Patents Assigned to Ancestry.com
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Patent number: 12367221Abstract: A computing device may receive a target data instance. The computing device may identify a plurality of matched segments that match to the target data instance for at least a threshold length. The computing device may define, based on overlapping of the matched segments, the target data instance as a plurality of data string ranges, wherein each divided data string is matched to a set of overlapping matched segments. The computing device may apply an iterative clustering algorithm to group the plurality of data string ranges based on values of a similarity metric among data string ranges that are assigned to a given group. The computing device may attribute a first set of data string ranges that are assigned to a first group to a first inheritance.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2024Date of Patent: July 22, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventor: Keith D. Noto
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Patent number: 12367219Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-program products for entity resolution are disclosed. Entity resolution embodiments include receiving tree data from each of a pair of entities, extracting and/or aggregating feature vectors or metric functions therefrom, and generating similarity scores between the pair of entities. The similarity scores may be weighted using machine-learned weights. The weighted similarity scores are used to generate a combinatorial probability score accounting for combined likelihoods of field values between the pair of entities. A classification of the pair of entities is performed based on the combinatorial probability score, with a genealogical database modified based on the classification.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2024Date of Patent: July 22, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Ian Stiles, Eugene David Greenwood, Donald Bernard Curtis, Rey Robert Furner
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Patent number: 12349872Abstract: The present description relates to a sample collection device comprising a receptacle and a closure member configured to seal the receptacle. Within the closure member is provided a reservoir configured to contain a stabilization fluid capable of preserving and stabilizing a collected sample. The reservoir includes an outlet which is sealed by a sealing member. The sealing member may be openable to allow communication, or mixture, between the contents of the reservoir and the contents of the receptacle. The closure member may also include a peel foil on the end of the closure member having the outlet to ensure sterility of and to avoid tampering with the outlet and the reservoir. The method includes collecting a sample from the user using the sample collection device, mixing the sample with the stabilization fluid, and analyzing the sample thus collected.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2023Date of Patent: July 8, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Travis Sessions, Aaron Devore, Dan H. O'Neill
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Patent number: 12353674Abstract: A genealogy system includes a server with memory and processors storing code that instructs the processors to store genealogy data and user profiles, providing a research platform for users. A remote client device, equipped with an image sensor and display, communicates with the server. The client device displays the genealogy research platform, allowing users to select a genealogy item for an artificial reality experience. Upon user command, the client device presents continually updating artificial reality images of an environment, overlaying a digital representation of the selected genealogy item on the artificial reality experience. This system seamlessly integrates genealogical research with artificial reality technology for an immersive user experience.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2024Date of Patent: July 8, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Jordan Mark Lundskog, Matthew Scott Cox, Keld Tony Sperry, Christopher Scott Withers
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Patent number: 12334191Abstract: Novel haplotype cluster Markov models are used to phase genomic samples. After the models are built, they rapidly and accurately phase new samples without requiring that the new samples be used to re-build the models. The models set transition probabilities such that the probability for an appearance of any allele within any haplotype is a non-zero number. Furthermore, the most unlikely pairs of haplotypes are discarded from each model at each level until ? of the likelihood mass at each level is discarded. The models are also constructed such that contributing windows of SNPs partially overlap so that phasing decisions near one of the extreme ends of any model is are not significantly determinative of the phase. Additionally, the models are configured such that two or more nodes can be merged during the building/updating procedure to consolidate haplotype clusters having similar distributions.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2020Date of Patent: June 17, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Catherine Ann Ball, Keith D. Noto, Kenneth G. Chahine, Mathew J. Barber, Yong Wang
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Patent number: 12332974Abstract: Disclosed are methods and system for predicting data-source influences on one or more data manifestations of a named entity. The method includes receiving an inheritance dataset of the named entity. The method determines first and second portions of the inheritance dataset of the named entity. The method determines an aggregated data-bit association score for the named entity based on the inheritance dataset at an identified subset of the data-bit regions. The method determines aggregated data-bit association scores associated with the first and second data source based on the first and second portions of the inheritance dataset at the identified subset of the data-bit regions. The method selects one of the first and second data sources as having a measure of influence on a data manifestation of the named entity corresponding to the identified subset of the data-bit regions.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2024Date of Patent: June 17, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Andre Everson Kim, Alisa Elnaz Sedghifar, Ross Eugene Curtis, Caitlyn Elizabeth Bruns
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Patent number: 12332902Abstract: A user of a genetic database may create and build upon their family tree in the database. For new users, creating a family tree can be difficult and time consuming. Even for users with established family trees, extending their family tree is a challenge requiring extensive research. Disclosed herein are embodiments for assisting users of a genetic database with building their family trees. In some embodiments, a method for assisting with constructing family trees includes receiving a target individual's genetic dataset. The method identifies a plurality of matched individuals who genetically match the target individual. The method identifies potential ancestors who are potential common ancestors between the target individual and one of the matched individuals. The method inputs a set of features related to the target individual to a machine learning model and filters the potential common ancestors to determine a subset of likely common ancestors for the target individual.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2023Date of Patent: June 17, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Milos Pavlovic, Ross Eugene Curtis
