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Insurance Abstract
A method and system for providing a user with insurance premium
estimates from insurance providers for an insurance product. Insurance
providers for the insurance product are selected by the user. Conditions
input indicating conditions effecting the insurance premiums are
transmitted from the user's computer to a service computer. The
service computer converts the conditions input into a standard format
suitable to a common interface and sends the converted conditions
input to the user's computer. The converted conditions input is
sent from the user's computer to the selected insurance providers
without passing through or interacting with the service computer
while being sent from the user's computer to the selected insurance
providers. The insurance premium estimates from the selected insurance
providers are received by the user's computer and displayed on a
display unit of the user's computer in accordance with the conditions
input and the selected insurance providers.
Insurance Claims
1. A method for providing a user with insurance premium estimates
from insurance providers for an insurance product, said method comprising:
receiving a selection by the user of insurance providers to which
to submit a request for the insurance premium estimates; transmitting
conditions input from a user's computer of the user to a service
computer, said conditions input indicating conditions which may
effect the insurance premium; converting the conditions input into
a standard format suitable to a common interface, wherein the converting
step is performed by the service computer receiving, by the user's
computer from the service computer, the converted conditions input
having a standard format; after said receiving the converted conditions
input, directly sending the conditions input in the standard format
from the user's computer to the selected insurance providers such
that the conditions input in the standard format does not pass through
or interact with the service computer while being sent from the
user's computer to the selected insurance providers; receiving,
by the user's computer, the insurance premium estimate from each
of the selected insurance providers; and displaying the received
premium estimates results on a display unit of the user's computer
in accordance with the conditions input and the selected insurance
providers.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:
embedding by the service computer an address of a web site of each
selected insurance provider in data used for subsequently displaying
the received insurance premium estimates on the display unit; and
receiving the embedded address of the website of each selected insurance
provider, wherein said directly sending the conditions input is
performed after said embedding, and wherein said displaying the
received premium estimates on the display unit is based on the embedded
address of the website of each selected insurance provider.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received premium estimates
had been calculated by the selected insurance providers based on
the conditions input, and wherein said receiving the insurance premium
estimates comprises directly receiving the insurance premium estimates
such that the insurance premium estimates received by the user's
computer from the selected insurance providers do not pass through
or interact with the service computer while being transmitted from
the selected insurance providers to the user's computer.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected insurance providers
comprise a plurality of insurance providers, and wherein the calculated
premium estimates from the selected insurance providers are simultaneously
displayed in separate frames on a single display screen of the display
unit.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the common interface is a common
gateway interface (CGI).
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing the received
premium estimates.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said directly sending the conditions
is performed by a browser at the user's computer, wherein the service
computer is coupled to the user's computer by a network, and wherein
the selected insurance providers are coupled to the user's computer
by the network.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the network is the Internet.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected insurance providers
comprise at least two insurance providers, and wherein said receiving
the insurance premium estimates comprises receiving the insurance
premium estimates from each selected insurance provider in accordance
with a timing that is asynchronous with receiving the insurance
premium estimates from each other selected insurance provider.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected insurance providers
comprise at least two insurance providers, and wherein said receiving
the insurance premium estimates comprises receiving the insurance
premium estimates from each selected insurance provider in accordance
with a timing that is synchronous with receiving the insurance premium
estimates from each other selected insurance provider.
11. A system comprising at least one processor and a computer readable
memory device coupled to the at least one processor, said memory
device containing program code that when executed by the at least
one processor implement the method of claim 1.
12. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable storage
medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein,
said computer readable program code containing instructions that
when executed by at least one processor of a computer system implement
the method of claim 1.
Insurance Description
[0001] This application is a divisional of Ser. No. 09/795,824,
filed Feb. 28, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to technique which permits
prospective insurance buyers to obtain premium estimates from a
premium trial-calculation system, a computer system, and a medium,
particularly to an art to be effectively applied to a comparative
estimate (trial calculation) for a plurality of companies.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Even with recent advancements in computer networks like
the Internet, it remains relatively difficult to obtain quotes for
insurance products from multiple vendors that can be easily compared.
