Finding relatives in a database

Abstract

Determining relative relationships of people who share a common ancestor within at least a threshold number of generations includes: receiving recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of a first user and recombinable DNA sequence information of a plurality of users; processing, using one or more computer processors, the recombinable DNA sequence information of the plurality of users in parallel; determining, based at least in part on a result of processing the recombinable DNA information of the plurality of users in parallel, a predicted degree of relationship between the first user and a user among the plurality of users, the predicted degree of relative relationship corresponding to a number of generations within which the first user and the second user share a common ancestor.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of operating a relative finder database to display relative relationship information, comprising:
 retrieving autosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of a first user and a plurality of users in the relative finder database;   estimating a degree of relative relationship between the first user and one or more users among the plurality of users, wherein the one or more users among the plurality of users were previously unknown to the first user;   receiving a first opt-in election from the first user to consent to being presented with potential relatives among users in the relative finder database;   receiving a second opt-in election from each user of the plurality of users to consent to being presented with potential relatives among users in the relative finder database; and   providing, in response to having received the first opt-in election and the second opt-in elections, to the first user information about the one or more users including the estimated degree of relative relationship between the first user and each of the one or more users, wherein the first user and the one or more users share a common ancestor within a threshold number of generations.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first opt-in election from the first user is received via a graphical user interface (GUI) on a client device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the second opt-in elections from each user of the plurality of users is received via a GUI on a client device. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the information about the one or more users comprises:
 an entry of personal details that each of the one or more users has chosen to make public;   a number of IBD segments shared between the first user and each of the one or more users;   a length of IBD segments shared between the first user and each of the one or more users or the length represented as a percentage; and   the estimated degree of relative relationship between the first user and each of the one or more users.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the information about the one or more users comprises a range of possible relative relationships between the first user and each of the one or more users. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the information about the one or more users comprises a list of the one or more users sorted in descending order with a closest estimated relative positioned at the top of the list. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , the information about the one or more users further comprising: a family tree including the first user and the one or more users based on the estimated degree of relative relationship between the first user and each of the one or more users. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising, before presenting the information about the one or more users, displaying a message to the first user warning about a possibility of finding out about close relatives the user did not know he/she had. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , the message comprises warning about negative consequences of finding out about the close relatives the user did not know he/she had. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising, after displaying the message to the first user and before presenting the information about each of the one or more users, receiving a third opt-in election from the first user to consent to viewing the information about the one or more users. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the information about the one or more users is presented in response to having received the third opt-in election, as well as having received the first opt-in election and the second opt-in elections. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising, before sending the information about the one or more users, receiving from the first user the threshold number of generations. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the information about the one or more users further comprises personal information of the one or more users, possible ranges of estimated relationships between the first user and the one or more users, amounts of DNA matching between the first user and the one or more users, and/or segments of DNA shared between the first user and the one or more users. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising, before presenting the information about the one or more users, receiving from the one or more users an input specifying what information is to be shared with other users. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising receiving from a first user a request to connect with a second user among the one or more users. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the request comprises an indication specifying what data is to be shared with the second user. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising in response to receiving the request from the first user, notifying the second user of the request from the first user. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising: in response to notifying the second user of the request from the first user, receiving, from the second user, an acceptance of the request. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the acceptance comprises an indication specifying what data is to be shared with the first user. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , further comprising: in response to receiving the acceptance of the request, establishing a connection between the first user and the second user. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the establishing the connection comprises granting the first user access to the second user's data specified by the second user and granting the second user access to the first user's data specified by the first user. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the establishing the connection comprises allowing the first user and the second user to communicate through an interactive GUI. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein providing to the first user information about the one or more users comprises presenting the information about the one or more users in an interactive GUI. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the interactive GUI comprises a graphical display structure displaying the first user, the one or more users who may be potential relatives, and the estimated degree of relative relationship between the first user and each of the one or more users. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , the graphical display structure further comprising: a plurality of connection buttons each corresponding to one of the one or more users, each connection button configured to respond to a user input to send a connection request to a corresponding user of the one or more users associated with the connection button. 
     
     
         46 . A system comprising:
 a relative finder database comprising autosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of a first user and a plurality of users;   a network interface; and   one or more processors configured to:
 retrieve the autosomal DNA sequence information of the first user and the plurality of users; 
 estimate a degree of relative relationship between the first user and one or more users among the plurality of users, wherein the one or more users among the plurality of users were previously unknown to the first user; 
 receive, through the network interface, first opt-in election from the first user to consent to being presented with potential relatives among users in the relative finder database; 
 receive, through the network interface, a second opt-in election from each user of the plurality of users to consent to being presented with potential relatives among users in the relative finder database; and 
 provide, in response to having received the first opt-in election and the second opt-in elections, to the first user information about the one or more users including the estimated degree of relative relationship between the first user and each of the one or more users, wherein the first user and the one or more users share a common ancestor within a threshold number of generations. 
   
     
     
         47 . A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations for operating a relative finder database, said program code comprising code for:
 retrieving autosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of a first user and a plurality of users in the relative finder database;   estimating a degree of relative relationship between the first user and one or more users among the plurality of users, wherein the one or more users among the plurality of users were previously unknown to the first user;   receiving a first opt-in election from the first user to consent to being presented with potential relatives among users in the relative finder database;   receiving a second opt-in election from each user of the plurality of users to consent to being presented with potential relatives among users in the relative finder database; and   providing, in response to having received the first opt-in election and the second opt-in elections, to the first user information about the one or more users including the estimated degree of relative relationship between the first user and each of the one or more users, wherein the first user and the one or more users share a common ancestor within a threshold number of generations.