Patents by Inventor Michael George Colman

Michael George Colman 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: 11816602
    Abstract: A method and system for the online vehicle rentals, such as a car share rental, allows for a customer to self-dispatch and self-return a rental vehicle without requiring special equipment in the rental vehicle or the presence of rental personnel at the dispatch or return location. At the beginning of the rental period, the customer is prompted to input to a rental management computer system, via a mobile computer device, information about the mileage and fuel level of the rental vehicle and to report existing damage to the rental vehicle. If the customer wishes to extend the rental time period, the customer is prompted to select a requested extended end time for the rental time period and to send the requested extended end time to the rental management computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: U-HAUL INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Edward J Shoen, Michael George Colman, Mariah Anne Reid, Arthur Scott Tonan, John Samuel Wathen
  • Patent number: 11645705
    Abstract: A method and system for real-time qualification of rental customers allows a rental company to quickly qualify a customer making an online reservation of a rental vehicle, such as a car share rental, without requiring the customer to be a member or have a membership or to be pre-qualified. The system includes: a database operative to store account information associated with a customer for a rental transaction; an input component operative to receive from the customer an uploaded image of the customer's driver's license and an uploaded second image of the customer; and a processor operative with the database to use the uploaded driver's license image, the uploaded second image and information associated with the uploaded second image to qualify the customer for a rental transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: U-HAUL INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Edward J Shoen, Michael George Colman, Mariah Anne Reid, Arthur Scott Tonan, John Samuel Wathen
  • Publication number: 20170206475
    Abstract: A method and system for the online vehicle rentals, such as a car share rental, allows for a customer to self-dispatch and self-return a rental vehicle without requiring special equipment in the rental vehicle or the presence of rental personnel at the dispatch or return location. At the beginning of the rental period, the customer is prompted to input to a rental management computer system, via a mobile computer device, information about the mileage and fuel level of the rental vehicle and to report existing damage to the rental vehicle. If the customer wishes to extend the rental time period, the customer is prompted to select a requested extended end time for the rental time period and to send the requested extended end time to the rental management computer system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventors: Edward J. Shoen, Michael George Colman, Mariah Anne Reid, Arthur Scott Tonan, John Samuel Wathen
  • Publication number: 20150032487
    Abstract: A method and system for real-time qualification of rental customers allows a rental company to quickly qualify a customer making an online reservation of a rental vehicle, such as a car share rental, without requiring the customer to be a member or have a membership or to be pre-qualified. The system includes: a database operative to store account information associated with a customer for a rental transaction; an input component operative to receive from the customer an uploaded image of the customer's driver's license and an uploaded second image of the customer; and a processor operative with the database to use the uploaded driver's license image, the uploaded second image and information associated with the uploaded second image to qualify the customer for a rental transaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Edward J. Shoen, Michael George Colman, Mariah Anne Reid, Arthur Scott Tonan, John Samuel Wathen