Providing credit data in search results

• US 10,482,532 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2017
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Kapczynski, Mark Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Felten, Daniel S
• Application Number:
  US15/848,704
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 707732, 707706
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A credit report system is disclosed which may provide credit data to a consumer in the consumer'"'"'s search results or at other times when credit data may be useful to a consumer. Searches relevant to credit data may be determined based on the search terms entered, or based on the results of the search. Credit data may be provided if the consumer accesses webpages relevant to credit reports or credit scores. The credit report system may also authenticate the consumer'"'"'s identity before providing credit data to the consumer. Credit data may include the consumer'"'"'s credit score as well as other information such as credit report data that may be useful to a consumer.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

one or more hardware computer processors; and

one or more storage devices configured to store software instructions configured for execution by the one or more hardware computer processors to cause the computing system to;

receive, from a user computing device, instructions to access information over a network;

access information according to the instructions received from the user computing device;

access a data structure comprising a plurality of terms, wherein the terms are related to credit data or affecting credit data;

parse the received instructions or the accessed information to identify any of the terms in the data structure that are included in the received instructions or the accessed information;

based at least on the identified any of the terms included in the received instructions or the accessed information, determining that credit data information of the user is to be provided to the user, and

in response to determining that the credit data information of the user is to be provided to the user based at least on identifying any of the terms included in the received instructions or the accessed information in the terms related to credit data or affecting credit data in the data structure;

receive one or more indications that the computing system has previously authenticated the user on the user computing device;

provide the user with a first access control configured to receive one or more user identity confirming inputs;

receive the one or more user identity confirming inputs, including an answer to a security question;

determine whether the one or more user identity confirming inputs authenticate the user using the one or more hardware computer processors; and

in response to determining that the user is authenticated;

retrieve, from a credit bureau, personalized credit data of the user; and

automatically generate and transmit a page to the user computing device, the page comprising;

 

at least a portion of the personalized credit data of the user, and

 

at least a portion of the accessed information;

or

in response to determining that the user is not authenticated;

transmit a page to the user computing device, the page comprising at least a portion of the accessed information.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to access information over the network are one or more search queries and the accessed information are search results.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more indications includes one or more cookies or tags stored on the user computing device.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system generates the security question using data from a credit bureau, a credit database, or other database with identifying information.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the user generates the security question.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user authenticating inputs comprise a username and a password.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the personalized credit data comprises a credit score of the user, financial account information regarding one or more financial accounts of the user, or a level of credit used by the user.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the personalized credit data of the user in the page is displayed as one or more of:

a banner, a pop-up, or a widget.

9. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to:

access location data of the user; and

determine whether the user is considering a financial transaction based at least partly on the location data.

10. A computing system comprising:

one or more hardware computer processors; and

one or more storage devices configured to store software instructions configured for execution by the one or more hardware computer processors to cause the computing system to;

receive, from a user computing device, instructions to access information over a network;

access information according to the instructions received from the user computing device;

access a data structure comprising a plurality of terms, wherein the terms are related to credit data or affecting credit data;

parse the received instructions or the accessed information to identify any of the terms in the data structure that are included in the received instructions or the accessed information;

access location data of the user;

based at least on the identified any of the terms included in the received instructions or the accessed information, determining that credit data information of the user is to be provided to the user, and

in response to determining that the credit data information of the user is to be provided to the user based at least on identifying any of the terms included in the received instructions or the accessed information in the terms related to credit data or affecting credit data in the data structure;

provide the user with a first access control configured to receive one or more user identity authenticating inputs;

receive the one or more user identity authenticating inputs;

determine whether the one or more user identity authenticating inputs authenticate the user using the one or more hardware computer processors;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated;

retrieve, from a credit bureau, personalized credit data of the user; and

automatically generate and transmit a page to the user computing device, the page comprising;

at least a portion of the personalized credit data of the user,

at least a portion of the accessed information; and

a map generated at least partly based on the location data.

11. A computing system providing a page having credit data to a user comprising:

one or more hardware computer processors; and

one or more storage devices configured to store software instructions configured for execution by the one or more hardware computer processors in order to cause the computing system to;

receive, from a user computing device, instructions to access information over a network;

access information according to the instructions received from the user computing device;

access a data structure comprising a plurality of terms, wherein the terms are related to credit data or affecting credit data;

parse the received instructions or the accessed information to identify any of the terms in the data structure that are included in the received instructions or the accessed information;

based at least on the identified any of the terms included in the received instructions or the accessed information matching a predefined criteria indicative that the user is considering a financial transaction, determining that credit data information of the user is to be provided to the user, and

in response to determining that the credit data information of the user is to be provided to the user based at least on identifying any of the terms included in the received instructions or the accessed information in the terms related to credit data or affecting credit data in the data structure;

determine, using the one or more hardware processors, whether an identity of the user is authenticated on the user computing device based at least in part on a prior user authentication, wherein the user computing device determines the prior user authentication based at least in part on one or more cookies or tags stored on the user computing device;

in response to determining the identity of the user is authenticated;

retrieve, from a credit bureau, personalized credit data of the user; and

using the accessed information and the personalized credit data, automatically generate and transmit to a browser of the user computing device a page comprising;

 

at least a portion of the personalized credit data of the user, as retrieved from the credit bureau, and

 

at least a portion of the accessed information.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the determining that the predefined criteria indicative that the user is considering the financial transaction comprises:

identifying a first term in the instructions and/or the accessed information according to the instructions;

identifying, based on the identified first term, a second term associated with the first term included in the instructions and/or the accessed information according to the instructions; and

calculating a threshold quantity of terms based at least partly on the first term and the second term.

13. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the determining that the predefined criteria indicative that the user is considering the financial transaction comprises:

identifying respective locations of the one or more identified terms in the instructions and/or the accessed information according to the instructions;

weighing the one or more identified terms based on the location of the one or more identified terms; and

calculating whether the one or more identified terms include a threshold quantity of terms based at least in part on the one or more identified terms and their associated weights.

14. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the determining that the predefined criteria indicative that the user is considering the financial transaction comprises:

assigning a weight associated with each of the one or more identified terms; and

calculating whether the one or more identified terms include a threshold quantity of terms based at least in part on the one or more identified terms and their associated weights.

15. A method for providing credit data in search results, the method comprising:

receiving a search query comprising search terms;

retrieving, from a search engine, search result data responsive to the search query, the search result data comprising a plurality of search results each including one or more of the search terms of the search query;

parsing the search result data and/or the search query to identify one or more financial terms that are included in a listing of terms related to financial transactions;

based at least on the identified any of the terms included in the received search query or the retrieved search result data, determining that credit data information of a user is to be provided to the user, and

in response to determining that the credit data information of the user is to be provided to the user based at least on identifying any of the terms included in the received search query or the retrieved search result data in the terms related to credit data or affecting credit data;

determining whether an identity of the user is authenticated on a computing system based at least in part on a prior user authentication using one or more hardware processors;

determine that the search result data includes a site associated with the computing system; and

in response to finding no prior user authentication on the computing system;

provide the user with a first access control configured to receive one or more user identity authenticating inputs;

receive the one or more user identity authenticating inputs;

determine whether the one or more user identity authenticating inputs authenticate the user;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated;

retrieving, from a credit bureau, personalized credit data of the user; and

using the retrieved search result data and the personalized credit data, automatically generate and transmit to a browser of the user computing device a composite page comprising;

at least a portion of the personalized credit data of the user, as retrieved from the credit bureau, and

at least a portion of the plurality of search results.