NZ546861A - Automated legal compliance notification system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of reminding a vehicle owner to obtain a warrant of fitness (WoF) check for their vehicle is disclosed. The method involves a computer system (4) obtaining information, including the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number of the vehicle, the expiry date of the WoF of the vehicle, and information for communicating with the vehicle owner. Status information of the vehicle is obtained from a database (12), this status including the current WoF status of the vehicle. If the WoF has not been renewed then a reminder message is generated and sent to the vehicle owner. The method can be used by a WoF provider to provide reminders to customers, and as it is the current WoF status of the vehicle that is checked then no reminder is sent if the vehicle has obtained a WoF through a different provider.

Description

NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No: 546861 Date: 1 May 2006 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION AUTOMATED LEGAL COMPLIANCE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM We, PATENT HOLDINGS LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 10 The Promenade, Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 1 -1 AUG 2007 RECEIVED FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and system for providing warrant of fitness renewal reminders to vehicle owners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Each year in New Zealand almost 5 million successful Warrant of Fitness (WoF) inspections are conducted on motor vehicles to ensure they comply with LTNZ safety requirements. These WoF inspections are performed by certified garages and dealerships and are commonly known as Authorised Vehicle Inspection Certifier (AVIC). AVICs are more generally termed "warrant of fitness providers". 10 Prior to 1998 the processing of WoFs required a paper form to be completed and sent to the Government. This paper based process was inefficient and left "gaps" in the system which some vehicle owners used to 'shop' around for an AVIC who would not conduct a thorough inspection and would pass an unsafe vehicle without the owner having to effect possible expensive repairs.

In 1998 the LTNZ introduced an electronic method to register these WoFs with the LTNZ via the Internet. This system is known as the WoF Online system. It was both more cost and time efficient, and also allowed any AVIC to see the results of a particular vehicle's last inspection (be it a pass or fail) and the reason for the fail. This way an AVIC could be alerted to the fact that the vehicle had failed a previous inspection and could investigate to ensure those faults had been addressed.

The intent of the WoF Online system was to improve the quality of inspections and ultimately the safety of vehicles on the road. However the system did not address the issue of vehicles not getting their WoF inspections done in a timely manner. Very often the WoF certificate expires and the vehicle is not brought in for another inspection until some months (or more) after the WoF expiry. This means 25 that many vehicles continue to be driven on the roads in a possibly unsafe state, constituting a hazard to the public.

Some AVICs have taken the steps of sending out reminders to their customers prior to the WoF expiring. This is done for both customer services and business marketing reasons. However current 30 processes can be inconvenient to AVICs. For example, (a) AVICs must be diligent to know when an expiry is about to happen, (b) AVICs have to print out and mail reminders, (c) AVICs have to pay stamp & stationary & labour costs, (d) AVICs often receive undelivered reminders because of incorrect or changed postal addresses. 2 DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART In order that the system may be completely understood and appreciated in its proper context, reference may be made to prior art patents and publications as follows: 1. The LTNZ mail out a reminder to vehicle owners when their license is about to expire. 2. AVICs manually capture vehicle and owner data and enter it into a computer system. The computer then advises the AVIC that a reminder should be sent. The AVIC then inserts the blank reminder message into a printer and prints and posts the result one at a time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improved or at least alternative computer based method and system to provide warrant of fitness renewal reminders for motor vehicles.

In one aspect the present invention may be said to consist in a method of reminding a vehicle owner to obtain a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle using a computer system, including: obtaining information including the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number 15 (VIN) of the vehicle, the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle and information for communicating with the vehicle owner, storing the information, obtaining status information of the vehicle from a database, the status information including the current warrant of fitness status of the vehicle, generating a reminder message if the warrant of fitness has not been renewed, and providing the generated message to the vehicle owner.

Preferably, obtaining the registration plate number and/or VIN includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider.

Preferably, obtaining the expiry date of the warrant of fitness includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider.

Preferably, obtaining the registration plate number and/or VIN includes receiving data from a 25 warrant of fitness provider when a computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Preferably, obtaining the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider when a computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Preferably, obtaining the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle includes receiving data from a motor vehicle registry7.

Preferably, obtaining the registration plate number and/or VIN includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness database when a computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 01 HAY 2008 r* r- /N C_!A/ C n Preferably, obtaining the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness database when a computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Preferably, obtaining the registration plate number, VIN, status information and/or 5 information for communicating with the vehicle owner includes receiving data from a motor vehicle registry.

Preferably, obtaining the registration plate number, VIN, status information and/or information for communicating with the vehicle owner includes querying a motor vehicle registry.

Preferably, obtaining information for communicating with the vehicle owner includes 10 receiving the information from a warrant of fitness provider.

Preferably, obtaining status information of the vehicle includes obtaining the warrant of fitness status of the vehicle from a warrant of fitness database.

Preferably, the status information of the vehicle is obtained from the motor vehicle registry.

Preferably, the method further includes scheduling a time to provide the message, and 15 providing the generated message to the vehicle owner at the scheduled time.

Preferably, the message is provided at a time before the expiry date of the warrant of fitness.

Preferably, the computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database in order to do one or more of: process a warrant of fitness, obtain a vehicle licence, obtain a road user certificate, conduct a motor vehicle status query.

Preferably, the communication relates to a past transaction.

Preferably, obtaining one or more of the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN), the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle, information for communicating with the vehicle owner, and/or status information of the vehicle, includes obtaining information stored in the server where such information was obtained through a transaction between 25 the server and the motor vehicle registry.

Preferably, the status information further includes one or more of: ownership status of the vehicle, current address of the vehicle owner.

Preferably, the generated reminder message includes warrant of fitness provider generated information, being one or more of: customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, 30 general information, a hyperlink to computer accessible information, and/or promotional information.

Preferably, the generated reminder message includes computer system generated information, being one or more of: customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, a link to computer accessible information, and/or a reference identifier.

Preferably, the computer accessible information is one or more of: a discount coupon, a 35 promotional offer, a warrant of fitness booking request. , , ' Intellectual ProperhT 4 I Office of N.Z. 2 8 NOV 2007 URCEIVEP, Preferably, the information for communicating with the owner includes one or more of: a postal address, an email address, a fax number, and/or a telephone number.

Preferably, the message is provided via one or more of: post, email, fax, telephone call, and/or text message.

Preferably, the method further includes determining if a reminder exception exists, and if an exception exists doing one or more of: a) generating and/or providing an exception alert, and/or b) not sending the message Preferably, determining the exception is based on the registration plate number, VIN, expiry date, information for communicating with the vehicle owner and/or status information. 10 Preferably, the method further includes obtaining further information relating to the vehicle and/or owner and determining the exception based on the further information.

Preferably, determining if a reminder exception exists includes determining one or more of: whether the ownership status has changed, if the postal address is out of range of the previous warrant of fitness provider, if the vehicle is unregistered, if the plate and/or VIN is unassigned or invalid, if the 15 current vehicle owner is a registered vehicle trader, if there is no information for communicating with the vehiclc owner, if the warrant of fitness has been renewed.

In another aspect the present invention may be said to consist in a system for providing a reminder to a vehicle owner to obtain a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle, the system including a server adapted to: obtain the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN) of 20 the vehicle, the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle, and information for communicating with the vehicle owner, store the information, obtain status information of the vehicle from a database, the status information including the current warrant of fitness status of the vehicle, generate a reminder message if the warrant of fitness has not been renewed, and send the generated message to the vehicle owner at a scheduled time, or provide a message for sending to the vehicle owner at a scheduled time. 25 Preferably, the server is adapted to obtain the expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider.

Preferably, the server is adapted to obtain the registration plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider.

Preferably, the server is adapted to obtain the expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving 30 data from a warrant of fitness database.

Preferably, the server is adapted to obtain the registration plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness database.

Preferably, the server is a proxy server in communication with one or more computer systems of respective warrant of fitness providers, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the registration 35 plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider when a computer Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 01 MAY 2003 system of that warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Preferably, the server is a proxy server in communication with a warrant of fitness database, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving data 5 from the warrant of fitness database when a computer system of a warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Preferably, the server is a proxy server in communication with one or more computer systems of respective warrant of fitness providers, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider when a computer system of 10 that warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Preferably, the server is a proxy server in communication with a warrant of fitness database, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the registration plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness database when a computer system of a warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

Preferably, to obtain status information and/or information for communicating with the vehicle owner the server is adapted to receive data from a warrant of fitness database.

Preferably, to obtain status information and/or information for communicating with the vehicle owner the server is adapted to query a motor vehicle registry.