For example, in the case of an insurance commodity (or insurance
service) to which comparatively-standardized insurance condition
can be applied such as automobile insurance, similar insurance commodities
are provided from a plurality of companies. A user or consumer makes
a purchase decision by comparing insurance coverage and premiums
from various companies.
[0006] A user has conventionally obtained the information about
coverage and premiums of insurance commodities from advertisements
or direct business activities by insurance companies or insurance
agents, many of whom are tied to a single insurance company. However,
because of the advancement of information technology such as the
Internet, consumers have been gradually able to obtain more and
more information about insurance commodities. For example, the web
sites of some insurance underwriters provide functions for performing
trial calculation (estimation) of insurance commodities and their
charges. Thus, a customer is able to know a premium corresponding
to an insurance condition of the customer by accessing home pages
of the underwriters.
[0007] However, at the web site of each company, it is possible
to only calculate the premium for an insurance commodity provided
by the underwriter who manages the web site. Therefore, to compare
commodities of various companies, it is necessary to individually
access the web site of each company.
[0008] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide
a technique capable of permitting a user to compare insurance commodities
(insurance service offerings) of a plurality of companies by inputting
conditions which effect the insurance premium a single time.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide insurance
commodity information and nearly real time quotes as directly supplied
from a plurality of companies.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide consumers
with high quality insurance commodity information from multiple
suppliers via a comparatively simple system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The following is the outline of the present invention. The
present invention provides trial calculation of insurance premiums
using a computer system and/or a computer network. A screen or graphical
user interface (GUI) for inputting trial-calculation conditions
and a screen or GUI for selecting insurance underwriters (insurance
companies for which a comparison is desired) are provided to a consumer
computer in response to a request by the consumer. A service underwriter's
computer provides the input and selection screens. The service underwriter
acts as a gateway between the consumer and the insurance companies.
The consumer inputs the data necessary via the GUIs and the data
is transmitted to the service underwriter's computer. The consumer's
trial-calculation condition data is sent to the computers of the
selected insurance underwriters (insurance companies or the like).
The trial-calculation data, or conditions, can be sent using a number
of techniques. First, the condition data can be sent directly from
a service underwriter's computer to an insurance underwriter's computer.
Alternatively, the data by can be sent by relating and embedding
the address (URL or the like) of the web site of an insurance underwriter
to and in the data for displaying a premium calculation result sent
from a service underwriter to the customer's computer (trial-calculation
result displaying data). The embedding can be executed by describing
a simple program followed by the post of data with a language such
as JavaScript in trial-calculation result display data. Moreover,
relating of the address of an insurance underwriter to the trial-calculation
result display data can be realized by relating the address to the
frame of each insurance underwriter assigned to the display data.
In this case, trial-calculation condition data is sent from a customer's
computer to an insurance underwriter's computer.
[0012] The insurance underwriter's computer receives the condition
data and estimates a premium for the insurance commodity suitable
for the condition data. A trial-calculation result includes the
estimated premium and is sent to the user's computer and displayed
on the screen of the display unit of the user. A frame is assigned
to each insurance underwriter in the display screen of the user.
Accordingly, the user can simultaneously compare and examine terms
and estimated premiums from a plurality of insurance underwriters
(insurance companies) by inputting condition data relevant to the
desired insurance product a single time.
[0013] Thus, the user can obtain premium estimates from a plurality
of insurance companies by inputting relevant conditions once, thereby
improving convenience. Moreover, results from these insurance underwriters
are directly obtained from each insurance underwriter in real time,
without referring to a data table obtained from each insurance underwriter
and prepared by a service underwriter. Therefore, it is possible
to compare and examine results in accordance with the latest updated
data, quickly obtain the most accurate results possible, and permit
the user to compare multiple offerings with minimal effort.
[0014] When the condition data is sent from a service underwriter,
it is preferable that the data is converted into a format suitable
for a common gateway interface (CGI). In this case, each insurance
underwriter (insurance company) can use this system only by generating
a data format suitable for the CGI and therefore, it is unnecessary
to make an excessive investment. Moreover, it is possible to return
results to a user's computer in HTML format through the CGI.
