Identifying and changing personal information

• US 8,321,413 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reputation.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reputation.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Gabriel, Raefer, Kelley, Brian, Aubry, James, Thompson, David, Fertik, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Obisesan, Augustine K
• Application Number:
  US13/296,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/734
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0263 based upon Internet or website rating

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for analyzing information about a user are presented which include obtaining at least one search result based on at least one search terms describing the user; presenting the at least one search result to the user; receiving an indication from the user of the desirability of a search result; and performing an action based on the desirability of the search result. Systems, apparatuses, and methods are also presented for determining a reputation score representing the reputation of a user which include collecting search results from data source, determining an effect on the reputation of the user of the search results from the data source, and calculating a reputation score for the user based on the determined effect on the reputation of the user from the search results from the data source.

Claims

1. A method for determining a reputation score representing a reputation of an Internet user comprising:

collecting, at a computer, at least one search result from a data source via a search engine based on a search term identifying the Internet user;

identifying a contextual token describing the Internet user within a string of words surrounding a relevancy-indicating token in the at least one search result;

determining an effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on whether the identified contextual token affects the reputation of the user;

associating the identified contextual token with a token weight based on the determined effect; and

calculating the reputation score representing the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the associated token weight.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified contextual token is a contextually-positive token.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified contextual token is a contextually-negative token.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the reputation score to a third party at the Internet user'"'"'s request for vouching that the Internet user is as reputable as the score indicates.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the reputation score to a third party at the third party'"'"'s request for vouching that the Internet user is as reputable as the score indicates.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is at least one of a credit agency database, a criminal database, an insurance database, a social networking database, or a news database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

categorizing the at least one search result as positive or negative; and

determining the effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the positive or negative categorization of the at least one search result.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the at least one search result along a positive to negative scale; and

determining the effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the positive to negative association of the at least one search result.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating at least one reputation sub-score for the Internet user based at least in part on the effect on reputation of the Internet user of the at least one search result from the data source.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a relevancy weight for the at least one search result; and

calculating the reputation score using the relevancy weight.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a significance weight representing the significance of the data source; and

calculating the reputation score using the significance weight.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the significance of the data source is based on an evaluation of the data source.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform a method for determining a reputation score representing a reputation of an Internet user, the method comprising:

collecting, at a computer, at least one search result from a data source via a search engine based on a search term identifying the Internet user;

identifying a contextual token describing the Internet user within a string of words surrounding a relevancy-indicating token in the at least one search result;

determining an effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on whether the identified contextual token affects the reputation of the user;

associating the identified contextual token with a token weight based on the determined effect; and

calculating the reputation score representing the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the associated token weight.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the identified contextual token is a contextually-positive token.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the identified contextual token is a contextually-negative token.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

presenting the reputation score to a third party at the Internet user'"'"'s request for vouching that the Internet user is as reputable as the score indicates.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

presenting the reputation score to a third party at the third party'"'"'s request for vouching that the Internet user is as reputable as the score indicates.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the data source is at least one of a credit agency database, a criminal database, an insurance database, a social networking database, or a news database.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

categorizing the at least one search result as positive or negative; and

determining the effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the positive or negative categorization of the at least one search result.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

associating the at least one search result along a positive to negative scale; and

determining the effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the positive to negative association of the at least one search result.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

calculating at least one reputation sub-score for the Internet user based at least in part on the effect on reputation of the Internet user of the at least one search result from the data source.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

determining a relevancy weight for the at least one search result; and

calculating the reputation score using the relevancy weight.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

determining a significance weight representing the significance of the data source; and

calculating the reputation score using the significance weight.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the significance of the data source is based on an evaluation of the data source.

25. A system for determining the reputation of an Internet user comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

collect at least one search result from a data source via a search engine based on a search term identifying the Internet user;

identify a contextual token describing the Internet user within a string of words surrounding a relevancy-indicating token in the at least one search result;

determine an effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on whether the identified contextual token affects the reputation of the user;

associate the identified contextual token with a token weight based on the determined effect; and

calculate the reputation score representing the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the associated token weight.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the identified contextual token is a contextually-positive token.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the identified contextual token is a contextually-negative token.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to present the reputation score to a third party at the Internet user'"'"'s request for vouching that the Internet user is as reputable as the score indicates.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to present the reputation score to a third party at the third party'"'"'s request for vouching that the Internet user is as reputable as the score indicates.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the data source is at least one of a credit agency database, a criminal database, an insurance database, a social networking database, or a news database.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

categorize the at least one search result as positive or negative; and

determine the effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the positive or negative categorization of the at least one search result.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

associate the at least one search result along a positive to negative scale; and

determine the effect of the at least one search result on the reputation of the Internet user based at least in part on the positive to negative association of the at least one search result.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to calculate at least one reputation sub-score for the Internet user based at least in part on the effect on reputation of the Internet user of the at least one search result from the data source.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a relevancy weight for the at least one search result; and

calculate the reputation score using the relevancy weight.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a significance weight representing the significance of the data source; and

calculate the reputation score using the significance weight.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the significance of the data source is based on an evaluation of the data source.