Translating and geocoding addresses

• US 8,271,510 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sivakkolundhu, Premanand, Chatterjee, Sutap, John, Josy, Sharma, Nityanand
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US12/647,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A device may include a memory and a processor. The memory may be configured to store a regular address database and store a translated address database. The processor may be configured to perform a lookup, in the regular address database, of a regular address that corresponds to a working address. In addition, the processor may be further configured to determine whether the working address is qualified to be converted into an address comprising aliases that correspond to terms in the working address when the regular address is not found in the translated address database, and convert the working address to generate a first translated address when the working address is qualified to be converted.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a memory configured to;

store a regular address database including a plurality of first records that identify regular addresses and corresponding location coordinates, and

store a translated address database including a plurality of second records that identify working addresses, corresponding translated addresses or references to the regular addresses, and geocodes associated with the corresponding translated addresses; and

a processor configured to;

perform a lookup, in the regular address database, to determine whether a working address substantially corresponds to at least one regular address identified in the first records,

determine, when the working address does not substantially correspond to the at least one regular address, whether the working address qualitatively matches the at least one regular address and is to be automatically converted into a corresponding translated address comprising aliases that correspond to terms in the working address;

convert the working address to generate the corresponding translated address when the working address is to be automatically converted;

create a second record identifying the working address and the corresponding translated address or a reference to the at least one regular address; and

store the second record in the translated address database.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the regular addresses identified in the first records comprise United States Postal Service (USPS) addresses.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

obtain, from a first record identifying the at least one regular address, the corresponding location requirements associated with the at least one regular address,

convert the corresponding location requirements to a geocode associated with the corresponding translated address, and

insert the geocode into the second record, the device further comprising;

a network interface configured to;

receive, from a remote device, a request for a translated address associated with the geocode; and

send the corresponding translated address to the remote device in response to the request.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one regular address includes:

a regular address that exactly matches the working address, and the processor is further configured to;

generate and store, in the translated address database, a geocode associated with the regular address.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one regular address includes:

a standardized address that does not exactly match the working address, and wherein the processor is further configured to;

generate and store in the translated address database, upon receiving approval of an operator, a geocode associated with the standardized address.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the geocode comprises a United States National Grid (USNG) code or a Natural Area Code (NAC) code.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, from a remote device, a request for translated corresponding addresses, corresponding to locations that are within a particular search area;

retrieve a subset of the second records identifying the corresponding translated addresses from the translated address database; and

send the retrieved subset of the second records to the remote device.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the particular search area is bounded by longitudes and latitudes.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein when the at least one regular address substantially corresponds to the working address, the processor is further configured to:

receive a request to translate the working address based on an operator'"'"'s approval.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify a record in the translated address database based on a second working address; and

delete the record when the record in the translated address database is identified.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first remote device, a request to translate a working address;

performing a lookup, in a regular address database including a first record that identifies at least one regular address and corresponding location coordinates, to determine whether the at least one regular address substantially corresponds to the working address;

determining, when the working address does not substantially correspond to the at least one regular address, whether the working address qualitatively matches the at least one regular address and is to be automatically converted into a corresponding translated address comprising aliases that correspond to terms in the working address;

converting the working address to generate the corresponding translated address, when the working address is to be automatically converted;

creating a second record identifying the working address and the corresponding translated address or a reference to the at least one regular address;

storing the second record in a translated address database; and

transmitting the corresponding translated address to the first remote device or a second remote device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

generating a geocode based on a longitude and latitude identified in the corresponding location coordinates associated with the at least one regular address.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes at least one of:

sending the working address to an operator to be reviewed when the working address is not to be automatically converted;

or

sending the working address to the operator to be reviewed when the working address does not qualitatively match the at least one regular address.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

recognizing a community name, zip code, street name, and service location in the working address; and

obtaining aliases, in an order of importance, for the recognized community name, zip code, street name, and service location.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

sending the working address to an operator to be reviewed when the at least one regular address includes an alias of a different state than a state indicated in the working address;

or

sending the working address to the operator to be reviewed when translated addresses of a range of house numbers in the working address do not have a same street name alias.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

sending the working address to an operator to be reviewed when a thoroughfare tag in the working address does not match a thoroughfare alias in the at least one regular address;

sending the working address to the operator to be reviewed when a house number suffix is mapped to a supplemental address;

or

removing a hyphen in a street number of the translated working address.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

determining that the working address matches the at least one regular address when a community name in the working address and a corresponding community alias in the at least one regular address are different, and when the community alias is equivalent to a postal area name or prime zip code area; and

sending the working address to an operator when the working address does not match the regular address.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

determining whether a zip code for the working address exists within a zip code table when the zip code is the only difference between the working address and the at least one regular address;

determining whether house numbers in a range have the same zip code when the zip code is determined to exist;

converting the working address when the house numbers in the range have the same zip code; and

sending the working address to the operator for review when the zip code does not exist in the zip code table or when the house numbers in the range do not have the same zip code.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

mapping supplemental tags in the working address to supplemental aliases that appear in the at least one regular addresses; and

sending the working address to an operator to be reviewed when there is no supplemental alias that corresponds to a supplemental tag in the working address.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

sending the working address to an the operator when a directional tag in the working address differs from a directional alias in the at least one regular address;

or

converting the working address when a relative position of a directional tag in the working address differs from a relative position of a corresponding directional alias in the at least one regular address.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

converting the working address when a directional tag, which corresponds to a directional alias in the at least one regular address, in the working address does not exist;

or

converting the working address when a directional tag in the working address is a first word of a street name, when a corresponding directional alias in the at least one regular address is an abbreviation, and when a remainder of the working address matches a remainder of the at least one regular address.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

sending the working address to an operator when a directional tag in the working address is a first word of a street name, when a corresponding directional alias in the regular address is an abbreviation, and when a remainder of the working address does not match a remainder of the regular address.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting the working address includes:

converting the working address when a street name in the working address is a number, being expressed in numeric characters or alphabet and when a street name in the at least one regular address is the same number, being expressed in either numeric characters or alphabet; and

sending the working address to an operator when spelling of the working address exactly matches spelling of the at least one regular address and when a last word of a street address in the working address is a thoroughfare tag and a last word of the street name in the at least one regular address is part of the street address and not a thoroughfare alias.