U.S. patent application number 17/806382 was filed with the patent office on 2022-09-22 for systems and methods for training and executing a neural network for collaborative monitoring of resource usage.
This patent application is currently assigned to Capital One Services, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Capital One Services, LLC. Invention is credited to Fardin ABDI TAGHI ABAD, Reza FARIVAR, Jeremy GOODSITT, Vincent PHAM, Anh TRUONG, Austin WALTERS, Mark WATSON.
Application Number | 20220300813 17/806382 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006391355 |
Filed Date | 2022-09-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220300813 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
FARIVAR; Reza ; et
al. |
September 22, 2022 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRAINING AND EXECUTING A NEURAL NETWORK FOR
COLLABORATIVE MONITORING OF RESOURCE USAGE
Abstract
Disclosed are systems and methods for training and executing a
neural network for collaborative monitoring of resource usage
metrics. For example, a method may include receiving user data
sets, grouping the user data sets into one or more clusters of user
data sets, grouping each of the one or more clusters into a
plurality of subclusters, for each of the plurality of subclusters,
training the neural network to associate the subcluster with one or
more sequential patterns found within the subcluster, grouping the
plurality of user data sets into a plurality of teams, receiving a
first series of transactions of a first user, inputting the first
series of transactions into the trained neural network,
classifying, using the trained neural network, the first user into
a subcluster among the plurality of subclusters, generating a
metric associated with the first series of transactions, generating
a recommendation to the first user.
Inventors: |
FARIVAR; Reza; (Champaign,
IL) ; GOODSITT; Jeremy; (Champaign, IL) ; ABDI
TAGHI ABAD; Fardin; (Seattle, WA) ; WALTERS;
Austin; (Savoy, IL) ; WATSON; Mark; (Urbana,
IL) ; TRUONG; Anh; (Champaign, IL) ; PHAM;
Vincent; (Champaign, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Capital One Services, LLC |
McLean |
VA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Capital One Services, LLC
McLean
VA
|
Family ID: |
1000006391355 |
Appl. No.: |
17/806382 |
Filed: |
June 10, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16849126 |
Apr 15, 2020 |
11379721 |
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17806382 |
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16414540 |
May 16, 2019 |
10657445 |
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16849126 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06N 3/08 20130101; G06Q
20/204 20130101; G06F 16/285 20190101; G06N 3/0445 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06N 3/08 20060101
G06N003/08; G06F 16/28 20060101 G06F016/28; G06N 3/04 20060101
G06N003/04 |
Claims
1. A computer system for training and executing a neural network
for collaborative monitoring of resource usage metrics, the system
comprising: a memory having processor-readable instructions stored
therein; and at least one processor configured to access the memory
and execute the processor-readable instructions, which when
executed by the processor configures the processor to perform a
plurality of functions, including functions for: receiving or
generating a plurality of user data sets, wherein each user data
set of the plurality of user data sets comprises a user
identification data of a user and a detailed user data of the user;
grouping the plurality of the user data sets into one or more
clusters of user data sets; grouping each of the one or more
clusters into a plurality of subclusters; for each of the plurality
of subclusters, training the neural network to associate the
subcluster with one or more sequential patterns found within the
subcluster, based on the user data sets in the subcluster, to
generate a trained neural network; grouping the plurality of user
data sets into a plurality of teams, each team in the plurality of
teams including a plurality of teamed user data sets among the
plurality of user data sets; receiving a first series of
transactions of a first user, the first user corresponding to a
first teamed user data set included in the plurality of teamed user
data sets in a first team among the plurality of teams, and the
first series of transactions including one or more transactions
performed by the first user; inputting the first series of
transactions into the trained neural network; classifying, using
the trained neural network, the first user into a subcluster among
the plurality of subclusters, based on the first series of
transactions input into the trained neural network, to generate a
classified subcluster of the first user; based on the classified
subcluster of the first user, generating a metric associated with
the first series of transactions; and generating a recommendation
to the first user, the recommendation requesting the first user to
enter the metric associated with the first series of transactions
for updating one or more team metrics associated with the first
team.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of functions
further comprise: updating a team standing associated with the
first team based on the metric associated with the first series of
transactions.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of functions
further comprise: updating a team score associated with the first
team based on the metric associated with the first series of
transactions, to generate an updated team score associated with the
first team.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of functions
further comprise: updating a ranked list of the plurality of teams,
based on the updated team score associated with the first team.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of functions
further comprise: receiving one or more messages from one or more
users included in the first team, each of the one or more messages
comprising a metadata indicating a target user included in the
first team.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of functions
further comprise: transmitting each of the one or more messages to
a device associated with the target user.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of functions
further comprise: removing personally identifiable information from
each of the plurality of user data sets.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of functions
further comprise: transmitting a notification indicative of the
classified subcluster of the first user to one or more devices
associated with one or more users included in the first team.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification further
comprises the metric associated with the first series of
transactions.
10. A computer-implemented method for collaborative monitoring of
resource usage metrics, the method comprising: receiving or
generating, by one or more processors, a plurality of user data
sets, wherein each user data set of the plurality of user data sets
comprises a user identification data of a user and a detailed user
data of the user; grouping, by the one or more processors, the
plurality of user data sets into a plurality of teams, each team in
the plurality of teams including a plurality of user data sets;
receiving from a first user, at a user interface, a first series of
transactions of the first user, the first user corresponding to a
user data set included in the plurality of user data sets in a
first team among the plurality of teams, and the first series of
transactions including one or more transactions performed by the
first user; classifying, by the one or more processors, the first
series of transactions to a first category among a plurality of
categories, based on a set of rules in an electronic rules
repository; based at least in part on the first category,
generating, by the one or more processors, a metric associated with
the first series of transactions; and updating, by the one or more
processors, a team standing associated with the first team based on
the metric.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of rules comprises one
or more mappings between the plurality of categories and a
plurality of transaction types.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the classifying the first
series of transactions to the first category further comprises:
identifying, by the one or more processors, a first transaction
type of the plurality of transaction types, the first transaction
type being associated with the first series of transactions from
one or more metadata associated with the first series of
transactions; and determining, by the one or more processors, the
first category by applying the first transaction type to the one or
more mappings.
13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: updating, by the
one or more processors, the team score associated with the first
team based on the metric, to generate an updated team score
associated with the first team.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: updating, by the
one or more processors, a ranked list of the plurality of teams,
based on the updated team score associated with the first team.
15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, by the
one or more processors, one or more messages from one or more users
included in the first team, each of the one or more messages
comprising a metadata indicating a target user included in the
first team.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: transmitting, by
the one or more processors, each of the one or more messages to a
device associated with the target user.
17. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving or generating the
plurality of user data sets further comprises: removing, by the one
or more processors, personally identifiable information from each
of the plurality of user data sets.
18. The method of claim 10, further comprising: transmitting, by
the one or more processors, a notification indicative of the first
category to one or more devices associated with one or more users
included in the first team.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the notification further
comprises the metric associated with the first series of
transactions.
