U-Haul International, Inc.

John Samuel Wathen

Edward J Shoen

Arthur Scott Tonan

Michael George Colman

Mariah Anne Reid

A method and system for the online vehicle rentals, such as a car share rental, allows for a customer to self-dispatch and self-return a rental vehicle without requiring special equipment in the rental vehicle or the presence of rental personnel at the dispatch or return location. At the beginning of the rental period, the customer is prompted to input to a rental management computer system, via a mobile computer device, information about the mileage and fuel level of the rental vehicle and to report existing damage to the rental vehicle. If the customer wishes to extend the rental time period, the customer is prompted to select a requested extended end time for the rental time period and to send the requested extended end time to the rental management computer system. The rental management computer system automatically determines whether the requested extended end time conflicts with a future reservation for the vehicle, and if the requested extended end time does not conflict with a fixture reservation, the system extends the rental time period to the requested extended end time.

Method and apparatus for online rental of vehicles

A method and system for real-time qualification of rental customers allows a rental company to quickly qualify a customer making an online reservation of a rental vehicle, such as a car share rental, without requiring the customer to be a member or have a membership or to be pre-qualified. The system includes: a database operative to store account information associated with a customer for a rental transaction; an input component operative to receive from the customer an uploaded image of the customer's driver's license and an uploaded second image of the customer; and a processor operative with the database to use the uploaded driver's license image, the uploaded second image and information associated with the uploaded second image to qualify the customer for a rental transaction. The system can compare the customer's driver's license image to the uploaded second image of the customer and qualify the customer for the rental transaction if the second image is uploaded within a pre-defined time before the rental time period begins. The information associated with the second uploaded image of the customer can include a timestamp associated with the second uploaded image and/or a GPS location associated with the uploaded image.

Method and apparatus for real-time qualification of rental customers

A system for rental of vehicles stores reservation information for a customer reservation of a rental vehicle, including a scheduled pickup time and pickup location for the rental vehicle. The system receives information from the customer's a mobile device, including image information and location information. When the customer arrives at the rental pickup location, the system prompts the customer to use the mobile device to capture and upload an image of the customer's driver's license, a current image of the customer, and location information for confirming that the customer image was captured at the rental pickup location. The system displays the uploaded driver's license image, the uploaded customer image and the stored reservation information to an operator to verify the identity of the customer before the customer is approved to pick up the rental vehicle.

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Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

John Samuel Wathen