Patent ID: 8370366

Claim:
A method for comparing attributes, comprising: providing a system having an identity hub coupled to a set of data sources and a set of operator computers via a network, wherein the identity hub is configured to store a link between one or more data records in the set of data sources; receiving, at the identity hub, a first attribute comprising a first set of tokens from one of the set of data sources or from one of the set of operators, wherein the first attribute is associated with a first data record in one of the set of data sources and represents a first entity; receiving, at the identity hub, a second attribute comprising a second set of tokens from one of the set of data sources, wherein the second attribute is associated with a second data record in one of the data sources and represents a second entity; comparing, at the identity hub, the first set of tokens of the first attribute to the second set of tokens of the second attribute and generating a weight for the first attribute and the second attribute based on match weights associated with matching tokens between the first and second sets of tokens, wherein generating the weight comprises adjusting the match weight associated with current matching tokens within the first and second sets of tokens based on match weights determined from a comparison including one or more prior tokens within the first and second sets of tokens; and determining if the first data record and the second data record correspond to the same entity and should be linked based at least in part on the weight between the two attributes.