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Patent number: 12321341Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for generating and providing a hybrid search-and-browse interface for accurately and efficiently locating and presenting targeted genealogical content items. For example, the disclosed systems generate and provide a multi-layered navigational structure using browse trees that represent categories of genealogical content items, where each successive browse tree in the hybrid search-and-browse interface narrows the search results from the one before based on some (selected) criteria. In some cases, to support a hybrid search-and-browse interface, the hybrid search-and-browse system generates and maintains a facet index for genealogical content items stored in a database as a basis for generating and providing browse trees for navigating through search results of content items.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2023Date of Patent: June 3, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Robert Baird Wille, Christopher Todd Brewer, Blake Matthew Scarbrough, Justin Blake Christensen
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Patent number: 12321379Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for determining an in-memory data structure for storing digital images (e.g., newspaper images representing individual pages of digitized newspapers) based on a first level hash and a second level hash that map to nested categories within a browse structure of a genealogical data system. For example, the disclosed systems generate a multilevel data block by implementing one or more compression techniques to reduce overall data size, particularly relating to month data and image/page identification data. In some cases, the disclosed systems greatly reduce the memory and processing requirements of storing, browsing, and searching digital content items (e.g., newspaper images) within a genealogical database.Type: GrantFiled: July 5, 2023Date of Patent: June 3, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventor: Russell Lane Black
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Patent number: 12321355Abstract: A genealogy online system may cause to display, at a graphical user interface associated with a genealogy online system, a search box, the genealogy online system configured to provide functions comprising family-tree building and historical record search. The genealogy online system may receive a query from a user entered at the search box. The genealogy online system may use a machine learning language model to determine an intent of the user associated with the query. The genealogy online system may cause to display, at the graphical user interface as a result of the query, one or more links to one or more functions of the genealogy online system based on the intent determined by the machine learning language model.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2023Date of Patent: June 3, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Gann Bierner, Robert Weis
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Patent number: 12265544Abstract: A computing server may continuously update a set of nodes that are addable to a data tree based on past interactions of the user with one or more nodes. The computing server may track a recently interacted set of interacted nodes with which the user has interacted within a number of past interactions. The computing server may select a pool of candidate nodes based on the recently interacted set. At least one of the candidate nodes is within a domain boundary of one of the interacted nodes that is in the recently interacted set. The domain boundary may be determined by the degree of relationship. The computing server may present one or more candidate nodes in the pool as a version of the continuously updated set of nodes. The computing server may update the pool of candidate nodes as additional interactions performed by the user updates the recently interacted set.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2022Date of Patent: April 1, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Xiaoxuan Zhang, Sijia Zhang, Yen-Yun Yu
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Patent number: 12248497Abstract: A family tree interface may include a default number of family members in addition to a target node which are expandable upon selection by a user. The default tree interface is expandable by a user vertically to include more generations and laterally. The tree interface includes labels showing a relationship of a tree node to the target node. In some embodiments, one or more family members that have not been rendered may be cached to speed up the visual rendering process. A graphical user interface, in a viewing session, may display an initial view of the family tree associated with the target individual. Upon receipt of an expand request, the viewing session may add the one or more additional family members to generate an expanded view of the family tree. The expanded view may partially adjust the initial view without refreshing the viewing session.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2022Date of Patent: March 11, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Robert Don Wilson, Kenric Russell, Jared William Cannegieter
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Patent number: 12248451Abstract: Systems and methods for importing documents are described. An input image is received and preprocessed. OCR and/or page segmentation and chapter detection are performed. Special-case processing is performed for lists, tables, free text, and other categories. Anaphora analysis, stemming, lemmatization, and relationship detection are performed. A genealogical tree is generated, augmented, or merged based on the extracted entities and relationships.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2023Date of Patent: March 11, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Jack Reese, Luca Lugini, Yingrui Yang, Simon Chu, Gopalkrishna Balkrishna Veni
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Patent number: 12229141Abstract: The disclosed system links an individual dataset to a database. The system receives a target individual dataset associated with a target individual and identifies candidate individual datasets that are potentially related to the target individual dataset. The system identifies a related individual dataset that has data bits that match some data bits in the target individual dataset. The system then identifies a parent node that is a common parent node to both the target individual dataset and the related individual dataset. The system retrieves a data tree that the parent node belongs to with the data tree containing information describing inter-relationships among datasets in the data tree. A node in the data tree is identified to assign the target individual dataset based on strings of matched data bits and number of the matched strings between the target individual dataset and the datasets in the data tree.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2022Date of Patent: February 18, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Shiya Song, Jingwen Pei, Brett Frederick Jorgensen, Aaron James Stern, Ross E. Curtis