20. A computer system for training and executing a neural network
for collaborative monitoring of resource usage metrics, the
computer system comprising: a memory having processor-readable
instructions stored therein; and at least one processor configured
to access the memory and execute the processor-readable
instructions, which when executed by the processor configures the
processor to perform a plurality of functions, including functions
for: receiving or generating a plurality of user data sets, wherein
each user data set of the plurality of user data sets comprises a
user identification data of a user and a detailed user data of the
user; removing personally identifiable information from each of the
plurality of user data sets; grouping the plurality of the user
data sets into one or more clusters of user data sets; grouping
each of the one or more clusters into a plurality of subclusters;
for each of the plurality of subclusters, training the neural
network to associate the subcluster with one or more sequential
patterns found within the subcluster, based on the user data sets
in the subcluster, to generate a trained neural network; grouping
the plurality of user data sets into a plurality of teams, each
team in the plurality of teams including a plurality of teamed user
data sets among the plurality of user data sets; receiving a first
series of transactions of a first user, the first user
corresponding to a teamed user data set included in the plurality
of teamed user data sets in a first team among the plurality of
teams, and the first series of transactions including one or more
transactions performed by the first user; inputting the first
series of transactions into the trained neural network;
classifying, using the trained neural network, the first user into
a subcluster among the plurality of subclusters, based on the first
series of transactions input into the trained neural network, to
generate a classified subcluster of the first user; based on the
classified subcluster of the first user, generating a metric
associated with the first series of transactions; generating a
recommendation to the first user, the recommendation requesting the
first user to enter the metric associated with the first series of
transactions for updating one or more team metrics associated with
the first team; in response to determining that the first user
indicated an acceptance of the recommendation, updating a team
standing associated with the first team based on the metric
associated with the first series of transactions; in response to
determining that the first user indicated an acceptance of the
recommendation, updating a team score associated with the first
team based on the metric, to generate an updated team score
associated with the first team; in response to determining that
first user accepted the recommendation, updating a ranked list of
the plurality of teams, based on the updated team score associated
with the first team; receiving one or more messages from one or
more users included in the first team, each of the one or more
messages comprising a metadata indicating a target user included in
the first team; and transmitting each of the one or more messages
to a device associated with the target user.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Various embodiments of the present disclosure generally
relate to collaborative monitoring of resource usage metrics, and
more particularly, to using a trained neural network or a specific
set of rules to monitor collaborative resource usage of different
user groups.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electronic transactions generate computer-readable data that
are frequently collected and stored. For example, when a user of a
transaction instrument (e.g., mobile pay, online payment accounts,
credit accounts, etc.) electronically transacts throughout a given
period of time, the transaction data for the particular user can be
collected and stored sequentially at a server of an issuer of the
transaction instrument. Advantageously, such a server may leverage
the sequentially stored transaction data to electronically compute
or generate useful solutions. Thus, it is highly desirable for
issuer servers of financial instruments to intelligently and
effectively utilize the collected data to generate useful
analytics, and provide practical feedback based thereon.
[0003] The background description provided herein is for the
purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this
section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are
not admitted to be prior art, or suggestions of the prior art, by
inclusion in this section.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0004] According to certain aspects of the disclosure, systems and
methods are disclosed to train and execute a neural network for
collaborative monitoring of resource usage.
[0005] In one embodiment, a computer system is disclosed for
training and executing a neural network for collaborative
monitoring of resource usage metrics. The computer system may
comprise: a memory having processor-readable instructions stored
therein; and at least one processor configured to access the memory
and execute the processor-readable instructions, which when
executed by the processor configures the processor to perform a
plurality of functions, including functions for: receiving or
generating a plurality of user data sets, wherein each user data
set of the plurality of user data sets comprises a user
identification data of a user and a detailed user data of the user;
grouping the plurality of the user data sets into one or more
clusters of user data sets; grouping each of the one or more
clusters into a plurality of subclusters; for each of the plurality
of subclusters, training the neural network to associate the
subcluster with one or more sequential patterns found within the
subcluster, based on the user data sets in the subcluster, to
generate a trained neural network; grouping the plurality of user
data sets into a plurality of teams, each team in the plurality of
teams including a plurality of teamed user data sets among the
plurality of user data sets; receiving a first series of
transactions of a first user, the first user corresponding to a
first teamed user data set included in the plurality of teamed user
data sets in a first team among the plurality of teams, and the
first series of transactions including one or more transactions
performed by the first user; inputting the first series of
transactions into the trained neural network; classifying, using
the trained neural network, the first user into a subcluster among
the plurality of subclusters, based on the first series of
transactions input into the trained neural network, to generate a
classified subcluster of the first user; based on the classified
subcluster of the first user, generating a metric associated with
the first series of transactions; and generating a recommendation
to the first user, the recommendation requesting the first user to
enter the metric associated with the first series of transactions
for updating one or more team metrics associated with the first
team.
[0006] In accordance with another embodiment, a
computer-implemented method is disclosed for collaborative
monitoring of resource usage metrics. The computer-implemented
method may comprise: receiving or generating, by one or more
processors, a plurality of user data sets, wherein each user data
set of the plurality of user data sets comprises a user
identification data of a user and a detailed user data of the user;
grouping, by the one or more processors, the plurality of user data
sets into a plurality of teams, each team in the plurality of teams
including a plurality of user data sets; receiving from a first
user, at a user interface, a first series of transactions of the
first user, the first user corresponding to a user data set
included in the plurality of user data sets in a first team among
the plurality of teams, and the first series of transactions
including one or more transactions performed by the first user;
classifying, by the one or more processors, the first series of
transactions to a first category among a plurality of categories,
based on a set of rules in an electronic rules repository; based at
least in part on the first category, generating, by the one or more
processors, a metric associated with the first series of
transactions; and updating, by the one or more processors, a team
standing associated with the first team based on the metric.
[0007] In accordance with another embodiment, a computer system is
disclosed for training and executing a neural network for
collaborative monitoring of resource usage metrics. The computer
system may comprise: a memory having processor-readable
instructions stored therein; and at least one processor configured
to access the memory and execute the processor-readable
instructions, which when executed by the processor configures the
processor to perform a plurality of functions, including functions
for: receiving or generating a plurality of user data sets, wherein
each user data set of the plurality of user data sets comprises a
user identification data of a user and a detailed user data of the
user; removing personally identifiable information from each of the
plurality of user data sets; grouping the plurality of the user
data sets into one or more clusters of user data sets; grouping
each of the one or more clusters into a plurality of subclusters;
for each of the plurality of subclusters, training the neural
network to associate the subcluster with one or more sequential
patterns found within the subcluster, based on the user data sets
in the subcluster, to generate a trained neural network; grouping
the plurality of user data sets into a plurality of teams, each
team in the plurality of teams including a plurality of teamed user
data sets among the plurality of user data sets; receiving a first
series of transactions of a first user, the first user
corresponding to a teamed user data set included in the plurality
of teamed user data sets in a first team among the plurality of
teams, and the first series of transactions including one or more
transactions performed by the first user; inputting the first
series of transactions into the trained neural network;
classifying, using the trained neural network, the first user into
a subcluster among the plurality of subclusters, based on the first
series of transactions input into the trained neural network, to
generate a classified subcluster of the first user; based on the
classified subcluster of the first user, generating a metric
associated with the first series of transactions; generating a
recommendation to the first user, the recommendation requesting the
first user to enter the metric associated with the first series of
transactions for updating one or more team metrics associated with
the first team; in response to determining that the first user
indicated an acceptance of the recommendation, updating a team
standing associated with the first team based on the metric
associated with the first series of transactions; in response to
determining that the first user indicated an acceptance of the
recommendation, updating a team score associated with the first
team based on the metric, to generate an updated team score
associated with the first team; in response to determining that
first user accepted the recommendation, updating a ranked list of
the plurality of teams, based on the updated team score associated
with the first team; receiving one or more messages from one or
more users included in the first team, each of the one or more
messages comprising a metadata indicating a target user included in
the first team; and transmitting each of the one or more messages
to a device associated with the target user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various
exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to
explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments.
