Patent ID: 6526389
Filing Date: 2003-02-25
Classification: G06Q,H04M

Abstract:
A computer implemented method for determining a normal customer behavior profile that includes a plurality of transactions pertaining to an activity, each transaction being defined by a plurality of attributes which are measures of the transaction, and said normal behavior profile being used to alert of an unusual activity, said method comprising the steps of:selecting a number of prototypical transactions from said plurality of transactions; arranging the selected prototypical transactions collected during a first predetermined time interval into a first behavior profile; obtaining a plurality of first behavior profiles during a second predetermined time interval that is comprised of a plurality of first predetermined time intervals, wherein each first behavior profile includes a vector representing a multi-dimensional probability distribution of the transactions carried out during said first predetermined time interval, each dimension of the multi-dimensional probability distribution corresponding to one of the plurality of attributes and having a corresponding cumulative distribution; arranging the first behavior profiles obtained during said second predetermined time interval into a number of clusters; determining a prototypical first behavior profile for each cluster; and arranging the determined prototypical first behavior profiles into a plurality of records for representing a second behavior profile; wherein said steps of arranging the first behavior profiles and determining said prototypical first behavior profile comprise: designating a number of first behavior profiles as respective centers for the clusters; finding a closest center to each remaining first behavior profile; assigning said each remaining first behavior profile to said closest center; recalculating each center for a corresponding cluster according to said step of assigning; and repeating said steps of designating, finding, assigning and recalculating until a membership of each cluster does not change; wherein said step of finding includes the step of weighted summing the squared differences between the cumulative distribution of the first behavior profile designated as a closest center and the cumulative distribution of each remaining first behavior profile at each attribute.