Tools and methods for determining relationship values

• US 8,943,004 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gatsby Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Adam Treiser
• Inventors: Treiser, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Bharadwaj, Kalpana
• Application Number:
  US13/492,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• US Class Current: 706/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods for correlating two items of interest, based on a plurality of data items and characteristics. The data items may include objective and quantitative data, as well as subjective and qualitative data. In one implementation, the relationship of an individual to a metric is determined. The system, apparatus, and methods may store characteristics describing individuals generally, along with metrics relevant to an organization; receive a plurality of data items; extract information associated with the individual from the data items; determine a number of relationships between the data items, individuals, metric, and characteristics; and use the relationships to determine an overall relationship between the individual and the metric, based on the data and characteristics. In addition, related groups of characteristics may be identified. Similarly, the relationships between any individual, metric, sub-metric, group of characteristics, data item, data source, characteristic, or groups thereof may also be determined.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a value of information related to individuals, comprising:

receiving, at a computer;

characteristics related to the individuals;

first relationships between the characteristics and the individuals; and

organizational metrics;

identifying groups of one or more of the individuals based on the first relationships;

calculating second relationships between the groups and the organizational metrics, comprising;

calculating third relationships between the groups and at least one of the characteristics,

calculating fourth relationships between characteristics and organizational metrics, and

calculating second relationships based on third relationships and forth relationship;

calculating values for the groups based on the second relationships; and

outputting the values.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving weights for the individuals, wherein (i) identifying the groups comprises identifying groups of one or more of the individuals using the weights, (ii) calculating the second relationships comprises calculating the second relationships using weights, and (iii) calculating the values for the groups based on the second relationships comprises calculating the values for the groups based on the second relationships using the weights.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising,

receiving weights for the characteristics, wherein (i) identifying the groups comprises identifying groups of one or more of the individuals using the weights, (ii) calculating the second relationships comprises calculating the second relationships using the weights and (iii) calculating the values for the groups comprises calculating the values for the groups based on the second relationships using the weights.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising;

receiving weights for the first relationships, wherein (i) identifying the groups comprises identifying groups using the weights, (ii) calculating the second relationships comprises calculating the second relationships using the weights, and (iii) calculating the values for the groups comprises calculating the values for the groups based on the second relationships using the weights.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising;

receiving one or more second data items describing the quality of information regarding the characteristics, the individuals, and the first relationships; and

wherein calculating values for the second groups comprises calculating values for the groups based on the second data items and the second relationships between the groups and the organizational metrics; and

outputting the values.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

representing the values with individual descriptors; and

outputting the descriptors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein an individual descriptor represents a monetary value.

8. A method of identifying a group of one or more characteristics related to an individual, comprising:

receiving, at a computer, characteristics of individuals and first data items;

calculating first relationships between the characteristics and the individuals, comprising;

calculating second relationships between the characteristics and first data items,

calculating third relationships between first data items and the individuals, and

calculating first relationships based on second relationships and third relationships;

identifying groups of one or more characteristics related to a specific one of the individuals based on the relationships; and

outputting the groups.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions which, when executed on a processor, perform a method of identifying a value of information related to individuals, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer;

characteristics related to the individuals;

first relationships between the characteristics and the individuals; and

organizational metrics;

identifying groups of one or more of the individuals based on one or more of the first relationships;

calculating second relationships between the groups and the organizational metrics, comprising;

calculating third relationships between the groups and at least one of the characteristics,

calculating fourth relationships between characteristics and organizational metrics, and

calculating second relationships based on third relationships and forth relationship;

calculating values for the groups based on the second relationships; and

outputting the values.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, comprising:

receiving weights for the individuals, wherein (i) identifying the groups of one or more of the individuals comprises identifying groups of one or more of the individuals using the weights, (ii) calculating the second relationships comprises calculating the second relationships using the weights, and (iii) calculating the values for the groups comprises calculating the values for the groups based on the second relationships using the weights.

11. The storage medium of claim 9, comprising:

receiving weights for the characteristics, wherein (i) identifying the groups of one or more of the individuals comprises identifying groups of one or more of the individuals using the weights, (ii) calculating the second relationships comprises calculating the second relationships using the weights and (iii) calculating the values for the groups comprises calculating the values for the groups based on the second relationships using the weights.

12. The storage medium of claim 9, comprising;

receiving weights for the first relationships, wherein (i) identifying the groups of one or more of the individuals comprises identifying groups of one or more of the individuals using the weights, (ii) calculating the second relationships comprises calculating the second relationships using the weights, and (iii) calculating the values for the groups comprises calculating the values for the groups based on the second relationships using the weights.

13. The storage medium of claim 9, comprising;

receiving one or more second data items describing the quality of information regarding the characteristics, individuals, and first relationships; and

wherein calculating values for the groups comprises calculating values for the groups based on the second data items and the second relationships between the groups and the organizational metrics; and

outputting the values.

14. The storage medium of claim 9, comprising:

representing the values with individual descriptors; and

outputting the descriptors.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein an individual descriptor represents a monetary value.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions which, when executed on a processor, perform a method of identifying a group of one or more characteristics related to an individual, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer, characteristics of individuals and first data items;

calculating relationships between the characteristics and the individuals, comprising;

calculating second relationships between the characteristics and first data items,

calculating third relationships between first data items and the individuals, and

calculating first relationships based on second relationships and third relationships;

identifying groups of one or more characteristics related to a specific one of the individuals based on the relationships; and

outputting the groups.

17. A characteristic-based server to identify values of information regarding individuals, the server comprising;

a grouping module to identify groups of individuals based on first relationships between individuals and characteristics, the identification based on second relationships between individuals and first data items and third relationships between first data items and characteristics, and groups of characteristics related to specific ones of the individuals based on the first relationships;

a relationship analysis module to calculate second relationships between a characteristics and groups of individuals;

a calculation module to calculate values for the second relationships.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the relationship module is further operative to calculate the second relationships using weights.

19. The server of claim 17, wherein the calculation module is further operative to calculate the values using weights.

20. The server of claim 17, wherein the relationship module is further operative to calculate the second relationships based on second data items describing quality of information regarding the characteristics, individuals, and first relationships.

21. The server of claim 17, wherein the calculation module is further operative to represent the values with single descriptors.