Entity representation identification using entity representation level information

• US 8,661,026 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Inc. (RELX PLC)
• Original Assignee: LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Inc. (RELX PLC)
• Inventors: Bayliss, David Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUANG, MIRANDA M
• Application Number:
  US12/496,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for, and method of, searching for and identifying one or more entity representations using comprehensive search criteria built from known entity representations. The comprehensive search criteria are permitted to include inconsistent field values, that is, multiple different field values corresponding to the same field. The system and method may perform using search queries or batch files.

Claims

1. A method of identifying an entity representation in an electronic universal database that corresponds to an entity representation in an electronic foreign database, each database comprising a plurality of entity representations, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of search criteria field values;

determining one or more entity representations in the foreign database corresponding to one or more of the search criteria field values, each entity representation in the electronic universal database and electronic foreign database comprising a plurality of linked records, each record comprising a plurality of fields, each field capable of containing a field value, each field value associated with a field value weight, wherein each field value weight comprises an expected value of a size of a field value cohort of a record in an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database;

forming a comprehensive search criteria, based on determining the one or more entity representations in the foreign database, the comprehensive search criteria comprising a plurality of field values from a plurality of records from the entity representation in the foreign database corresponding to at least some of the search criteria field values, wherein the comprehensive search criteria comprises at least two non-identical field values associated with a same field from the plurality of records in the entity representation in the foreign database;

determining a highest ranked entity representation in the universal database according to summed field value weights for field values matching the comprehensive search criteria;

calculating a confidence level reflecting a likelihood that the highest ranked entity representation corresponds to the plurality of search criteria field values; and

outputting, when the confidence level exceeds a predetermined threshold, an identifier for the highest ranked entity representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the comprehensive search criteria comprises a plurality of pairs of non-identical field values, each pair of the plurality of pairs of field values for a same field.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the comprehensive search criteria comprises at least three non-identical field values for a same field, wherein the at least three non-identical field values comprise one of the plurality of pairs of non-identical field values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a search query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a batch file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each field value weight comprises a probability that an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database comprises a corresponding field value in a field of a record in the arbitrary entity representation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a social security number.

8. A method of identifying a plurality of entity representations in an electronic universal database that correspond to a plurality of entity representations in an electronic foreign database, each database comprising a plurality of entity representations, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of search criteria field values corresponding to a plurality of entity representations in the foreign database;

determining a plurality of one or more entity representations in the foreign database corresponding to one or more of the plurality of search criteria field values, each entity representation in the electronic universal database and electronic foreign database comprising a plurality of linked records, each record comprising a plurality of fields, each field capable of containing a field value, each field value associated with a field value weight, wherein each field value weight comprises an expected value of a size of a field value cohort of a record in an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database;

forming a plurality of comprehensive search criteria based on determining the one or more entity representation in the foreign database, one comprehensive search criteria for each of the plurality of entity representations in the foreign database corresponding to at least some of the search criteria field values, each comprehensive search criteria comprising a plurality of field values from a plurality of records from the corresponding entity representation in the foreign database, wherein each comprehensive search criteria comprises at least two non-identical field values associated with a same field from the plurality of records in the corresponding entity representation in the foreign database;

for each comprehensive search criteria, determining a corresponding highest ranked entity representation in the universal database according to summed field value weights for field values matching the comprehensive search criteria;

for each highest ranked entity representation, calculating an associated confidence level reflecting a likelihood that the highest ranked entity representation is correct for the corresponding comprehensive search criteria; and

for each highest ranked entity representation, outputting, when the associated confidence level exceeds a predetermined threshold, an identifier for the highest ranked entity representation.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising joining separate search identifiers to portions of the plurality of search criteria field values.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each comprehensive search criteria comprises a plurality of pairs of non-identical field values, each pair of the plurality of pairs of field values for a same field.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the comprehensive search criteria comprises at least three non-identical field values for a same field, wherein the at least three non-identical field values comprise one of the plurality of pairs of non-identical field values.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a search query.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a batch file.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein each field value weight comprises a probability that an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database comprises a corresponding field value in a field of a record in the arbitrary entity representation.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifier comprises a social security number.