[0009] FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams of exemplary environments in
which methods, systems, and other aspects of the present disclosure
may be implemented.
[0010] FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for
generating a customized training dataset for a neural network and
training the neural network using the training dataset, according
to one or more embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for
generating a user-facing recommendation to add a metric resulting
from the series of transactions to update team metrics, according
to one or more embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 4 depicts an example scheme of how users may be grouped
into clusters and subclusters, according to one or more
embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for
collaborative monitoring of resource usage metrics, according to
one or more embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary computer device or system, in
which embodiments of the present disclosure, or portions thereof,
may be implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0015] The following embodiments describe systems and methods for a
collaborative monitoring of resource usage metrics. Such monitoring
may be performed on a series of transactions by training and
executing a neural network such as, for example, a recurrent neural
network (RNN), to dynamically classify the transactions and
determine user-facing recommendations. If the user-facing
recommendations are accepted by a user, the systems and methods of
the present disclosure may enable dynamic updates in the
collaboratively monitored resource usage. A specifically customized
training of neural networks (e.g., RNNs) practically applied to
transactions for providing a user-specific feedback and/or
team-specific analytics are unconventional and innovative
automations which necessarily achieve technological improvements
through the specific process described in more detail below, in a
sharp contrast to merely providing a well-known or routine
environment for performing a manual or mental task. While RNNs are
referenced throughout the application, alternative neural networks
or decision support tools may be used for classification of user
transactions. For example, any one or more of a convolutional
neural network (CNN), a regional convolutional neural network
(R-CNN), a decision tree, and/or a set of preset rules (e.g.,
mapping) may be used for dynamically classifying transactions,
without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
[0016] Some users of electronic transaction instruments (e.g.,
mobile pay systems, online payment accounts, credit card accounts,
etc.) may often make poor financial decisions such as impulsive
purchases, serial purchases under hampered judgments (e.g.,
excessive gambling or alcohol consumption), or incurring of
unnecessary expenses (e.g., penalties for failure to pay minimum
balance(s)). According to aspects of the present disclosure, a
unique subcluster-based training of an RNN may allow an issuer
server system of a transaction instrument to use the trained RNN to
dynamically, automatically, and accurately recognize the quality of
user transactions. The transactions may be, for example, a series
of transactions performed by a particular user. In some
implementations, the recognition of the quality of user
transactions may be made via intelligent classification mechanisms
other than RNN or a neural network. Based on this recognition, the
issuer system may dynamically update various team-based metrics
corresponding to a pool of participating users, and display the
updated metrics at user interfaces accessible by the participating
users.
[0017] The subject matter of the present description will now be
described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying
drawings, which form a part thereof, and which show, by way of
illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. An embodiment or
implementation described herein as "exemplary" is not to be
construed as preferred or advantageous, for example, over other
embodiments or implementations; rather, it is intended to reflect
or indicate that the embodiment(s) is/are "example" embodiment(s).
Subject matter can be embodied in a variety of different forms and,
therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be
construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set
forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be
illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or
covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for
example, subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices,
components, or systems. Accordingly, embodiments may, for example,
take the form of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination
thereof (other than software per se). The following detailed
description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting
sense.
[0018] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have
nuanced meanings suggested or implied in context beyond an
explicitly stated meaning. Likewise, the phrase "in one embodiment"
as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment
and the phrase "in another embodiment" as used herein does not
necessarily refer to a different embodiment. It is intended, for
example, that claimed subject matter include combinations of
exemplary embodiments in whole or in part.
[0019] The terminology used below may be interpreted in its
broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in
conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific
examples of the present disclosure. Indeed, certain terms may even
be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be
interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and
specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed
description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not
restrictive of the features, as claimed.
[0020] In this disclosure, the term "based on" means "based at
least in part on." The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include
plural referents unless the context dictates otherwise. The term
"exemplary" is used in the sense of "example" rather than "ideal."
The term "or" is meant to be inclusive and means either, any,
several, or all of the listed items. The terms "comprises,"
"comprising," "includes," "including," or other variations thereof,
are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a
process, method, or product that comprises a list of elements does
not necessarily include only those elements, but may include other
elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process,
method, article, or apparatus. Relative terms, such as,
"substantially" and "generally," are used to indicate a possible
variation of .+-.10% of a stated or understood value.
[0021] Referring now to the appended drawings, FIG. 1A shows an
exemplary environment 100A, according to one or more embodiments of
the present disclosure. As shown, system environment 100A may
include a network 102, an issuer server 104, an issuer database
106, an issuer system 114, a user 108, a point-of-sale (POS) system
110, and a user device 112. As used herein, an issuer system 114
may be a term that collectively refers to the issuer server 104 and
the issuer database 106 in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0022] In FIG. 1A, the POS system 110 may be a hardware POS device
at a physical location, such as a store, a restaurant, a
transaction booth, a transaction cart, a food truck, an office, a
place of residence, a vending machine, a gaming establishment, or
any other physical location where purchase of goods or services may
take place by a user 108 via an electronic transaction. The POS
system 110 also may be a portable device carried by a merchant, a
seller, a sales agent, or a delivery agent, which reads, accepts,
or validates an electronic transaction, such as a credit card
reader, a mobile payment reader, a payment processing application,
or any other portable device serving the purpose of accepting
and/or processing payments for commerce of goods or services.
Additionally, or alternatively, the POS system 110 may be a virtual
or online POS system for allowing a user 108 to engage in an
electronic commerce transaction via a user device 112 over a
network 102.
[0023] User 108 may engage in an electronic transaction with the
POS system 110 in various ways. For example, user 108 may hand over
a transaction instrument (e.g., a credit card, a debit card, etc.)
to an operator of the POS system 110, initiate contact of the
transaction instrument with the POS system 110 (e.g., by swiping,
tapping, or inserting the transaction instrument), initiate contact
of a user device 112 (e.g., a mobile phone) executing a mobile pay
application to a POS system 110, connect a user device 112
executing a mobile pay application to POS system 110 via a near
field communication (NFC) (e.g., contactless transaction instrument
reader), or engage in an electronic transaction in any other manner
which may allow the POS system 110 to directly or indirectly obtain
information from the user's 108 transaction instrument.
[0024] Once the POS system 110 obtains sufficient data necessary to
complete a particular transaction, the POS system 110 may transmit
transaction data to the issuer server 104 over the network 102.
This transmission of the transaction data to the issuer server 104
over network 102 may be a direct transmission or an indirect
transmission (e.g., an initial transmission to an intermediary such
as a card association system, followed by the intermediary
transmitting at least a part of the data to the issuer server 104).
