Profile data management

• US 8,972,400 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• 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): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US13/794,459
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722, 707732-734, 707/821
• US Class Current: 707/732
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

In an embodiment, a profile data management system provides a central repository for data and information associated with a user. The information may be presented through an electronic user interface as a profile of the user. In an embodiment, the profile data management system maintains profiles for many users and enables users and/or secondary users to submit information and to modify the user profiles. Modifications are made to user profiles when the submitted information is sufficiently reliable. In general, the method of building and modifying profiles in the profile data management system based on the contributions of many users may be referred to as crowdsourcing profiles. Crowdsourcing profiles may advantageously enable the generation and verification of large amounts of data related to many individuals. The crowdsourcing profiles model allows secondary users to provide updates, modifications, comments, ratings, preferences, and/or other inputs to the profile data management system. Crowdsourcing profiles may advantageously reduce redundant profile management efforts by generating and/or updating profile data based on data that is reported as reliable by one or more users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing user profile data in a crowd-sourced electronic environment, the method comprising:

as implemented by one or more computer systems comprising computer hardware and memory, the one or more computer systems configured with specific executable instructions,

storing a plurality of profile data items associated with a primary user in an electronic data store accessible over a computer network;

providing an electronic user profile to a plurality of secondary users, wherein the electronic user profile is provided over the computer network, and wherein the electronic user profile is populated with at least portions of the profile data items associated with the primary user and stored in the electronic data store;

receiving an update to a first data item of the electronic user profile from a secondary user;

analyzing the updated first data item and/or information associated with the secondary user to determine a reliability of updated first data item; and

updating, in the electronic data store, the profile data associated with the primary user to include the determined reliability of updated first data item, wherein the updated first data item is provided for display to respective users based on a relationship between the determined reliability and a predetermined reliability threshold.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said profile data items include one or more of:

a name, a logo, a slogan, an e-mail address, an address, an age, a telephone number, a gender, a height, a weight, a physical characteristic, education data, vehicle(s) owned data, a residence, hobby data, interest data, an award, achievement data, a publication, a philanthropic endeavor, a political affiliation, a religious affiliation, a language, a professional skill, a marriage status, employment data, financial net worth data, criminal history data, or personal information.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said reliability of the updated first data item is based on one or more of a relationship between the secondary user and the primary user, a number of updates provided by the secondary user, an education level of the secondary user, a quality of updates provided by the secondary user, a timing of the update received from the secondary user, a credibility of the secondary user, a number of other secondary users having provided a similar update.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

as further implemented by the one or more computer systems,

in response to determining that the updated data item has a reliability that is above the predetermined reliability threshold, displaying the electronic user profile, including the updated data item, on a display device of another secondary user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the electronic user profile further includes, for individual profile data items displayed, an endorsement indicator indicating a number of secondary users providing updates similar to the profile data item.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

as further implemented by the one or more computer systems,

in response to input from another secondary user requesting display of all profile data regardless of the reliability of the data items, displaying the electronic user profile, including the updated data item regardless of the reliability of the updated data item, on a display device of the another secondary user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

as further implemented by the one or more computer systems,

receiving a request from another secondary user to access the electronic user profile;

determining the identity of the requesting another secondary user;

determining a credit level associated with the another secondary user; and

providing access to at least a portion of the electronic user profile to the another secondary user, wherein access is provided based at least in part on at least one of the identity of the another secondary user and a credit level associated with the another secondary user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein providing access comprises at least one of displaying the electronic user profile on a display device and transmitting profile data to a receiving electronic device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the credit level associated with the another secondary user is based at least in part on at least one of a history of electronic profile updates provided by the another secondary user, reliability scores associated with electronic profile updates provided by the another secondary user, and credit payments received from the another secondary user.

10. A computer system comprising:

one or more hardware processors in communication with a computer readable medium storing software modules including instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors, the software modules including at least;

a user interface module configured to access user profile data from an electronic data store in response to a request from a requestor for said user profile data, wherein said user interface module identifies said requestor and provides at least a portion of said user profile data to said requestor based on the identity of said requestor;

a data modification module configured to receive one or more updates to the user profile data from said requestor; and

a reliability index determination module configured to determine a reliability index associated with each of the received one or more updates,

wherein said data modification module stores said one or more updates and respective determined reliability indices to said electronic data store.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein providing at least of portion of said user profile data comprises at least one of displaying the user profile data on a display device and transmitting the user profile data to a receiving electronic device,

wherein the portion of the user profile data provided is based at least in part on a relationship between associated determined reliability indices and a predetermined reliability threshold.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said one or more updates to the user profile data comprise at least one of a name, a logo, a slogan, an e-mail address, an address, a age, a telephone number, a gender, a height, a weight, a physical characteristic, education data, vehicle(s) owned data, a residence, hobby data, interest data, an award, achievement data, a publication, a philanthropic endeavor, a political affiliation, a religious affiliation, a language, a professional skill, a marriage status, employment data, financial net worth data, criminal history data, and personal information.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said reliability index is determined based on at least one of a number of updates provided by the requestor, an educations level of the requestor, a quality of updates provided by the requestor, a timing of the one or more updates received from the requestor, a credibility of the requestor, a number of other requestor having provided a similar update.

14. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon a computer program that instructs a computer system to manage user profile data by at least:

storing profile data associated with a primary user in an electronic data store accessible over a computer network;

providing an electronic user profile to a plurality of secondary users, wherein the electronic user profile is provided over the computer network, and wherein the electronic user profile is populated with at least portions of the profile data associated the primary user and stored in the electronic data store;

receiving one or more updates to the electronic user profile, each update provided by one of the plurality of secondary users;

analyzing the one or more updates received from the plurality of secondary users to determine a reliability of each of the one or more updates; and

updating, in the electronic data store, the profile data associated with the primary user to include updates to reliability indices of respective profile data items in view of the determined reliabilities of the profile data items.

15. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, further including:

displaying the electronic user profile on a display device,

wherein the displayed profile data is selected based at least in part on respective determined reliabilities.

16. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 15, wherein the displayed profiles data includes items having an associated reliability above a predetermined threshold.

17. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 15, wherein the displayed profiles data includes items having an associated reliability below a predetermined threshold.

18. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, further including:

receiving a request from one of the plurality of secondary users to access the electronic user profile;

determining the identity of the requesting secondary user;

determining a credit level associated with the identified requesting secondary user; and

providing access to at least a portion of the electronic user profile to the identified requesting secondary user, wherein access is provided based at least in part on at least one of the identity of the requesting secondary user and the credit level associated with the requesting secondary user.

19. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 18, wherein providing access comprises at least one of displaying the electronic user profile on a display device and transmitting the electronic user profile data to a receiving electronic device.