Automated Insurance Form Image Overlay System

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Solution Overview

Problem

Insurance agents face significant time consumption and user error in maintaining and generating insurance policy forms due to the need to manage multiple formats and versions for different carriers, with existing systems requiring manual attachment of policy jackets and stamps, leading to inefficiencies in policy issuance and processing.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method and system that converts electronically fillable forms into non-fillable formats for display, allowing overlay images to be placed visually within a user interface, and then re-generates the form as fillable with the overlay image in the correct position, reducing manual errors and streamlining the policy issuance process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If insurance agents manually maintain and generate policy forms in multiple formats, then forms can be properly formatted for different carriers, but significant time is consumed and user errors occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveform format accuracyVSAvoidtime for form maintenance

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary conversion of fillable forms to non-fillable image formats and pre-places overlay images (stamps, seals) in their correct positions before final PDF generation. This advance preparation eliminates the need for manual form maintenance and reduces errors by ensuring proper formatting is established before the issuance process begins.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary non-fillable image format as a middle step between the editable fillable form and the final PDF. This intermediary format allows overlay images to be positioned and placed accurately without requiring manual manipulation of the original fillable form, thus improving format accuracy while reducing time consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If existing systems require manual attachment of policy jackets and stamps, then proper policy documentation is achieved, but the process is inefficient and error-prone

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepolicy documentation accuracyVSAvoidpolicy issuance speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges the previously separate steps of form preparation, stamp placement, and policy jacket assembly into a single automated workflow. Overlay images representing stamps and seals are integrated directly into the form image during the conversion process, eliminating manual attachment steps while ensuring proper documentation accuracy and increasing policy issuance speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by automatically positioning and placing overlay images (stamps, seals) in their correct locations on policy forms without requiring manual intervention. The automated process identifies the appropriate placement positions and applies the overlays, ensuring documentation accuracy while significantly improving productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If agents process forms in multiple formats with similar appearances, then compatibility with different carriers is maintained, but user errors increase due to confusion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecarrier format compatibilityVSAvoiduser operation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts the format-specific rendering requirements from the fillable form and applies them to the non-fillable image version. By separating the fillable content from the format-specific display requirements, the system maintains carrier compatibility through proper image formatting while eliminating the confusion caused by multiple similar-looking formats, thus improving user operation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS8731973B2Overlaying images in automated insurance policy form generation

Publication Date: 2014.05.20 VERTAFORE

AI summary

Overlaying images in automated insurance policy form generation includes electronically converting a first form in a first format to a second format to and in response to receiving a Web page request, electronically communicating the second form to be displayed within the Web browser instead of electronically communicating the first form in the first format to be displayed within the Web browser. In the case where the first format is Adobe® portable document format (PDF) and the second format is Joint Picture Expert Group (JPEG) format, this enables the user of the browser to overlay images on the forms within the Web page interface of the browser, while it appears to the user they are overlaying images on the original PDF versions of the forms. The final integrated PDF form is then generated from the data indicating the location of the overlay image on the underlying JPEG form. This process may also apply to insurance policy forms wherein the overlay image is a state specific stamp to be placed on the underlying form.