System and method of removing duplicate leads

• US 8,688,724 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LMB Mortgage Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: LowerMyBills Incorporated d/b/a LowerMyBillscom (Core Digital Media, Inc.)
• Inventors: Semprevivo, Stephen Principe, Wells, Matthew Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US13/159,118
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/758, 705/7.29, 705/37, 709204-206
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1748 De-duplication implemented within the file system, e.g. based on file segments de-duplication techniques in storage systems for the management of data blocks G06F3/0641
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24556 Aggregation; Duplicate elimination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A duplicate lead removal system comprises a matching engine, a vendor duplicates database, and a conflict engine. The matching engine is configured to determine at least one vendor to receive a lead. The vendor duplicates database is configured to store duplicate lead information that is at least partly created by and received from vendors outside of the duplicate lead removal system. The conflict engine is configured to compare information that is at least derived from the lead with information stored in the vendor duplicates database in order to determine if the lead is a duplicate lead for the vendor such that the system can prevent transmission of duplicate leads to the vendor.

Claims

1. A duplicate consumer lead removal system comprising:

at least one computer-readable medium configured to store data and computer-executable instructions;

computer hardware comprising at least one computer processor in communication with the computer-readable medium and configured to access the data and computer-executable instructions stored in the computer-readable medium and to cause the computer hardware to perform operations defined by the computer-executable instructions;

a matching engine comprising a plurality of computer-executable instructions stored in the computer-readable medium and configured, when the instructions are executed by the computer processor, to cause the computer hardware to match a consumer lead with at least one matched vendor that is eligible to receive the lead;

an interface that is configured to access at least one vendor duplicates database that is maintained by a vendor outside of the duplicate lead removal system and that stores duplicate lead information for that vendor, wherein a duplicate lead is a lead that has already been received by the vendor and the vendor duplicate lead information identifies duplicate leads that have already been received by the vendor; and

a conflict engine comprising a plurality of computer-executable instructions stored in the computer-readable medium and configured, when the instructions are executed by the computer processor and when the at least one matched vendor is the vendor that maintains the vendor duplicates database, to cause the computer hardware to compare information related to the lead with information accessed from the vendor duplicates database in order to determine if the lead is a duplicate lead for the matched vendor and to cause the system to not transmit the lead to the matched vendor if the lead is a duplicate lead of the matched vendor and to transmit the lead to the matched vendor if the lead is not a duplicate lead of the matched vendor, wherein the conflict engine is further configured to detect when a lead has been matched to multiple entities that are parts of a common organization and to cause the system to not transmit the lead to more than one of the multiple entities.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the duplicate lead information stored in the vendor duplicates database relates to leads that vendors outside of the system generated or received from a lead generation entity different from the system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vendor duplicates database stores, for each duplicate lead, incomplete information that is insufficient to contact a consumer, and wherein the incomplete information includes at least a zip code and a portion of a street address for each duplicate lead.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the vendor duplicates database stores, for each duplicate lead, incomplete information that is insufficient to contact a consumer, and wherein the incomplete information comprises at least a zip code and at least eight positions of a street address for each duplicate lead.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vendor duplicates database stores enough information to identify duplicate leads to a desired degree of accuracy but not enough information to generate complete leads.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the conflict engine detects when a lead has been matched to both a parent entity and a subsidiary entity.