Preferably, to obtain status information and/or information for communicating with the 20 vehicle owner the server is adapted to receive the data from a warrant of fitness provider.

Preferably, the server is adapted to schedule a time to provide the message, and provide the generated message to the vehicle at the scheduled time.

Preferably, the message is provided at a time before the expiry date of the warrant of fitness.

Preferably, when the warrant of fitness provider computer system is in communication with 25 the warrant of fitness database, it does one or more of: process a warrant of fitness, obtain a vehicle license, obtain a road user certificate, conduct a motor vehicle status query.

Preferably, obtaining one or more of the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN), the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle, information for communicating with the vehicle owner, and/or status information of the vehicle, includes obtaining 30 information stored in the server where such information was obtained through a transaction between the server and the motor vehicle registry.

Preferably, the status information farther includes one or more of: ownership status of the vehicle, current address of the vehicle owner. 6 Preferably, the generated reminder message includes warrant of fitness provider generated information, being one or more of: customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, general information, a hyperlink to computer accessible information, and/or promotional information.

Preferably, the generated reminder message includes computer system generated information, 5 being one or more of: customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, a link to computet accessible information, and/or a reference identifier.

Preferably, the computer accessible information is one or more of: a discount coupon, a promotional offer, a warrant of fitness booking request.

Preferably, the information for communicating with the owner includes one or more of: a 10 postal address, an email address, a fax number, and/or a telephone number.

Preferably, the system sends the message via one or mote of: email, fax, and/or text message.

Preferably, the system provides the message for sending via one or more of: post, and/or telephone call.

Preferably, the system schedules a time to send the message at a time before the expiry date of 15 the warrant of fitness.

Preferably, the server determines if a reminder exception exists, and if an exception exists, generates and/ or provides an exception alert.

Preferably, determining the exception is based on the registration plate number, VIN, warrant of fitness expiry date, information for communicating with the vehicle owner, and/or status 20 information.

Preferably, the server is further adapted to obtain further information relating to the vehicle and/or owner and determining the exception based on the further information.

Preferably, determining if a reminder exception exists and the server does not send a message includes determining if one or more of: whether the ownership status has changed, if the postal address 25 is out of range of the previous warrant of fitness provider, if the vehicle is unregistered, if the plate and/or VIN is unassigned or invalid, if the current vehicle owner is a registered vehicle trader, if there is no information for communicating with the vehicle owner, if the warrant of fitness has been renewed.

Preferably, determining if a reminder exception exists and the server does send a message 30 includes determining if one or more of: if the vehicle license and/or registration is about to expire, if the vehicle is reported stolen, if the vehicle RUC has and/or is about to expire, if the warrant of fitness has expired, if the ownership status in incomplete or unconfirmed.

Preferably, determining if a reminder exception exists and the server does send a message includes determining if one or more of: if the vehicle license and/or registration is about to expire, if 7 1 the vehicle is reported stolen, if the vehicle RUC has and/or is about to expire, if the warrant of fitness has expired, if the ownership status in incomplete or unconfirmed.

In another aspect the present invention may be said to consist in a method of reminding vehicle owners to obtain a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle using a computer system, including: 5 obtaining information on a plurality of vehicle's including the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN) of each vehicle, and the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of each vehicle and information for communicating with each vehicle owner, storing the information, obtaining status information on one or more of the vehicles from a database, the status information for each vehicle including the current warrant of fitness status of that vehicle, generating a reminder message for 10 one of more of the vehicles for which the warrant of fitness has not been renewed, and providing the generated messages to the respective vehicle owners.

In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external 15 documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art The term "comprising" as used in this specification means "consisting at least in part of'. Related terms such as "comprise" and "comprised" are to be interpreted in the same manner.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and 20 widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting DEFINITIONS Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the invention.

MVR - Motor Vehicle Registry, often a public registry run by the government which contains the relationship between vehicles, owners, and registration status. The data contained in this registry is unique in that it is deemed to be the authoritative source of legally valid information. In New Zealand this registry is run by the Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ).

RUC - Road User Certificate is the term used in New Zealand, but the term is to generally refer to a 5 certificate stating a diesel vehicle has pre-paid its road tax.

CoF - Certificate of Fitness is the term used in New Zealand, but the term is to generally refer to a certificate stating a commercial vehicle has passed a safety inspection. In this specification WOF and COF can be used interchangeably.

WoF - Warrant of Fitness is the term used in New Zealand, but the term is to generally refer to a certificate stating a domestic vehicle has passed a safety inspection.

WoF database - Can be the LTNZ (LATIS) system, the LTNZ's "WoF online" web based service and 15 associated server, and/or the components of the MVR that contains WoF information about a particular vehicle.

In Australia, the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS) provides each registry with real time on-line access to all other registries' vehicle and drivet license databases, and 20 nationally compatible.

System user, warrant of fitness (WoF) provider or AVIC - These terms can and have been used interchangeably within this specification and can be read as equivalents of each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The system and method of the invention are further described with reference to the accompanying figures which show a preferred form of the invention by way of example and without intending to be limiting.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the system, Figure 2 shows a flow chart representing the general steps taken by the system, Figure 3 shows operation of the system/method in more detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 9 OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM/METHOD Each warrant of fitness provider has a large number of customers who own vehicles. These are vehicle owners who have previously used the services of that warrant of fitness provider. Therefore, each warrant of fitness provider is associated with a number of vehicles, and their respective owners due to 5 their custom. Each vehicle owner is responsible for renewing the warrant of fitness for their vehicle at regular intervals. This involves taking the vehicle to a warrant of fitness provider, who will undertake a warrant of fitness check. Any defects found by the provider must be corrected. Once the defects are corrected, the warrant of fitness is renewed for the standard period. For older vehicles, the standard period is 6 months. That is, a warrant of fitness is renewed for a period of 6 months, after which time the warrant of fitness must be again renewed. Some newer vehicles have their warrant of fitness renewed for a period of 12 months. That is, they have a standard period of 12 months, after which time the warrant of fitness must be renewed. If a warrant of fitness for a vehicle is not renewed before expiry of the current warrant of fitness period, the vehicle can then not legally be operated on the road.

The date by which a warrant of fitness must be renewed is termed the warrant of fitness expiry date. When referring to the warrant of fitness expiry date, it will generally be used to mean the upcoming expiry date of the current warrant of fitness or, if the warrant of fitness has already expired, the date at which the warrant of fitness in question last expired. The status of a warrant of fitness can be "current" or "expired". If the status is "current", this means that the warrant of fitness is still current and in force (that is, the expiry date has not yet passed). If the status is "expired", this means that the expiry date for renewal of the warrant of fitness has passed, without the warrant of fitness being renewed. This means that the warrant of fitness is not in force, and the vehicle cannot be legally operated on the road.

In general terms a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method and system that allows warrant of fitness renewal reminders (hereafter "renewal reminders") to be sent to customers on behalf of warrant of fitness providers. In broad terms the system and/or method provides a service for warrant of fitness providers.

The system and method incorporate many features which minimise user effort, and improve accuracy, and also introduce some the "checks & balances". The method and/or system can do one or more of: (a) automatically send WoF reminders to an warrant of fitness provider's customers prior to their respective WoF's expiring, with minimal or no effort by the warrant of fitness provider, (b) automatically notify warrant of fitness providers when their customers' WoFs have in-fact expired, (c) allow a a warrant of fitness provider to include a personalised message or commercial offers in a renewal reminder, (d) provide several means for contacting customers to reduce cost and improve the chance of customers receiving respective reminders, (e) advise a respective warrant of fitness provider if a customer's contact details have changed or if a reminder cannot be delivered, (f) advise a warrant of fitness provider if a reminder may now be irrelevant because a vehicle is no longer owned by the existing customer, or the existing customer is currendy residing outside the AVIC's logical service area.

The above list is not necessarily exhaustive: The prior art systems suffer from a number of drawbacks, for example: • the LTNZ method does not notify of impending or expired WoFs - only pending license expiry 15 sent out, • the LTNZ method does not include AVIC details or promotional or personal messages, • Neither method provides for communication by means other than by post, • neither method provides notification of change of address or ownership, • neither method provides notification if vehicle has been subsequently sold, • neither method does all the required steps automatically.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention alleviates at least some of these problems.

SYSTEM IN FURTHER DETAIL A preferred embodiment of a system is shown in general block form in Figure 1. The system comprises a central server 2 comprising memory and operating under the control of application software. The system may be adapted for interconnection to the other components shown in Figure 1, or the system could encompass those components.

The central server 2 is connected to or adapted for connection to a WoF provider computer system 4.

