System and method for creating a family tree data structure

• US 9,330,418 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (Ancestry.com Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc. (Ancestry.com Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hulet, Kendall, Bradford, Christopher D., Penrod, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, JUSTIN S
• Application Number:
  US13/618,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20140082568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A tree building system that accesses data from a social networking site and, in some embodiments, other data sites having information that may pertain to the relationships between users of the social networking site. A rules engine within the system implements logic for analyzing the data from the social networking site. The system provides a candidate list of possible relatives for selection by a user and solicits information from the user through the use of guided questions.

Claims

1. A method for implementing, at a family tree building system, an interactive display of a family tree with family members and relationships between family members, the method comprising:

providing, by one or more computing systems, access by the family tree building system to a data store of information at a social network website corresponding to one or more of a plurality of users of the social network website, the social network website operated at a system separate from the family tree building system that implements the display of a family tree, wherein access to the data store at the social network website is through a user of both the family tree building system and the social network website, wherein that user provides login information to the family tree building system in order for the family tree building system to access the separate social network website, and wherein the social network website comprises;

a plurality of data nodes, each data node representing data relating to a corresponding one of the plurality of users, and

a plurality of edges, each edge defining a connection between a corresponding pair of the nodes;

determining, by the one or more computing systems, whether the connection between a first node in the social network website, corresponding to a first user, and any one of a plurality of second nodes in the social network website, corresponding to other users, reflects a possible family relationship for inclusion in the family tree;

generating, by the one or more computing systems, a score for each connection reflecting a possible family relationship between the first node and the one of the plurality of second nodes in the social network website for inclusion in the family tree, the score based on a likelihood of a family relationship between the first node and the one of the plurality of second nodes in the social network website;

displaying, in an order according to the score, user names for the other users corresponding to each of at least some of the second nodes;

receiving, from the first user and based on the displayed user names, a selection of at least one of the second nodes as representing a relative;

receiving, from the first user, data identifying the family relationship of the relative, represented by each of the selected second nodes; and

arranging the first node and the selected second nodes, accessed from the separate social networking website, as arranged nodes in the family tree, with the arranged nodes connected in the family tree according to the family relationship between the arranged nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the connection represents a possible family relationship and the step of generating a score are each performed based on analyzing and providing a weight to one of more of the following factors:

relationships identified in each connection;

a match of surnames between users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes;

a match of a surname to middle name between users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes;

the gender of users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes;

the uniqueness of surnames of users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes; and

the relative ages of users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the data represented at each data node is provided by the corresponding one of the plurality of users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data represented at each data node includes an identifier for the corresponding one of the plurality of users, and wherein the method further comprises:

accessing a database, separate from the social network website and having information on one or more of the plurality of users;

using the identifier to retrieve, from the database, information for the corresponding user; and

determining if the retrieved information indicates a possible relationship between users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier is an email address.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier is a phone number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving data identifying the family relationship of the relative comprises providing a list of family relationships, and receiving a selection from the first user of one of the listed family relationships.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the list of family relationships is selected from a group comprising:

father, mother, son, daughter, wife, husband, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, and cousin.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after receiving from the first user a selection of at least one of the second nodes as representing a relative:

updating an edge defining a connection between the first node and each of the selected second nodes, to reflect the family relationship; and

repeating the step of determining whether the connection between the first node and any one of the plurality of second nodes reflects a possible family relationship.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data represented at the first node includes an email address for the first user, the email address associated with an email account of the first user, wherein the method further comprises:

using the email address of the first user to access a database associated with an email system that is separate from the social network website, the database having data, including an email address, for one or more of a plurality of people;

retrieving, from the database, data associated with the one or more of the plurality of people; and

determining, from the first node and the retrieved data, whether a connection between the first node, corresponding to the first user, and any of the retrieved data indicates a possible family relationship between the first user and the one or more of the plurality of people.

11. A family tree building system for implementing an interactive display of a family tree with family members and relationships between family members, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively connected with and readable by the processor and containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to;

provide access to a data store of information at a social network website corresponding to one or more of a plurality of users of a social network website, the social network website operated at a system separate from the family tree building system that implements the display of a family tree, wherein access to the data store at the social network website is through a user of both the family tree building system and the social network website wherein that user provides login information to the family tree building system in order for the family tree building system to access the separate social network website, and wherein the social network website comprises;

a plurality of data nodes, each data node representing data relating to a corresponding one of the plurality of users, and

a plurality of edges, each edge defining a connection between a corresponding pair of the nodes;

determine whether the connection between a first node in the social network website, corresponding to a first user, and any one of a plurality of second nodes in the social network website, corresponding to other users, reflects a possible family relationship for inclusion in the family tree;

generate a score for each connection reflecting a possible family relationship between the first node and the one of the plurality of second nodes in the social network website, the score based on a likelihood of a family relationship between the first node and the one of the plurality of second nodes in the social network website;

display, in an order according to the score, user names for the other users corresponding to each of at least some of the second nodes;

receive, from the first user and based on the displayed user names, a selection of at least one of the second nodes as representing a relative;

receive, from the first user, data identifying the family relationship of the relative, represented by each of the selected second nodes; and

arrange the first node and the selected second nodes accessed from the separate social networking website, as arranged nodes in a family tree, with the arranged nodes connected in the family tree according to the family relationship between the arranged nodes.

12. The system of claim 11, where the system determines whether the connection represents a possible family relationship and generates a score, based on analyzing and providing a weight to one of more of the following factors:

relationships identified in each connection;

a match of surnames between users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes;

a match of a surname to middle name between users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes;

the gender of users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes;

the uniqueness of surnames of users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes; and

the relative ages of users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein at least some of the data represented at each data node is provided by the corresponding user.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the data represented at each data node includes an identifier for the corresponding user, and wherein the memory further contains instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

access a database, separate from the social network website and having information on one or more of the plurality of users;

use the identifier to retrieve, from the database, information for the corresponding user; and

determine if the retrieved information indicates a possible relationship between users corresponding to the first node and any one of the second nodes.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the identifier is an email address.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the identifier is a phone number.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the system receives data identifying the family relationship of the relative by providing a list of family relationships, and receiving a selection from the first user of one of the listed family relationships.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the list of family relationships is selected from a group comprising:

father, mother, son, daughter, wife, husband, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, and cousin.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory further contains instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to, after receiving from the first user a selection of at least one of the second nodes as representing a relative:

update an edge defining a connection between the first node and each of the selected second nodes, to reflect the family relationship; and

again determine whether the connection between the first node and any one of the plurality of second nodes reflects a possible family relationship.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the data represented at the first node includes an email address for the first user, the email address associated with an email account of the first user, wherein the memory further contains instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

use the email address of the first user to access a database associated with an email system that is separate from the social network website, the database having data, including an email address, for one or more of a plurality of people;

retrieve, from the database, data associated with the one or more of the plurality of people; and

determine, from the first node and the retrieved data, whether a connection between the first node, corresponding to the first user, and any of the retrieved data indicates a possible family relationship between the first user and the one or more of the plurality of people.