Patents by Inventor Christopher Carl Lichti

Christopher Carl Lichti has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8577736
    Abstract: The sale of a vehicle may involve many cost and profit components. It is generally impossible for a potential buyer to know all of these components. For example, dealers may be paid by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on their Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and volume bonus. Embodiments disclosed herein may determine and present to a user an accurate estimate of dealer cost, taking into consideration an aggregate of dealer cost components. For each component, a predictive model may be built to determine an expected value at a particular level. An average of the expected value of the component is then calculated for the most recent month. From that, an average bonus payout per vehicle for the most recent month may be determined. A base dealer cost is adjusted to account for these payouts to produce an accurate estimate of actual dealer cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Truecar, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Swinson, Scott Painter, Damon Cleckler, Philip Inghelbrecht, Christopher Carl Lichti, Robert Taylor
  • Publication number: 20110082759
    Abstract: The sale of a vehicle may involve many cost and profit components. It is generally impossible for a potential buyer to know all of these components. For example, dealers may be paid by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on their Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and volume bonus. Embodiments disclosed herein may determine and present to a user an accurate estimate of dealer cost, taking into consideration an aggregate of dealer cost components. For each component, a predictive model may be built to determine an expected value at a particular level. An average of the expected value of the component is then calculated for the most recent month. From that, an average bonus payout per vehicle for the most recent month may be determined. A base dealer cost is adjusted to account for these payouts to produce an accurate estimate of actual dealer cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Inventors: Michael Swinson, Scott Painter, Damon Cleckler, Philip Inghelbrecht, Christopher Carl Lichti, Robert Taylor