The communication can take place through a suitable wide area network, such as the internet. The server 2 also has direct access to a motor vehicle registry database 12, such as that provided by the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTNZ) in New Zealand. The server is also connected to or can be adapted for communication with a WoF online web server 1 which is itself connected to the database operated by the Land Transport Safety Authority. The WoF online web server 1 is or provides access 11 to a WoF registry system, which enables WoF providers to more efficiently process WoFs. The registry system utilises a number of warrant of fitness databases 12 run by the LTNZ or other government agency. The databases utilised include a motor vehicle registry (also shown separately as 12), which includes various information about vehicles that are registered. Other databases can also form the 5 warrant of fitness database 12. The warrant of fitness registry can include other components also. The WoF online web server 1 can be considered to form part of the warrant of fitness registry, or it could be separate. The server 2 is also adapted to send generated WoF reminders by 1 of several means, including email, post, voice, text message and facsimile.

In general terms, the server 2 can be operated in order to obtain information on a vehicle, vehicle owner and vehicle's WoF expiry date. From this, the server 2 can automatically, or at least partially automatically, generate a WoF renewal reminder that can be communicated to the vehicle's owner. This can be done on behalf of a WoF provider subscribing to the service, so that they don't have the inconvenience of carrying out the service themselves. In one option, the WoF provider would pay a 15 subscription or other price for this service. It will be appreciated that only one WoF provider is shown connected to the system in Figure 1 for clarity. However, the system/method could be operated in relation to a range of WoF providers.

The computer system may have the instructions for operating the computer system encoded as at least 20 one computer program on a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program, wherein the computer program defines strucmral and functional interrelationships between the computer program and the medium which permit the computer program's functionality to be realised.

The computer readable medium may include, but not be limited, to optical or magnetic storage media 25 such as a hard drive or CD-ROM.

The application software functions interactively permitting exchange of information within the system. The application software may process information using one or more processors, which may be linked by structured communications channels or unstructured communications channels such as the internet. 30 In particular, distributed processing of information using multiple processors such as the processors of computers associated with system users running client software is considered to be within the scope of the invention. 12 Similarly, the server 2 may include many disparate information storage media which may be linked to the system by structured communications channels or unstructured communications channels such as the internet or wireless links.

Users may communicate with the server 2 using a PC such as indicated at 4 over an Internet connection or other communications channel 4. User's PCs may be loaded with common software such as an Internet browser, HTML or JAVA. A user may use an equivalent Internet appliance instead of a PC. Other equivalent devices may include but not be limited to, for example, phones, facsimile machines, laptop computers, notebook computers, palmtop computers (PALM PILOT), scanners, 10 cameras, modems, communication access, personal computers (PC), PC terminals (NET PC), and network computers (NC). A firewall 6 may be interposed between the user PCs and the server 2 for security purposes.

Information may be transferred between server 2 and PC 4, for example, via part of a structured 15 communications network or unstructured communications network such as the Internet or a wide area network, and includes Internet type connections, telecommunication (telephone, ISDN, ADSL), VSAT satellite, WAP-enabled devices, and other wire and wireless transmission. Furthermore, data maybe transferred via other distribution channels such as computer networks, on-line systems, cable television, and broadcast television computer networks, distributed physical storage media including 20 CD-ROMs, on-line systems, cable television, and broadcast television.

The server 2 communicates with other data sources 12. These data sources 12 may include private and government data stored on, for example, CD-ROM, floppy disks or tapes, Internet web sites, databases and computer servers. These data sources 12 may be accessed by dedicated terrestrial, or dial-up, or 25 radio telecommunications facilities using e-mail, electronic data interchange (EDI), XML, web services and/or communications via Internet web sites. The data sources 12 may also be stored locally on CD-ROMs, floppy disks or other digital storage media.

Alternatively, the user may be provided with terminal emulation or Telnet facilities to directly access 30 data sources 12.

Where necessary, the system converts or translates information from one format to another so that information can be collected and distributed using various communications protocols and devices most appropriate to system users and information suppliers. The system may either communicate with the 13 server 2 in real time or alternatively may extract information in batch mode, or from a web site or other intermediary delivery mechanism.

WoF Online The system is adapted to communicate with or include current WoF online system supplied by the LTNZ.

An AVIC uses the Internet to connect to the system web page located on the system server 2 where he logs into the system proxy server by entering his login and password details. The step of entering login 10 and password details may be eliminated through the use of digital certificates or other user authentication methods. The AVIC can then click on a WoF online button and is taken to the LTNZ WoF online web site presented by the WoF Online web server 1. Here the AVIC supplies either a vehicle plate of VIN number. This information is used as a key to extract relevant pieces of information about the specific vehicle from the LTNZ database 12, which in this case is a motor 15 vehicle registry (MVR). This information is displayed as a web page on the AVIC's PC 4 with blank fields to be completed by the AVIC. After completing the safety inspection on the vehicle, the AVIC enters the relevant WoF inspection data and submits the form. This data is passed from the AVIC's computer to the system computer/proxy web server 2 and then to the LTNZ computer/web server 1.

Intercept Data The system server 2 will pass information between the User's computer 4 and the WoF Online web server 1 and vice versa. As part of this process certain information is captured and stored in the system server and associated with the User's account on the system server 2. The captured information may include; (a) vehicle's plate and/or VIN number, (b) vehicle's WoF expiry date, (c) vehicle's chassis number, (d) vehicle's make, model, and year, (e) vehicle's WoF status (eg. passed, failed, expired), (£) vehicle's current owners name and address, (g) date at which the current owner became the owner of the vehicle, For privacy purposes, the captured information may be limited to only the vehicle and not to the owner of the vehicle. 14 Some portion, or all, of the above data is then displayed to the system uset (AVIC) on a web page so that the system user can see a list of WoF reminder records that are to be sent out. The list will also contain the date when the WoF reminder is scheduled to be sent out. It will also have a checkbox (or alternative selection method) for the system user to select if the reminder should be sent or not. The 5 WoF reminder system also allows the system user to select if a special message is to be sent on the WoF reminder such as; (a) a discount offer or coupon for a particular product or service, (b) a notice that the vehicles is also due for a mechanical service or tune-up, 10 (c) a holiday greeting; (d) an invitation to become a new customer; These messages can either be entered by the system user in their own words, or selected from a number of pre-defined options. The system user can also enter in a preferred method to deliver the 15 WoF reminder message by entering either a cellphone, fax, or phone number or an email address.

Portions of the above captured data is then used as keys to obtain data from other datasources such as; (a) the LTNZ MVR database of motor vehicle registration and ownership details, (b) the system servers own internal database The information sourced from the other datasources may include; (a) the vehicle's current owner name and address, (b) the vehicle's WoF expiry date, (c) vehicle's WoF status (eg. passed, failed, expired), (d) vehicle's make, model, and year, (e) date at which the current owner became the owner of the vehicle, (f) vehicle's plate or VIN number, (g) the date (and/or mileage) at the vehicle's last exhaust gas emission test.

Alternatively any portion of the above vehicle information, vehicle owners information, and message delivery information can be entered manually into the system by the system user. Alternatively portions of the above information could be extracted from other transactions that are stored on the system that relate to that vehicle (eg. VIR, or Change of Ownership, or past WoF etc.).

Data Analysis The information collected is then analysed to identify any issues and/or to decide what actions the system should take. For example: If the vehicle's ownership has changed since the date the WoF was first issued by the AVIC, a message that the owner has changed is sent to the AVIC or is displayed against the WoF reminder entry on the web site. The system may or may not cancel the WoF reminder until some action is taken by the AVIC (eg. AVIC enters a custom message or reactivates the WoF reminder).

If the WoF expiry date is different from than that recorded on the reminder system (eg. WoF has already been renewed), the reminder system is automatically updated with this new date, and the original WoF reminder is postponed until the predefined period of time before that new date.

If the address of the current owner is deemed to be too far away from the address of the AVIC, then 15 the WoF reminder may also be cancelled, and the AVIC informed of this. This is determined by comparing the postal codes and/or cities and/or suburbs of the current owner with that of the AVIC / system user.

The system may also comprise a compliance means that can: • Identify and advise of any expired or cancelled licenses, registrations, certificates, or other legal requirements. This will also check to see if expirations are about to occur within a pte-set time.

• Identify and advise if the ownership status of the vehicle is incomplete or unconfirmed.

• Identify and advise of an expired (or soon to expire) Road User Certificate by comparing the certificates expiry date (or expiry mileage) with the current date, previous odometer readings, or present odometer reading.

• Identify and advise if a vehicle needs an 'exhaust gas emission test' by considering a number of 30 characteristics of the vehicle such as: the vehicles current mileage; the date of the last emission test; and/or the vehicle's class, weight, number of axles, and fuel type. This data is then analysed to determine if/when another emission test is due such as: calculating the mileage put on the vehicle since its last emission test to see if the new mileage exceeds a particular amount for the vehicles fuel type and usage. 16 • Identifying if the vehicles registration has expired, or is about to expire within a given period.