The transaction data transmitted to the issuer server 104 may
include any data received and/or generated by the POS system 110
during the transaction. For example, the transaction data may
include a time stamp of the transaction, an identification of one
or more merchants associated with the transaction, an
identification of one or more purchasers associated with the
transaction, an identification of one or more transaction
instruments used in the transaction, an amount of fiscal resources
expended for the transaction, and/or any other data relevant to the
transaction and the POS system 110.
[0025] After collecting the transaction data, the issuer server 104
may record and store the transaction data in the issuer database
106. In system environment 100A, the POS system 110 may transmit a
separate transaction data for each transaction, and the issuer
server 104 may, in turn, receive and store each individual
transaction data separately for each respective transaction.
Handling each transaction data as separate entries may not only
serve the purpose of providing the most accurate fiscal accounting
for the user, but also prepare the most effective and accurate data
sets for the RNN's training and classification tasks described in
more detail below.
[0026] In one or more embodiments, the issuer server 104 and the
issuer database 106 may be one server computer device and a single
database, respectively. Alternatively, in one or more embodiments,
the issuer server 104 may be a server cluster, or any other
collection or network of a plurality of computer servers. The
issuer database 106 also may be a collection of a plurality of
interconnected databases. The issuer server 104 and the issuer
database 106 may be components of one server system. Additionally,
or alternatively, the issuer server 104 and the issuer database 106
may be components of different server systems, with the network 102
serving as the communication channel between them. As noted above,
issuer system 114 may collectively refer to both the issuer server
104 and the issuer database 106.
[0027] FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary environment 100B, according to
one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In some
implementations, the components shown in the exemplary environment
100B may correspond to the components shown in the exemplary
environment 100A. For example, the issuer system 114 of
environments 100A and 100B may both refer to the same system. As
another example, user devices 112 of exemplary environment 100B may
include the user device 112 depicted in the exemplary environment
100A. In some implementations, the exemplary environments 100A and
100B may also refer to the same or overlapping environments, with
the depicted components showing different aspects of the same
environment. Additionally, or alternatively, the exemplary
environment 100B may be an environment in which one or more
components are different from the corresponding components in the
exemplary environment 100A. For example, the issuer system 114,
which is shown in both FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, may be referring to a
same or common component implemented at different times, different
subcomponents belonging to the same component, or different
components communicatively coupled to each other.
[0028] In FIG. 1B, user devices 112 may be in communication with
the issuer system 114 over the network 102. One or more of the user
devices 112 may correspond to a user 108. For example, a first user
108 may have a plurality of user devices 112 (e.g., one or more
laptop computers, one or more tablet devices, one or more mobile
devices, etc.), all of which may be in communication with the
issuer system 114 as devices of the first user 108. In addition,
each user 108 may be a user of a transaction instrument (e.g., a
credit card, a debit card, etc.) that is capable of transacting
with a POS device 110, as described above with respect to FIG.
1A.
[0029] In the exemplary environment 100B, the issuer system 114 may
group the users 108 into a plurality of teams (e.g., "team one"
111, "team two" 113, . . . , "team N" 115, as shown in FIG. 1B).
Any finite number of teams may be formed, and the number of teams
may be predetermined at the issuer server 104 or any other
computing system in communication with the exemplary environment
100B. Additionally, the number of teams may be modified in order to
account for circumstances such as, for example, additions of new
users into the pool of participating users, and/or formation of
additional or modified teams.
[0030] In some implementations, the plurality of teams may be
grouped randomly. For example, the issuer server 104 or any other
computing system in communication with the exemplary environment
100B may randomly group users 108 into a predetermined number of
teams each having one or more predetermined sizes.
[0031] Additionally, or alternatively, the plurality of teams may
be formed semi-randomly. For example, given a randomly formed set
of tentative teams, the issuer server 104 or any other computing
system in communication with the exemplary environment 100B may be
configured to determine a collective metric for each of those
tentative teams (e.g., average credit score of each team, average
checking account balance of each team, etc.), and swap or transfer
one or more users 108 between teams in such a way that
differentials between the teams' collective metrics do not exceed a
predetermined threshold (e.g., ensuring that the teams' average
credit scores do not exceed a threshold of permitted differential,
such as, e.g., 15%). During such a semi-random team formation
process, the collective metric of tentative teams may be computed
or determined based on user data sets each corresponding to a user
108, and the user data sets may be read or retrieved from any
database in communication with the exemplary environment 1006, such
as issuer database 106.
[0032] After the plurality of teams are formed, detailed
information about the teams may be stored in any database in
communication with the exemplary environment 1006, such as, for
example, issuer database 106. The stored information about the
teams, such as identifications of users who belong to each team,
may be updated as needed. For example, when a new user joins the
pool of participating users and is placed into a team, or when an
existing user leaves the pool of participating users, the teams may
be updated in accordance with one or more random or semi-random
formation rules, as described in detail above. Team information
updates may not be limited to updates to membership information.
For example, information regarding team metrics may be updated in
response to any modifications made to team metrics (e.g., team
standings, team scores, and/or team rankings). Thus, updates to the
information about the teams may occur dynamically and/or
periodically. For example, the updates may be set to occur via
periodic synchronizations, push or pull operations, synchronous or
asynchronous updates, modifications made during scheduled
maintenance, real-time updates in response to a detected event
(e.g., an addition of a user activity), or any other known or
suitable manner by which centrally stored information about the
teams may be updated with authorized modifications.
[0033] Further, the exemplary environment 100B may include a user
interface. The user interface may be displayed to each user 108
accessing the issuer system 114 as a team member, on at least one
user devices 112. The user interface may include features to enable
a user 108 to enter a user input, such as, for example, a series of
transactions performed by the user, acceptance of a system
recommendation to enter a series of transactions, or an instant
message to another user in the same team. Features to enable a user
108 to enter such a user input may include, for example, a text
field, pull down menu, a drop-down menu, a radio button group,
speech-to-text interface, or any other known or suitable input
mechanisms by which information regarding transactions or instant
messages may be conveyed from a user 108.
[0034] The user interface may also include features to display
detailed information about the teams, such as the team standings
within each team, the team scores pertaining to each team, and/or
team rankings among the teams (e.g., one or more ranked list of the
plurality of teams based on team scores). The user interface may be
configured to display the last updated version of the detailed
information, and also may be configured to refresh, either
periodically or by user initiation, the displayed information to
ensure that the displayed information is synchronized with the
recent updates made at the issuer system 114 or any other
authorized system in communication with the exemplary environment
1008.
[0035] The user interface may additionally include features to
enable exchange of private messages (e.g., instant messages) and/or
group chat messages over the network 102. For example, when a first
user 108 belonging to team one 111 selects a group chat message
feature on a user device 112 of the first user 108, the user
interface may load one or more input features (e.g., one or more
text fields), at which the first user 108 may enter a message
targeted for all other user devices 112 within team one 111. As
another example, a second user 108 belonging to team one 111 may
select a private messaging feature on user device 112 of the second
user 108. In response to this user selection, the user interface
may load one or more input features (e.g., one or more text
fields), and the second user 108 may enter a private message
targeted for one or more specific target users within team one 111,
as well as indications of the one or more specific target users.
Consequently, each private message being transmitted over the
network 102 may include a message originating from a user 108, as
well as an accompanying metadata indicating one or more target
users. In some implementations, the exchange of private messages
and/or the group chat messages may be limited to users within the
same team, such that users may only communicate with teammates.
