System and Methods for Improved Linguistic Pattern Matching

Abstract

A system and method for reducing the number of false negatives with minimal impact on false positive search results while allowing searches to return phonetic equivalents, misspellings, common short names, and other such applicable information. New, N-Gram based indexing and search systems and methods which facilitate searching of data containing non-Arabic letters, such as numbers, symbols, and foreign language characters. Ability to customize indexing and other features further enhance search results. Linguistic pattern matching search results are improved based on dynamically modified search attributes.

1 . A method for comparing a query against data contained within a database comprising the steps of:
 (a) receiving said query;   (b) extracting a plurality of attributes from a plurality of potential match areas from said query;   (c) converting said plurality of attributes from said query, using at least one linguistic pattern matching analytical tool, into a plurality of linguistic pattern strings;   (d) comparing, using at least one user selectable index property, said plurality of linguistic pattern strings with at least one stored linguistic pattern string from at least one stored attribute contained within said database for providing a set of matches;   (e) analyzing said set of matches, using said at least one linguistic pattern matching analytical tool, to provide at least one set of matched attributes;   (f) combining all of said at least one set of matched attributes to provide a combined result; and   (g) wherein at least one of the actions of receiving, extracting, converting, comparing, analyzing, and combining is implemented using at least one data processing system.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said matches are name matches. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the initials of said name matches match. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of potential match areas are user selectable. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said plurality of potential match areas are name, address, telephone number, facsimile number, e-mail address, and date of birth. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one linguistic pattern matching analytical tool used for converting has characteristics at least some of which are user selectable. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said comparing is by edit distance. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the step of filtering said combined result according to at least one user selectable criteria. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the step of employing a Metaphone based analysis, a Phonex based analysis, a Soundex based analysis, an Alphabetic N-gram based analysis, a Consonant N-gram based analysis, a Numeric N-gram based analysis, an Fdi N-gram based analysis, an Fml N-gram based analysis, an edit-distance based analysis and a dictionaries based analysis. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising designating, responsive to a match candidate containing an unusual word in an unusual words dictionary, said match candidate to be a match. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 said query includes a party's name; and   said database includes names of parties restricted from receiving certain goods.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising transmitting said query through the Internet. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , further including the step of filtering said combined result according to at least one user selectable criteria. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of employing at least one of a Metaphone based analysis, a Phonex based analysis, a Soundex based analysis, an N-gram based analysis, an edit-distance based analysis and a dictionaries based analysis. 
   
   
       15 . A system for comparing a query against data contained within at least one database comprising:
 (a) a central processing unit having at least one electronic communications port for receiving said query, wherein said central processing unit is attached to said at least one database;   (b) at least one extraction tool accessible to said central processing unit for extracting a plurality of attributes from a plurality of user selectable match areas from said query;   (c) at least one linguistic pattern analytical tool having characteristics at least some of which are user selectable and being accessible to said central processing unit for converting said plurality of attributes from said query into a plurality of linguistic pattern strings, and for comparing said plurality of linguistic pattern strings with at least one stored linguistic pattern string contained within at least one of said database for providing a set of matches;   (d) said at least one linguistic pattern analytical tool accessible to said central processing unit for analyzing said set of matches to provide at least one set of matched attributes; and   (e) at least one combining tool accessible to said central processing unit for combining all of said at least one set of matched attributes to provide a combined result.   
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising at least one filtering tool accessible to said central processing unit for filtering said combined result according to at least one user selectable criteria. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein said at least one linguistic pattern analytical tool is comprised of at least one of a Metaphone based analysis, a Phonex based analysis, a Soundex based analysis, an N-gram based analysis, an edit-distance based analysis and a dictionaries based analysis. 
   
   
       18 . A computer-implemented method for comparing a query against data contained within a database comprising the steps of:
 (a) receiving said query;   (b) extracting a plurality of attributes from a plurality of user selectable match areas from said query;   (c) converting said plurality of attributes, using a Metaphone based linguistic pattern analytical tool, into a plurality of Metaphone linguistic pattern strings;   (d) comparing, using at least one user selectable index property, at least one of said plurality of Metaphone linguistic pattern strings with said at least one stored linguistic pattern string contained within said database to provide a plurality of Metaphone matches;   (e) converting said plurality of attributes, using a Phonex based linguistic pattern analytical tool, into a plurality of Phonex linguistic pattern strings;   (f) comparing, using at least one user selectable index property, at least one of said plurality of Phonex linguistic pattern strings with said at least one stored linguistic pattern string contained within said database to provide a plurality of Phonex matches;   (g) converting said plurality of attributes, using a Soundex based linguistic pattern analytical tool, into a plurality of Soundex linguistic pattern strings;   (h) comparing, using at least one user selectable index property, at least one of said plurality of Soundex linguistic pattern strings with said at least one stored linguistic pattern string contained within said database to provide a plurality of Soundex matches;   (i) converting said plurality of attributes, using an N-gram based linguistic pattern analytical tool, into a plurality of N-gram linguistic pattern strings;   (j) comparing, using at least one user selectable index property, at least one of said plurality of N-gram linguistic pattern strings with at least one stored linguistic pattern string contained within said database to provide a plurality of N-gram matches;   (k) combining said plurality of Metaphone matches, said plurality of Phonex Matches, said plurality of Soundex matches, and said plurality of N-gram matches to form a set of combined matches;   (l) analyzing said set of matches using said Metaphone based linguistic pattern analytical tool, Phonex based linguistic pattern analytical tool, said Soundex based linguistic pattern analytical tool, an edit-distance based linguistic pattern analytical tool, and a dictionaries based linguistic pattern analytical tool to provide at least one set of matched attributes;   (m) combining said at least one set of matched attributes to provide a combined result; and   (l) wherein at least one of the actions of (a) through (m) above is implemented using at least one data processing system.