System, method and software for providing persistent entity identification and linking entity information in a data repository

• US 9,710,523 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2016
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Experian Marketing Solutions, LLC (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Experian Marketing Solutions Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Barrios, Pamela, Sumida, Timothy, Skurtovich, Jr., John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): THAI, HANH B
• Application Number:
  US15/015,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 707791, 707793, 707795-796, 707800, 707803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24553 of query operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention provides a system, method and software for linking persistent and unique business identifiers, associated with business entities, for associating corresponding business records without a loss of historical records, regardless of subsequent changes, updates, and mergers. In the various embodiments, a first business record, of the plurality of business records, is associated with a first business identifier; and a second business record, which does not match the first record, is associated with a second business identifier. Subsequently, when the first business identifier and the second business identifier are determined to correspond to a singular business entity, the first business identifier and the second business identifier are linked, and respective associations of the first business record and the second business record with the linked first business identifier and second business identifier are maintained, with corresponding source references, and collectively utilized in subsequent search and match determinations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of creating a data structure stored in one or more data storage devices, wherein the data structure provides information to link records that are related to a same entity of a plurality of entities, for database searching and record matching operations, the method comprising:

(a) associating a first record, of a plurality of records, with a first identifier of a plurality of identifiers that identifies at least one entity of the plurality of entities, wherein each identifier is unique and persistent for a predetermined period of time;

(b) associating a second record, of the plurality of records, with a second identifier that identifies at least one entity of the plurality of entities;

(c) determining a plurality of potentially matching records, and from the plurality of potentially matching records, differentially weighting one or more records having at least one match variation;

(d) from the plurality of potentially matching records, and using the differential weighting, eliminating a potentially matching record which does not match a selected or predetermined element of the first or second records within a selected or predetermined confidence level;

(e) determining that the first identifier and the second identifier correspond to a same entity by determining that a third record, of the plurality of potentially matching records, matches with a first element of a first plurality of elements of the first record within the selected or predetermined confidence level and further matches with a second element of a second plurality of elements of the second record within the selected or predetermined confidence level;

(f) linking the first identifier and the second identifier in a data structure that respectively references the first and second records without merging the first and second records under either the first or second identifiers and without merging the first and second identifiers; and

(g) using the link between the first and second identifiers in the data structure, grouping and providing retrieved information that is separately maintained in both the first and second records in response to a request for information about the same entity.

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

(h) separately maintaining in at least one database information in the first record associated with the first identifier and information in the second record associated with the second identifier for the predetermined period of time; and

(i) collectively utilizing records associated with the linked first identifier and second identifier in subsequent search and match determinations.

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

(j) using a triangulation point for change detection and updating information associated with the first or second identifiers in at least one database.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of elements and the second plurality of elements each comprise at least one element selected from the group consisting of:

a name element, an address element, a tax identification element, a telephone number element, a standard industry code element, a client key element, and combinations thereof.

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

determining the plurality of potentially matching records from the plurality of records, and from the plurality of potentially matching records, eliminating a potentially matching record which does not match a name element or a tax identification element of the third record.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

from the plurality of potentially matching records, eliminating a potentially matching record which does not match an address element of the third record.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

following elimination of one or more potentially matching records from the plurality of potentially matching records, affirmatively matching the third record to the first element of the first plurality of elements of the first record, the first record remaining within the plurality of potentially matching records, and affirmatively matching the third record to the second element of the second plurality of elements of the second record, the second record remaining within the plurality of potentially matching records.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein a degree of affirmative matching is variable and has a corresponding confidence level.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entities is selected from the group consisting of:

a plurality of persons, a plurality of organizations, a plurality of corporations, a plurality of companies, a plurality of partnerships, a plurality of governmental organizations, and combinations thereof.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises:

associating the first record with the first identifier by matching the first record to another record associated with the first identifier, of the plurality of records.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises:

associating the first record with the first identifier by not matching to any other record of the plurality of records and assigning the first identifier to the first record as representative of a previously unidentified entity of the plurality of entities.

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

associating a plurality of addresses with the first identifier, each address of the plurality of addresses having a unique site identifier of a plurality of site identifiers associated with the first identifier.

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

prior to step (a), searching a consumer database for a match of the first record and, when no match is determined, searching a business database for a match of the first record.