• Check for a valid RUC license for diesel vehicles and advise owner of ability to buy one from their garage, (eg. BP RUC).

• Check to see if any parking or traffic tickets or fines are outstanding.

The results of the above analysis will be stored within the system and flagged to the system user, probably within the displayed WoF reminder Hst mentioned previously. The contents of the reminder 10 message can also contain details of the results of this analysis.

Contents of WoF Reminder; The type of information to be included with the various types of WoF reminders can include one or mote of the following: (a) contact details of the AVIC (WoF sender), (b) address, email address, cellphone number or fax number of the vehicle owner WoF reminder recipient), (c) details of the vehicle (year, make, model), (d) notice of the expiry date of the WoF or CoF, (e) notice of the vehicle's next gas emission test, (f) notice of the expiry date of the License or registration or RUC, (g) other alerts or points of interest on the vehicle, (h) recommended date of next general service, (i) a customised message from the AVIC, 0) a standard message from the system, (k) a unique reference number, (1) a hyperlink to a web site (eg. for booking in a WoF inspection, or to view the AVICs web site, or to print out a discount coupon), (m) a coupon or discount offer.

The hyperlink may be a unique link to a web page that is already populated with details of the vehicle or vehicle owner/WoF recipient and lets the WoF recipient: (a) book in a WoF inspection or general service or emission test, or (b) print out a coupon (personalised or not) for a discount etc. 17 (c) View products and services that may or may not relate to the system user, the vehicle type, the vehicle owner, the vehicle owners location etc. in some way. For example; a particular outlet in a given city has a special on 4 wheel drive tyres. (d) The hyperlink may alternatively be a generic link to a web site whereby the WoF recipient 5 enters the reference number on the WoF reminder to book a WoF inspection or obtain a discount coupon to print. Again the pages could be pre-populated with vehicle and vehicle owner details relating to that reference number. (e) The hyperlink may be a link to a web site whereby the message recipient can arrange to conduct real time & batch processing, document printing, billing and payment of fees, for the following motor vehicle related transactions; 1) re-licensing of vehicles 2) purchase of Road User Certificates & Road User Charges, 3) paying for traffic & parking violations. (f) The e-mail may contain a hyperlink embedded in the e-mail which will give the recipient access to the system's web site to undertake the suggested action. The e-mail may also contain a unique identifier which will allow the e-mail recipient to quickly locate the relevant vehicle and data on the system, and conduct the transaction more quickly and accurately.

Alternatively the system itself may also comprise an action means itself that provides a facility for carrying out the required actions identified by the compliance means. Such action means may include facilities to process vehicle registration, licensing, and inspection transactions (eg, WOF's, RUC's, registrations, COF's), and paying for traffic and parking violations. These actions may be conducted 25 electronically.

In a preferred form the action means submits data already available to or known by the system to reduce manual data entry.

Message Delivery The reminder message will be delivered using one or more methods as determined by the system user. If the system user; (a) entered an email address for the customer then an email is sent, (b) entered a cellphone number then an sms text message is sent, (c) entered a telephone number then a voice call is made, 18 (d) entered a fax number then a fax is sent, (e) if no method has been chosen, or if specifically requested by the system user, a letter or card is sent by postal mail.

WoF recipient can reply to the email which goes to the AVIC, or to the text or voice message which may go a call centre which takes the call and makes a booking if necessary.

The system may choose to deliver the messages by generating an electronic file containing all required information. This file may then be sent to a 3rd party sms messaging company or a bulk mail out 10 company or email delivery company or automated voice call delivery system or human based outbound call centre or fax delivery system.

WoF Reminder Search Function: User can search on the system for a particular WoF transaction or WoF reminder by; plate, VIN, 15 vehicle owners name, date WoF processed, Date WoF reminder scheduled to be sent, reminder delivery method, etc.) Every process explained above could be conducted in either real time or via a batch process. 20 Transfer Data The system may make use of Internet IP addresses, CLID, and/or PINs to identify a system user and confirm their right to use the system. The system may then extract relevant details about the user from various databases (including its own database of user profiles) and will automatically transfer/copy this information to other transactions the user may wish to perform. Similarly the details oi a vehicle 25 and/or its owner etc. may be transferred automatically to the appropriate parts of other transactions. Automatic data transferring will be used throughout the system to reduce the errors & effort associated with manual entry of data by a person.

Reports Data stored within the system can be formed into reports, all of which can be displayed on-line, printed on paper, or transmitted electronically via e-mail, fax, or a direct data link to deliver information to system users. Some examples of these reports include: AVIC / WoF report - list of WoFs performed, details of customer contact, name vehicle, results of attempts to send wof reminder (eg. Bounce, no answer, returned mail) results of 19 motocheck query (eg. sold vehicle, wof renewed already, address out of range). Report can be configured to list transactions which fall into certain range of dates.

Customer Database The system may also be provided with a customer database. The customer database operates in a similar manner to the Motor-Match database except it contains records relating to a dealer's customers. Although a dealer can populate and update the database manually, the system is designed to automatically add new customers whenever an AVIC performs a 'Warrant of Fitness' on a vehicle, or performs a service on a vehicle.

An AVIC can manually search this database by vehicle and/or a person's name. The system can automatically generate reports such as, showing the approaching WoF renewal dates for an AVIC's customers, making the database very useful to ensure legal compliance and for marketing purposes.

Manual & Automatic Database Searching A system user may be provided with the facility to perform both manual and automatic searching of the system's various databases. An automatic search can also be issued whereby the system will periodically scan a database for records matching particular search criteria and generate a report of its findings.

Automatic Notification The system also contains a notification means that can also automatically generate reports, messages, and searches and automatically send the results to interested parties via e-mail, fax, pager, direct data facility, WAP or SMS cellphone text message, or by voice, or via a human operator.

Under certain conditions the system would notify 3rd parties of the results of the systems analysis. For example: (f) If the system detected that a vehicles previous plate was reported stolen, or there was a security interest on the previous plate, then the system could automatically notify the relevant parties (eg. the finance companies and the Police) that a change of plate has taken place on the vehicle. (g) Or if the system detected a change in vehicles ownership and/or owners address. (h) Or if the system detected that the vehicle's license, RUC, WoF, warranty, insurance etc. is about to expire, or has expired. And to advise a finance company that the vehicle is not legally on the road and therefore the vehicle's insurance is void.

Intellectual Prooeriv Office of N.z. 28 NOV 2007 RECEIVF1- This will allow the parties to update their records to ensure their interests were still protected. This notification could take place in the form of a written report, an e-mail, or some other form of communication as defined previously. Alternatively, the system could directly update the Police database records, and the security database (eg. PPSR) via an electronic link/transaction. The 5 notification message could also contain an hyperlink for the interested party to automatically renew or extend coverage etc. by entering a personalised code or PIN and also be billed accordingly.

The system could allow a party to enter a vehicle identifier and be automatically notified by the system when that particular vehicle is being checked or is involved in a particular transaction within the 10 system. Notification would again be by any of the means previously described.

Automatic Web Linking A system user can opt to have hyper-link access from his own web page to his partition of the system's database. The system user's web page may be hosted on the system or on another ISP. In this manner 15 the members of the public could visit an AVICs private web site and be able to confirm their WoF inspection booking without having to be system user's themselves. The system user's web site will always deliver the latest information, without the need to manually up-load and update the web site.

WoF Inspection Checklist The system will allow a user to complete an entire WoF inspection document/checklist on-line and will direct the user to complete all the component parts of the agreement on-line. These components may include: Transaction History File The system will store a portion or all of the data associated with a WoF transaction performed by a system user through the system/proxy server. This data is stored for billing, audit trail and customer support or marketing purposes. Each entry in the transaction history will contain hot-links that allow the system user to 'drill-down' to obtain further information about the components which make up that transaction. For example: the user can view a *WoF reminder', or the data obtained from the 30 LTNZ MVR database. Furthermore, the user can update, modify or re-do the various component parts of the transaction on-line.

The foregoing describes a preferred form of the invention. Alterations and modifications as will be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be incorporated within the scope hereof, as defined in 35 the accompanying claims. 21 As an overview, the system described above might be one or more of the following: An embodiment of the invention comprises a means for AVICs to access the LTNZ WoF online 5 system through the system such that the system acts as an Internet proxy server/gateway. As the information is passed from the AVIC to the LTNZ, certain details are captured relating to the vehicle (eg. plate number and WoF expiry date). This information is then stored within the computer database and displayed to the AVIC via a web site. The AVIC then has the option to enter either a fax number, phone number, email address or cellphone number against the WoF record. The AVIC can also select 10 what type of message to include in the reminder. The AVIC can also choose to opt out from sending a WoF reminder for a particular vehicle. At a pre-defined period of time before the WoF is due to expire, the computer system does a query against the LTNZ motor vehicle registry (MVR) to obtain the details of the vehicle, the current owners name and postal address, the current WoF expiry date, and the date of the last change of ownership.