[0015] Not only are the results directly returned form an insurance
underwriter to a user's computer as described above, but the results
may also be temporarily collected in a service underwriter's computer
and transferred from the service underwriter to the user's computer.
[0016] Moreover, it is possible to print the results using a printer,
etc. In this case, it is possible to lay out a printing format so
that the results for a plurality of insurance underwriters (insurance
companies) are printed in a format in which they may easily be compared.
[0017] Furthermore, a service underwriter can improve the quality
of service by recording a request from a user. For example, it is
possible to change trial-calculation condition input screens or
change insurance underwriter selection screens so as to display
an insurance underwriter frequently selected by users at the top
of a selection list or displaying a condition input items frequently
designated by the user at a high position in a selection list. Moreover,
when attributes such as the age and sex of a user can be determined,
it is possible to improve the convenience of condition inputting
for a user by changing input screens so as to display a display
item corresponding to or optimized by an attribute at the top or
high rank in a selection list.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a conceptual illustration for explaining the environment
of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a conceptual illustration showing the outline
of a trial-calculation system of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an insurance
trial-calculation method according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a display screen showing an example of service
start when the insurance commodity is automobile insurance;
[0022] FIG. 5 is an example of a screen showing the condition-input-screen
data sent from a service underwriter and displayed by the browser
of a customer's computer;
[0023] FIG. 6 is an example of an input screen for information
about an automobile for which an insurance quote is desired;
[0024] FIG. 7 is an example of a second input screen for information
about the automobile for which an insurance quote is desired;
[0025] FIG. 8 is an example of a third input screen for information
about the automobile for which an insurance quote is desired;
[0026] FIG. 9 is an example of a fourth input screen for information
about the automobile for which an insurance quote is desired;
[0027] FIG. 10 is an example of an input screen for information
about other factors which may effect the premium for automobile
insurance;
[0028] FIG. 11 is a display screen showing an example of a comparison-destination
selecting screen;
[0029] FIG. 12A is an example of trial-calculation condition data
formatted in accordance with the x-form-encoded format;
[0030] FIG. 12B is a data list showing an example of a format of
result data to be returned;
[0031] FIG. 13 is a display screen showing results from various
companies;
[0032] FIG. 14 is an example showing the layout of a comparison
table to be printed; and
[0033] FIG. 15 is flowchart showing another example of a premium
trial-calculation method of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED INVENTION
[0034] An embodiment of the present invention is described below
in detail by referring to the accompanying drawings. However, it
is possible to embody the present invention in many different modes.
In the embodiment, the same components are provided with the same
number.
[0035] In the case of the following embodiment, a method or system
is mainly explained. However, as known by those skilled in the art,
the present invention can be embodied as not only a method and a
system but also as program code recorded in a medium which is usable
by a computer. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented
in a hardware a software embodiment, a combination of software and
hardware. One of the following media can be used as a medium in
which a program code is recorded: a hard disk, CD-ROM, optical memory
device, magnetic memory device, etc.
[0036] FIG. 1 is a conceptual illustration for explaining the outline
of the present invention. The present invention describes a technique
for calculating estimated insurance premiums which is mediated by
a server 1 of a service underwriter. The server 1 is connected to
the Internet or an appropriate network or the like. A customer,
consumer, shopper of user U1 or user U2 connects to the server 1
via the Internet from a computer terminal and inputs a request for
an insurance premium or rate quote from insurance companies A, B,
and C. The user inputs conditions which are used by the insurance
companies to calculate estimates or the premium. The insurance companies
A, B, and C perform trial calculations corresponding to the trial-calculation
conditions and return trial-calculation results. The returned trial-calculation
results are displayed on the display screen of the a computer terminal
of the user U1 or U2. Thus, the user U1 or U2 can compare and examine
insurance products and estimated premiums of the companies as per
the displayed trial-calculation results. Thus, the present invention
makes it possible to obtain premium estimates of a plurality of
insurance commodities based upon conditions that are input only
once. Therefore, user convenience is improved by displaying the
trial-calculation results so as to be easily comparable.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a conceptual illustration showing the outline
of a trial-calculation system of the present invention. The trial-calculation
system of the present invention can use, for example, the Internet.
