By Targeted News Service
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 7 -- United Services Automobile Association, San Antonio, has been assigned a patent (8,370,178) developed by four co-inventors for "systems and methods for marketing and/or servicing personal property insurance." The co-inventors are Steven Carl Mills, San Antonio, Daniel A. Chavez, San Antonio, Tony Noriega, San Antonio, and Sandra Lynn Sherman Sausman, Shavano Park, Texas.
The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "Insurance coverage on valuable personal property ("VPP") can be marketed and/or serviced through an expert system that interacts with a user through a web site and web browser. VPP coverage tends to have many facets and complexities, and a system can be used to explain the various complexities and to guide said user through the process of selecting coverage, obtaining a quote, and purchasing said policy. The system can provide various forms of user education, such as graphical and/or text screens that explain features of coverage, can also provide said user with a linear process flow for those tasks that can be accomplished simply, and can involve a human representative for more complicated tasks."
The patent application was filed on Oct. 15, 2007 (11/872,465). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,370,178&OS=8,370,178&RS=8,370,178
Written by Satyaban Rath; edited by Hemanta Panigrahi.