Systems and methods for providing insurance and non-insurance products

Abstract

A method of providing insurance to a customer that comprises the steps of: (1) selling a service contract to the customer that provides protection against the mechanical breakdown or other failure of an item (and in some cases, accidental damage); and (2) in response to the customer purchasing the service contract, providing, at no cost to the customer, third-party-paid insurance coverage that protects the customer against damage to the item, which, in some cases, includes accidental damage. In one embodiment of the invention, the step of providing the third-party-paid insurance coverage is done in order to permit the provision of insurance without the use of a licensed insurance agent.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 269,299, filed Nov. 12, 2008, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 664,483, filed Sep. 19, 2003, entitled “Systems and Methods for Providing Insurance and Non-Insurance Products,” which claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 411,997, filed Sep. 20, 2002, entitled “Wireless Protection Plan,”; U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 269,299, U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 664,483, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 411,997 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Most states have laws in place specifying that only a licensed insurance agent may sell property and casualty insurance. As a result, retailers, manufacturers or service providers that wish to provide property and / or casualty insurance to a customer at an item's point of sale must arrange for an insurance agent or the insurer ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This can be expensive and, often, infeasible for the retailer.

In addition, consumers often purchase a contract of property and / or casualty insurance that covers damage to, or the loss (including theft) of, all or part of an item such as a personal electronic device (e.g., a cellular phone, PDA, or two-way pager), even when the item is covered by a service contract that covers item failures, such as the mechanical breakdown of the item.

This requires customers to keep track of two or more separate contracts, and can make it administratively difficult and confusing for customers to arrange for the repair or replacement of, or indemnity for, a failed, damaged, or lost item.

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