Social network risk analysis

• US 10,121,206 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Warden, Thomas, Peccei, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US15/281,586
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3- 44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

An enhanced social network module associated with an entity may create a social network for an individual, group, and/or organization. The module may then use the social network to determine risk associated with insuring a member of the social network. The determined risk may be used to calculate a rate for insuring the member. Additional features of the module may allow for the calculation of a group rate for insuring all members of the social network, the calculation of various centrality measures for each member of the social network, the calculation of a trust score for any given member, and the ability to poll members of the social network to determine various characteristics of any given member.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

using a processor associated with a computing device, generating a social network graph for a user using data received from a server hosting a social network website, wherein the social network graph connects the user to a plurality of other users based on at least one characteristic;

receiving, from the user, a response to a request for data regarding a skill of another user of the plurality of other users,

using the processor, analyzing the social network graph and the response from the user to determine risk associated with insuring the user and the other user; and

using the processor and based upon the determined risk, determining a rate for insuring the user and a rate for insuring the other user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the user, a notification that the determined rate for insuring the user and the determined rate for insuring the other user are a same group rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises an age of the user and an age of the other user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises a number of accidents involving at least one of the user and the other user during a predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises a number of ticketed infractions involving at least one of the user and the other user during a predetermined time period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises estimating the at least one characteristic for the user based on the at least one characteristic for the other user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimating comprises estimating the at least one characteristic for the user by weighting the at least one characteristic for the plurality of other users based on distances of each of the plurality of other users from the user on the social network graph.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing discounts on services and goods to the user in return for the response to the request for data regarding the skill of the other user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing discounts on services and goods to the other user in response to a determination that the other user has a higher skill level than one or more of the plurality of other users.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the other user, aggregated response data comprising the response to the request for data regarding the skill of the other user.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising adjusting the same group rate in response to a change in a determined skill level for the user or the other user.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting, to the user or the other user, a skill ranking among all users insured at the same group rate.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the determined rate for insuring the user in response to determining that the user has attempted to remove a link to the other user in the social network graph.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the processor, computing a trust score for the user based on a length of time that an insurance company has insured one or more of the plurality of other users.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

generating a social network graph for a user using data received from a server hosting a social network website, wherein the social network graph connects the user to a plurality of other users based on at least one characteristic;

receiving, from the user, a response to a request for data regarding a skill of another user of the plurality of other users,

analyzing the social network graph and the response from the user to determine risk associated with insuring the user and the other user; and

based upon the determined risk, determining a rate for insuring the user and a rate for insuring the other user.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory further stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

transmit, to the user, a notification that the determined rate for insuring the user and the determined rate for insuring the other user are a same group rate.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory further stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

provide discounts on services and goods to the user in return for the response to the request for data regarding the skill of the other user.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory further stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

transmit, to the other user, aggregated response data comprising the response to the request for data regarding the skill of the other user.

19. Non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

generating a social network graph for a user using data received from a server hosting a social network website, wherein the social network graph connects the user to a plurality of other users based on at least one characteristic;

receiving, from the user, a response to a request for data regarding a skill of another user of the plurality of other users,

analyzing the social network graph and the response from the user to determine risk associated with insuring the user and the other user; and

based upon the determined risk, determining a rate for insuring the user and a rate for insuring the other user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, further storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

transmit, to the other user, aggregated response data comprising the response to the request for data regarding the skill of the other user.