Patent Issued for Rules-based data access systems and methods (USPTO 11763027): United Services Automobile Association

2023 OCT 09 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Clark, Larry Wayne (San Antonio, TX, US), King, Linda Giessel (San Antonio, TX, US), Meier, Jr., Steven Wayne (San Antonio, TX, US), Rosas, Patricia A. (San Antonio, TX, US), Shafer, Mark (San Antonio, TX, US), filed on February 25, 2022, was published online on September 19, 2023.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11763027 is United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Companies collect data related to individuals for various purposes. For example, companies may require a person to provide certain personal information to provide services, complete transactions, target advertising, accept job applications, and hire employees. In some cases, with or without the person’s approval, companies share data with other entities such as affiliates or third parties to create efficiencies, increase accuracy in the data, and provide a better overall experience for the customer.

“In recent years, businesses have set standards and entered into contracts that set or outline obligations and restrictions, and legislators have enacted various laws and regulations relating to accessing or sharing data, due in part to concerns about privacy and identity theft. The various laws, contracts, and regulations governing data sharing can apply separately or in concert, increasing complexity, making it difficult to determine what data may be accessed or shared, and if the data may be accessed or shared, under what circumstances it is legal or appropriate. Additionally, the consequences for violating the standards or regulations may be high. For example, allowing access to such information illegally or inappropriately may result in potential liability or civil fines, disparaged reputation, customer dissatisfaction, and loss of business. Therefore, instead of risking noncompliance with the law or business standards, many companies choose not to share data, even when circumstances permit allowing access under the governing standards or regulations. An additional burden for companies is demonstrating to officials that any data shared with or accessed by affiliates or third parties complies with the applicable regulations or standards.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “Various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to rules-based data access systems and methods. The application describes a method including receiving a request for access to customer data from a requesting entity; categorizing the customer data based on a type of the customer data and policies that regulate the access to the customer data; compiling customer preferences relating to the access of the customer data; determining the requesting entity; determining a providing entity, wherein the providing entity collected the customer data; evaluating data shareability rules based on the policies that regulate the access of the customer data, the customer preferences, the requesting entity, and the providing entity; and providing the customer data to the requesting entity according to the evaluation.

“In some embodiments, the policies include government regulations, business, protocols, and/or contractual restrictions.

“Evaluating the data shareability rules may include classifying at least a portion of the customer data as conditionally shareable, wherein the customer data categorized as conditionally shareable comprises data that can be accessed by the requesting entity when the customer preferences indicate that the customer consents.

“Evaluating the data shareability rules may include classifying at least a portion of the data as prohibited from sharing, wherein the customer data categorized as prohibited from sharing data comprises data that cannot be accessed regardless of the customer preferences.

“Evaluating the data shareability rules may include classifying at least a portion of the data as shareable regardless of consent, wherein the customer data categorized as shareable regardless of consent comprises data that can be accessed regardless of the customer preferences.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A method comprising: receiving, by a first computing system, a request for electronic access to a data item associated with a second user from a second computing system; determining rule sharing restrictions based on whether the requested data item is subject to one or more rule-based data sharing restrictions; determining that the requested data item is electronically shareable with the second computing system based on A) the rule sharing restrictions, and B) an identity of a providing entity that is holder of the requested data item, and C) an identity of the second user associated with the second computing system that is requesting the electronic access; in response to determining that the requested data item is electronically shareable with the second computing system: providing, to the second computing system, the electronic access to the requested data item; and transmitting a message to a first user indicating the electronic access was provided and at least one basis for providing the electronic access to the second computing system, wherein the at least one basis includes at least one of A) the rule sharing restrictions, B) the identity of the providing entity, or C) the identity of the second user.

“2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to the requested data item being subject to user preference data sharing restrictions: requesting consent to share the requested data item from the first user; and in response to receiving the consent, providing, to the second computing system, the electronic access to the requested data item.

“3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the first computing system, a request for electronic access to a second data item associated with the second user from the second computing system; determining rule sharing restrictions based on whether the requested second data item is subject to the one or more rule-based data sharing restrictions; determining user preference sharing restrictions based on whether the requested second data item is subject to one or more user preference data sharing restrictions; and in response to the requested second data item being not shareable based on the rule sharing restrictions and the one or more user preference data sharing restrictions, denying the request for the electronic access to the second data item.