The system analyses the data received from the MVR to determine what other steps the system should take, such as; modifying the contents of the reminder message (if any); or putting the WoF reminder on hold because the vehicle has been sold to another party since that last WoF, or the WoF has already been renewed, or the vehicle owner now resides outside of a certain area. The intent being to prevent 20 inaccurate or irrelevant WoF reminders being sent out.

If there are no outstanding issues, the system will use the contact details loaded into the system or the owners current postal address from the MVR to send a WoF reminder. This is accomplished by preparing a data file and sending it to a messaging gateway for printing and posting, faxing, texting or 25 voice delivery as appropriate.

The system provides the option to perform a subsequent check of the vehicle at a pre-determined period of time after the WoF was expected to expire, to see if the WoF has in fact been renewed. If not renewed, then another reminder may be sent with a different message such as; "Attention: your WoF 30 has expired. Please visit us to have it renewed ASAP. You risk being fined." All the above functions can be provided and take place in a batch mode or in real time.

Other operations of the system and method are also possible, which generally can be summarised as: 22 A reminder system that collects at least one (a) vehicle registration plate (b) vehicle VIN (c) WoF expiry date d) WoF issue date e) vehicle year data items selected from the following list; A reminder system as described above wherein the collection of data items is achieved using one of the collection methods selected from the following list; (a) manual entry by a system user, (b) interception of data during an online WoF transaction, (c) extraction of data from a vehicle information report, (d) extraction of data from a previous transaction stored on said system, (d) extraction of data from a government (MVR) database.

A reminder system as described above that determines the date of sending a reminder using at least one of the methods selected from the following Est; (a) pre-defined period of time before said expiry date (b) pre-defined period of time after said WoF issue date (c) if car year is less than 5 years older than current year then 6 months after said WoF issue date (d) if car year is mote than 5 years older than current year then 12 months after said WoF issue date A reminder system as described above that obtains at least one of the items selected from the following list; (*) vehicle owner name, (b) vehicle owner address, (c) vehicle description, (d) WoF status, (e) Wof Expiry date, (f) previous emission test date or mileagi 23 A reminder system as described above wherein obtaining items is achieved by submitting at least one of said registration plate or said VIN as a key to a government database (MVR) to extract said items.

• A reminder system as described above wherein information is obtained by manual entry by a warrant of fitness provider.

• A reminder system as described above that creates a reminder message containing at least one of the items selected from the following list; (a) vehicle description, WoF expiry date, current owner and current owner address.

• A reminder system as described above that provides messages by using fax, post, email, text message.

• A system for sending out reminder messages, comprising: (a) a computer system further comprising: (b) at least one computer; wherein said computer system is accessible by system users and capable of storing (c) one or more vehicle records each comprising information relating to a vehicle in said 20 computer system; wherein said computer system is adapted to use at least a portion of said vehicle information to formulate a reminder message; wherein said computer system is adapted to send said reminder message to the owner of the vehicle to which said vehicle information relates, and 25 wherein said computer system is adapted to obtain vehicle information from at least one remote stored government database of vehicle data using at least a portion of said vehicle information; wherein said computer system is adapted to perform at least one of compiling or updating said vehicle information in said computer system.

• A system as described above wherein means for obtaining said vehicle information from said at least one remote stored government database of vehicle data further comprises: (a) a means for submitting at least one of; the Wof vehicle's registration plate number of the WoF vehicle, or the VIN of the WoF vehicle, as a key to retrieve said vehicle information from the MVR (LTNZ) registry database: said vehicle information includes at least one of the items selected from the following list: 24 i. current owner name, address, vehicle description, expiry dates of government required certificates, last COO date, previous owner name.

The government required certificates include at least one of: WoF, LIC, RUC, registration, CoF.

• A system as described above wherein, in said performance of at least one of compiling or updating said vehicle information, said computer system is adapted to perform at least one process selected from the following group: (a) analysing information held on a vehicle, vehicle owner, or system user to identify instances of data discrepancies, alerts, errors, or missing data using at least one step selected from the following group (b) to (1): (b) checking that the vehicle owner and vehicle description information obtained from the two Government databases are consistent; (c) checking of odometer readings from various sources to identify any potential wind- backs by comparing the mileage readings and the associated dates to see if a lower mileage reading was recorded at a later date; (d) identifying and advising of any expired or cancelled licenses, registrations, certificates, or other legal requirements, thereby to check whether expirations are about to occur within a pre set time. (e) using the VIN numbering standard to verify that a vehicles VIN number matches the vehicle type. (f) identifying whether the vehicle has been reported stolen or of interest to a third party selected from the group police, an insurance company, a finance company, customs, or a private investigator; (g) identifying whether the vehicles registration has expired, or is about to expire within a given period. (h) identifying whether a vehicle has ever been deregistered for any period of time in its past. (i) identifying any relevant notes in the systems database which match the vehicles past or present plates and/or VINs (j) checking for insurance coverage on a vehicle when processing damage claims. (k) Checking for a valid RUC license for a diesel vehicle before a sale. (1) verifying that the vehicle still exists according to the MVR database.

• A system as described above wherein said computet system is adapted to generate at least one report selected from the following group: (a) A Vehicle Information Report showing one or more of the following; vin , chassis, 5 vehicle description, past plates and present plates, full names of past and present owners, date of birth of present owner, vehicle valuation, outstanding fines, physical location of vehicle, customs data, police and law enforcement information, vehicle manufacturer information, ownership, registration status, police status, market value, mileage, damage and repair history, notes of interest, road user charges or 10 outstanding road tariffs associated with the vehicle, or consumer rights for a particular registered vehicle; (b) A Report indicating a mismatch concerning the plate, the VIN and the owner between Government registries; (c) An Alert Report showing possible odometer wind-backs, expired licenses or registrations, vehicle de-registration, damage & repair history, plate changes, ownership changes, stolen status, and vehicle notes.; METHOD IN FURTHER DETAIL In general terms, the method involves obtaining information on vehicles and their owners in relation to customers of warrant of fitness providers that subscribe to the service. This information is then used to, at appropriate times, send warrant of fitness renewal reminders to owners of the vehicles relating to that information. This reminds owners of vehicles (who are customers of the subscribing warrant of 25 fitness providers) to take their vehicles in for a warrant of fitness check by their warrant of fitness provider. The information can be obtained by tapping into data transfers that take place during transactions between participating warrant of fitness providers and a warrant of fitness database.

Alternatively, the information can be obtained through other means such as direct entry from a warrant 30 of fitness provider, or querying a motor vehicle registry database directly, or the information can be obtained from a past transaction that has been stored in the system server 1 itself.

In general terms the system and method uses the warrant of fitness expiry date of a vehicle as a trigger for sending out a reminder. For a particular vehicle, the method uses the registration plate number 35 and/or VIN (identifying that particular vehicle), to obtain information on the expiry date of the 26 warrant of fitness for that vehicle. The method also uses the registration plate number and/or VIN to obtain contact information for the owner of the vehicle, and the current status of the warrant of fitness (that is, whether it has been renewed or not). Other information might also be obtained relating to the vehicle and/or owner. The system and method then uses that information to determine if a warrant of 5 fitness renewal reminder should be sent to remind the owner of the vehicle to obtain or renew their warrant of fitness. If a reminder is required, the system and method generates a reminder and then this is provided to the owner of the vehicle in a suitable manner using contact information of that owner.

An overview of a possible method carried out by the system is shown in Figure 2. One embodiment of 10 the method, along with alternatives, is described in more detail later.

Referring to Figure 2, the method involves extracting data/information, step 21, from transactions, step 20, that take place between each warrant of fitness provider 4 and a warrant of fitness database 12. Each transaction relates to a vehicle, and information is passed between the warrant of fitness provider 15 4 and warrant of fitness database 12 regarding that vehicle. This information includes registration plate number and/or VIN of the vehiclc, along with the expiry date of the warrant of fitness for that vehicle. As information is extracted from a transaction, it is stored for later use. The information could be stored in the server, for example. The information is continually or periodically extracted and stored, path 22, as transactions take place. It should be noted that additional other information could also be 20 obtained, as required. Further, the information above could alternatively be obtained from other sources, such as direct from a warrant of fitness provider 4, or from a combination of other sources and the transactions.