14. A system for creating a data structure to link records that are related to a same entity of a plurality of entities, for data repository searching and for record matching operations, the system comprising:

one or more data storage devices to store one or more data repositories having a plurality of records and a plurality of identifiers, each identifier of the plurality of identifiers identifying an entity of the plurality of entities, wherein each identifier is unique and persistent for a predetermined period of time; and

one or more processors coupled to the one or more data storage devices, the one or more processors adapted, configured or programmed to associate a first record of the plurality of records with a first identifier that identifies at least one entity of the plurality of entities;

to associate a second record of the plurality of records with a second identifier that identifies at least one entity of the plurality of entities;

to determine a plurality of potentially matching records, and from the plurality of potentially matching records, to differentially weight one or more records having at least one match variation, and using the differential weighting, to eliminate a potentially matching record which does not match a selected or predetermined element of the first or second records within a selected or predetermined confidence level;

to determine that the first identifier and the second identifier correspond to the same entity by determining that a third record, of the plurality of potentially matching records, matches with a first element of a first plurality of elements of the first record within the selected or predetermined confidence level and further matches with a second element of a second plurality of elements of the second record within the selected or predetermined confidence level;

to link in the one or more data repositories the first identifier and the second identifier in a data structure that respectively references the first and second records without merging the first and second records under either the first or second identifiers and without merging the first and second identifiers; and

using the link between the first and second identifiers in the data structure, to retrieve and group information that is separately maintained in both the first and second records in response to a request for information about the same entity.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are to separately maintain in the data repository information in the first record associated with the first identifier and information in the second record associated with the second identifier for the predetermined period of time.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are to collectively utilize the records associated with the linked first identifier and second identifier in subsequent search and match determinations.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first plurality of elements and the second plurality of elements each comprise at least one element selected from the group consisting of:

a name element, an address element, a tax identification element, a telephone number element, a standard industry code element, a client key element, and combinations thereof.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are to determine a plurality of potentially matching records, and from the plurality of potentially matching records, to eliminate a potentially matching record which does not match a name element or a tax identification element of the third record.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are to eliminate, from the plurality of potentially matching records, a potentially matching record which does not match an address element of the third record.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein following elimination of one or more potentially matching records from the plurality of potentially matching records, the one or more processors are to affirmatively match the third record to the first element of the first plurality of elements of the first record, the first record remaining within the plurality of potentially matching records, and to affirmatively match the third record to the second element of the second plurality of elements of the second record, the second record remaining within the plurality of potentially matching records.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein a degree of affirmative matching is variable and has a corresponding confidence level.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of entities is selected from the group consisting of:

a plurality of persons, a plurality of organizations, a plurality of corporations, a plurality of companies, a plurality of partnerships, a plurality of governmental organizations, and combinations thereof.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are to associate the first record with the first identifier by matching the first record to another record associated with the first identifier, of the plurality of records.

24. The system of claim 14, the one or more processors are to associate the first record with the first identifier by not matching the first record to any other record of the first plurality of records and to assign the first identifier to the first record as representative of a previously unidentified entity of the plurality of entities.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are to associate a plurality of addresses with the first identifier, each address of the plurality of addresses having a unique site identifier of a plurality of site identifiers associated with the first identifier, and to maintain in the data repository the association of the plurality of addresses and corresponding plurality of site identifiers with the first identifier.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are to search a consumer database for a match of the first record and, when no match is determined, to search a business database for a match of the first record.

27. A tangible computer-readable medium storing computer-readable software for creating a data structure in one or more data repositories stored in one or more data storage devices, wherein the data structure provides information to link records that are related to a same entity of a plurality of entities, for database searching and record matching operations, the tangible computer-readable medium storing computer-readable software comprising:

executable code for associating a first record, of a plurality of records of the one or more data repositories stored in the one or more data storage devices, with a first identifier of a plurality of identifiers that identifies at least one entity of the plurality of entities, wherein each identifier is unique and persistent for a predetermined period of time;

executable code for associating a second record, of the plurality of records, with a second identifier that identifies at least one entity of the plurality of entities;

executable code for determining a plurality of potentially matching records, and from the plurality of potentially matching records, differentially weighting one or more records having at least one match variation;

executable code for determining a plurality of potentially matching records, and from the plurality of potentially matching records and using the differential weighting, eliminating a potentially matching record which does not sufficiently match a selected or predetermined element of the first or second records within a selected or predetermined confidence level;

executable code for determining that the first identifier and the second identifier correspond to the same entity by determining that a third record, of the plurality of potentially matching records, matches with a first element of a first plurality of elements of the first record within the selected or predetermined confidence level and further matches with a second element of a second plurality of elements of the second record within a selected or predetermined confidence level;

executable code for linking the first identifier and the second identifier in at least one data structure that respectively references the first and second records without merging the first and second records under either the first or second identifiers and without merging the first and second identifiers; and

executable code for using the link between the first and second identifiers in the data structure and grouping and providing retrieved information that is separately maintained in both the first and second records in response to a request for information about the same entity.