System for finding, identifying, tracking, and correcting personal information in diverse databases

• US 6,532,459 B1
• Filed: 12/13/1999
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Berson Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Berson Research Corporation
• Inventors: Berson, William
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/459,446
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system implemented with user software, running either stand-alone or in conjunction with a web site and central server, that enables a user to input identifying information about himself, and then be guided through a methodical process to find personal information regarding himself in various external databases on a network such as the Internet. Once records about the user have been located at a database, the system, upon authorization by the database owner, may be used to access that database, to the extent possible, subject to the restrictions of the owner, and to erase, modify, or correct the pertinent personal data found therein. Thus, an individual is provided with a system for finding, accessing, and searching external databases containing information of interest and particularly personal information of interest that may be inaccurate and can be corrected.

Claims

1. A data access and authorization system for finding, checking, and maintaining personal information in diverse external databases on a data communications network, comprising

a data communication network;

a plurality of diverse external databases of multiple owners and multiple access protocols connected to the data communication network, at least some of which external databases contain personal identification data and other privileged data for multiple respective users;

a data access terminal connected to the data communication network;

a computer system connected to the network, the computer system having an interactive user interface connected to the terminal;

a security protocol algorithm in the computer system for identifying a given user of the interactive terminal;

an external database table in the computer system that lists at least some of the external databases along with information on ownership, access protocol, security protocol, search protocol, data update procedure, and billing procedure for each listed database;

a table maintenance algorithm in the computer system that maintains the external database table by searching for personal identification data of the given user in a selected one or more of the external databases in the table, and interactively confirming a match of the personal identification data with the given user to a threshold score of certainty for the selected one or more of the external databases;

a table update algorithm in the computer system that searches the network for external databases containing personal identification data of the given user, interactively confirms a match of the personal identification data with the given user to a threshold score of certainty, and adds entries for external databases so confirmed to the table;

a personal information maintenance algorithm in the computer system with means for updating personal identification data and other personal information in a selected one or more of the external databases using the external database table for access, authorization, search, and update procedures.

2. A method for finding, checking, and maintaining personal information in diverse external databases on a data communications network, comprising:

a) providing a data access terminal connected to a data communication network;

b) providing a computer system connected to the network, the computer system having an interactive user interface connected to the terminal;

c) compiling an external database table in the computer system that contains a list of external databases on the network along with information on ownership, access protocol, security protocol, search protocol, data update procedure, and billing procedure for each listed database;

d) compiling personal identification data in the computer system via interaction between a user on the terminal and the computer system interface;

e) finding personal information in external databases on the network by searching a selected one or more of the databases listed in the external database table according to respective protocols in the database table for matches to at least some of the personal identification data;

f) identifying personal information in a selected one or more of the databases found to match in step e) by matching data therein to additional personal identification data interactively requested of the user by the data access terminal;

g) creating an authentication data file in the computer system containing indicators of exactness of the matches of personal identification data verified in steps e) and f);

h) transmitting a digital guarantee of the user'"'"'s identity based on the authentication file to the selected databases of step f) in a format as required by respective security protocols in the database table;

h) tracking the personal information in the diverse databases found on the network by automatically periodically checking the personal identification data in the computer system against corresponding data in the selected external databases of step f) for changes and inconsistencies; and

i) correcting personal information in the diverse databases found on the network by notifying the user of inconsistencies and changes found in step h) and updating personal information in the diverse databases according to respective data update procedures in the external database table.