# US 12,008,045 B2 · Mapping of personally-identifiable information to a person-based on traversal of a graph > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,008,045 B2 - Document ID: US12008045B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/334,440 - Filed: 2021-05-28 - Published: 2022-03-17 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-09-14 - Assignees: Box, Inc. - Applicants: Box, Inc. - Inventors: Alok Ojha - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008045B2 ## CPC - G06F 16/90335: {Query processing} - G06F 40/295: Named entity recognition - G06F 16/9024: {Graphs; Linked lists (G06F16/9027 takes precedence)} - G06F 16/906: Clustering; Classification - G06F 40/20: Natural language analysis (semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30) - H04L 61/4523: using lightweight directory access protocol [LDAP] - G06F 40/211: Syntactic parsing, e.g. based on context-free grammar [CFG] or unification grammars - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Various corpora of content objects and other information sources beyond the corpora of content objects are processed to identify personally identifiable information (PII). PII that is associated with a named person is codified into a first portion of a graph-oriented data structure. Also, PII that is associated with an alias that might refer to a named person is codified into a second portion of the graph-oriented data structure. A determination is made that the alias that might refer to a named person is indeed an alias that is a coreference to the named person. Based on that determination then, since the first portion of the graph and the second portion of the graph refer to the same person, then the PII of the second portion of the graph can be deemed to be PII of the same person. PII in common and/or language processing can be used to establish coreferences. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for associating personally identifiable information to an entity from a plurality of content objects, the method comprising: identifying an entity graph, wherein the entity graph comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprises a first personally identifiable information (PII) node and a first entity node corresponding to the first PII node, the first PII node representing first PII that is identified from a first content object, and the second portion comprises a second PII node and a second entity node corresponding to the second PII node, wherein the second PII node represents second PII that is identified from one or more second content objects; and processing a query that comprises instructions to execute at least one operation on the entity graph at least by: executing a first instruction that retrieves at least the first or the second entity node from memory and determines a direct association and an indirect association between respective entries in a data structure representing a plurality of content objects and the first entity node or the second node; executing a second instruction that retrieves at least the first or the second portion from the memory and determines a subset of content objects from the data structure based at least in part upon respective ranks of the direct association and the indirect association, wherein the respective ranks are determined based at least in part upon a first score associated with the direct association and a second score associated with the second association; traversing at least a first edge connecting the first portion and the second portion in the entity graph for identifying, based at least in part upon the first entity node and the subset of content objects, a common PII node that is connected to at least the first entity node; identifying the second entity node and a separate PII node that is linked to the second entity node, wherein the second entity node is identified from traversing at least a second edge based at least in part upon the common PII node in the entity graph; and formulating a query result set for the first entity node at least by incorporating, into the query result set, first information pertaining to the separate PII node for the second entity node and second information pertaining to the common PII node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, processing the query further comprising determining that the first entity node and the second entity node refer to an identical entity based at least in part upon the common PII node at least by augmenting the entity graph with an edge connecting the first entity node and the second entity node, wherein the first entity node corresponds to a entity identifier, and the second entity node corresponds to a different entity identifier different from the entity identifier, wherein determining that the first entity node and the second entity node refer to the same person is carried out by accessing a database or directory that comprises entries for known persons. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: querying the entity graph to identify at least one of the first or the second personally identifiable information node, or at least one of the first entity node or the second entity node, or at least one of the first or the one or more second content objects that comprises the first or the second personally identifiable information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein at least one result that is produced by querying the entity graph is presented to facilitate compliance with at least one of at least one PII detection rule or at least one PII preference. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a same instance of personally identifiable information is identified based at least in part on at least one of a set of PII detection rules or a classification model. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a linguistic analysis to determine that the first entity node and the second entity node refer to the same person. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the linguistic analysis comprises natural language processing of one or more words and phrases that surround the first or the second personally identifiable information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the linguistic analysis comprises decomposing a passage to identify a compound nominative clause, a possessive construction, or a subject-attribute relationship in the one or more words and phrases that surround the first or the second personally identifiable information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of a likelihood value, a score, or a source of context is assigned to either the first entity node or the second entity node. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a first amount of memory needed to accommodate the entity graph is smaller than a second amount of memory needed to accommodate the first content object and the one or more second content objects. