Systems and methods to collect and augment decedent data

• US 7,801,831 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forte LLC
• Original Assignee: Forte LLC
• Inventors: Balogh, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): SYED, FARHAN M
• Application Number:
  US11/321,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software to collect, validate, and disseminate or otherwise use of data of decedents. Some embodiments include receiving and obtaining decedent data from various sources to augment decedent data and making the augmented decedent data available to others.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a decedent file identifying millions of decedents, wherein the file includes decedent identifying data;

identifying one or more courts in which to search for a probate estate for one or more of the decedent file decedents as a function of address information for the one or more decedents;

searching for a probate estate in an identified court for one or more of the decedent file decedents; and

when a probate estate is located within an identified court, populating an estate database with decedent file decedent data, wherein the data of a decedent populated into the estate database is augmented with data representative of the identified court in which the decedent'"'"'s probate estate is located, data from public notices, and data from courts.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the decedent file is a Death Master File maintained by the United States Social Security Administration.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the Death Master File identifies decedents by one or more of:

a social security number,

a name,

a date of birth,

a date of death,

a state or country of residence,

a ZIP code of last residence, and

a ZIP code of a lump sum payment made at death.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

placing a decedent file decedent in a holding queue with multiple other decedent files if a probate estate is not identified for the decedent, wherein the searching for a probate estate is performed on a recurring basis for each decedent in the holding queue.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the recurring basis is a daily basis.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein a plurality of decedent files remain in the holding queue for a period, after which if a probate estate is not identified for the decedent, the decedent is removed from the holding queue.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the period of time that a decedent remains in the holding queue is two years.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving decedent data from a probate court;

matching the probate court decedent data to one or more decedents in the estate database by use of field match scoring and threshold comparison; and

storing the probate court decedent data with its matched estate database decedent data.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, with instructions thereon which when processed result in a machine:

receiving a decedent file identifying one or more decedents, wherein the file includes decedent identifying data;

identifying one or more courts in which to search for a probate estate for one or more of the decedent file decedents;

searching for a probate estate in an identified court for one or more of the decedent file decedents; and

when a probate estate is located within an identified court, populating an estate database with decedent file decedent data, wherein the data of a decedent populated into the estate database is augmented with data representative of the identified court in which the decedent'"'"'s probate estate is located.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the decedent file is a Death Master File maintained by the United States Social Security Administration.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the Death Master File identifies decedents by one or more of:

a social security number,

a name,

a date of birth,

a date of death,

a state or country of residence,

a ZIP code of last residence, and

a ZIP code of a lump sum payment made at death.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, comprising:

placing multiple decedent file decedents in a holding queue if a probate estate is not identified for the decedent, wherein the searching for a probate estate is performed on a recurring basis for each decedent in the holding queue.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the recurring basis is a weekly basis.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a decedent remains in the holding queue for a period, after which if a probate estate is not identified for the decedent, the decedent is removed from the holding queue.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the period of time that a decedent remains in the holding queue is one year.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further result in the machine:

receiving decedent data from a probate court in a variety of electronic media;

matching the probate court decedent data to one or more decedents in the estate database; and

storing the probate court decedent data with its matched estate database decedent data.

17. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving multiple client account database records corresponding to decedents;

processing one or more decedent client account database records against a decedent file identifying millions of decedents, wherein the decedent file includes decedent identifying data and updating the decedent client account database records with dates of death if found;

identifying one or more courts in which to search for a probate estate for one or more of the decedent client account database records as a function of address information for the one or more decedents and updating the decedent client account database records with the one or more identified courts;

searching for a probate estate in an identified court for one or more of the decedents; and

when the searching identifies a probate estate within an identified court, populating an estate database with updated decedent client account database records, wherein the data of a decedent populated into the estate database is augmented with data representative of the identified court in which the decedent'"'"'s probate estate is located, data from public notices, and data from courts.