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Patent number: 12222963Abstract: Data-sharding systems and/or methods for cost- and time-efficient record search are described. Data-sharding embodiments utilize a name-sharding dimension, optionally in combination with one or more additional dimensions such as record type and year, to reduce latency and reduce search-associated costs. The data-sharding systems and methods embodiments utilize an optimization algorithm to determine a distribution of records related to names. The optimization algorithm may use a three-character prefix for surnames in records to distribute shards across documents, with specific shards relating to no-name and multi-name records allocated.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2022Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Gann Bierner, Robert Weis
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Patent number: 12217393Abstract: Systems, methods, and/or computer-program products for generating a photo composite are configured to identify a facial photo, assign a community such as a genetic community to the identified facial photo, select and retrieve a subset of photos from a genetic community, determine a landmark in each photo of the subset of photos, compute and apply a similarity transform to each photo based and its landmarks, update estimates of transformed averaged landmarks, calculate a triangularization of the transformed averaged landmarks, warp images to the average image landmarks, and combine the intensities of the warped images. The communities are identified from genetic information. The facial photos are identified from a network of genealogical trees and/or a collection of historical records.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2021Date of Patent: February 4, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Ahna R. Girshick, Luong Ruiz, Jack Reese
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Patent number: 12207801Abstract: Provided herein are systems, devices, and methods for sample collection. A sample collection device may comprise a vessel, a lid, and pre-loaded liquid solutions. The sample collection device may collect a liquid sample, such as a biological sample. The liquid solutions may comprise reagents for preserving and/or stabilizing biological samples, such as saliva, collected in the vessel. A chamber comprising the liquid solutions may be located in the vessel and/or the lid. In some instances, the liquid solution may be released from the chamber upon closure of the vessel with the lid. In some instances, the liquid solution may be released from the chamber upon actuation of an implement, such as a plunger. In some instances, the liquid solution may be released upon compression of an absorbent member. The sample collecting device may be delivered to a remote location for further processing and/or analysis.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2020Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Travis Sessions, Dan H. O'Neill, Jacob Wakley, William R. Barron, Ryan Patterson, Aaron Devore, Collin Sorensen, Grant Daniels
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Patent number: 12211590Abstract: A user may select one or more potential common ancestors with a DNA match to view the target individual's relationship with them. The process may include identifying, from a first genealogical profile of the target individual. A first individual has a first linkage that connects the target individual towards the selected potential common ancestor. The process may also include identifying, from a second genealogical profile of the DNA match, a second individual who has a second linkage that connects the DNA match towards the selected potential common ancestor. The process may further include connecting the first linkage and the second linkage with the selected potential common ancestor by adding one or more individuals whose profiles are retrieved from other searchable genealogical profiles stored in the online system. With the nodes and connections available, the process may generate a map of visual connections between the target individual and the DNA match.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2023Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com DNA, LLCInventors: Shiya Song, Neal Craig Varner, Ross E. Curtis, Brian Jerel Kerr, Kelly Mccloy Becker, Brett Frederick Jorgensen, Bryce Damon Ririe, Michael Joseph Mulligan, Justin Matthew Robert Van Dyke, Michaela Black Bonkemeyer
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Patent number: 12198416Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying and segmenting objects from images include a preprocessing module configured to adjust a size of a source image; a region-proposal module configured to propose one or more regions of interest in the size-adjusted source image; and a prediction module configured to predict a classification, bounding box coordinates, and mask. Such systems and methods may utilize end-to-end training of the modules using adversarial loss, facilitating the use of a small training set, and can be configured to process historical documents, such as large images comprising text. The preprocessing module within the systems and methods can utilize a conventional image scaler in tandem with a custom image scaler to provide a resized image suitable for GPU processing, and the region-proposal module can utilize a region-proposal network from a single-stage detection model in tandem with a two-stage detection model paradigm to capture substantially all particles in an image.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2023Date of Patent: January 14, 2025Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Masaki Stanley Fujimoto, Yen-Yun Yu
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Patent number: 12183104Abstract: Disclosed herein relates to example embodiments for recognizing handwritten information in a genealogical record. A computing server may receive a genealogical record. The genealogical record may take the form of an image of a physical form having a structured layout, fields, and handwritten information. The computing server may divide the genealogical record into a plurality of areas based on the structured layout. The computing server may identify, for a particular area, a type of field that is included within the particular area. The computing server may select a handwriting recognition model for identifying the handwritten information in the particular area. The handwriting recognition model may be selected based on the type of the field. The computing server may input an image of the particular area to the handwriting recognition model to generate text of the handwritten information. The computing server may store the text of the handwritten information.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2022Date of Patent: December 31, 2024Assignee: Ancestry.com Operations Inc.Inventors: Masaki Stanley Fujimoto, Kalyan Chakravarthi Murahari, Siteng Chen