FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to reducing the risk of a home experiencing an insurance-related event, more particularly, to systems and methods that leverage a plurality of smart appliances to detect and mitigate risks of insurance-related events.

BACKGROUND

Homeowner and personal property insurance exists to provide financial protection against damage to the home and personal property owner by the policyholder, respectively. There are many potential sources of damage to homes and personal property, some of which can be detected far enough in advance to take an action that may mitigate or prevent damage from occurring. Currently, many appliances and other goods are capable of communicating information about their operation via mesh networks as part of the “internet of things.” However, there is no way to aggregate and analyze all of this communicated data to manage and reduce the risks associated with insurance-related events.

Thus, the present embodiments may, inter alia, detect and alleviate the foregoing risks, such as the risk of home damage, personal property damage, insurance claims, and/or other risks.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of limiting damage to a property (such as an interconnected or smart home) may be provided. The property may be populated with a controller in communication with a plurality of devices in the property. Each of the plurality of devices may be configured to monitor various conditions associated with the property. The method may include (1) receiving, via a first wired or wireless communication network, sensor data from a first at least one of the plurality of devices. The sensor data may be indicative of at least one potential change in at least one of the various conditions associated with the property. The method may include (2) detecting, by one or more processors (such as one or more local or remote processors associated with a smart home controller and/or insurance provider, respectively), a potential insurance-related event associated with the property through analyzing the sensor data, and/or (3) determining, by the one or more processors, an appropriate or corrective action to be performed or otherwise taken by a second at least one of the plurality of devices to mitigate or prevent damage associated with the potential insurance-related event. The method may further include (4) directing, controlling, or causing, at the one or more processors (such as via wireless communication or data transmission with the devices), the corrective action to be performed by the second at least one of the plurality of devices or other device at the property. The method may include additional, fewer, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a system for limiting damage to a property populated with a controller in communication with a plurality of devices in the property may be provided. Each of the plurality of devices may be configured to monitor various conditions associated with the property. The system may include a communication module adapted to communicate data; a memory adapted to store non-transitory computer executable instructions; and/or one or more processors adapted to interface with the communication module. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the non-transitory computer executable instructions to cause the one or more processors to (1) receive, via the communication module, sensor data from a first at least one of the plurality of devices, wherein the sensor data is indicative of at least one potential change in at least one of the various conditions associated with the property. The one or more processors may be configured to (2) detect, by the one or more processors, a potential insurance-related event associated with the property through analyzing the sensor data, and/or (3) determine, by the one or more processors, a corrective action to be performed or otherwise taken by a second at least one of the plurality of devices, to mitigate or prevent damage associated with the potential insurance-related event. The one or more processors may be further configured to perform the action, or direct or cause the action to be performed, such as directing the smart device to perform a certain function or corrective action. The system may include additional, less, or alternate components and functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

In still another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions may be provided. When executed, the instructions may cause one or more processors to (1) receive, via a communication network or data transmission, sensor data from at least one of a plurality of devices. The sensor data may be indicative of at least one potential change in at least one of the various conditions associated with a property. The instructions may cause the one or more processors to (2) detect, by the one or more processors, a potential insurance-related event associated with the property through analyzing the sensor data, and/or (3) determine, by the one or more processors, a corrective action to take to mitigate or prevent damage associated with the potential insurance-related event. The instructions may further cause the one or more processors to (4) perform the action, or direct or cause the action to be performed, such as directing a second at least one of the plurality of devices to perform certain functions. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include additional, fewer, or alternate instructions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

