Providing credit data in search results

[0001] The credit score is an important indicator of a consumer's financial health. A consumer's credit score may impact availability and/or terms (e.g., interest rate) of such things as credit cards, loans, rentals, and real estate mortgages, as well as impacting the consumer's ability to find employment. Because a consumer's credit score may impact the availability of such things, consumers have a substantial interest in receiving information regarding the consumer's credit score.

[0002] In one embodiment, a credit report system comprises one or more hardware computer processors and one or more storage devices. The storage devices may be configured to store software instructions for execution by the hardware processors. The system may be configured to receive information from the consumer requesting information over a network, such as a search query from a consumer requesting search results from a search engine. Based on the received information, the credit report system may determine whether or not credit data is relevant to the consumer's request for information and/or attributes of the consumer. If the received information is relevant to credit data, the credit report system may access credit data associated with the consumer, possibly after authenticating the consumer's identity. The system may then generate a user interface with the information requested by the consumer and the credit data associated with the consumer and/or they provide the credit data to another service (e.g., a search engine) for insertion into the information requested by the consumer, such as at the top of search results provided to the consumer.

[0013] Although several embodiments, examples and illustrations are disclosed below, the inventions described herein extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments, examples and illustrations and includes other uses of the inventions and modifications and equivalents thereof. Embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout. The terminology used in the description presented herein is not intended to be interpreted in any limited or restrictive manner simply because it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. In addition, various embodiments can comprise several novel features and no single feature is solely responsible for its desirable attributes or is essential to practicing the inventions herein described.

Sample User Interfaces for Providing Credit Data

[0014] FIGS. 1A and 1B are example user interfaces showing a consumer's credit score 101 included with search results 104 for that consumer. The consumer's credit score 101 may be provided by a credit report system 100 (see, e.g., FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9, and 10). In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may identify that the consumer has entered a search query including one or more terms having some relevance to a consumer's credit score, credit report, financing ability, ability to rent, etc. For example, such term, such as “credit,” “loan,” “mortgage,” “rental,” “credit card,” “late payment,” “finance,” “refinance,” etc., may indicate that the consumer's credit data is relevant to information that the examiner seeks in performing the search. For example, in FIG. 1A, the consumer's search query included the search term “Credit Report.” The credit report system 100 may have determined these words are relevant and therefore provided the consumer with a credit score 101 and additional credit information 102. As discussed in further detail below, the credit report system 100 may have access to search queries of individuals, and the ability to include credit score information in the search results, via one or more of several different arrangements with the search engine provider.

[0015] In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may also determine that credit information may be relevant to a consumer based on the search results 104. For example, the consumer may search for a credit union by name without the terms “credit union” or other words related to credit (e.g., “EBFCU”). However, the credit report system 100 may analyze the text or other information included in the search results 104 and/or on the webpages linked to by the search results. If the search results include a significant amount of information relevant to credit scores and/or credit reports (e.g., one or more of the terms noted above, or other terms, indicative of the consumer's current interest in credit data), then the credit report system 100 may provide credit information along with the search results. In some embodiments, webpages that are determined to be relevant to a consumer's credit may be stored in a database. In such embodiments, the credit report system may determine that credit information should be provided to a consumer based on inclusion of such webpages in search results provided to the consumer without needing to re-analyze the webpages that have already been analyzed for relevance to credit data.

[0016] In one embodiment, the credit report system 100 may determine which search terms and search results are relevant to credit reports and/or credit scores by comparing the words identified in search terms and results to words located in a database accessible to the credit report system 100. Such a database may contain terms relevant to and synonymous with credit, credit instruments, credit lenders, and/or credit monitoring and reporting systems, such as the terms noted above. The database of terms relevant to credit may be updated manually by an entity operating the credit report system 100 or may be updated automatically. For example if particular searches lead to credit related search results, those terms may be added to the database of credit related terms. Depending on the embodiment, some combination of terms may be required in order to initiate retrieval of credit data associated with the consumer. For example, terms may be weighted, such that use of query terms like “credit report” or “credit score” automatically result in a determination that credit data should be provided to the consumer. However, terms such as “loan” or “purchase” may not alone trigger collection of credit data, but in combination with other such words (e.g., a minimum quantity of words) may trigger retrieval of credit data of the consumer. In some embodiments terms (e.g., one or more words) may be weighted based on where they occur on a webpage. For example, terms appearing in the URL of a webpage or in titles may be given greater weight than terms appearing in other parts of a webpage.