The method includes identifying, from the stored information, vehicle owners that could benefit from 25 renewal reminders, and identifying when those reminders should be sent, step 23. This might be done by way of a scheduling process. The step is continually or periodically carried out to update the schedule based on new information that is acquired, path 24. Next, the method includes determining for each vehicle whether a renewal reminder should actually be sent to the vehicle's owner, step 25. If yes, then a renewal reminder is generated and provided to that vehicle owner, step 26. If no, then no 30 renewal reminder is generated, path 28. At step 27, any other actions are also carried out as required, such as providing alerts or other information to the warrant of fitness providers. The steps 25 to 28 are continually or periodically carried out for each vehicle that might require a renewal reminder.

One method that can be carried out by the system described above will now be described with 35 reference to Figure 3. 27 The method is carried out by the system, either in total or by various parts of the system. There are many variations on this preferred method, which will be described later. The method will be described in relation to one warrant of fitness provider (and their customers). It will be appreciated that this 5 description will extend to a method for providing the service to a number of warrant of fitness providers (and their customers).

Referring to Figure 3, the server 2 is in communication with the warrant of fitness provider computer 4 (or computer system) and the warrant of fitness on-line web server 1. The method includes the step of 10 (via the server 2) retrieving/extracting, step 40, data or information from communications or transactions that take place between the warrant of fitness provider's computer 4 and the warrant of fitness database 12 that is accessed via the warrant of fitness on-line web server 1. These transactions will relate to the vehicles of customers of the warrant of fitness provider. The step of extracting this information or data from the transactions can occur in real-time as those transactions take place. The 15 transactions that take place from which information/data can be extracted might include, for example, transactions relating to a) processing a warrant of fitness, b) obtaining or renewing a vehicle license, c) obtaining a road user certificate, d) conducting a motor vehicle status query, or e) any other transaction or query relating to a vehicle. In a typical case, the information/data for a vehicle will be extracted when it undergoes a warrant of fitness check with the associated warrant of fitness provider, and that 20 provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database as part of the warrant of fitness checking process.

After the relevant information is extracted from a transaction, it is stored in a database either for immediate or later use.

The information that could be extracted in any one transaction could be one or more of: a) The registration plate number and/or VIN of a vehicle to which the transaction relates. This registration plate number and/or VIN will typically be passed from the warrant of fitness provider computer 4 to the warrant of fitness database, although the information could pass the other way. b) The expiry date of the warrant of fitness relating to the vehicle identified by the registration plate number and/or VIN in a). This information will be typically passed from the warrant of fitness database (via the warrant of fitness on-line web server 1) to the warrant of fitness provider's computer 28 4 in response to a query. However, this information could also be passed from the warrant of fitness provider computer 4 to the warrant of fitness database. c) Information for communicating with the owner of the vehicle identified by the registration 5 plate number and/or VIN in a). This could relate to a range of information, including postal address, actual address, email address, a fax or telephone number or any other suitable means for communicating with the vehicle owner. This information could also include the name of the vehicle owner or some other identifying label. d) Status information relating to the vehicle. This can include the warrant of fitness status of the vehicle (i.e. whether the warrant of fitness is "current" or "expired"), the ownership status of the vehicle (namely, who is the current owner and/or when they became the owner), and the current contact and/or actual address of the vehicle owner.

In this embodiment, the method involves extracting just information types a) and b). The other information types are extracted from other sources and/or by other means.

As a result of the extraction step, the server 2 has a continually updated repository of information relating to vehicles which have been the subject of transactions between the warrant of fitness provider 20 and the warrant of fitness database.

This information can optionally be displayed or otherwise communicated to the warrant of fitness provider, step 41. This indicates to the warrant of fitness provider which of its customers will receive warrant of fitness renewal reminders. The information can be provided to the provider as it is 25 collected, or at some other suitable time. For example, it might be provided near to the time that the reminder will be sent.

At this stage (or other suitable time), the method further includes receiving from the provider, step 42, information on the manner in which the reminders should be delivered to the customers. This could 30 be by way of email, facsimile, post, telephone call, text message, or any other suitable method. Each customer could have their reminder delivered in a different manner. At this stage, the method could further include receiving information from the provider relating to additional information to include in the reminder message. This will be described in further detail later. 29 The method further includes using the stored expiry date information to determine when to provide warrant of fitness renewal reminders to vehicle owners, step 43. This involves processing the stored information relating to vehicles and respective warrant of fitness expiry dates, and from that determining a date/time for providing a reminder to each vehicle owner. The information could be processed in a batch manner, or processed in real-time - as the information comes in, or at a later date. Once a date/time has been determined, it can be stored or otherwise utiKsed in some manner so as to trigger the providing of a reminder at the appropriate time.

In this embodiment, the reminders will be scheduled at a suitable rime prior to the respective warrant of fitness expiry dates. For example, as information is retrieved and stored in the database for each vehicle, the method comprises obtaining the warrant of fitness expiry date from that stored information for that vehicle, and creating a time/date entry in a schedule/database for providing a reminder to the owner of that vehicle. The reminder, for example, could be scheduled to be provided at certain period (such as one month, one week or the like) prior to the expiry date. The schedule is continually or periodically updated as further information on further vehicles is captured by the server.

The schedule or other means is used to trigger the providing of a renewal reminder in respect of each vehicle. When it is time to provide a reminder in respect of a vehicle, or at some time prior to that stage, the method includes the step of obtaining, step 44, at least some of the following vehicle status information: a) the current name of the owner of the vehicle, b) the address of the owner, c) other information by which to communicate with the owner, such as postal address, email address, facsimile number, telephone number, d) the status of the vehicle's warrant of fitness, e) the status of the vehicle's license and/or registration, e) date of most recent change-of-ownership (COO) of the vehicle, f) the registration plate number and/or VIN of the vehicle, g) the status of the registration pate number and/or VIN, and/or h) any other suitable vehicle details.

This status information enables determination of: whether to, and how best to, provide a renewal reminder. Preferably, this information is obtained from the motor vehicle registry 12. This is done by querying, step 44, the motor vehicle registry using the vehicle's registration plate number and/or VIN.

The motor vehicle registry will send back the required information from the list above. Alternatively, some or all of the above information could be obtained from another suitable source.

As noted above, the status of the warrant of fitness of a vehicle can be "current" or "expired". In the 5 case of the status being "current", it may have been "renewed" prior to the stored expiry date. That means, that prior to a renewal reminder being provided, the vehicle owner, on their own accord, took their vehicle to a provider for a check and renewed the warrant of fitness. This means that a new warrant of fitness period will be set with a new expiry date that differs from that obtained during the data extraction step. One way to determine that a warrant of fitness has been renewed is to check if 10 the current expiry date is after the original expiry date recorded in the server.

The method determines the current status of the warrant of fitness, step 45. If the current status of the warrant of fitness falls into the "renewed" category, then no renewal reminder is provided. Therefore, no reminder will be generated or sent and the server will go on to processing the next vehicle. If the 15 status of the warrant of fitness is "current" (but unrenewed), then a reminder might need to be provided. At this point, the method could involve simply generating a reminder message and providing this to the vehicle owner in the required manner.

However, preferably prior to providing a renewal reminder, the method includes the step of checking 20 for the existence of one or more exceptions, steps 45 - 50. If an exception is determined, an alert can be generated and/or provided, step 51, 61. Further, the exception might result in no renewal reminder being generated and provided. Another action might also occur as a result. The possible exceptions are as follows: Exception 1 - the warrant of fitness has already been renewed. This could have been renewed by the vehicle owner either through the warrant of fitness provider that they previously used, or through another warrant of fitness provider.

Exception 2 — Ownership details of the vehicle have changed. This can include that the vehicle has 30 been sold. That is, the ownership of the vehicle changed since the last time the warrant of fitness was renewed.

Alternatively, this can also include that the vehicle owner's address has changed such that it is now outside the vehicle owner's previous warrant of fitness provider's service area. For example, the area 35 code of the warrant of fitness provider is outside a certain range of the area code of the vehicle owners 31 address. In this case it may no longer be appropriate, convenient or possible for the owner to use their existing warrant of fitness provider. In either case, A renewal reminder indicating that they should visit the warrant of fitness provider to renew the vehicle's warrant of fitness would not be appropriate.

Exception 3 - the owner address has changed, but is still within the service area of the warrant of fitness provider associated with the vehicle.

Exception 4 - the warrant of fitness status is "expired". That is, the current date is later than the expiry date of the warrant of fitness.

Exception 5 - the LIC or RUC is expired or cancelled or about to expire, there are unpaid parking fines or tickets, the ownership status is incomplete or unconfirmed, emission testing is required, or the vehicle is reported stolen.

