Personal criteria verification using fractional information

• US 8,612,543 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kioba Processing, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hoshiko LLC (Raoul Management LLC)
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): SERRAO, RANODHI N
• Application Number:
  US13/682,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20130081117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 707/705, 707/758
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A method for verifying the identity of users connected to a computer network comprises providing fractional information queries to users, wherein responses to these individual queries are not sufficient to identify the user. This method further comprises receiving responses to these fractional information queries and comparing these responses to data available from within a computer network. A set of potential matches to the user is generated according to these responses and is used in determining whether the set of potential matches is sufficient to identify the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a computing system of a service provider, a first partial identifying data item for an individual requesting access to a resource, wherein the first partial identifying data item includes less information than a respective full identifying data item for the individual;

accessing, by the computer system, a first set of one or more records associated with individuals having attributes matching the first partial identifying data item;

determining, by the computer system, whether the first set of one or more records satisfies a sufficiency criterion of the service provider for granting access to the resource; and

wherein the service provider does not have access to information sufficient to determine an identity of the individual requesting access to the resource at the computing system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer system receiving the first set of one or more records from an external data source.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the received first partial identifying data item and the first set of one or more records, the computer system determining a type of a second partial identifying data item to be requested; and

the computer system requesting the second partial identifying data item of the determined type.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

the computer system accessing a second set of one or more records associated with individuals having attributes matching the first partial identifying data item and attributes matching the second partial identifying data item;

the computer system determining whether the second set of one or more records satisfies a sufficiency criterion of the service provider for granting access to the resource.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first set of one or more records satisfies the sufficiency criterion based on each of the first set of one or more records being associated with individuals that meet a requirement of the service provider for accessing the resource.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sufficiency criterion for the service provider relates to an age requirement for the individual requesting access to the resource, and wherein the method further comprises the computer system granting access to the resource in response to determining that an age of the individual requesting access to the resource satisfies the requirement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first partial identifying data item is a portion of a telephone number of the individual requesting access to the resource.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is a web page, a distributable application, or an electronic file.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a computing system of a service provider, a partial identifying data item for an individual submitting a request, wherein the partial identifying data item is a portion of a respective full identifying data item for the individual;

determining, by the computing system, whether a set of one or more records satisfies a sufficiency criterion of the service provider for granting the request, wherein the set of one or more records is associated with individuals having attributes matching the partial identifying data item; and

wherein the service provider does not have access to information sufficient to determine an identity of the individual submitting the request at the computing system.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the set of one or more records does not satisfy the sufficiency criterion, the computing system requesting one or more additional partial identifying data items for the individual submitting the request; and

the computing system determining whether the sufficiency criterion has been satisfied based on the one or more additional partial identifying data items.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the computing system receiving the set of one or more records from a plurality of external sources.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the computing system granting the request in response to determining that the set of one or more records satisfies the sufficiency criterion.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the set of one or more records satisfies the sufficiency criterion includes determining that each of the individuals associated with the set of one or more records meet an age requirement of the service provider.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the request is a Hyper-Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) request.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the sufficiency criterion relates to prevention of financial fraud by the individual submitting the request.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the partial identifying data item is a portion of a street address associated with the individual submitting the request.

17. A method, comprising:

a computer system of an external data source receiving, from a computer system of a service provider, a request for one or more records associated with individuals having attributes matching a partial data item that is a portion of a complete data item corresponding to an individual requesting access to a computer resource;

the computer system of the external data source providing the one or more records to the computer system of the service provider, wherein the one or more records are usable by the computer system of the service provider to determine whether a sufficiency criterion of the service provider is satisfied in order to grant the individual access to the computer resource;

wherein the one or more records of the external data source provided to the computer system of the service provider are not sufficient to determine an identity of the individual requesting access to the computer resource.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer resource is a web page, and wherein the one or more records are usable by the computer system of the service provider to establish that the individual requesting access to the resource satisfies a minimum age requirement for accessing the web page.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the external data source is one of a plurality of external sources configured to maintain records accessible to the computer system of the service provider.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the partial data item is a portion of a social security number.