[0017] In the examples of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the consumer's credit information is presented at the top of the search results. In some embodiments, the consumer's credit information may be presented in other locations, such as at the bottom of the search results, as a banner on one side or the other of the search results, in the middle of the search results at a relevant location, or in a pop-up window, for example. The location of the credit data relative to the search results may change depending on the search performed, the results from the search engine, and/or the search engine performing the search. For example, credit information may be displayed near search results that are relevant to credit instead of near other search results which are not as relevant to credit. In some embodiments, credit data may be presented along with results associated with a particular entity, such as the entity operating credit report system 100. For example, if Big Credit Bureau operates the credit report system 100 and the search results responsive to a consumer's query return a website owned by Big Credit Bureau, the credit data of the consumer may be displayed in association with the search result summary information of Big Credit Bureau.

[0018] In some embodiments the credit information is placed into the search results by the search engine provider. In some embodiments, the credit information is placed into the search results by the browser from which the consumer is accessing the search engine. In some embodiments, the credit data may be presented as an image to be presented along with the search results. The credit data may be presented with interactive elements from which the consumer can take one or more actions. In some embodiments, clicking on, or otherwise selecting, the presented credit data may link the consumer to a webpage associated with the credit report system 100. In some embodiments, the credit data may be presented to the consumer as multiple separate elements. The consumer may be directed to different websites or webpages depending on the elements selected by the consumer.

[0019] As shown in various example user interfaces, the consumer may be presented with additional credit data in addition to the consumer's credit score 101. For example, in FIG. 1A, the consumer is presented with the consumer's credit score 101 as well as other credit report information 102 including visual indicators summarizing accounts on the consumer's credit report. In the example of FIG. 1A, the credit report system 100 also displays the consumer's identification 105 and an indicator 103 informing the consumer that his identity has been authenticated. Consumer authentication is important to assure the credit report system 100 only provides a consumer's credit information to that consumer. Some embodiments of consumer authentication are discussed in reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B below, but any other authentication mechanisms may be used to authenticate the consumer. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may present the consumer with other information relevant to the consumer's credit. For example, in FIG. 1B, the consumer is provided with information describing how the various credit score factors 105 are reflected in the consumer's credit report. In other embodiments, fewer or additional pieces of information may be provided.

[0020] FIGS. 2A and 2B are example user interfaces that may be generated by a credit report system 100 to provide credit data to a consumer accessing webpages from a browser. In this embodiment, in response to requests for certain webpages or interactions with webpages (e.g., other than a search query provided to a search engine) the credit report system 100 may present similar information as is presented in the embodiments described in reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, such as the consumer's credit score, information about the consumer's credit accounts, information about the consumer's credit score factors, and the like.

[0021] In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may identify relevant webpages accessed by a consumer and then provide relevant credit information. For example, the credit report system 100 may provide an add-on, plug-in, enhancement or other similar program for a web browser. Such web browsers may include, for example, FireFox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, or other browsers enabling a consumer to access information over a network. Through the provided add-on or other similar program, the credit report system may identify text on webpages accessed by the browser. For example, the add-on may parse information included on a webpage (possibly before the webpage is rendered in the browser) to determine if the threshold quantity and/or weighting of terms are included in the webpage to initiate retrieval of credit data for the consumer. Thus, if the webpages contain terms, images, or other data relevant to credit scores and/or credit reports, the credit report system 100 may provide credit data to the consumer. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide credit data in the form of a pop-up window 210 as illustrated in FIG. 2A. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide the credit data in a banner 220 on the relevant webpage as illustrated in FIG. 2B. The credit report system 100 may also provide the credit data in any other format. Some non-limiting manners to provide credit data to a consumer are as a pop-up, as a banner, as a tool bar, as an embedded window, inserted into part of the relevant webpages, and/or as a new tab.