Exception 6 - the vehicle is now owned by a registered motor vehicle trader, the vehicle is unregistered, the plate and/or VIN is unassigned or invalid, no owner address is recorded.

If an exception is determined, then a corresponding alert might be generated and provided to the warrant of fitness provider and/or appropriate third party and/or the vehicle owner. An action might 20 also be taken. The alerts are: Alert 1 (corresponding to exception 1 being determined) - Step 46. An alert is generated indicating that the vehicle has already had its warrant of fitness renewed. The alert is provided to the warrant of fitness provider associated with the vehicle, step 52. A renewal reminder is not provided to the vehicle 25 owner. Further, the system is updated with the new warrant of fitness expiry date, and a reminder is rescheduled in relation to that new expiry date.

Alert 2 (corresponding to exception 2 being determined) — Step 47. An alert is generated indicating that the vehicle has been sold, or that the owner has moved out of the area. The alert is provided to 30 the warrant of fitness provider associated with the vehicle, step 53. A renewal reminder is not provided. Instructions for action are awaited from the warrant of fitness provider.

Optionally, the warrant of fitness provider can request that a renewal reminder be sent, step 54, and can enter a custom message for that renewal reminder, step 55. 32 Alert 3 (corresponding to exception 3 being determined) — Step 48. The server is updated with the new owner communication information, step 56.

Alert 4 (corresponding to exception 4 being determined) - Step 49. An alert is generated indicating 5 that the warrant of fitness has already expired. The alert is provided to the warrant of fitness provider. A renewal reminder could still be sent. Alternatively, the warrant of fitness provider then has the option for a warning message to be provider to the vehicle owner, or alternatively this warning message may be provided automatically, step 57.

Alert 5 (corresponding to exception 5 being determined) — Step 50. An alert is generated indicating the exception and this is provided to the appropriate third party and/or to the vehicle owner. A renewal reminder is still generated and provided to the vehicle owner, which may include this alert.

Alert 6 (corresponding to exception 6 being determined) — Step 47. An alert is generated indicating the 15 exception and this is provided to the warrant of fitness provider. A renewal reminder is not generated or provided, step 53.

One or more of the above exceptions might occur, in which case the appropriate alerts will be generated and provided. Based on the exception(s) detected, it is determined whether a renewal 20 reminder should be generated and provided.

If a renewal reminder is to be provided to the vehicle owner, the next step is to generate the reminder, step 51. The content of the reminder includes a communication to advise the vehicle owner of their requirement to renew the warrant of fitness for their vehicle, preferably along with the actual expiry 25 date. The reminder message can also include other customised or general content which might be of relevance to the vehicle owner. It might also include standard details such as the contact details of the warrant of fitness provider, the contact details of the vehicle owner, vehicle details, details of when the next emission test is due, a COF or RUC expiry notice, other alert messages, recommendation for a next service date, a customised message from the warrant of fitness provider, a standard message from 30 the warrant of fitness provider, promotional information, a unique customer reference number, a coupon or discount offer, or a link such as a hyperlink to a web page or other computer accessible information. These are just examples of the information that can be included in the renewal reminder. Other information could be included also. 33 The content enables the warrant of fitness provider to provide customised or general information to the vehicle owner. This, for example, could be a special offer, advice, useful information or anything else that might be of interest to the vehicle owner.

The renewal reminder can be provided, step 61, 62 ot 63, to the vehicle owner via any suitable means, such as facsimile, email, text message, voice (through telephone) or by post, courier or other manual deliver}7 means. The reminder message is formatted in a suitable manner for sending via the required means. When the customer receives the reminder, they are alerted to the fact that they should organise a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle. The reminder might comprise information or tools to 10 facilitate this process. For example, the reminder might include contact information of the associated warrant of fitness provider (that is, the provider the customer last used). This enables the customer to book a time with the provider. A paper or electronic form or similar could be provided that could be filled in a sent back (via post or email) to book a time. A website form (accessed through a hyperlink or URL) could be filled in to book a time, or a text sent back. Other forms of replying to the reminder 15 and/or booking a warrant of fitness check could also be used.

Clearly, each service provider will have a number of customers for which reminders are required at various times. The method and system enables a service to be provided where reminders can be generated and provided at the appropriate times for each customer, with no or minimal input from the 20 warrant of fitness provider.

ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS A number of alternatives are available to the method described above. For example, while in the 25 preferred method information a) and b) (and possibly further information) is extracted during transactions, this information could be obtained in other ways. For example, a warrant of fitness provider might provide the registration plate number, VIN and/or expiry date of a vehicle directly or indirectly to the server. For example, this could be done through a request or the like. This information could be stored for later triggering of a generation of a reminder, or could be provided in 30 an adhoc manner when reminders are required.

The warrant of fitness expiry date could be obtained direcdy from the motor vehicle registry, rather than through extraction from a transaction. To do so the registration plate number and/or VIN could be used to query the motor vehicle registry. 34 While the warrant of fitness status and current details in the embodiment above are obtained from the motor vehicle registry at the time of or near to generating a reminder, this could be obtained at other times. Further, the information could be obtained directly or indirectly from the warrant of fitness provider associated with the vehicle owner and/or through the warrant of fitness on-line web server 5 and/or from the server's own datastore.

If the current warrant of fitness has actually expired, a reminder could still be provided. This could be in the form of a warning message advising that the vehicle is no longer road worthy and a warrant of fitness should be obtained as soon as possible. The same type of content information as for a renewal 10 reminder could be provided, with the same options. In effect, the expiry warning could be the same as a renewal reminder, and provide the same options, except that it will be provided in respect of a warrant of fitness that has already expired.

While the status information and information for communication with the vehicle owner could be 15 extracted from transactions that take place between the warrant of fitness provider and the warrant of fitness database, or the information could come from another means. For example, such as a query or direct information input from a warrant of fitness provider.

It will be appreciated that the steps of the method would not have to be carried out strictly in the order 20 described above. Other orders are possible.

There are alternative ways in which to determine if and when a reminder should be sent. For example, upon the server receiving the expiry date information (either from a transaction or other means), the server uses the expiry date information to determine a date to query the motor vehicle registry. On this 25 determined date, information required to determine exceptions is obtained from the motor vehicle registry. This information includes but is not restricted to: status information (including ownership status), WoF status, information for communicating with the owner, and/or any other appropriate information. From this information, the server determines whether or not a renewal reminder needs to be provided. If so, then a reminder message is scheduled to be provided to the owner at an appropriate time.

RECEIVED Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. -1 AUG 2007

Claims (61)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS

1. A method of reminding a vehicle owner to obtain a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle using a computer system, including: 5 obtaining information including the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle and information for communicating with the vehicle owner, storing the information, obtaining status information of the vehicle from a database, the status information including 10 the current warrant of fitness status of the vehicle, generating a reminder message if the warrant of fitness has not been renewed, and providing the generated message to the vehicle owner.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein obtaining the registration plate number and/or VIN 15 includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein obtaining the expiry date of the warrant of fitness includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider. 20

4. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining the registration plate number and/or VIN includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider when a computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

5. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining the expiry date of the warrant of 25 fitness of die vehicle includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider when a computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

6. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining the expiry date of the warrant 30 of fitness of the vehicle includes receiving data from a motor vehicle registry.

7. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining the registration plate number and/or VIN includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness database when a computer system of a warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle. 35 36

8. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle includes receiving data from a warrant of fitness database when a computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database about the vehicle. 5

9. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining the registration plate number, VIN, status information and/or information for communicating with the vehicle owner includes receiving data from a motor vehicle registry.

10 10. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining the registration plate number, VIN, status information and/or information for communicating with the vehicle owner includes querying a motor vehicle registry.

11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein obtaining information for 15 communicating with the vehicle owner includes receiving the information from a warrant of fitness provider.

12. A method according to any preceding claim wherein obtaining status information of the vehicle includes obtaining the warrant of fitness status of the vehicle from a warrant of fitness database. 20

13. A method according to any one of claims 6, 9, 10 wherein the status information of the vehicle is obtained from the motor vehicle registry.

14. A method according to any preceding claim further including scheduling a time to provide the 25 message, and providing the generated message to the vehicle owner at the scheduled time.

15. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the message is provided at a time before the expiry date of the warrant of fitness. 30 16. A method according to one of claims 4, 5, 7, and 8 wherein the computer system of the warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database in order to do one or more of: process a warrant of fitness, 35 obtain a vehicle licence, 37

Intellectual Property Office of 'v ?. 01 MAY 2008 i received obtain a road user certificate, conduct a motor vehicle status query.