16. A system for identifying an entity representation in an electronic universal database that corresponds to an entity representation in an electronic foreign database, the system comprising:

an electronic universal database comprising a plurality of entity representations, each entity representation comprising a plurality of linked records, each record comprising a plurality of fields, each field capable of containing a field value, each field value associated with a field value weight, wherein each field value weight comprises an expected value of a size of a field value cohort of a record in an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database;

an electronic memory storing a plurality of search criteria field values;

a processor programmed to determine one or more entity representations in the foreign database corresponding to one or more of the search criteria field values, each entity representation in the electronic universal database and electronic foreign database comprising a plurality of linked records, each record comprising a plurality of fields, each field capable of containing a field value, each field value associated with a field value weight;

a processor programmed to form and store a comprehensive search criteria based on determining the one or more entity representation in the foreign database, the comprehensive search criteria comprising a plurality of field values from a plurality of records from the entity representation in the foreign database corresponding to at least some of the search criteria field values, wherein the comprehensive search criteria comprises at least two non-identical field values associated with a same field from the plurality of records in the entity representation in the foreign database;

a processor programmed to determine a highest ranked entity representation in the universal database according to summed field value weights for field values matching the comprehensive search criteria;

a processor programmed to calculate a confidence level reflecting a likelihood that the highest ranked entity representation corresponds to the plurality of search criteria field values; and

an output configured to output, when the confidence level exceeds a predetermined threshold, an identifier for the highest ranked entity representation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the comprehensive search criteria comprises a plurality of pairs of non-identical field values, each pair of the plurality of pairs of field values for a same field.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the comprehensive search criteria comprises at least three non-identical field values for a same field, wherein the at least three non-identical field values comprise one of the plurality of pairs of non-identical field values.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a search query.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a batch file.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein each field value weight comprises a probability that an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database comprises a corresponding field value in a field of a record in the arbitrary entity representation.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the output comprises a human readable display.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the identifier comprises a social security number.

24. A system of identifying a plurality of entity representations in an electronic universal database that correspond to a plurality of entity representations in an electronic foreign database, each database comprising a plurality of entity representations, the system comprising:

an electronic universal database comprising a plurality of entity representations, each entity representation comprising a plurality of linked records, each record comprising a plurality of fields, each field capable of containing a field value, each field value associated with a field value weight, wherein each field value weight comprises an expected value of a size of a field value cohort of a record in an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database;

an electronic memory storing a plurality of search criteria field values corresponding to a plurality of entity representations in the foreign database;

a processor programmed to determine one or more entity representations in the foreign database corresponding to one or more of the plurality of search criteria field values, each entity representation in the electronic universal database and electronic foreign database comprising a plurality of linked records, each record comprising a plurality of fields, each field capable of containing a field value, each field value associated with a field value weight;

a processor programmed to form and store a plurality of comprehensive search criteria based on determining the one or more entity representation in the foreign database, one comprehensive search criteria for each of the plurality of entity representations in the foreign database corresponding to at least some of the search criteria field values, each comprehensive search criteria comprising a plurality of field values from a plurality of records from the corresponding entity representation in the foreign database, wherein each comprehensive search criteria comprises at least two non-identical field values associated with a same field from the plurality of records in the corresponding entity representation in the foreign database;

a processor programmed to, for each comprehensive search criteria, determine a corresponding highest ranked entity representation in the universal database according to summed field value weights for field values matching the comprehensive search criteria;

a processor programmed to, for each highest ranked entity representation, calculate an associated confidence level reflecting a likelihood that the highest ranked entity representation is correct for the corresponding comprehensive search criteria; and

an output configured to, for each highest ranked entity representation, output, if when the associated confidence level exceeds a predetermined threshold, an identifier for the highest ranked entity representation.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a processor programmed to join separate search identifiers to portions of the plurality of search criteria field values.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein each comprehensive search comprises a plurality of pairs of non-identical field values, each pair of the plurality of pairs of field values for a same field.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein at least one of the comprehensive search criteria comprises at least three non-identical field values for a same field, wherein the at least three non-identical field values comprise one of the plurality of pairs of non-identical field values.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a search query.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the plurality of search criteria field values are included in a batch file.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein each field value weight comprises a probability that an arbitrary entity representation in the universal database comprises a corresponding field value in a field of a record in the arbitrary entity representation.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the output comprises a human readable display.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the identifier comprises a social security number.