US 11,816,602 B2
Method and apparatus for online rental of vehicles
Edward J Shoen, Phoenix, AZ (US); Michael George Colman, Glendale, AZ (US); Mariah Anne Reid, Phoenix, AZ (US); Arthur Scott Tonan, Phoenix, AZ (US); and John Samuel Wathen, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Assigned to U-HAUL INTERNATIONAL, INC., Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by U-Haul International, Inc., Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Mar. 29, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/473,429.
Application 15/473,429 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/341,610, filed on Jul. 25, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/859,151, filed on Jul. 26, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2017/0206475 A1, Jul. 20, 2017
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/02 (2012.01); G06Q 30/0645 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/02 (2013.01) [G06Q 30/0645 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for online rental of vehicles, the method comprising:
storing in a non-transitory computer database rental transaction information associated with a customer for making a reservation of a rental vehicle for a scheduled rental time period, wherein the computer database is accessible by a rental management computer system and wherein the stored rental transaction information includes a rental return location;
after the reservation of the rental vehicle has been activated:
with the rental management computer system, automatically causing a mobile computer device to display one or more mileage and fuel level interface elements to enable the customer to input via the mobile computer device information about the mileage and fuel level of the rental vehicle at the beginning of the rental, including causing the mobile computer device to (i) prompt the customer to use the mobile computer device to manually input mileage information and fuel level information for the rental vehicle, and (ii) prompt the customer to use the mobile computer device to capture image information and to send the image information to the rental management computer system;
with the rental management computer system, (i) automatically causing the mobile computer device to display an existing damage interface element to report existing damage to the rental vehicle and (ii) automatically calculating a time deadline for reporting existing damage based on a predefined time limit after the beginning of the rental to report existing damage to the rental management computer system;
with the rental management computer system, automatically causing the mobile computer device to enable the customer to send a vehicle damage report to the rental management computer system via the mobile computer device; and
with the rental management system, receiving the vehicle damage report and automatically categorizing the reported damage as existing damage or new damage based on the time of receiving the damage report and the calculated time deadline for reporting existing damage;
with the rental management computer system, automatically (i) causing the mobile computer device to display to the customer a user interface element to begin a process for returning the rental vehicle, (ii) in response to the selection of the user interface element on the mobile computer device, causing the mobile computer device to share the mobile computer device GPS location information with the rental management computer system, and (iii) using the shared mobile computer device GPS location information to automatically confirm that the customer is at the rental return location;
with the rental management computer system, automatically accessing the GPS information from the mobile computer device to determine the location of the rental vehicle; and
automatically comparing the GPS location information from the mobile computer device with the rental return location information and calculating the distance between the GPS location and the rental return location to determine whether to instruct the customer to move the vehicle.