“4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to user preference data sharing restrictions being unavailable, using default user preference data sharing restrictions.

“5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: locating two differing versions of the requested data item; and selecting one of the two differing versions of the requested data item based on a context in which the requested data item was received.

“6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the identity of the second user.

“7. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested data item is not subject to user preference sharing restrictions where the first user has opted into sharing the requested data item.

“8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising: receiving, by a first computing system, a request for electronic access to a data item associated with a second user from a second computing system; determining rule sharing restrictions based on whether the requested data item is subject to one or more rule-based data sharing restrictions; determining that the requested data item is electronically shareable with the second computing system based on A) the rule sharing restrictions, and B) an identity of a providing entity that is holder of the requested data item, and C) an identity of the second user associated with the second computing system that is requesting the electronic access; in response to determining that the requested data item is electronically shareable with the second computing system: providing, to the second computing system, the electronic access to the requested data item; and transmitting a message to a first user indicating the electronic access was provided and at least one basis for providing the electronic access to the second computing system, wherein the at least one basis includes at least one of A) the rule sharing restrictions, B) the identity of the providing entity, or C) the identity of the second user.

“9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: in response to the requested data item being subject to user preference data sharing restrictions: requesting consent to share the requested data item from the first user; and in response to receiving the consent, providing, to the second computing system, the electronic access to the requested data item.

“10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving, by the first computing system, a request for electronic access to a second data item associated with the second user from the second computing system; determining rule sharing restrictions based on whether the requested second data item is subject to the one or more rule-based data sharing restrictions; determining user preference sharing restrictions based on whether the requested second data item is subject to one or more user preference data sharing restrictions; and in response to the requested second data item being not shareable based on the rule sharing restrictions and the one or more user preference data sharing restrictions, denying the request for the electronic access to the second data item.

“11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: in response to user preference data sharing restrictions being unavailable, using default user preference data sharing restrictions.

“12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: locating two differing versions of the requested data item; and selecting one of the two differing versions of the requested data item based on a context in which the requested data item was received.

“13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: determining the identity of the second user.

“14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the requested data item is not subject to user preference sharing restrictions where the first user has opted into sharing the requested data item.

“15. A system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform a process comprising: receiving, by a first computing system, a request for electronic access to a data item associated with a second user from a second computing system; determining rule sharing restrictions based on whether the requested data item is subject to one or more rule-based data sharing restrictions; determining that the requested data item is electronically shareable with the second computing system based on A) the rule sharing restrictions, and B) an identity of a providing entity that is holder of the requested data item, and C) an identity of the second user associated with the second computing system that is requesting the electronic access; in response to determining that the requested data item is electronically shareable with the second computing system: providing, to the second computing system, the electronic access to the requested data item; and transmitting a message to a first user indicating the electronic access was provided and at least one basis for providing the electronic access to the second computing system, wherein the at least one basis includes at least one of A) the rule sharing restrictions, B) the identity of the providing entity, or C) the identity of the second user.

“16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the process further comprises: in response to the requested data item being subject to user preference data sharing restrictions: requesting consent to share the requested data item from the first user; and in response to receiving the consent, providing, to the second computing system, the electronic access to the requested data item.

“17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the process further comprises: receiving, by the first computing system, a request for electronic access to a second data item associated with the second user from the second computing system; determining rule sharing restrictions based on whether the requested second data item is subject to the one or more rule-based data sharing restrictions; determining user preference sharing restrictions based on whether the requested second data item is subject to one or more user preference data sharing restrictions; and in response to the requested second data item being not shareable based on the rule sharing restrictions and the one or more user preference data sharing restrictions, denying the request for the electronic access to the second data item.

“18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the process further comprises: in response to user preference data sharing restrictions being unavailable, using default user preference data sharing restrictions.

“19. The system according to claim 15, wherein the process further comprises: locating two differing versions of the requested data item; and selecting one of the two differing versions of the requested data item based on a context in which the requested data item was received.

“20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the requested data item is not subject to user preference sharing restrictions where the first user has opted into sharing the requested data item.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Clark, Larry Wayne. Rules-based data access systems and methods. U.S. Patent Number 11763027, filed February 25, 2022, and published online on September 19, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11763027)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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