Additionally, or alternatively, the issuer system 114 may allow the
exchange of messages and/or the group chat messages among users
belonging to different teams.
[0036] FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method 200 for
generating a customized training data set for a neural network
(such as, for example, an RNN), and training the neural network
using the training data set. In method 200, the issuer server 104
may first receive or generate a plurality of user data sets in an
issuer database 106 (Step 205). Each user data set may comprise a
user identification data of a user 108 and a detailed user data of
the user 108. For example, if a user data set corresponds to a data
set of a particular credit card account of a first user 108, the
user data set may include an identification of the first user 108
(e.g., the full name, an address, or a unique identifier of the
first user 108, an account identification, or any combination
thereof), as well as a detailed user data (e.g., individual
transactions made or authorized by the first user). In one or more
embodiments, the detailed user data of each of the user data sets
may be, for example, a collection of transaction data transmitted
to the issuer server 104 from the POS system 110, pertaining
particularly to the user account represented by the user data
set.
[0037] The plurality of user data sets in issuer database 106 may
be anonymized and/or sanitized by removing, obfuscating, or
converting all personally identifiable information from all of the
user data sets. (Step 207). Personally identifiable information may
be any data attribute subject to protection as defined by a
predetermined criteria, and may include, for example, name, social
security number, credit card number, expiry date information, email
address, account number, an identifier of users associated with an
account, an identifier of an account, contact information, or any
other piece of information that is specific to the identity of the
user 108 or the user's account. In one or more embodiments, the
plurality of user data sets may be anonymized by filtering the
plurality of user data sets through a data filtering system which
detects user data sets with personally identifiable information
based on predetermined conditions, and removes and/or replaces the
personally identifiable information. The issuer system 114 may be
configured such that protection of the personally identifiable
information is strictly implemented, or implemented with
additionally heightened privacy standards, at the user interface
for users 108 placed into teams. For example, anonymized user names
may be used for team standings, instant messages, or group chat
messages. The issuer system 114 may also be configured such that,
when a new series of transactions is added to one or more team
metrics, the details of the newly added series of transaction are
never disclosed to users other than the user responsible for the
new series of transactions. Rather, the issuer system 114 may be
configured such that, the other members in the team may only see a
metric associated with the newly added series of transactions,
and/or a characteristic associated with the metric.
[0038] The personally identifiable information, though removed
and/or blinded, may still be linked to the plurality of user data
sets. The personally identifiable information may be stored in case
the information is needed to verify a user or to comply with
federal or other applicable law. For example, when the user
securely logs onto the issuer server 104 for access to his or her
own account, the issuer server 104 may access the user's name,
address, social security number, birth date, or other personally
identifiable information to verify that a valid user is accessing
the information. The removed or blinded personally identifiable
information may be placed in the same server as the server storing
the anonymized and/or sanitized user data sets. If a system
administrator of the issuer server 104 chooses, the personally
identifiable information may be placed in a separate server for
increased security.
[0039] The plurality of user data sets may then be grouped into
clusters (Step 210). The grouping may be achieved by a clustering
or classification of the user data sets, with one or more
predetermined criteria as the parameters for grouping the user data
sets. The predetermined criteria for grouping may include, for
example, one or more of annual income, education level, family
size, job category, or any other criteria which represents a user
class independent of quality metrics of fiscal decisions. That is,
the grouping operation of Step 210 may group users into one or more
categories (e.g., socio-economic classes) without regard to user's
fiscal decision behavior qualities. For example, in the exemplary
scheme depicted in FIG. 4, classified cluster 421 may represent
"all users with annual income greater or equal to $100,000." As
shown, cluster 421 may include both users with credit scores at or
above 700, and users with credit scores below 700.
[0040] In some implementations, the grouping operation of Step 210
may occur using any measurement of similarity among the users, as
long as the grouping is based on a criteria that is independent of
fiscal decision behavior qualities. For example, users grouped into
the same cluster may have a similar income level (e.g., incomes
within a range of income), such that predictions can be made on
attributes of a particular user based on data corresponding to
other users in the same cluster. For the purpose of grouping in
Step 210, any clustering algorithm that groups data sets based on a
clustering criteria may be used. For implementing a clustering
algorithm, the clustering data space may be defined as, for
example, an n-dimensional space having an axis for each of the
clustering criteria. For example, Step 210 may be implemented using
a classical K-means clustering algorithm. Alternatively, Step 210
may be implemented using a more complex algorithm aiming for
enhanced modeling results, such as, for example, a Density-Based
Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN)
approach.
[0041] After grouping into clusters, each cluster may then be
grouped into a plurality of subclusters (Step 215). This grouping
operation may be achieved by clustering or classification of the
user data sets within each cluster, with one or more predetermined
criteria as the parameters for grouping the user data sets. The
predetermined criteria for grouping may include one or more of
credit score, an account balance, available credit, percentage of
credit used of users in each of the one or more clusters, or any
other metrics which indicates a quality of fiscal decisions made by
the user. The use of these metrics as classification criteria may
result in multiple ranges of users within a particular cluster,
including a range of users with higher quality metrics relating to
fiscal decisions, in addition to one or more other ranges of users
within the cluster with lower quality metrics relating to fiscal
decisions, as will be described in further detail below. For
example, as noted above, in the exemplary scheme depicted in FIG.
4, classified cluster 421 may represent "all users with annual
income greater or equal to $100,000." Additionally, cluster 421 may
include a subcluster of users 411 with credit scores at or above
700, and may include a subcluster of users 412 with credit scores
below 700. In this example, subcluster 411 may be indicative of
users with higher quality metrics relating to fiscal decisions,
while subcluster 412 may be indicative of users with lower quality
metrics relating to fiscal decisions.
[0042] In some implementations, the grouping operation of Step 215
may occur using any measurement of similarity among the users, as
long as the grouping of subclusters is based on a criteria
associated with the users' quality of fiscal decisions (e.g.,
spending behavior). For example, with use of a Dynamic Time Warping
(DTW) algorithm which compares sequences of different time-series
data having different time instance and time interval, a
dynamically customized clustering criteria, which incorporates the
similarity of users' spending behaviors, may be determined. For the
purpose of subcluster grouping in Step 215, any clustering
algorithm that groups data sets based on a selected criteria may be
used. For implementing such a clustering algorithm, the clustering
data space may be defined as, for example, an n-dimensional space
having an axis for each of the subclustering criteria. For example,
Step 215 may be implemented using a classical K-means clustering
algorithm. Alternatively, Step 215 may be implemented using a more
complex algorithm aiming for enhanced modeling results, such as,
for example, a Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications
with Noise (DBSCAN) approach.
[0043] After the plurality of user data sets are grouped into
subclusters, a neural network (e.g., RNN) may be trained based on
the subclusters (Step 220). As described above with respect to Step
205, each user data set may include detailed user data, and the
detailed user data may be a collection of transaction data
transmitted to the issuer server 104 from the POS system 110,
pertaining particularly to the user account represented by the user
data set. Thus, a collection of a particular user's 108 transaction
data represents a history of purchase decisions made by the user
108, in a time-based sequence. Each subcluster may be provided as a
training data set for the neural network (e.g., RNN), and the
training data set may include at least the detailed user data of
each user data set in the subcluster. Based on the training of the
neural network (e.g., RNN), the neural network (e.g., RNN) may
associate each subcluster with one or more patterns (e.g.,
sequential patterns) found within the subcluster.
