OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -

Years in development have paid off for vAuto, which this week announced the awarding of a patent for its system of inventory management for auto dealers.

On Wednesday, the company noted receipt of U.S. Patent No. 8,589,212 by the United States Patent Office, for its Provision system that helps dealers determine which used vehicles will perform best in their markets.

“The patent affirms that our Provision system offers a unique way for dealers to intelligently determine the ‘right’ used vehicles for their inventories,” said Dale Pollak, vAuto founder.

The Provision system combines vAuto’s methodology and technology to instantly provide dealers with a “Report Card” on every available used vehicle in their market.

Based on data collected by vAuto’s Live Market View technology, the Report Card grades seven characteristics for each vehicle including Market Days Supply, desirability among consumers, availability, profit potential and the dealership’s experience selling the unit.

“The patent adds prestige to our Provision system, and it means a lot personally to those of us who spent years developing a better way for dealers to manage their used vehicle inventories,” said Michael Chiovari, vice president of IT operations for vAuto.

“All along, we believed we had a one-of-a-kind approach, and the patent essentially documents that we were correct,” he said.

Along with Pollak and Chiovari, the patent also names as inventors Chris Stutsman, director of product innovation for vAuto, and David Hawkins, a former vice president of product development at vAuto.