It may also utilize a LAN, WAN or other network in addition to the
Internet. As explained relative to FIG. 1, the service underwriter,
users, and insurance companies (insurance underwriters) exchange
data through their computers.
[0038] The server 1 of the service underwriter functions to send
display document data, to be described later, in a accordance with
a server request from each client. The display document data is,
for example, HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) format document data
that is communicated by using a standard communication protocol
such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).
[0039] A browser capable of displaying, for example, an HTML document
is installed in a computer 2 of a user. The user's browser will
display one of a number of screens. These include a trial-calculation
condition in put screen 3, a result display screen 4, and a print
selecting screen 5 of. These display screens are returned as, for
example, HTML-format display data from the server 1 of the service
underwriter in accordance with a client request from the computer
2 and displayed by the browser in the computer 2 (client). When
printing is selected through the print selecting screen 5, a printer
6 connected to the computer 2 is activated and the results are printed.
A screen may also be provided for selecting comparison destinations
(insurance underwriters such as the insurance companies A, B, and
C in FIG. 1) in the trial-calculation condition input screen 3.
[0040] A trial-calculation engine (trial-calculation program) for
each underwriter is installed in computers 7, 8, and 9, each of
which corresponds to an insurance underwriter (insurance company).
The number three is selected for the number of companies for illustrative
purposes only. The number of companies is not restricted to three.
The trial-calculation engine can be an engine independently developed
in accordance with the specifications of each company and it is
unnecessary to particularly develop a trial-calculation engine for
the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can be simply
realized without making much investment. However, because of an
interface of data to be transferred between computers, it is necessary
to construct these trial-calculation engines so as to be able to
process data through a standard gateway interface (CGI). The CGI
makes it possible to standardize the format of trial-calculation
data and interface the standardized trial-calculation engine of
each company only by posting standardized trial-calculation condition
data through the CGI. It is possible to return a trial-calculation
result in accordance with the HTML format by the CGI. In general,
standardization of a data format by the CGI is easy compared to
the development of a trial-calculation engine and it is possible
to construct a high-convenience system for a user with a minimal
development investment.
[0041] A computer (computer system) usable by the present invention
has a central processing unit (CPU), main memory unit (RAM), nonvolatile
memory unit (ROM), etc. which are connected to each other by a bus.
Moreover, the bus connects with a coprocessor, image accelerator,
cache memory, input/output control unit (I/O), etc. Furthermore,
the bus connects with an external memory device, data input device,
display device, communication controller, etc. through a proper
interface. Furthermore, it is not necessary to say that it is possible
to have a hardware resource generally provided to a computer system.
Though a typical external memory device is a hard disk unit, the
memory device is not restricted to the hard disk unit. The memory
device may also be a semiconductor memory device such as a photo-magnetic
memory device, optical memory device, or flash memory. A read-only
memory device such as a CD-ROM that can be used only for data read
is also included in the external memory device when it is applied
only for data read or program read. A data input device can be provided
with an input unit such as a keyboard and a pointing device such
as a mouse. The data input device may also be a voice-input unit.
Examples of a display device include a CRT, liquid-crystal display
device, and plasma display device.
[0042] A LAN, WAN and the like can be used as a network in which
a plurality of computer systems is connected with each other rather
than using the Internet. It is also allowed to realize the present
invention by using a LAN, WAN and the like. A communication line
for connection of the computer systems can be either of a leased
line and a public line. A computer system includes various types
of computers such as a personal computer, workstation, and mainframe
computer. The present invention can also be realized by a single
computer system.
[0043] Moreover, it is unnecessary to record the data (such as
display data) to be referred by the server 1 of the service underwriter
in the server 1 as long as the data can be accessed by referring
to the address from the server 1. That is, it is possible to dispersively
process or execute some programs or data in the server 1 by the
server 1 and some programs or data by a remote computer. It is possible
to specify an address by using a DNS, URL and the like.
[0044] Furthermore, in this description, the term "Internet"
includes intranets and extranets. Access to the Internet also represents
an access to intranets or extranets. The term "computer network"
includes a computer network that can be publicly accessed and a
computer network that can be only privately accessed.
