Patent ID: 7873639

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for processing and searching user records for user addresses in response to a request therefor, the method comprising: a) receiving user record information from a plurality of users, each set of user record information including at least a user record user identifier and a user record user address, and at least a subset of the received sets of user record information each further including a list of one or more list user identifiers and list user addresses; b) storing, in a computer storage device, the received sets of user record information as a plurality of user records; c) processing, using a computer processing unit, the user records to determine, for each list user address stored in the list of each user record, whether the list user address is the same as any of the user record user addresses of any other user records and storing link information in each user record linking the particular user record to those other user records whose user record user address is the same as a list user address stored in the list of the particular user record, and further processing the user records to determine, for each user record, whether the user record user address thereof is the same as any of the list user addresses from the other user records and further storing link information in each user record linking the particular user record to those other of the user records which include a list user address which is the same as the particular user record's user record user address; d) receiving a search request from a user specifying a user identifier for which the corresponding user address is required; e) identifying the user record of the user making the search request; and f) searching the stored user records using the link information to produce a list of search results corresponding to the search request, wherein the link information is iteratively used to identify further user records located up to a predetermined number of links from the user record of the user making the search request.