[0022] The credit report system may also operate as a widget or standalone application on a consumer's computing device. For example, the consumer may install software on a computing device capable of monitoring information accessed over one or more networks. If the software identifies information relevant to credit scores and/or credit reports, the software may display a user interface containing credit data for the consumer (or possibly request information for authenticating the consumer prior to displaying credit information of the consumer). In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide credit report widgets or applications for operation on a desktop or laptop computer, on a mobile computing device, on a tablet, and/or on other computing devices. The user interfaces described in FIGS. 2A and 2B may require the consumer authentication as described in reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B and discussed further below.

Sample User Interfaces for Consumer Authentication

[0023] As discussed in reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, credit report system 100 may authenticate a consumer's identity before providing the consumer's credit data. FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B are example user interfaces used in conjunction with authenticating a consumer's identity.

[0024] In the example of FIG. 3A, a consumer is presented with a security question before credit data is provided. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may have identified the consumer and only needs to confirm the consumer's identity to continue. For example, the credit report system 100 may recognize that the consumer has logged into the browser with a particular identity. However, to confirm that the consumer is the person actively using the browser, the credit report system 100 may also require additional information from the consumer. For example, in FIG. 3A, the credit report system 100 requests an answer to a security question 310. In some embodiments, the security question may have been setup by the consumer with the credit report system 100. The credit report system 100 may also generate security questions for the consumer using out-of-wallet data collected about the consumer, such as information included in credit data of the consumer or other secure data sources that are not publicly available. In some embodiments, the credit report system requires the consumer to enter other identifying information such as a social security number, date of birth, and/or address, for example. The credit report system 100 may compare the additional information to information stored about the consumer in a credit bureau, credit database, or other database with identifying information.

[0025] In some embodiments, the credit report system may provide the consumer with the option to login to the credit report system 100 to view credit data. For example, in FIG. 3B, the credit report system 100 provides fields 320 for the consumer to enter a username and password. If the consumer provides a valid username and password, the credit report system may then update the user interface to provide credit data as described in reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may also enable the consumer to sign up for an account. In FIG. 3B, the consumer is provided with a selectable button 330 which enables a consumer to create an account. Selecting the create account button 330 may update the user interface to request additional information from the consumer (e.g. name, date of birth, social security number, etc.), or may bring the consumer to another webpage associated with the credit report system 100 which may then enable the consumer to setup an account. The account may be a credit monitoring account, an identity protection account, a financial account, or any other type of account.

[0026] The credit report system 100 may determine when to display the user interfaces described in reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B using the same or similar analysis as described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. For example, the credit report system 100 may attempt to confirm a consumer's identity before providing credit data when one of the results of the consumer's search includes a website associated with credit report system 100. If the credit report system 100 is successful in confirming the identity of a consumer, it may then present credit data as described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. In some embodiments the consumer may not need to provide additional authentication when the credit report system 100 recognizes webpages and/or search terms related to credit data. For example, the credit report system may provide cookies or tags which uniquely identify a consumer on the consumer's device. For example the consumer may login or provide authentication before or during a first search and a tag or cookie may be placed on the user's system. Then credit report system 100 may not require the consumer to provide the authentication a second time if another search related to credit data is performed later, but may instead authenticate the consumer by accessing the stored cookie or tag.

[0027] FIGS. 4A and 4B provide additional examples of user interfaces provided by the credit report system 100 that may be used to confirm the identity of a consumer. The examples in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be provided in response to the consumer accessing information related to credit at various websites. For example, the user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be provided prior to providing credit data of the consumer, such as in FIGS. 2A and 2B, if the consumer's identity is not otherwise confirmed. The examples in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be provided in the same manner as discussed in reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. For example, the user interface may be provided as a pop-up window, as a banner, as a tool bar, as an embedded window, inserted into part of the relevant webpages, and/or as a new tab. The credit report system 100 may provide the user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B or other similar interfaces through an add-on, plug-in, enhancement or other similar program for a web browser, and/or as a stand-alone program or widget for a computer or mobile device. In FIGS. 4A and 4B, the credit report system 100 may authenticate the identity of a consumer in a manner similar to those discussed with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. For example, in FIG. 4A, the credit report system 100 provides a user interface enabling the consumer to login to the credit report system. In FIG. 4B, the credit report system 100 requests an answer to a security question as discussed in reference to FIG. 4A. In other embodiments, any other form of identity verification may be used.