[0045] the present invention is described below. More detailed
configuration of the above system is disclosed in the following
description of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing
an example of a premium trial-calculation method of the present
invention. In FIG. 3, tasks to be performed by computers of a user,
service underwriter, and insurance underwriter are shown in separate
columns. That is, the user's tasks are shown in the left column,
the service underwriter's tasks are shown in the middle column,
and the insurance underwriter's tasks are shown in the right column.
The following embodiment of the present invention is described as
a trial-calculation service when the insurance commodity is an automobile
insurance policy. However, the present invention is not restricted
tot he following example.
[0046] First, a service connection request is issued from the user's
computer (Step 100). Preferably, the service connection request
is initiated by a user inputting the URL of the web site of a service
underwriter to the browser.
[0047] FIG. 4 is an example initial display screen via which a
user will initiate a request for an insurance estimate. For example,
the screen may be an estimate request service start page of a service
underwriter. A trial-calculation (estimation) service for an automobile
insurance policy prompts a user to decide whether the terms of use
of the service are acceptable on the start screen. The user reads
terms of use on the start screen. If the user agrees to the terms
of use, the user presses a button 10 for "Yes" and progresses
to the next step. However, if the user chooses not to accept the
terms, the user presses a "No" button 11 and processing
ends. The display screen of the browser is the same as that of a
general browser and is known to those skilled in the art. Therefore,
detailed description is omitted.
[0048] If the user accepts the service conditions, a trial-calculation
condition input screen is sent from the service underwriter (Step
101). FIG. 5 shows an example condition input screen data sent from
the service underwriter to the browser of the user. In the preferred
embodiment, the condition input screen is not one screen but is
divided into a plurality of sub-screens as described below. However,
it is also permitted to unite the sub-screens into one input screen
as practical.
[0049] In the condition input screen in FIG. 5, the user inputs
automobile-model and make information. In the preferred embodiment,
a car type number input (button 12) or manufacturer and automobile
model input (button 13) is selected. For this example, it is assumed
that a manufacturer name and automobile name option is selected
by the user selecting the button 13.
[0050] FIG. 6 shows an example input screen for information abut
the automobile for which a quote is desired. In this case, automobile
information is specified in accordance with selection of a model
year and selection of a manufacturer name. Number selection improves
the convenience of the selection operation, in that a user selects
a component box 14 and causes a selection prospect list of possible
model years to be displayed. For example, "1994" or "2000"
is selected. A manufacturer name is also selected by opening a list
associated with a component box 15 and the selecting the appropriate
manufacturer from the list. After the above selection operation,
a "next" button 16 is pressed to proceed to the next step.
It is possible to return to the preceding screen by selecting a
"return" button 17. These buttons are provided for each
subsequent screen downward, and descriptions of "next"
and "return" are hereafter omitted.
[0051] FIG. 7 shows an input screen for additional information
about the automobile for which an insurance estimate is desired.
Preferably, a menu of automobile names is displayed. Since the year
and manufacturer name were specified via the input screen in FIG.
6, the information abut he year and manufacturer name are simultaneously
displayed. Prospective automobile names are displayed based on the
year and manufacturer name, which decrease the length of the list.
In this case, an automobile name is selected by using a component
box 18.
[0052] FIG. 8 shows another input screen for additional information.
In this case, the information about a type is input. Since the year,
manufacturer name, and automobile model name have already been specified,
the year, manufacturer name, and automobile model name is simultaneously
displayed. Moreover, a list of model types, such as "EX,"
"LX,", "4 door," "station wagon,",
etc., is displayed in accordance with the information so that a
type can be selected with a radio button 19. The user selects a
"next" button (not illustrated) after selecting a type
to progress to the next step.
[0053] FIG. 9 illustrates of an input screen for more detailed
information about the automobile for which an insurance quote is
desired. In this case, the year end month in which the car was first
registered, presence or absence of ABS (antilock braking system)
and air bags, and the current non-fleet class of the automobile
are input via this input screen.
[0054] FIG. 10 illustrates an input screen for information about
conditions which may result in lower premiums. In this case, the
age the driver, family restriction, and whether collision protection
is desired for the automobile.
[0055] When the user has finished inputting the data described
above, input of trial-calculation conditions (Step 102) is completed.
