Current mailing address identification and verification

• US 20050021551A1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Locateplus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Locateplus Corporation
• Inventors: Larotella, Jon, Silva, Steven W.
• Application Number:
  US10/857,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021551A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24558 Binary matching operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2468 Fuzzy queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00435 Details specific to central, non-customer apparatus, e.g. servers at post office or vendor
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00451 Address hygiene, i.e. checking and correcting addresses to be printed on mail pieces using address databases

Abstract

Techniques for identifying a target individual'"'"'s or entity'"'"'s current address are disclosed. An initial query/search on the target is performed to identify previously reported addresses of that target. This initial query specifies information known about the target (e.g., target'"'"'s name, along with city and/or state in which the target is to believed to reside). The initial query attempts to match the specified target information to existing entries in a database storing previously reported addresses. Any target matches resulting from this initial search are presented to the user. Target matches selected for verification contain previously reported addresses associated with the target match. Each of these previously reported addresses are then queried into a database storing high-confidence records (e.g., public utility records). If a previously reported address is verified as being the current mailing address, then that address (or its corrected version) is reported to the user.

Claims

1. A method for verifying the current mailing address of a particular person or entity, the method comprising:

receiving a request to verify a current mailing address of a target person or entity, the request specifying target information;

querying one or more databases of previously reported address information to identify previously reported addresses associated with the specified target information, thereby producing initial target search results;

displaying the initial target search results for review, the initial target search results including one or more target matches that can be selected for verification, with each target match associated with one or more previously reported addresses;

querying one or more public utility databases for an address associated with a selected target match included in the initial target search results; and

in response to identifying a current mailing address associated with the selected target match based on public utility database records, displaying the current mailing address with a designation of verified.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein in response to none of the displayed initial target search results being acceptable, allowing for refinement of the specified target information.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving input from a user specifying the selected target match so that the querying of one or more public utility databases can be carried out.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein in response to not identifying a current mailing address based on public utility database records, and in response to there being a next target match of interest, the method further comprises:

receiving input from a user specifying the next target match so that the querying of one or more public utility databases can be repeated for that next target match.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the target information includes at least one of target name information, target address information, a target social security number, a target tax ID number, and a target telephone number.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the target information further includes age information about the target.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the target information includes a target telephone number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more databases of previously reported address information and the one or more public utility databases are an aggregated local database.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein name and previously reported address information associated with the selected target match is parsed into individual terms for the querying of the one or more public utility databases.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the current mailing address with a designation of verified further includes displaying a complete address history list, with a marker denoting the current mailing address.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more databases of previously reported address information further include other previously reported target contact information that can be queried, including at least one of target social security numbers, target tax ID numbers, target telephone numbers, target facsimile numbers, and target age information.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more public utility databases further include other high-confidence target contact information that can be queried, including at least one of target social security numbers, target tax ID numbers, target telephone numbers, target facsimile numbers, and target age information.

13. A method for verifying the current mailing address of a target person or entity, the method comprising:

querying one or more databases of previously reported address information to identify previously reported addresses associated with a target, thereby producing initial target search results;

displaying the initial target search results for review and possible selection for verification;

querying one or more public utility databases for an address associated with a selected target match included in the initial target search results; and

in response to identifying a current mailing address associated with the selected target match based on public utility database records, displaying the current mailing address with a designation of verified.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more databases of previously reported address information and the one or more public utility databases are an aggregated local database.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein name and previously reported address information associated with the selected target match is parsed into individual terms for the querying of the one or more public utility databases.

16. A processor readable medium containing processor-executable instructions for verifying the current mailing address of a target person or entity, the processor-executable instructions comprising instructions for

querying one or more databases of previously reported address information to identify previously reported addresses associated with a target, thereby producing initial target search results;

displaying the initial target search results for review and possible selection for verification;

querying one or more public utility databases for an address associated with a selected target match included in the initial target search results; and

in response to identifying a current mailing address associated with the selected target match based on public utility database records, displaying the current mailing address with a designation of verified.

17. The processor readable medium of claim 16 wherein the one or more databases of previously reported address information and the one or more public utility databases are an aggregated local database.

18. The processor readable medium of claim 16 wherein name and previously reported address information associated with the selected target match is parsed into individual terms for the querying of the one or more public utility databases.

19. A system for verifying the current mailing address of a target person or entity, the system comprising:

a module for querying one or more databases of previously reported address information to identify previously reported addresses associated with a target, thereby producing initial target search results;

a module for displaying the initial target search results for review and possible selection for verification;

a module for querying one or more public utility databases for an address associated with a selected target match included in the initial target search results, to identify a current mailing address associated with the selected target match based on public utility database records; and

a module for displaying the current mailing address with a designation of verified.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising an aggregated local database that is communicatively coupled to the modules for querying, the local database including the one or more databases of previously reported address information and the one or more public utility databases.