[0044] The neural network (e.g., RNN) being trained in Step 220 may
be any type of neural network which can use an internal state
(e.g., memory) to process sequences of inputs from the collection
of transaction data of each user. In some implementations, LSTM may
be the type of neural network used for the training of the model
(e.g., Step 220) and the subsequent user classification (e.g., Step
315 as described in more detail below) in accordance with one or
more embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in a
particular iteration of training and/or subsequent classification
operations, an LSTM may compare two sequences of data, where each
of the two sequences may have its own time-stamped data points. The
data points in a given sequence may be fiscal transactions of the
particular user 108 to whom the sequence corresponds. For example,
a first sequence may have four large time-stamped transactions
(e.g., $100, $39, $90, and $40), and at respective time stamps
sufficiently similar (e.g., within a threshold range) to these four
transactions, a second sequence may also have four large, similar
transactions (e.g., $98, $40, $85, and $35). In addition, the first
sequence and the second sequence may both have smaller (e.g.,
smaller below a threshold) transactions, at disparate time stamps.
After comparing these two sequences, the LSTM may output that the
first sequence and the second sequence are matched successfully
(e.g., belonging to the same subcluster, for the purpose of
training a model and/or classifying a user), because of the
similarity of the large transactions being considered and the
dissimilarity of the smaller transactions being neglected. The
neural network (e.g., RNN), such as the LSTM described by way of
example above, may be stored in the issuer server 104, the issuer
database 106, or any other memory device accessible by the issuer
server 104.
[0045] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 for
generating a user-facing recommendation to add a metric resulting
from the series of transactions to update team metrics, according
to one or more embodiments.
[0046] First, a computing system (e.g., the issuer system 114) may
group the users 108 into a plurality of teams, by grouping the
plurality of user data sets (Step 305). For example, such grouping
may be performed semi-randomly, as described above with respect to
FIG. 1B. Then, a computing system (e.g., the issuer system 114) may
dynamically receive a series of transactions, e.g., a first series
of transactions, associated with a specific user of a specific
team, e.g., a first user 108 team one 111 (Step 310). In one or
more embodiments, the process of dynamically receiving the first
series of transactions may be initiated and performed independently
of the process of preparing a training data set for a neural
network (e.g., RNN) and training the neural network (e.g., RNN)
(e.g., the exemplary method 200 of FIG. 2). For example, data
collection for creation of a training data set for the neural
network (e.g., RNN) may occur at predetermined time intervals at a
neural network (e.g., RNN) training subsystem of the issuer server
104, while data collection of transactions for the purpose of
generating recommendations for a first user 108 may occur
separately at another independent subsystem (e.g., user
recommendation subsystem). In this way, a user recommendation
subsystem may use any available previously trained neural network
(e.g., RNN) at the neural network training subsystem (e.g., the
neural network last trained by the neural network training
subsystem). The neural network (e.g., RNN) training subsystem and
the user recommendation subsystem may both be subsystems
implemented by a computing system, such as the issuer server
104.
[0047] Alternatively, the process of receiving the first series of
transactions in accordance with Step 310, may be performed by the
issuer server 104, only after issuer server 104 completely performs
a full iteration of the neural network (e.g., RNN) training process
in accordance with, for example, exemplary method 200 depicted in
the flowchart of FIG. 2. Accordingly, the exemplary method 300 may
only be performed after completion of a neural network (e.g., RNN)
training process, rather than, for example, allowing method 200 and
method 300 to run independently of each other. In such an
arrangement, the exemplary method 300 may be a continuation of the
exemplary method 200.
[0048] In one or more embodiments, the dynamic receiving of the
first series of transactions (e.g., Step 310) may be real-time, or
substantially real-time, for each transaction within the first
series of transactions. Additionally, or alternatively, the dynamic
receiving of the first series of transactions (e.g., Step 310) may
be conducted at a predetermined interval. For example, at midnight
of each day, the issuer server 104 may retrieve all transactions
made by the first user 108 during the 24-hour interval, in a series
of transactions sorted from oldest to newest, from a data source
such as issuer database 106.
[0049] Next, the first series of transactions may be input into the
trained neural network (e.g., RNN) (Step 315). As described above
with respect to FIG. 2, the neural network (e.g., RNN) may have
been trained to make associations between one or more sequential
patterns and a subcluster of users. Thus, the trained neural
network may be uniquely customized for classifying this particular
observed user (e.g., the first user 108 with whom the first series
of transactions are associated) to a particular subcluster of
users, based on the first series of transactions of the first user
108. Accordingly, the trained neural network (e.g., RNN) may be
used to classify the first user 108 into a subcluster (Step 320).
The output of the classification step may be, for example, one or
more probability values for whether this user 108 belongs to
certain subclusters. For example, the output may indicate that
according to the first series of transactions, the first user 108
has a 90% chance of belonging to the subcluster with credit score
less than 700, and 10% chance of belonging to the subcluster with
credit score at or higher than 700. The output also may be a
selection or identification of one subcluster, which has the
highest likelihood of having the first user 108 as a member.
[0050] With the output from the classification step, the computing
system (e.g., issuer system 114) may proceed to generate a metric
associated with the first series of transactions (Step 325). The
metric may be any one or more values indicative of quality of the
first series of transactions, derived based on the classification
results from Step 320. The metric may include, for example, a
simple binary variable which may be set to either a positive flag
value (e.g., the transactions characterized as good, wise, above
average, etc.) or a negative flag value (e.g., the transactions
characterized as bad, reckless, below average, etc.), resulting
from applying a predetermined threshold to the neural network
(e.g., RNN)-based classification results. Additionally, or
alternatively, the metric may include, for example, a numeric score
associated with the first series of transactions. Such a numeric
score may be computed based on, for example, the subcluster
classification performed at Step 320 described above (e.g., a
classification result indicating 10% chance of belonging to a
target subcluster may render a score of 10 out of 100). Such a
numeric score may alternatively be arrived at by using a weighted
combination of the classification probability values output by Step
320, with the weights being predetermined by, for example, user
input.
[0051] The computing system (e.g., issuer system 114) may then
generate a recommendation to the first user 108, the recommendation
being indicative of (e.g., urging or requesting users to consider)
updating one or more team metrics associated with the first team
(e.g., team one 111), using the generated metric associated with
the first series of transactions (Step 330). The computing system
(e.g., issuer system 114) may use the user interface at a user
device 112 of the first user 108 to indicate to the first user 108
that the first series of transactions has been tagged with a
certain metric (e.g., a numeric score or any other quality
indicator such as "good" or "bad"). In addition to informing the
user of this tagged metric, the user interface may display a
recommendation for adding the metric to one or more team metrics of
the first team (e.g., team one 111). In this process, the user
interface may display preconfigured texts to the first user 108,
which indicates, for example, incentives or rewards for adding
individual metrics to the team metrics.
[0052] The user interface may provide a prompt, an interactive
tool, a link, or an instruction which allows the first user 108 to
accept the recommendation (Step 335). If the computing system
(e.g., issuer system 114) detects that the first user 108 declined
the recommendation (e.g., by proactively inputting a negative
response, exiting the interface, loading or entering another series
of transactions, or initiating any other response predetermined as
a decline), then the computing system may end the process for the
first series of transactions (Step 340).