The input trial-calculation condition data is transmitted to the
server 1 of the service underwriter (Step 103). In the flowchart
in FIG. 3, the input of these trial-calculation conditions and transmission
of data are indicated as a single step. In the preferred embodiment,
however, the input and transmission of condition data re performed
a plurality of times, as described relative to FIGS. 4 and 10.
[0056] Next, an insurance company (insurance underwriter) selection
screen is sent from the service underwriter to the user (Step 104).
FIG. 11 shows a display screen of an example of an insurance provider
selecting screen. In this case, six companies A to F are displayed
as prospective comparison destinations. The user selects a comparison
destination by selecting a check button 20 associated with the desired
comparison destinations (Step 105).
[0057] In FIG. 11, a selection of insurance policies having, for
example, different coverages and deductibles, are extracted from
the user input trial-calculation condition data and simultaneously
displayed. The user issues the actual request for an estimate by
selecting a next button 21. (Step 106). The trial-calculation condition
data (including selection items) transferred between the computer
2 of the user serving as a client and server 1 of the service underwriter
is preferably entirely controlled and held by the server 1 of the
service underwriter as a part of session information. Though the
format of the data to be stored is optional, it is possible to use
a method of not specifying a format, a method of holding the data
in the form of a database, a method of holding the data by converting
the data into a format which can be easily handled by the standard
format to be described later, and the like. When all inputs and
selections are completed and the user selects the estimate (trial-calculation)
request button, the server 1 of the service underwriter processes
the stored trial-calculation condition data into the standard format
for supplying the data to insurance underwriters' computers 7, 8,
and 9 (Step 107, to be discussed later), generates an HTML document
to be displayed on the frame of the user's browser screen of this
embodiment by using the data (such as address (URL) information)
about selected comparison destinations (insurance underwriters)
held by the server 1 together with the trial-calculation condition
data, and transmits the document to the user serving as a client
as trial-calculation result display data (Step 108, to be discussed
later).
[0058] First, the service underwriter converts the trial-calculation
condition data received from the user into a format suitable to
a common interface serving as the standard format (Step 107). However,
this step is not indispensable for a trial-calculation system not
using a CGI and therefore, it is also allowed to use a common format
other than the CGI. The converted trial-calculation condition data
is the input data to be posted to the CGI of an insurance underwriter
to be described later and formatted in, for example, "x-form-encoded"
format.
[0059] The "x-form-encoded" format is a format constituted
by connecting "name" and "value" of data by
"=" and connecting "name=value" by a pause "&".
FIG. 12A is an example of trial-calculation condition data formatted
in accordance with the x-form-encoded format. In FIG. 12A, "siki"
is a data name (name) showing insurance start and "19991223"
is the value of date (year, month, day) shown in accordance with
the "YYYMMDD" format (value). Moreover, insurance expiration
(manki) and type, trial calculation (shubetu) and the like can be
exemplified. Thus, by converting trial-calculation condition data
into a format suitable for a common interface, an insurance underwriter
can join a trial-calculation system of the present invention only
by generating a CGI (common interface) suitable for the format while
a service underwriter does not have to construct a system suitable
for the data format for each insurance company (insurance underwriter).
Therefore, it is possible to easily construct a high-convenience
system for a user at a low cost.
[0060] Then, the service underwriter embeds the converted trial-calculation
condition data and comparison-destination data in the frame of a
display screen to send trial-calculation result display data to
the computer of a user (Step 108). The description (REFRESH TIME=0
designation on META tag/POST designation on Form tag, etc.) of posting
the above trial-calculation condition data to URL/CGI designated
without an action of a user (automatically) is included in the trial-calculation
result display data (HTML document) about the frame of each insurance
underwriter as simple code written in a language such as JavaScript.
As a result, it is possible to make the computer of a corresponding
insurance underwriter automatically execute an estimate request
from each user.
[0061] FIG. 13 is a display screen showing an example of an estimate
result display screen. The screen shows a navigation frame screen
and frame screens displaying estimates results from three selected
companies. At this stage, however, results are not displayed in
frames assigned to companies A, B, and C in FIG. 13.
