Matching Accounts Identified in Two Different Sources of Account Data

Abstract

Among other things, first and second sets of authentication credentials are used to access respectively data about a first set of one or more accounts from a first source and data about the one or more of the second accounts from the a second source. The data are analyzed to identify (a) one account of the first set of one or more accounts and (b) the one of the one or more of the second accounts as possibly a single account. After information is presented to a user an indication is received from the user that they are a single account. For a computation that requires data about the single account, data from the first source or data from the second source or data from both are used, based on a predefined computational rule.

1 . A method comprising:
 using authentication credentials to obtain (a) data for an existing user account from a first party that maintains the existing user account for a user, and (b) putative data for a putative user account of the user from a second party unrelated to the first party,   matching the data for the existing user account and the putative data of the putative user account to infer that the putative user account is the same account as the existing user account,   mapping current data for the existing user account obtained from the first party to internal current data for the existing user account based on data concepts of a stored ontology,   mapping current data for the putative user account obtained from the second party to internal current data for the putative user account based on data concepts of the stored ontology, and   executing a predefined computational rule that uses either the internal current data for the existing user account or the internal current data for the putative user account or a combination of them, depending on a context of the execution, to generate an internal value to be used in providing guidance to the user, the generated internal value conforming to a data concept of the stored ontology.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  in which the context of the execution comprises the availability of accurate current data from the first party or the second party or both. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  in which the execution uses the internal current data for the existing user account if accurate current data is available from the first party. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  in which the execution uses the internal current data for the putative user account if accurate current data is not available from the first party. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  comprising storing, based on the ontology, an internal data value that represents the matching relationship of the one putative user account and the existing user account. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus comprising:
 a processor, and   storage for instructions executable by the processor to
 use authentication credentials to obtain (a) data for an existing user account from a first party that maintains the existing user account for a user, and (b) putative data for a putative user account of the user from a second party unrelated to the first party, 
 match the data for the existing user account and the putative data of the putative user account to infer that the putative user account is the same account as the existing user account, 
 map current data for the existing user account obtained from the first party to internal current data for the existing user account based on data concepts of a stored ontology, 
 map current data for the putative user account obtained from the second party to internal current data for the putative user account based on data concepts of the stored ontology, and 
 execute a predefined computational rule that uses either the internal current data for the existing user account or the internal current data for the putative user account or a combination of them, depending on a context of the execution, to generate an internal value to be used in providing guidance to the user, the generated internal value conforming to a data concept of the stored ontology. 
   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  in which the context of the execution comprises the availability of accurate current data from the first party or the second party or both. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  in which the instructions are executable by the processor to use the internal current data for the existing user account if accurate current data is available from the first party. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7  in which the execution uses the internal current data for the putative user account if accurate current data is not available from the first party. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 6  comprising storing, based on the ontology, an internal data value that represents the matching relationship of the one putative user account and the existing user account. 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising
 receiving from a user, first credentials for access to a credit card account maintained by a bank for the user,   receiving from the user, second credentials for access to credit bureau information about a credit card account of the user,   applying the first credentials to obtain a current balance on the credit card account maintained by the bank, and applying the second credential to obtain the current balance of the credit card account of the user in the credit bureau information,   inferring from the current balance on the credit card account maintained by the bank and the current balance on the credit card account in the credit bureau information that the two credit card accounts are the same account,   storing, based on an ontology of data concepts, an internal data value that represents the matching relationship of the credit card account in the credit bureau information and the credit card account at the bank, and   executing a computational rule that uses a credit card account balance received from the bank, interpreted according to a data concept of the ontology, when the credit card account balance is available from the bank, and uses a credit card account balance received in the credit bureau information when the credit card account balance is not available from the bank.