies&#39; value propositions or other information that may vary within an HTT template file  840 .  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 8D illustrates how additional pages are accessed by the user in a similar manner to the one shown in FIG. 8C.  
         [0045]    MacOS is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., Windows95, Windows98 and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., Netscape Navigator is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corp. of Mountain View, Calif.  
         [0046]    Embodiments described above illustrate but do not limit the invention. In particular, the invention is not limited to the appearance of the web pages described herein. Those skilled in the art realize that alternative web pages can be employed in lieu of the ones described herein in accordance to the principles of the present invention. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to any particular insurance type. For example, the invention can be used in insurance industries other than automobile, homeowner, life and health. Similarly, the invention is not limited by any particular categories of information collected from the user. For example, other information may be entered by the user depending on the type of insurance coverage desired. Other embodiments and variations are within the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.