Patent Document ID: 8572239
Application ID: 12885897
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method, implemented at least in part via a processing unit, for identifying one or more node clusters, comprising: receiving a set of node pairings corresponding to a plurality of nodes, a node pairing comprising a first node connected to a second node; and transforming the set of node pairings one or more times until one or more node clusters are identified from the plurality of nodes, where nodes within a node cluster are paired with a base node within the plurality of nodes by a single connection and are connected to no other nodes, the transforming comprising: determining a current node, within the plurality of nodes, that is paired with two or more neighboring nodes, the two or more neighboring nodes comprising a first neighboring node and a second neighboring node; comparing a first value comprised in the first neighboring node to a second value comprised in the second neighboring node; determining that the first value is smaller than the second value based upon the comparing; determining that the first neighboring node is a reference node based upon the determination that the first value is smaller than the second value; and based upon the determination that the first value is smaller than the second value: disconnecting the second neighboring node, but not the first neighboring node, which is the reference node, from the current node; and connecting the second neighboring node to the first neighboring node, the current node, the first neighboring node and the second neighboring node representing a common type, the common type comprising at least one of: a user ID; a login ID; a cookie ID; a mobile phone ID; or an IP address.