Method of and system including a host database for determining connections between a host and a target person

• US 7,047,244 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Generate Incorporated (News Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Orions BELT Incorporated
• Inventors: McGeachie, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US10/747,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/10, 707/8, 707/103.R, 719/315, 719/330, 719/331, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method of determining a connection between a source party and a target party includes constructing a host database, the host database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of the data fields including identification information of a party, the identification information being extracted from non-restricted sources; constructing a client database, the client database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of the data fields including identification information of a party, the identification information being extracted from a client'"'"'s private sources; receiving identification information of a source party and a target party; identifying a record in the client database including identification information of the source party; identifying a record in the host database including identification information of the target party; searching the data fields in the records of at least one of the client database and the host database to locate identification information commonalities between the source party record and at least one intermediate party record; searching the data fields in the records of at least one of the client database and the host database to locate identification information commonalities between the at least one intermediate party record and the target party record; and upon locating at least one identification information commonality between the at least one intermediate party record and the target party record, generating a list including the at least one intermediate party record.

Claims

1. A method of determining a connection between a source party and a target party comprising:

constructing a host database, said host database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of said data fields including identification information of a party;

constructing a client database, said client database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of said data fields including identification information of a party;

receiving identification information of a source party and a target party;

identifying a record in said client database including identification information of said source party;

identifying a record in said host database including identification information of said target party;

searching said data fields in said records of at least one of said client database and said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said source party record and at least one intermediate party record;

searching said data fields in said records of at least one of said client database and said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record; and

upon locating at least one identification information commonality between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record, generating a list including said at least one intermediate party record.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein searching said data fields further includes:

searching said data fields in said records of at least one of said client database and said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said at least one intermediate party records and further intermediate party records; and

searching said data fields in said records of at least one of said client database and said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said further intermediate party records and said target party record.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said source party is one of a person and an entity and said target party is one of a person and an entity.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said identification information includes personal and affiliation information of said party.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said identification information includes at least one of a person'"'"'s name, said person'"'"'s dates of employment with a company, said person'"'"'s title within said company, said person'"'"'s company name, said person'"'"'s company address, said person'"'"'s company SIC code, and said person'"'"'s company ticker symbol.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said identification information includes at least one of a company name, said company'"'"'s address, said company'"'"'s SIC code and said company'"'"'s ticker symbol.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein said records stored on said client database are a subset of said records stored on said host database.

8. A method of determining a connection between a source party and a target party comprising:

constructing a host database, said host database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of said data fields including identification information of a party;

receiving identification information of a source party and a target party;

identifying a record in said host database including identification information of said source party;

identifying a record in said host database including identification information of said target party;

searching said data fields in said records of said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said source party record and at least one intermediate party record;

searching said data fields in said records of said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record; and

upon locating a data field commonality between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record, generating a list of said at least one intermediate party record.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein searching said data fields further includes:

searching said data fields in said records of said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said at least one intermediate party records and further intermediate party records; and

searching said data fields in said records of said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said further intermediate party records and said target party record.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said source party is one of a person and an entity and said target party is one of a person and an entity.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said identification information includes personal and affiliation information of said party.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said identification information includes at least one of a person'"'"'s name, said person'"'"'s dates of employment with a company, said person'"'"'s title within said company, said person'"'"'s company name, said person'"'"'s company address, said person'"'"'s company SIC code, and said persons company ticker symbol.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said identification information includes at least one of a company name, said company'"'"'s address, said company'"'"'s SIC code and said company'"'"'s ticker symbol.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said records stored on said client database are a subset of said records stored on said host database.

15. A system for determining a connection between a source party and a target party comprising:

a host system including a computer processor and associated memory, said host system including a host database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of said data fields including identification information of a party;

a client system including a computer processor and associated memory, said client system including a client database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of said fields including identification information of a party;

said client system establishing a connection to said host system over said communication network and inputting identification information of a source party and a target party;

said host system identifying a record in at least on of said client database and said host database including identification information of said source party and identifying a record in at least one of said client database and said host database including identification information of said target party;

said host system searching said data fields in said records to locate identification information commonalities between said source party record and at least one intermediate party record and searching said data fields in said records to locate identification information commonalities between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record; and

upon locating a identification information commonality between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record, said host system generating a list of said at least one intermediate party record.

16. A system for determining a connection between a source party and a target party comprising:

a host system including a computer processor and associated memory, said host system including a database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of said data fields including identification information of a party;

a user system including a computer processor and associated memory, said user system being adapted for establishing a connection to said host system over a communication network, said user system inputting identification information of a source party and a target party to said host system,

said host system identifying records in said database including identification information of said source party and identification information of said target party;

said host system searching said data fields in said records to locate identification information commonalities between said source party record and at least one intermediate party record and searching said data fields in said records to locate identification information commonalities between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record; and

upon locating a identification information commonality between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record, said host system generating a list of said at least one intermediate party record.

17. A method of determining a connection between a source party and a target party comprising:

receiving identification information of a source party and a target party;

identifying a record in a host database including identification information of said source party, said host database including a plurality of records, each record including a number of data fields, each of said data fields including identification information of a party;

identifying a record said host database including identification information of said target party;

searching said data fields in said record of said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said source party record and at least one intermediate party record;

searching said data fields in said records of said host database to locate identification information commonalities between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record; and

upon locating a data field commonality between said at least one intermediate party record and said target party record, generating a list of said at least one intermediate party record.