Managing information about entities using observations

• US 8,990,211 B1
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Janos, Joseph, Strohm, Alan C., Harb, Boulos, Stern, Steven M., Sahuguet, Arnaud, de Alvarenga Oliveria, Ademir
• Primary Examiner(s): DWIVEDI, MAHESH H
• Application Number:
  US14/168,608
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/737
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for managing entities using observations. In one aspect, a method includes receiving data identifying an entity; generating a user interface document that, when rendered by a user device, presents a plurality of attribute values to a user and allows the user to modify one or more of the plurality of attribute values; and storing an observation in a data store, the observation including a user-modified value of one of the plurality of attribute values and a context including one or more of the presented attribute values.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing information about entities, the method comprising:

generating, by one or more processors of an entity management system, a user interface document that, when rendered by a user device, presents a plurality of attribute values associated with an entity to a user and allows the user to modify one or more of the plurality of attribute values;

generating, by one or more processors of the entity management system, an immutable observation that includes a user-modified value of one of the plurality of attribute values and a context, wherein the context is generated based on one or more of the plurality of attribute values sent to the user device for presentation, wherein the immutable observation is not modifiable after generation of the immutable observation;

identifying, by one or more processors of the entity management system, a cluster of immutable observations that represent the entity using the context;

associating, by one or more processors of the entity management system, the immutable observation with the cluster that represents the entity; and

determining, by one or more processors of a summarization system, a summarized cluster to represent the current state of the entity, the summarized cluster comprising a subset of the cluster of immutable observations.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the context does not include a system-generated identifier for the entity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying, by one or more processors of an entity management system, a cluster of immutable observations that represents the entity using the context comprises:

generating a query from one or more of the plurality of attribute values;

identifying a plurality of candidate clusters responsive to the query;

calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters based on comparison of at least one of the plurality of attribute values to an attribute value of respective candidate cluster; and

identify the candidate cluster with the highest score as the cluster that represents the entity.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if an address in the context and the address in a respective candidate cluster do not match.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if a geographic location indicated in the context and the geographic location of a respective candidate cluster differ by greater than a threshold distance.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if a phone number in the context and the phone number in a respective candidate cluster do not match.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises an entity having a geographic location.

8. A non-transitory tangible computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising first instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

generating, by one or more processors of an entity management system, a user interface document that, when rendered by a user device, presents a plurality of attribute values associated with an entity to a user and allows the user to modify one or more of the plurality of attribute values;

generating, by one or more processors of the entity management system, an immutable observation that includes a user-modified value of one of the plurality of attribute values and a context, wherein the context is generated based on one or more of the plurality of attribute values sent to the user device for presentation, wherein the immutable observation is not modifiable after generation of the immutable observation;

identifying, by one or more processors of the entity management system, a cluster of immutable observations that represent the entity using the context;

associating, by one or more processors of the entity management system, the immutable observation with the cluster that represents the entity; and

determining, by one or more processors of a summarization system, a summarized cluster to represent the current state of the entity, the summarized cluster comprising a subset of the cluster of immutable observations.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the context does not include a system-generated identifier for the entity.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein identifying, by one or more processors of an entity management system, a cluster of immutable observations that represents the entity using the context comprises:

generating a query from one or more of the plurality of attribute values;

identifying a plurality of candidate clusters responsive to the query;

calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters based on comparison of at least one of the plurality of attribute values to an attribute value of respective candidate cluster; and

identify the candidate cluster with the highest score as the cluster that represents the entity.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if an address in the context and the address in a respective candidate cluster do not match.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if a geographic location indicated in the context and the geographic location of a respective candidate cluster differ by greater than a threshold distance.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if a phone number in the context and the phone number in a respective candidate cluster do not match.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the entity comprises an entity having a geographic location.

15. An entity management system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

generating, by one or more processors of the entity management system, a user interface document that, when rendered by a user device, presents a plurality of attribute values associated with an entity to a user and allows the user to modify one or more of the plurality of attribute values;

generating, by one or more processors of the entity management system, an immutable observation that includes a user-modified value of one of the plurality of attribute values and a context, wherein the context is generated based on one or more of the plurality of attribute values sent to the user device for presentation, wherein the immutable observation is not modifiable after generation of the immutable observation;

identifying, by one or more processors of the entity management system, a cluster of immutable observations that represent the entity using the context;

associating, by one or more processors of the entity management system, the immutable observation with the cluster that represents the entity; and

sending, by one or more processors of the entity management system, the cluster to a summarization system, wherein the summarization system determines a summarized cluster to represent the current state of the entity, the summarized cluster comprising a subset of the cluster of immutable observations.

16. The entity management system of claim 15, wherein the context does not include a system-generated identifier for the entity.

17. The entity management system of claim 15, wherein identifying, by one or more processors of an entity management system, a cluster of immutable observations that represents the entity using the context comprises:

generating a query from one or more of the plurality of attribute values;

identifying a plurality of candidate clusters responsive to the query;

calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters based on comparison of at least one of the plurality of attribute values to an attribute value of respective candidate cluster; and

identify the candidate cluster with the highest score as the cluster that represents the entity.

18. The entity management system of claim 17, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if an address in the context and the address in a respective candidate cluster do not match.

19. The entity management system of claim 17, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if a geographic location indicated in the context and the geographic location of a respective candidate cluster differ by greater than a threshold distance.

20. The entity management system of claim 17, wherein calculating a respective score for each of the plurality of candidate clusters comprises assigning a zero score if a phone number in the context and the phone number in a respective candidate cluster do not match.

21. The entity management system of claim 15, wherein the entity comprises an entity having a geographic location.