Personalized people finder

• US 8,484,186 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Kapczynski, Mark Joseph, Dean, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US13/235,049
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-899
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for determining a person that matches a user request. A user request may be received that includes identification information at least partially identifying a person other than the requesting user, the request including a name of the person. Personal information regarding the requesting user and validated personal information regarding individuals potentially matching the request may be retrieved. A score may then be determined for each potentially matching individual, where the score is determined by comparing the personal information regarding the requesting user and the validated personal information regarding the given individual. A matching individual may then be determined based on the determined scores.

Claims

1. A system for determining a person that matches a user request, the system comprising:

a computing device that is operative to;

receive from a user computing device a request of a requesting user that includes identification information at least partially identifying a person other than the requesting user, the request including a name of the person;

retrieve from a data store personal information regarding the requesting user;

retrieve from at least one validated data source validated personal information regarding two or more individuals potentially matching the request;

for each of the two or more individuals potentially matching the request, determine match scores for the respective individuals, wherein the match scores are determined at least in part by comparing the personal information regarding the requesting user and the validated personal information regarding the respective individuals;

determine at least one matching individual from the two or more individuals potentially matching the request, wherein the at least one matching individual is determined based on the at least one matching individual having a highest determined match score among the two or more individuals potentially matching the request; and

send to the user computing device information associated with the at least one matching individual.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the validated information includes credit report data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the validated data source comprises a data source provided by a credit bureau.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the validated personal information regarding the two or more individuals potentially matching the request comprises information that is not accessible to the requesting user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal information regarding the requesting user and the validated personal information regarding the two or more individuals potentially matching the request comprises at least one of employer information, past residence information, and current residence information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the match score for each of the two or more individuals potentially matching the request comprises comparing travel information associated with the requesting user and travel information associated with the two or more individuals potentially matching the request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein sending to the user computing device information associated with the at least one matching individual comprises sending to the user computing device a personal page associated with one of the at least one matching individuals.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operative to:

retrieve validated personal information regarding the requesting user;

wherein determining match scores for the individuals potentially matching the request comprises comparing the validated personal information regarding the requesting user with the validated personal information regarding the respective individuals.

9. A computer-implemented method for determining a person matching a user request, the computer-implemented method comprising:

as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions,

receiving from a user computing device a request of a requesting user that includes identification information at least partially identifying a person other than the requesting user, the request including a name of the person;

retrieving from a data store personal information regarding the requesting user;

retrieving from a validated data source validated personal information regarding two or more individuals potentially matching the request;

for each of the two or more individuals potentially matching the request, determining match scores for the respective individuals, wherein the match scores are determined at least in part by comparing the personal information regarding the requesting user and the validated personal information regarding the respective individuals;

determining at least one matching individual from the two or more individuals potentially matching the request, wherein the at least one matching individual is determined based on the at least one matching individual having a highest determined match score among the two or more individuals potentially matching the request; and

sending to the user computing device information associated with the at least one matching individual.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the validated personal information is provided by a credit bureau.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the request of the requesting user includes information identifying a belonging, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

retrieving information identifying one or more belongings owned by the two or more individuals potentially matching the request;

wherein the match scores for the respective individuals potentially matching the request are determined based at least in part on a determination of whether the respective individuals own the belonging identified in the request of the requesting user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein determining the match scores for the respective individuals potentially matching the request comprise applying different weights to different types of personal information that is shared between the requesting user and the respective individuals potentially matching the request.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising authenticating identity of the requesting user based at least in part on answers received from the requesting user in response to questions regarding validated personal information regarding the requesting user.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising authenticating identity of the requesting user based at least in part on at least one of device identifier received from the user computing device and a photograph of the requesting user received from the user computing device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising sending to the user computing device information identifying one or more pieces of personal information that the requesting user and the at least one matching individual have in common.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising providing information to the at least one matching individual regarding the request of the requesting user, wherein the provided information includes information identifying one or more pieces of personal information that the requesting user and the at least one matching individual have in common.

17. A computer-readable medium encoded with software modules including instructions that are readable by a computing device, wherein the software modules include:

a first module configured to receive from a user computing device a request of a requesting user that includes identification information at least partially identifying a person other than the requesting user, the request including a name of the person;

a second module configured to retrieve from a data store personal information regarding the requesting user;

a third module configured to retrieve from a validated data source validated personal information regarding two or more individuals potentially matching the request;

a fourth module configured to, for each of the two or more individuals potentially matching the request, determine match scores for the respective individuals, wherein the match scores are determined at least in part by comparing the personal information regarding the requesting user and the validated personal information regarding the respective individuals; and

a fifth module configured to determine a matching individual from the two or more individuals potentially matching the request, wherein the matching individual is determined based on the matching individual having a highest determined match score among the two or more individuals potentially matching the request.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

a sixth module configured to transmit information identifying the matching individual to a third party server, such that the third party server may send a page associated with the matching individual to the user computing device.