[0062] The computer of a user receiving display screen data sends
the trial-calculation condition data embedded in the frame to the
address of an insurance underwriter in each frame (Step 109). Because
the data is automatically sent, the user does not have to recognize
the data.
[0063] The trial-calculation condition data sent to the insurance
underwriter is posted to the CGI of the insurance underwriter's
computer and delivered to the trial-calculation engine of the insurance
underwriter through the CGI. In this case, the trial-calculation
engine functions as a gateway. The trial-calculation engine receiving
the data executes a trial calculation (Steps 110a to 110c) and the
trial-calculation result is delivered to the CGI. In this case,
the trial-calculation engine can use an existing program intrinsic
to each insurance company. The CGI returns the trial-calculation
result to the posting source of the data, that is, each frame of
the display screen displayed on the user's computer and the returned
trial-calculation result is displayed in each frame (Step 111).
[0064] FIG. 12B is a data list showing an example of a format of
the trial-calculation result data to be returned. The trial-calculation
result data is returned to a posting source in accordance with,
for example, a "Content-Type: text/plain" format. The
format of the data is a format of enclosing a value with double
quotations (") and delimiting the format with a line-feed code
(0.times.0a). In the case of the data to be returned, the data name
is omitted and values are set in order of data to be posted and
are returned.
[0065] These trial-calculation results are independently returned
for each insurance underwriter starting with an underwriter completing
a trial calculation. Because a return destination is a frame displayed
on the display screen of a user, trial-calculation results are displayed
on the screen of the user in the order in which trial-calculation
results are received. Though the display timing is preferably asynchronous,
it is also possible to synchronize the timing. FIG. 13 is display
screen showing a result display screen on which trial-calculation
results of companies are displayed. The trial-calculation result
of the company A is displayed on the frame 22 of the company A,
that of the company B is displayed on the frame 23 of the company
B, and that of the company C is displayed on the frame 24 of the
company C.
[0066] Thus, according to this embodiment, trial-calculation results
from a plurality of companies are displayed so that the results
can be easily compared and examined in accordance with one-time
trial-calculation condition input or a series of trial-calculation
condition inputs and therefore, it is possible to provide a system
and a trial-calculation method with a high convenience of a user.
Moreover, according to this embodiment, each trial-calculation result
shows the data directly obtained from each insurance company each
time. Therefore, it is possible to provide a system and a method
for quickly displaying the latest information. Moreover, in the
case of this embodiment, converted trial-calculation condition data
is directly sent from a user to an insurance underwriter and trial-calculation
results are directly returned from the insurance underwriter to
the user without being stored in a service underwriter computer.
Thus, by providing a system for exchanging data without going through
a service underwriter, it is possible to simplify the system.
[0067] Then, the trial-calculation results are printed and output
on a sheet when requested by the user. By pressing the button 25
for generating a comparison table in the navigation frame in FIG.
13, a printing request is issued (Step 112). The server 1 of a service
underwriter accepting the printing request lays out the comparison
table shown in FIG. 14 (Step 113). The above operation can be performed
by requesting execution of generation of an HTML document for print-output
to a server from a client in accordance with the description of
JavaScript incorporated into the HTML of, for example, a navigation
frame. The laid-out comparison table (trial-calculation result comparison
table) is formed in accordance with a format in which trial-calculation
conditions (estimate conditions) and trial-calculation contents
of companies can be compared. Thereby, the user can obtain visible
print-outputs and easily compare and examine insurance commodities.
The comparison table (trial-calculation result comparison table)
is displayed on the display screen of the user and print-output
to the printer 6 in accordance with selection by the user (Step
114).
[0068] Thus, the trial-calculation method of this embodiment is
completed. It is needless to say that the above print output is
optional and it is not an indispensable requirement of the present
invention.
[0069] The invention made by the present inventor is specifically
described in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
However, the present invention is not restricted to the embodiment.
Various modifications of the present invention are allowed as long
as the modifications do not deviate from the gist of the present
invention.
