Computer-implemented clustering systems and methods for action determination

• US 8,190,512 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Subramanian, Revathi, Desai, Vijay S., Wu, Lizhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani M
• Application Number:
  US11/851,016
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/38
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

Computer-implemented systems and methods for determining one or more actions to be taken with respect to a first entity. A computer-implemented method can be configured to receive data that is related to characteristics of the first entity as well as data that is related to a plurality of segments. Assignments are determined between the first entity and the segments based upon the characteristics of the first entity and the characteristics associated with the segments. A determined assignment includes a membership probability that is indicative of how probable is membership of the first entity with respect to a segment. One or more actions are determined for the first entity based upon the membership probabilities and action information associated with the assigned segments.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining one or more actions, comprising:

receiving, using one or more processors, data related to one or more characteristics associated with an entity;

receiving, using the one or more processors, data related to a plurality of segments that are associated with the one or more characteristics, wherein each segment is associated with action information;

determining, using the one or more processors, assignments between the entity and the plurality of segments based upon a comparison of the one or more characteristics associated with the entity and the one or more characteristics associated with the plurality of segments, wherein an assignment includes membership probabilities indicating the extent to which the entity can be considered a member of two or more segments at any point in time, thereby avoiding misclassification caused by a hard-segmentation approach, and wherein determining the assignments includes;

determining a first assignment between the entity and a first segment by calculating a first membership probability that includes a value indicating a certainty level of entity membership in the first segment, and

determining a second assignment between the entity and a second segment by calculating a second membership probability that includes a value indicating a certainty level of entity membership in the second segment;

building, using the one or more processors, an action-effect model corresponding to the entity, wherein building includes using soft-clustering and weighting the entity according to membership probabilities indicating the extent to which the entity can be considered a member of each segment in the plurality of segments; and

using the action-effect model to determine, using the one or more processors, one or more actions for the entity based upon the membership probabilities associated with the entity and the action information associated with each assigned segment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is an individual that has been determined to be a credit risk, and wherein the one or more actions are in relation to the individual.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a credit risk predictive model is used to determine whether the individual is a credit risk.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the assignments further includes:

determining a third assignment between the entity and a third segment by calculating a third membership probability that includes a value indicating a certainty level of entity membership in the third segment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a design of experiments using the one or more characteristics associated with the entity and the one or more characteristics associated with the plurality of segments in order to determine the assignments between the entity and the plurality of segments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparison of the characteristics includes determining a degree of similarity between the one or more characteristics associated with the entity and the one or more characteristics associated with the plurality of segments.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the action information that is associated with a segment includes one or more actions or decisions that have been taken with respect to one or more entities associated with the segment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the segments is a revolver segment and another of the segments is a transactor segment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the revolver segment includes segment entity members who roll over part of a bill to a next month;

and wherein the transactor segment includes segment entity members who pay off a balance in full each month.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein when the plurality of segments optimize a pre-specified utility function, the method further includes:

selecting an initial set of segments from the plurality of segments;

updating the assignments between entities and the initial set of segments; and

computing the utility function based upon the updated assignments.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein updating the assignments comprises:

computing representative characteristics for each of the segments in the initial set of segments; and

assigning updated action information to each of the segments.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a membership probability of an assignment to determine a weight for action information associated with an assigned segment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions relate to handling financial transactions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein financial transactions include credit card transactions or debit card transactions of loan application transactions.

8. The method of 1, wherein the assigned segments are prioritized based on the membership probabilities.

16. Computer software stored on one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums, the computer software comprising program code for carrying out a method for determining one or more actions, the method comprising:

receiving, using one or more processors, data related to one or more characteristics associated with an entity

receiving data related to a plurality of segments that are associated with the one or more characteristics, wherein each segment is associated with action information;

determining assignments between the entity and the plurality of segments based upon a comparison of the one or more characteristics associated with the entity and the one or more characteristics associated with the plurality of segments, wherein an assignment includes membership probabilities indicating the extent to which the entity can be considered a member of two or more segments at any point in time, thereby avoiding misclassification caused by a hard-segmentation approach, and wherein determining the assignments includes;

determining a first assignment between the entity and a first segment by calculating a first membership probability that includes a value indicating a certainty level of entity membership in the first segment, and

determining a second assignment between the entity and a second segment by calculating a second membership probability that includes a value indicating a certainty level of entity membership in the second segment;

building an action-effect model corresponding to the entity, wherein building includes using soft-clustering and weighting the entity according to membership probabilities indicating the extent to which the entity can be considered a member of each segment in the plurality of segments; and

using the action-effect model to determine one or more actions for the entity based upon the membership probabilities associated with the entity and the action information associated with each assigned segment.

17. A system for determining one or more actions, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable media for storing software instructions;

one or more processors coupled to the computer-readable media and configured to;

receive, using one or more processors, data related to one or more characteristics associated with an entity

receive data related to a plurality of segments that are associated with the one or more characteristics, wherein each segment is associated with action information;

determine assignments between the entity and the plurality of segments based upon a comparison of the one or more characteristics associated with the entity and the one or more characteristics associated with the plurality of segments, wherein an assignment includes membership probabilities indicating the extent to which the entity can be considered a member of two or more segments at any point in time, thereby avoiding misclassification caused by a hard-segmentation approach, and wherein determining the assignments includes;

determining a first assignment between the entity and a first segment by calculating a first membership probability that includes a value indicating a certainty level of entity membership in the first segment, and

determining a second assignment between the entity and a second segment by calculating a second membership probability that includes a value indicating a certainty level of entity membership in the second segment;

build an action-effect model corresponding to the entity, wherein building includes using soft-clustering and weighting the entity according to membership probabilities indicating the extent to which the entity can be considered a member of each segment in the plurality of segments; and

use the action-effect model to determine one or more actions for the entity based upon the membership probabilities associated with the entity and the action information associated with each assigned segment.