17. A method according to one of claims 4, 5, 7, 8 and 16 wherein the communication relates to a 5 past transaction.

18. A method according to one of claims 4 to 17 wherein obtaining one or more of the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN), the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle, information for communicating with the vehicle owner, and/or status 10 information of the vehicle, includes obtaining information stored in the server where such information was obtained through a transaction between the server and a motor vehicle registry.

19. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the status information further includes one or more of: 15 ownership status of the vehicle, current address of the vehicle owner.

20. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the generated reminder message includes warrant of fitness provider generated information, being one or more of: 20 customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, general information, a hyperlink to computer accessible information, and/or promotional information. 25

21. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the generated reminder message includes computer system generated information, being one or more of: customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, a link to computer accessible information, and/or a reference identifier. 30

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the computer accessible information is one or more of: a discount coupon, a promotional offer, 35 a warrant of fitness booking request. I / n«?ua' 38 I Office of N.2, 2 8 NOV 2007 MCEivcp, 10 15

23. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the information for communicating with the owner includes one or more of: a postal address, an email address, a fax number, and/or a telephone number.

24. of: A method according to any preceding claim wherein the message is provided via one or more post, email, fax, telephone call, and/or text message.

25. A method according to any preceding claim further including determining if a reminder exception exists, and if an exception exists doing one or more of: a) generating and/or providing an exception alert., and/or b) not sending the message 20

26. A method according to claim 25 wherein determining the exception is based on the registration plate number, VIN, expiry date, information for communicating with the vehicle owner and/or status information.

27. A method according to claim 25 or 26 further including obtaining further information relating 25 to the vehicle and/or owner and determining the exception based on the further information.

28. A method according to any one of claims 25 to 27 wherein determining if a reminder exception exists includes determining one or more of: whether the ownership status has changed, 30 if the postal address is out of range of the previous warrant of fitness provider, if the vehicle is unregistered, if the plate and/or VIN is unassigned or invalid, if the current vehicle owner is a registered vehicle trader, if there is no information for communicating with the vehicle owner, 35 if the warrant of fitness has been renewed. 39 hteliectuai 0ffice of /v.|; 2 8 NOV 2007 SMSMiver,

29. A system for providing a reminder to a vehicle owner to obtain a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle, the system including a server adapted to: obtain the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle, and information for communicating 5 with the vehicle owner, store the information, obtain status information of the vehicle from a database, the status information including the current warrant of fitness status of the vehicle, generate a reminder message if the warrant of fitness has not been renewed, and 10 send the generated message to the vehicle owner at a scheduled time, or provide a message for sending to the vehicle owner at a scheduled time.

30. A system according to claim 29 wherein the server is adapted to obtain the expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider. 15

31. A system according to claim 29 or 30 wherein the server is adapted to obtain the registration plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider.

32. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 31 wherein the server is adapted to obtain the 20 expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving data from a warrant of fitness database.

33. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 32 wherein the server is adapted to obtain the registration plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness database. 25

34. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 33 wherein the server is a proxy server in communication with one or more computer systems of respective warrant of fitness providers, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the registration plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider when a computer system of that warrant of fitness provider communicates with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle. 30

35. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 34 wherein the server is a proxy server in communication with a warrant of fitness database, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving data from the warrant of fitness database when a computer system of a warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database 35 about the vehicle. 40 Office of 01 MAY 2008 ,o.E_CEl V ED

36. A system according to any one of claim 29 to 35 wherein the server is a proxy server in communication with one or more computer systems of respective warrant of fitness providers, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the expiry date of a warrant of fitness by receiving data from a warrant of fitness provider when a computer system of that warrant of fitness provider communicates 5 with a warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

37. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 36 wherein the server is a proxy server in communication with a warrant of fitness database, wherein the proxy server is adapted to obtain the registration plate number and/or VIN by receiving data from a warrant of fitness database when a 10 computer system of a warrant of fitness provider communicates with the warrant of fitness database about the vehicle.

38. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 37 wherein to obtain status information and/or information for communicating with the vehicle owner the server is adapted to receive data from a 15 warrant of fitness database.

39. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 38 wherein to obtain status information and/or information for communicating with the vehicle owner the server is adapted to query a motor vehicle registry. 20

40. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 39 wherein to obtain status information and/or information for communicating with die vehicle owner the server is adapted to receive the data from a warrant of fitness provider. 25

41. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 40 wherein the server is adapted to schedule a time to provide the message, and provide the generated message to the vehicle at the scheduled time.

42. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 41 wherein the message is provided at a time before the expiry date of the warrant of fitness. 30

43. A system according to any one of claims 34 to 37 wherein when the warrant of fitness provider computer system is in communication with the warrant of fitness database, it does one or more of: I I jjjgj ~~~— 35 process a warrant of fitness, J Office of 41 I 2 8 Nov am? obtain a vehicle license, obtain a road user certificate, conduct a motor vehicle status query. 10 15

44. A system according to one of claims 34 to 43 wherein obtaining one or more of the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN), the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of the vehicle, information for communicating with the vehicle owner, and/or status information of the vehicle, includes obtaining information stored in the server where such information was obtained through a transaction between the server and a motor vehicle registry.

45. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 44 wherein the status information further includes one or more of: ownership status of the vehicle, current address of the vehicle owner.

46. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 45 wherein the generated reminder message includes warrant of fitness provider generated information, being one or more of: customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, general information, 20 a hyperlink to computer accessible information, and/or promotional information.

47. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 46 wherein the generated reminder message includes computer system generated information, being one or more of: 25 customised information relevant to the owner and/or vehicle, a link to computer accessible information, and/or a reference identifier.

48. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 47 wherein the computer acccssiblc 30 information is one or more of: a discount coupon, a promotional offer, a warrant of fitness booking request. 'nteWeciuaT Office of '28 NOV 2007 £L!=CjE]V g r

49. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 48 wherein the information for communicating with the owner includes one or more of: a postal address, an email address, 5 a fax number, and/or a telephone number.

50. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 49 wherein the system sends the message via one or more of: 10 email, fax, and/or text message.

51. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 50 wherein the system provides die message 15 for sending via one or more of: post, and/or telephone call.

52. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 51 wherein the system schedules a time to send 20 the message at a time before the expiry date of the warrant of fitness.

53. A system according to any one of claims 29 to 52 wherein the server determines if a reminder exception exists, and if an exception exists, generates and/or provides an exception alert. 25

54. A system according to claim 53 wherein determining the exception is based on the registration plate number, VIN, warrant of fitness expiry date, information for communicating with the vehicle owner, and/or status information.

55. A system according to claim 53 to 54 wherein the server is further adapted to obtain further 30 information relating to the vehicle and/or owner and determining the exception based on the further information.

56 A system according to any one of claims 53 to 55 wherein determining if a reminder exception exists and the server does not send a message includes determining if one or more of: 35 whether the ownership status has changed, 43 I to^eetusi , Office of 28 NOV 2007 D a if the postal address is out of range of the previous warrant of fitness provider, if the vehicle is unregistered, if the plate and/or VIN is unassigned or invalid, if the current vehicle owner is a registered vehicle trader, 5 if there is no information for communicating with the vehicle owner, if the warrant of fitness has been renewed.

57. A system according to claim 56 wherein determining if a reminder exception exists and the server does send a message includes determining if one or more of: 10 if the vehicle license and/or registration is about to expire, if the vehicle is reported stolen, if the vehicle RUC has and/or is about to expire, if the warrant of fitness has expired, if the ownership status in incomplete or unconfirmed. 15

58. A method according to any one of claims 28 wherein determining if a reminder exception exists and the server does send a message includes determining if one or more of: if the vehicle licensc and/or registration is about to expire, if the vehicle is reported stolen, 20 if the vehicle RUC has and/or is about to expire, if the warrant of fitness has expired, if the ownership status in incomplete or unconfirmed.

59. A method of reminding vehicle owners to obtain a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle 25 using a computer system, including: obtaining information on a plurality of vehicle's including the registration plate number and/or vehicle identification number (VIN) of each vehicle, and the expiry date of the warrant of fitness of each vehicle and information for communicating with each vehicle owner, storing the information, 30 obtaining status information on one or more of the vehicles from a database, the status information for each vehicle including the current warrant of fitness status of that vehicle, generating a reminder message for one of more of the vehicles for which the warrant of fitness has not been renewed, and providing the generated messages to the respective vehicle owners. 35 44

60. A method of reminding a vehicle owner to obtain a warrant of fitness check for their vehicle as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

61. A system for providing a reminder to a vehicle owner to obtain a warrant of fitness check for 5 their vehicle as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. 45 NOV 200? W=C£ too