Data source attribution system

• US 9,064,021 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LiveRamp, Inc. (LiveRamp Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LiveRamp, Inc. (LiveRamp Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Auren, Shah, Manish, Lizt, Jeremy, Sodera, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US12/554,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 707/709, 707/737, 707/749, 715/273
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A data attribution system uses a unique identifier (UID) that uniquely identifies a particular individual. A search is conducted of different data sources and, different types of profile information associated with the UID is extracted from the data sources. The different types of profile information associated with the same UID is aggregated together and displayed in a same screen presentation on a user interface.

Claims

1. A method for providing data attribution, comprising:

obtaining a unique identifier (UID) that uniquely identifies an individual;

conducting a search of different data sources and extracting different types of profile information associated with the UID;

identifying reliability factors for the different data sources;

aggregating together the different types of profile information extracted from the different data sources associated with the UID based on the reliability factors for the different data sources;

displaying, in a same screen presentation on a user interface, the different types of profile information aggregated together from the different data sources;

identifying a same type of profile information extracted from a first one of the different data sources and a second one of the different data sources;

identifying a first one of the reliability factors for the first one of the data sources and identifying a second one of the reliability factors for the second one of the data sources, wherein the first one of the reliability factors indicates a likelihood of the profile information for the first one of the data sources providing accurate information associated with the UID and the second one of the reliability factors indicates a likelihood of the profile information for the second one of the data sources providing accurate information associated with the UID; and

displaying the profile information for the first one of the data sources when the first one of the reliability factors is larger than the second one of the reliability factors and displaying the profile information for the second one of the data sources when the second one of the reliability factors is larger than the first one of the reliability factors.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying, in the same screen presentation, identities of the different data sources where the different types of profile information are extracted.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying the reliability factors for the different data sources based on how long the individual has been affiliated with the different data sources.)

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying activity times of the individual on the different data sources; and

assigning the reliability factors to the different data sources based on the activity times.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the first one of the data sources as having a highest one of the reliability factors;

displaying a first portion of the profile information from the first one of the data sources;

identifying a second portion of the profile information missing from the first one of the data sources;

identifying the second one of the data sources as having a second highest one of the reliability factors;

displaying the second portion of the profile information from the second one of the data sources; and

displaying the first portion of the profile information from the first one of the data sources with the second portion of the profile information from the second one of the data sources.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing the different types of profile information in a database;

periodically and automatically conducting new searches in the different data sources and automatically identifying any new or updated profile information associated with the UID not currently stored in the database; and

automatically updating the profile information stored in the database with the new or updated profile information from the different data sources.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising allowing the individual to update the different types of profile information stored in the database.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

using an Internet electronic mail (Email) address for the individual as the UID;

searching personal user profiles on different online social websites for the profile information associated with the Email address;

obtaining at least some of the profile information from the personal user profiles on the social websites associated with the Email address; and

aggregating the profile information obtained from the personal user profiles together with other profile information associated with the UID.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising preventing the individual identified by the UID from controlling which of the different data sources are used for extracting the different types of profile information.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the individual identified by the UID to selectively control which types of profile information are displayed on the user interface and which of the different data sources are used in extracting the different types of profile information.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

logic circuitry configured to;

obtain an identifier associated with a user;

search different data sources and extract different types of profile information associated with the identifier;

aggregate together the different types of profile information extracted from the different data sources associated with the identifier;

display the different types of profile information aggregated together from the different data sources;

identify a same type of profile information extracted from the different data sources;

identify reliability factors for the different data sources; and

displaying the profile information for one of the data sources with a highest one of the reliability factors before displaying the same type of profile information for the data sources with lower reliability factors.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to display identities of the different data sources where the different types of profile information are obtained.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to identify the reliability factors for the different data sources based on how long the user has been affiliated with the different data sources.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to:

identify activity times of the user on the different data sources; and

assign the reliability factors to the different data sources based on the activity times.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to:

identify a first one of the data sources having the highest one of the priority reliability factors;

extract a first portion of the profile information from the first one of the data sources;

identify a second portion of the profile information missing from the first one of the data sources;

identify a second one of the data sources having a second highest one of the reliability factors;

extract the second portion of the profile information from the second one of the data sources; and

aggregate the first portion of the profile information from the first one of the data sources with the second portion of the profile information from the second one of the data sources.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to:

store the different types of profile information aggregated together in a database;

periodically and automatically conduct new searches in the different data sources and automatically identify any new or updated profile information from the different data sources associated with the identifier not currently stored in the database; and

automatically update the profile information stored in the database with the new or updated profile information from the different data sources.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to:

use an Internet electronic mail (Email) address for the user as the identifier;

search personal user profiles on different online social websites for the different types of profile information associated with the Email address;

obtain at least some of the different types of profile information from the personal user profiles on the social websites associated with the Email address; and

aggregate the different types of profile information obtained from the personal user profiles together with the other different types of profile information associated with the same identifier.

18. A method comprising:

searching different web sites and extracting different types of information associated with an entity;

aggregating together the different types of information extracted from the different web sites associated with the entity;

displaying the different types of information aggregated together from the different web sites;

identifying a same type of information extracted from the different web sites;

identifying reliability factors for the different web sites, wherein the reliability factors indicate a probability the information provided by the web sites is accurate; and

displaying the information from the data sources with higher reliability factors before the same type of information from data sources with lower reliability factors.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising displaying identities of the different web sites where the different types of information are obtained.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising identifying the reliability factors for the different web sites based on how long the entity has been affiliated with the different web sites.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

identifying a first one of the web sites having a highest one of the reliability factors;

extracting a first portion of the profile information from the first one of the web sites;

identifying a second portion of the profile information missing from the first one of the web sites;

identifying a second one of the web sites having a second highest one of the reliability factors;

extracting the second portion of the profile information from the second one of the web sites; and

displaying the first portion of the profile information from the first one of the web sites with the second portion of the profile information from the second one of the web sites.