Link analysis mapping program risk management

• US 7,752,227 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Company (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Company (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lawrence, David, Childers, J. Gilmore
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lie, Angela M
• Application Number:
  US10/801,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,304 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/104.1, 707/100
• US Class Current: 707/796
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method and system for managing risk by indicating links between one or more persons or entities which can include a process that gathers information about individuals and organizations into a computerized system where it can be analyzed to associate one or more individuals or organizations with links to other individuals or organizations. A user can designate a person or entity and the system will provide an indication of linkages associated with the designated person. Some embodiments can include a user specifying a particular type of link or limit links to a specified degree of separation between the designated person and any other person or entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing risk through link analysis mapping, the method comprising:

receiving, into a memory of a computer system, information descriptive of two or more persons and a plurality of association types;

generating, in the computer system, links associating two or more persons based upon the received information, wherein the links indicate a relationship between the two or more persons and an association type;

receiving a linkage analysis request into the memory identifying a person and requesting links with a predefined specified number of degrees of separation associated with the identified person;

processing the linkage analysis request associating two or more persons to determine qualifying links for inclusion in the linkage analysis based on an association type;

generating, in the computer system, a linkage analysis report associating the identified person with one or more other persons with the specified number of degrees of separation based on the processed qualifying links; and

outputting for utilization in risk management the link analysis report that includes an indication of one or more disconnects between the identified person and the one or more other persons, wherein the disconnect indicates a separation in time between the identified person and the one or more other persons.

2. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the step of receiving into the computer system an indication of a particular type of link to be analyzed.

3. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the step of indicating in the computer system a degree of separation between the identified person and the linked person.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the person comprises at least one of:

an individual, a group, an organization, a corporation and an entity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the association types include at least one of:

family relation, business partner, disparate board, board, employment, charity, political party, fraternal organization types of data.

6. A computerized system for managing risk through link analysis mapping, the system comprising:

a computer server accessible with a system access device via a communications network; and

executable software stored on the server and executable on demand, the software operative with the server to cause the server to;

receive information descriptive of two or more persons and a plurality of association types;

generate links associating two or more persons based upon the received information, wherein the links indicate a relationship between the two or more persons and an association type;

receive a linkage analysis request identifying a person and requesting links with a predefined specified number of degrees of separation associated with the identified person;

process the linkage analysis request associating two or more persons to determine qualifying links for inclusion in the linkage analysis based on an association type;

generate a linkage analysis report associating the identified person with one or more other persons with the predefined specified number of degrees of separation based on the processed qualifying links; and

output for utilization in risk management the link analysis report that includes an indication of one or more disconnects between the identified person and the one or more other persons, wherein the disconnect indicates a separation in time between the identified person and the one or more other persons.

7. The computerized system of claim 6 wherein the system access device comprises at least one of a computer and a personal digital assistant.

8. The computerized system of claim 6 wherein the communications network conforms to the transmission control protocol/internet protocol.

9. The computerized system of claim 6 wherein the software operative with the server additionally causes the system to at least one of:

receive an indication of a particular type of link to be analyzed; and

indicate a degree of separation between the identified person and the linked person.

10. The computerized system of claim 6 wherein the person comprises at least one of:

an individual, a group, an organization, a corporation and an entity.

11. Computer executable program code residing on a computer-readable medium, the program code operable with a processor on a computer system for causing the computer system to:

receive information into a memory of the computer system descriptive of two or more persons and a plurality of association types;

generate, in the computer system, links associating two or more persons based upon the received information, wherein the links indicate a relationship between the two or more persons and an association type;

receive a linkage analysis request into the computer system identifying a person and requesting links with a predefined specified number of degrees of separation associated with the identified person;

process the linkage analysis request associating two or more persons to determine qualifying links for inclusion in the linkage analysis based on an association type;

generate a linkage analysis report associating the identified person with one or more other persons with the predefined specified number of degrees of separation based on the processed qualifying links; and

output for utilization in risk management the link analysis report that includes an indication of one or more disconnects between the identified person and the one or more other persons, wherein the disconnect indicates a separation in time between the identified person and the one or more other persons.

12. The computer executable program of claim 11 wherein the program code additionally causes the computer to at least one of:

receive an indication of a particular type of link to be analyzed; and

indicate a degree of separation between the identified person and the linked person.

13. The computer executable program of claim 11 wherein the person comprises at least one of:

an individual, a group, an organization, a corporation and an entity.

14. A method of interacting with a network access device so as to manage risk, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting from the network access device a description of a person;

transmitting from the network access device a linkage analysis request requesting links with a specific predefined number of degrees of separation associated with the person;

processing the linkage analysis request to determine qualifying links for inclusion in the linkage analysis based on generated links indicating a relationship between two or more persons and an association type;

receiving, at the network access device, a link analysis report associating the person with one or more other persons with the predefined specified number of degrees of separation based on the processed qualifying links;

receiving at the network access device a description of each link in the link analysis report; and

outputting at the network access device for utilization in risk management the link analysis report that includes an indication of one or more disconnects between the identified person and the one or more other persons, wherein the disconnect indicates a separation in time between the identified person and the one or more other persons.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the person comprises at least one of:

an individual, a group, an organization, a corporation and an entity.