[0070] For the above embodiment, a case is described in which the
sending of trial-calculation condition data and the returning of
trial-calculation result data are performed between a user and an
insurance underwriter. However, as shown in FIG. 15, it is also
allowed to send trial-calculation condition data from a service
underwriter to an insurance underwriter (Step 120), temporarily
store a trial-calculation result sent from the insurance underwriter
in the computer of the underwriter, and then send result display
data to the computer of a user from the service underwriter in a
form of embedding a trial-calculation result (Step 121). Moreover,
for the above embodiment, a case is described in which divided frames
are arranged in a single window in parallel. However, it is also
allowed to generate a plurality of other windows and display trial-calculation
results in the windows one each.
[0071] Moreover, for the above embodiment, an automobile insurance
commodity is described. However, it is needless to say that when
the same insurance commodity is provided from a plurality of insurance
companies, the present invention can be applied to other insurance
commodities. Furthermore, it is possible to apply the present invention
to the same kind of commodity and service charge estimates from
a plurality of companies in addition to an estimate of a premium.
[0072] Furthermore, for the above embodiment, a system and a method
are mainly described. However, because a computer-readable program
realizes the function of the system and the method, it is clear
that a recording medium in which the computer-readable program is
recorded is disclosed in the embodiment. It is a matter of course
that the medium includes not only a medium built in a memory device
such as a hard disk but also a medium to be traded separately from
a memory device such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, flash memory, or floppy
disk.
[0073] The following matters are disclosed about a configuration
of the present invention as a summary.
[0074] A method is provided for displaying a trial-calculation
result of a quote using a computer system and/or computer network.
The method comprises the steps of displaying an input screen for
prompting input of a trial-calculation condition and selection of
one trial-calculation underwriter or a plurality of trial-calculation
underwriters requesting trial calculation of the charge on the display
unit of a computer system of the user in response to a request of
the user; generating the display data for displaying trail-calculation
results on the display unit of the user in accordance with the trial-calculation
condition data input to the input screen and the identification
data for specifying the computer system(s) of the trial-calculation
underwriter(s) selected on the input screen; and making the computer
system(s) of the selected trial-calculation underwriter(s) selected
on the input screen; and making the computer system(s) of the selected
trial-calculation underwriter(s) execute trial calculation(s) and
displaying the trial-calculation result(s) on the display unit of
the user in response to a trial-calculation execution request of
the user.
[0075] The a plurality of trial-calculation results sent from the
plurality of trial-calculation underwriters may be displayed on
the same display screen or output to one printing sheet so that
the results can be compared.
[0076] A frame for each of the trial-calculation underwriters may
be assigned to the display data for displaying the trial-calculation
result(s) on the display unit and the address data of the trial-calculation
underwriters for sending the trial-calculation condition data is
related to the frame as identification data.
[0077] An calculation system using a computer system and/or a computer
network is also provided. The system comprises, a unit for displaying
an input screen for prompting input of a trial-calculation condition
and selection of one trial-calculation underwriter or a plurality
of trial-calculation underwriters requesting trial calculation of
the charge on the display unit of a computer system of a user in
response to a request of the user; a unit for generating the display
data for displaying trial-calculation result(s) on the display unit
of the user in accordance with the trial-calculation condition data
input to the input screen and the identification data for specifying
the computer system(s) of the trial-calculation underwriter(s) selected
on the input screen; and a unit for making the computer system(s)
of the selected trial-calculation underwriter(s) execute trial calculation(s)
and display trial-calculation result(s) on the display unit of the
user in response to a trial-calculation execution request of the
user.
[0078] The plurality of trial-calculation results sent from the
trial-calculation underwriters may be displayed on the same display
screen or output to a printing sheet so that the results can be
compared.
[0079] A frame for each of the trial-calculation underwriters may
be assigned to the display data for displaying the trial-calculation
results on the display unit and the address data of the trial-calculation
underwriters for sending the trial-calculation condition data is
related to the frame as identification data.
[0080] The following are advantages obtained from typical aspects
of the present invention disclosed in this description. It is possible
to compare and examine insurance commodities of a plurality of companies
by inputting a single trial-calculation condition. Moreover, because
pieces of insurance commodity information are directly supplied
from a plurality of companies, it is possible to provide up-to-date
commodity information and rate quote. Furthermore, it is possible
to provide high-quality insurance-commodity information by a comparatively
simple system. |