Patent ID: 9710523
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Claim:
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.