Community-Based Transaction Categorization

• US 20090222365A1
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: D3 Technology, Inc. (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Original Assignee: D3 Technology, Inc. (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Keane, Conor, McGlynn, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US12/396,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222365A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Presently disclosed is a system and method for community-based transaction categorization that utilizes previous categorizations of transactions by members of a community of users to categorize a new transaction for an individual member of the community. Each manual categorization of a transaction by a user within the community may be used to generate a community designation rule. Then each community designation rule may be used to categorize transactions of another user within the community. More specifically, when a user within a community manually categorizes a transaction, an individual rule applicable to all the user'"'"'s transactions with similar attributes is generated. If the individual rule meets certain criteria, the individual rule becomes a community rule. The community rule is then applicable to all users within the community having transactions with similar attributes.

Claims

1. A method of generating a set of community categorization rules applicable to financial transactions of users within a community, the method comprising:

receiving a user-defined designation for a first financial transaction of a first individual user of the community;

generating a first individual rule based on one or more transaction attributes of the first financial transaction and the user-defined designation, the first individual rule being applicable to one or more financial transactions of the first individual user; and

promoting the first individual rule for storage to a set of community rules using a processor, wherein the community rules are applicable to financial transactions of one or more other users within the community.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction;

applying a community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score using the processor; and

associating a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion using the processor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction;

applying a first community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score using the processor;

applying a second community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a second match score using the processor;

associating a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the first community rule if the first match score exceeds the second match score and satisfies the match criterion using the processor; and

associating a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the second community rule if the second match score exceeds the first match score and satisfies the match criterion using the processor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction;

applying a second individual rule applicable to a second individual user to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score using the processor;

associating a first transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the second individual rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion using the processor;

applying a community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a second match score if the first match score does not satisfy the match criterion using the processor; and

associating a second transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the second match score satisfies the match criterion using the processor.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a community rule within the set of community rules to a previously designated financial transaction to generate a first match score using the processor; and

associating a new transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion using the processor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first individual rule is promotable to the set of community rules.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the promoting operation includes:

determining if a community rule similar to the first individual rule already exists in the set of community rules; and

adapting the similar community rule to incorporate the first individual rule, if the similar community rule exists.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the promoting operation includes:

determining if a community rule similar to the first individual rule already exists in the set of community rules; and

increasing a relevance factor associated with the similar community rule, if the similar community rule exists.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the promoting operation includes

generating a new community rule from the first individual rule.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-defined designation includes income and the first individual rule is not promotable to the set of community rules.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-defined designation includes a user-created category and the first individual rule is not promotable to the set of community rules.

12. A system for generating a set of community categorization rules applicable to financial transactions of users within a community, the system comprising:

a network interface that receives a user-defined designation for a first financial transaction of a first individual user of the community;

one or more storage media that stores the user-defined designation, a first individual rule, and a set of community rules; and

a processor that generates the first individual rule based on one or more transaction attributes of the first financial transaction and the user-defined designation, the first individual rule being applicable to one or more financial transactions of the first individual user, wherein the processor further promotes the first individual rule to the set of community rules, wherein the community rules are applicable to financial transactions of one or more other users within the community.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the network interface further receives transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction and the processor further applies a community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score and associates a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the network interface further receives transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction and the processor further applies a first community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score, applies a second community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a second match score, associates a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the first community rule if the first match score exceeds the second match score and satisfies the match criterion, and associates a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the first community rule if the first match score exceeds the second match score and satisfies the match criterion.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the network interface further receives transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction and the processor further applies a second individual rule applicable to a second individual user to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score, associates a first transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the second individual rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion, applies a community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a second match score if the first match score does not satisfy the match criterion, and associates a second transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the second match score satisfies the match criterion.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further applies a community rule within the set of community rules to a previously designated financial transaction to generate a first match score and associates a new transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further determines whether the first individual rule is promotable to the set of community rules.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further determines if a community rule similar to the first individual rule already exists in the set of community rules and adapts the similar community rule to incorporate the first individual rule, if the similar community rule exists.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further determines if a community rule similar to the first individual rule already exists in the set of community rules and increases a relevance factor associated with the similar community rule, if the similar community rule exists.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further generates a new community rule from the first individual rule.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the user-defined designation includes income and the first individual rule is not promotable to the set of community rules.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the user-defined designation includes a user-created category and the first individual rule is not promotable to the set of community rules.

23. A computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions for generating a set of community categorization rules applicable to financial transactions of users within a community, wherein the instructions comprise operations to:

receive a user-defined designation for a first financial transaction of a first individual user of the community;

generate a first individual rule based on one or more transaction attributes of the first financial transaction and the user-defined designation, the first individual rule being applicable to one or more financial transactions of the first individual user; and

promote the first individual rule for storage to a set of community rules, wherein the community rules are applicable to financial transactions of one or more other users within the community.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise operations to:

receive transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction;

apply a community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score; and

associate a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise operations to:

receive transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction;

apply a first community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score;

apply a second community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a second match score;

associate a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the first community rule if the first match score exceeds the second match score and satisfies the match criterion; and

associate a transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the second community rule if the second match score exceeds the first match score and satisfies the match criterion.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise operations to:

receive transaction attributes specific to a second financial transaction;

apply a second individual rule applicable to a second individual user to the transaction attributes to generate a first match score;

associate a first transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the second individual rule if the first match score satisfies a match criterion;

apply a community rule within the set of community rules to the transaction attributes to generate a second match score if the first match score does not satisfy the match criterion; and

associate a second transaction designation with the second financial transaction according to the applied community rule if the second match score satisfies the match criterion.