[0053] If the computing system (e.g., issuer system 114) detects
that the first user 108 accepted the recommendation (e.g., by
proactively inputting a positive response, proceeding to steps
guided by the recommendation, entering of the first series of
transactions for updating the team metrics, or initiating any other
response predetermined as an acceptance), then the computing system
may update one or more team metrics associated with the first team
(e.g., team one 111) (Step 345). For example, the computing system
may update a team standing associated with the first team (e.g.,
standing of team members within the first team based on each user's
metrics) and update a team score associated with the first team
(e.g., a composite score of the first team, or any other quality
metric indicative of the first team's performance as a whole).
[0054] Additionally, the computing system (e.g., issuer system 114)
may update a ranked list of the plurality of teams, based on the
updates made to the team score of the first team (e.g., team one
111). For example, the updating of the team score or any other team
metrics of the first team may affect the ranked position of the
first team (e.g., team one 111) among the plurality of teams under
one or more ranking criteria. One ranking criterion may be ranking
the plurality of teams by overall team score, and other ranking
criteria may include, for example, ranking by team scores' trends,
by team scores for a particular time period, by median individual
metrics for each team, etc. Accordingly, the computing system may
update the rankings and/or the ranked lists for predetermined
ranking criteria, and make the rankings and/or the ranked lists
available for display at the user interface. Such updates to the
information about the teams may occur dynamically and/or
periodically. For example, the updates may be set to occur via
periodic synchronizations, push or pull operations, synchronous or
asynchronous updates, modifications made during scheduled
maintenance, real-time updates in response to a detected event
(e.g., an addition of a user activity), or any other known or
suitable manner by which a centrally stored information about the
teams may be updated with authorized modifications.
[0055] FIG. 4 depicts an example scheme 400 of how users 401A-404B
may be grouped into clusters and subclusters, according to one or
more embodiments. As described above with respect to FIG. 2, a
general collection of users 431 may be grouped into clusters at a
first level of data hierarchy, such as within cluster 421
indicative of those users with annual income at or above a
threshold value, and cluster 422 indicative of those users with
annual income below the threshold value. One or more predetermined
criteria for grouping at this level may include one or more of
annual income, education level, family size, job category, or any
other criteria which represents a user class independent of quality
metrics of fiscal decisions. Subsequently, the clusters 421 and 422
may each be grouped into subclusters at a second level of data
hierarchy, such as a subcluster 411 indicative of users with a
credit score at or above a threshold value and another subcluster
412 indicative of users with a credit score below the threshold
value. The predetermined criteria for grouping at the subcluster
level may include one or more of credit score, an account balance,
available credit, percentage of credit used, or any other metric
which indicates a quality of fiscal decisions made by the user. In
the example scheme 400, users 401A-401B may be grouped under
subcluster 411, users 402A-402C may be grouped under subcluster
412, users 403A-403C may be grouped under subcluster 413, and users
404A-404B may be grouped under subcluster 414, in the training data
set of the neural network (e.g., RNN). As described above with
respect to FIG. 2, this scheme may be implemented on a plurality of
user data sets, by clustering, grouping, or labeling the user data
sets according to these clusters and subclusters, in one or more
memory devices accessible by issuer server 104 such as issuer
database 106.
[0056] FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 for
collaborative monitoring of resource usage metrics, according to
one or more embodiments. First, a computing system (e.g., the
issuer system 114) may receive or generate a plurality of user data
sets, in a database in communication with the computing system
(e.g., issuer database 106) (Step 205). Each user data set may
comprise a user identification data of a user 108 and a detailed
user data of the user 108. For example, if a user data set
corresponds to a data set of a particular credit card account of a
first user 108, the user data set may include an identification of
the first user 108 (e.g., the full name, an address, or a unique
identifier of the first user 108, an account identification, or any
combination thereof), as well as a detailed user data (e.g.,
individual transactions made or authorized by the first user 108).
In one or more embodiments, the detailed user data of each of the
user data sets may be, for example, a collection of transaction
data transmitted to the issuer server 104 from the POS system 110,
pertaining particularly to the user account represented by the user
data set. The plurality of user data sets may be anonymized and/or
sanitized by removing, obfuscating, or converting all personally
identifiable information from all of the user data sets, as
described in detail above with respect to Step 207 of FIG. 2.
[0057] Based on the plurality of user data sets, a computing system
(e.g., the issuer system 114) may group the users 108 into a
plurality of teams, by grouping the plurality of user data sets
(Step 510). Such grouping may be performed semi-randomly, as
described above with respect to FIG. 1B.
[0058] Then, a computing system (e.g., the issuer system 114) may
receive a series of transactions, e.g., a first series of
transactions, associated with a specific user of a specific team,
e.g., a first user 108 a first team (e.g., team one 111) (Step
515). In the exemplary method 500, the first series of transaction
may be received by the input initiated by the first user 108. For
example, the receiving of the first series of transactions may be
real-time, or substantially real-time, for each transaction within
the first series of transactions, if the user 108 initiates
inputting of each transaction as soon as the transaction occurs at
the POS system 110 (e.g., voluntarily, or in response to a reminder
and/or notification preset to appear after a transaction at the
user interface). Additionally, or alternatively, the receiving of
the first series of transactions (e.g., Step 310) may be conducted
at a predetermined interval. For example, at midnight of each day,
the issuer server 104 may prompt a first user 108 to enter all
transactions made by the first user 108 during the 24-hour
interval, and receive one or more series of transactions from the
first user 108 including the first series of transactions.
[0059] After receiving the first series of transactions, the
computing system (e.g., the issuer system 114) may classify the
first series of transactions to a first category (e.g., a category
among a plurality of categories), based on a set of classification
rules stored in an electronic rules repository (Step 520). The
electronic rules repository may be included in any database in
communication with the computing system, such as, for example,
issuer database 106. The set of rules may include one or more
mappings between a plurality of categories and a plurality of
transaction types. For example, the set of rules may include a
mapping between transaction type "casino spending" and category
"bad spending," and also include a mapping between transaction type
"paying balance in full" and category "good spending." The one or
more mappings may be predetermined data and/or dynamically updated
data in the electronic rules repository, based on, for example,
user inputs and/or data feed from one or more computing systems in
communication with the computing system.
[0060] Thus, when a first series of transactions is received, the
computing system (e.g., the issuer system 114) may, for example,
(i) identify a first transaction type associated with the first
series of transactions (e.g., by reading from one or more metadata
associated with the first series of transactions), and (ii)
determine the first category associated with the transaction type
by applying the transaction type to the one or more mappings in the
set of rules. The computing system may identify a transaction type
by, for example, reading metadata included in a transaction
received from a POS system 110, querying a POS system 110 regarding
a transaction to receive the transaction type, electronically
classifying a transaction into a type using transaction type rules,
and manually classifying a transaction into a type via an
operator's review of the transaction. In addition, if the computing
system identifies more than one transaction types in the first
series of transactions, the computing system may select one
transaction type by, for example, determining the most relevant
transaction type using predetermined rules on identifying highest
relevance (e.g., the transaction type corresponding to the largest
amount spent, the transaction type with highest number of
occurrences, etc.). Alternatively, if the computing system
identifies more than one transaction types in the first series of
transactions, the computing system may handle each transaction type
separately, at the next step of generating a metric associated with
the first series of transactions.