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when stored in memory and executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform a set of acts for associating personally identifiable information to an entity from a plurality of content objects, the set of acts comprising: identifying an entity graph, wherein the entity graph comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprises a first personally identifiable information (PII) node and a first entity node corresponding to the first PII node, the first PII node representing first PII that is identified from a first content object, and the second portion comprises a second PII node and a second entity node corresponding to the second PII node, wherein the second PII node represents second PII that is identified from one or more second content objects; and processing a query that comprises instructions to execute at least one operation on the entity graph at least by: executing a first instruction that retrieves at least the first or the second entity node from memory and determines a direct association and an indirect association between respective entries in a data structure representing a plurality of content objects and the first entity node or the second node; executing a second instruction that retrieves at least the first or the second portion from the memory and determines a subset of content objects from the data structure based at least in part upon respective ranks of the direct association and the indirect association, wherein the respective ranks are determined based at least in part upon a first score associated with the direct association and a second score associated with the second association; traversing at least a first edge connecting the first portion and the second portion in the entity graph for identifying, based at least in part upon the first entity node and the subset of content objects, a common PII node that is connected to at least the first entity node; identifying the second entity node and a separate PII node that is linked to the second entity node, wherein the second entity node is identified from traversing at least a second edge based at least in part upon the common PII node in the entity graph; and formulating a query result set for the first entity node at least by incorporating, into the query result set, first information pertaining to the separate PII node for the second entity node and second information pertaining to the common PII node. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions which, when stored in memory and executed by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform a set of acts, the set of acts further comprising determining that the first entity node and the second entity node refer to an identical entity based at least in part upon the common PII node at least by augmenting the entity graph with an edge connecting the first entity node and the second entity node, wherein the first entity node corresponds to a entity identifier, and the second entity node corresponds to a different entity identifier different from the entity identifier, wherein determining that the first entity node and the second entity node refer to the same person is carried out by accessing a database or directory that comprises entries for known persons. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions which, when stored in memory and executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform acts of: querying the entity graph to identify at least one of the first or the second personally identifiable information node, or at least one of the first entity node or the second entity node, or at least one of the first or the one or more second content objects that includes the first or the second personally identifiable information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein at least one result that is produced by querying the entity graph is presented to facilitate compliance with at least one of at least one PII detection rule or at least one PII preference. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein a same instance of personally identifiable information is identified, based at least in part on at least one of a set of PII detection rules or a classification model. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions which, when stored in memory and executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform acts of performing a linguistic analysis to determine that the first entity node and the second entity node refer to the same person. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the linguistic analysis comprises natural language processing of one or more words and phrases that surround the first or the second personally identifiable information. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the linguistic analysis comprises decomposing a passage to identify a compound nominative clause, a possessive construction, or a subject-attribute relationship in the one or more words and phrases that surround the first or the second personally identifiable information. ### Claim 19 A system for associating personally identifiable information to an entity from a plurality of content objects, the system comprising: a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions; and one or more processors that execute the sequence of instructions to cause the one or more processors to perform a set of acts, the set of acts comprising: identifying an entity graph, wherein the entity graph comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprises a first personally identifiable information (PII) node and a first entity node corresponding to the first PII node, the first PII node representing first PII that is identified from a first content object, and the second portion comprises a second PII node and a second entity node corresponding to the second PII node, wherein the second PII node represents second PII that is identified from one or more second content objects; and processing a query that comprises instructions to execute at least one operation on the entity graph at least by: executing a first instruction that retrieves at least the first or the second entity node from memory and determines a direct association and an indirect association between respective entries in a data structure representing a plurality of content objects and the first entity node or the second node; executing a second instruction that retrieves at least the first or the second portion from the memory and determines a subset of content objects from the data structure based at least in part upon respective ranks of the direct association and the indirect association, wherein the respective ranks are determined based at least in part upon a first score associated with the direct association and a second score associated with the second association; traversing at least a first edge connecting the first portion and the second portion in the entity graph for identifying, based at least in part upon the first entity node, a common PII node that is connected to at least the first entity node; identifying the second entity node and a separate PII node that is linked to the second entity node, wherein the second entity node is identified from traversing at least a second edge based at least in part upon the common PII node in the entity graph; and formulating a query result set for the first entity node at least by incorporating, into the query result set, first information pertaining to the separate PII node for the second entity node and second information pertaining to the common PII node. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, the non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon the sequence of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a set of acts, the set of acts further comprising determining that the first entity node and the second entity node refer to an identical entity based at least in part upon the common PII node at least by augmenting the entity graph with an edge connecting the first entity node and the second entity node, wherein the first entity node corresponds to a entity identifier, and the second entity node corresponds to a different entity identifier different from the entity identifier, wherein determining that the first entity node and the plurality of second entity node refer to the same person is carried out by accessing a database or directory that comprises entries for known persons.