[0061] Next, based on the first category, the computing system may
generate a metric associated with the first series of transactions
(Step 525). The metric generating function under this step may be
performed in the same way as the metric generating function
described in detail above with respect to Step 325 of FIG. 3.
[0062] Based on the generated metric, the computing system may
update one or more team metrics associated with the first team
(e.g., team one 111) (Step 530). The functions of updating one or
more team metrics, such as the team standing associated with the
first team (e.g., team one 111), the team score associated with the
first team (e.g., team one 111), and the ranked list of the
plurality of teams, may be performed in the same way as the
updating function described in detail above with respect to Step
345 of FIG. 3.
[0063] One aspect by which the exemplary method 500 differs from
the exemplary method 300 is that, the exemplary method does not
generate or prompt recommendations for users. In the exemplary
method 500, the first series of transactions are transactions
received from the first user, as described above with respect to
Step 515. Thus, rather than automatically collecting transactions
and receiving user's approval regarding the collected transactions,
the exemplary method 500 may advantageously operate on data
voluntarily provided from the user, eliminating the need for a
separate recommendation/approval process.
[0064] FIG. 6 depicts a high-level functional block diagram of an
exemplary computer device or system, in which embodiments of the
present disclosure, or portions thereof, may be implemented, e.g.,
as computer-readable code. In some implementations, the issuer
server 104 (depicted in FIG. 1) may correspond to device 600.
Additionally, or alternatively, a server system comprising the
issuer server 104 and the issuer database 106 (depicted in FIG. 1)
may correspond to device 600. Additionally, each of the exemplary
computer servers, databases, user interfaces, and methods described
above with respect to FIGS. 1-5 can be implemented via device 600
using hardware, software, firmware, tangible computer readable
media having instructions stored thereon, or a combination thereof
and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other
processing systems. Hardware, software, or any combination of such
may implement each of the exemplary systems, user interfaces, and
methods described above with respect to FIGS. 1-5.
[0065] If programmable logic is used, such logic may be executed on
a commercially available processing platform or a special purpose
device. One of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that
embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with
various computer system configurations, including multi-core
multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers,
computers linked or clustered with distributed functions, as well
as pervasive or miniature computers that may be embedded into
virtually any device.
[0066] For instance, at least one processor device and a memory may
be used to implement the above-described embodiments. A processor
device may be a single processor or a plurality of processors, or
combinations thereof. Processor devices may have one or more
processor "cores."
[0067] Various embodiments of the present disclosure, as described
above in the examples of FIGS. 1-5, may be implemented using device
600. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a
person skilled in the relevant art how to implement embodiments of
the present disclosure using other computer systems and/or computer
architectures. Although operations may be described as a sequential
process, some of the operations may in fact be performed in
parallel, concurrently, and/or in a distributed environment, and
with program code stored locally or remotely for access by single
or multi-processor machines. In addition, in some embodiments the
order of operations may be rearranged without departing from the
spirit of the disclosed subject matter.
[0068] As shown in FIG. 6, device 600 may include a central
processing unit (CPU) 620. CPU 620 may be any type of processor
device including, for example, any type of special purpose or a
general-purpose microprocessor device. As will be appreciated by
persons skilled in the relevant art, CPU 620 also may be a single
processor in a multi-core/multiprocessor system, such system
operating alone, or in a cluster of computing devices operating in
a cluster or server farm. CPU 620 may be connected to a data
communication infrastructure 610, for example, a bus, message
queue, network, or multi-core message-passing scheme.
[0069] Device 600 also may include a main memory 640, for example,
random access memory (RAM), and also may include a secondary memory
630. Secondary memory 630, e.g., a read-only memory (ROM), may be,
for example, a hard disk drive or a removable storage drive. Such a
removable storage drive may comprise, for example, a floppy disk
drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flash
memory, or the like. The removable storage drive in this example
reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit in a
well-known manner. The removable storage unit may comprise a floppy
disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc., which is read by and
written to by the removable storage drive. As will be appreciated
by persons skilled in the relevant art, such a removable storage
unit generally includes a computer usable storage medium having
stored therein computer software and/or data.
[0070] In alternative implementations, secondary memory 630 may
include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other
instructions to be loaded into device 600. Examples of such means
may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as
that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as
an EPROM, or PROM) and associated socket, and other removable
storage units and interfaces, which allow software and data to be
transferred from a removable storage unit to device 600.
[0071] Device 600 also may include a communications interface
("COM") 660. Communications interface 660 allows software and data
to be transferred between device 600 and external devices.
Communications interface 660 may include a modem, a network
interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, a
PCMCIA slot and card, or the like. Software and data transferred
via communications interface 660 may be in the form of signals,
which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals
capable of being received by communications interface 660. These
signals may be provided to communications interface 660 via a
communications path of device 600, which may be implemented using,
for example, wire or cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular
phone link, an RF link or other communications channels.
[0072] The hardware elements, operating systems and programming
languages of such equipment are conventional in nature, and it is
presumed that those skilled in the art are adequately familiar
therewith. Device 600 also may include input and output ports 650
to connect with input and output devices such as keyboards, mice,
touchscreens, monitors, displays, etc. Of course, the various
server functions may be implemented in a distributed fashion on a
number of similar platforms, to distribute the processing load.
Alternatively, the servers may be implemented by appropriate
programming of one computer hardware platform.
[0073] The systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods disclosed
herein are described in detail by way of examples and with
reference to the figures. The examples discussed herein are
examples only and are provided to assist in the explanation of the
apparatuses, devices, systems, and methods described herein. None
of the features or components shown in the drawings or discussed
below should be taken as mandatory for any specific implementation
of any of these the apparatuses, devices, systems, or methods
unless specifically designated as mandatory. For ease of reading
and clarity, certain components, modules, or methods may be
described solely in connection with a specific figure. In this
disclosure, any identification of specific techniques,
arrangements, etc. are either related to a specific example
presented or are merely a general description of such a technique,
arrangement, etc. Identifications of specific details or examples
are not intended to be, and should not be, construed as mandatory
or limiting unless specifically designated as such. Any failure to
specifically describe a combination or sub-combination of
components should not be understood as an indication that any
combination or sub-combination is not possible. It will be
appreciated that modifications to disclosed and described examples,
arrangements, configurations, components, elements, apparatuses,
devices, systems, methods, etc. can be made and may be desired for
a specific application. Also, for any methods described, regardless
of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flow
diagram, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified or
required by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of steps
performed in the execution of a method does not imply that those
steps must be performed in the order presented but instead may be
performed in a different order or in parallel.
[0074] Throughout this disclosure, references to components or
modules generally refer to items that logically can be grouped
together to perform a function or group of related functions. Like
reference numerals are generally intended to refer to the same or
similar components. Components and modules can be implemented in
software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The
term "software" is used expansively to include not only executable
code, for example machine-executable or machine-interpretable
instructions, but also data structures, data stores and computing
instructions stored in any suitable electronic format, including
firmware, and embedded software. The terms "information" and "data"
are used expansively and includes a wide variety of electronic
information, including executable code; content such as text, video
data, and audio data, among others; and various codes or flags. The
terms "information," "data," and "content" are sometimes used
interchangeably when permitted by context.
[0075] It is intended that the specification and examples be
considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the
disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
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