Sample Mobile User Interfaces:

[0028] FIG. 5 is an example mobile user interface including a consumer's credit information presented on a webpage related to credit events. Any of the user interfaces discussed above may also be configured to operate on a mobile device. In the example of FIG. 5, the credit report system 100 presents the consumer with credit data including a credit score 510 and credit score factors 520. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide different credit data. The credit report system 100 may provide a user interface in response to determining that the consumer is searching for, is requesting access to, and/or has accessed data indicating that credit data may be useful to the consumer. The credit report system 100 may make that determination in the same or similar manner as discussed with reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B. In some embodiments, the consumer may be asked to provide identity authentication as discussed in reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B. In some embodiments, the consumer's identity may be verified based on identity data stored in the consumer's mobile device for use with other applications.

[0029] In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide mobile user interfaces as a stand-alone application or widget on the mobile device. For example, the credit report system 100 may provide program instructions for execution by processors on the mobile device. The program may monitor other applications running on the mobile device. If the program determines the consumer is requesting access to and/or accessing information that may indicate an interest in credit data, the credit report system 100 may provide the consumer with credit data as illustrated in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may instead display a notification, such as a notification offering to provide credit data to the consumer, in response to determining the consumer is accessing or requesting access to such information. If the consumer selects the notification, the credit report system 100 may display credit data to the consumer, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide mobile user interfaces as part of other applications. For example, the user interface may be presented as part of an email application, a search engine, a web browser, and/or other apps that may indicate a consumer's interest in credit data.

[0030] FIG. 6 is an example mobile user interface displaying a consumer's credit data alongside a map or navigation application. The user interface in FIG. 6 may be generated by the credit report system 100 as discussed in reference to FIG. 5 above. For example, the credit report system 100 may provide credit data through a stand-alone mobile application or widget, or may provide the credit data through another mobile application (e.g. a navigation program). The user interface illustrated in FIG. 6 provides an additional example of how the credit report system 100 determines that credit data may be relevant to the consumer's current activity. For example, In FIG. 6, the credit report system 100 may have monitored the consumer's destination on a mapping or navigation application to determine that the consumer is driving to a car dealership. The credit report system 100 may have determined that a consumer driving to a car dealership is likely looking to purchase a car and may need a loan. In response, the credit report system 100 may automatically provide credit data to the consumer. The consumer may then conveniently view data relevant to possibly applying for a loan. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide credit data when the consumer sets various destinations, for example car dealerships, banks, homes currently for sale, realty offices, or other destinations that may indicate the consumer may benefit from viewing credit data

[0031] In some embodiments the credit report system 100 not only monitors destinations of the consumer on a navigation program, but also monitors the consumer's location by GPS. Many mobile applications monitor the devices GPS location. The credit report system may monitor the consumer's location through a mobile device to determine if credit data may be relevant to the consumer. For example, if the consumer goes to a car dealership the mobile device may receive an indication of the consumer's GPS location. Either the credit report system 100, or another application, may determine what is located at various GPS locations the consumer visited. The credit report system may then use information about destinations visited by the consumer to determine whether or not to display credit data. For example, the consumer may have visited GPS coordinates that are known to be associated with a car dealership. The credit report system 100 may then display credit data to the consumer to help inform the consumer before applying for loans. The credit report system 100 may determine to provide credit data in response to the consumer visiting various locations. For example the credit report system may provide credit data when the consumer visits car dealerships, banks, homes currently for sale, realty offices, or other destinations that may indicate the consumer may benefit from viewing credit data.

[0032] In some embodiments, location information may be combined with other information, such as search history, search queries, etc., in order to determine that credit information may be desired by the consumer. For example, if the consumer had previously been searching for mortgage information via a search engine, but the credit report system 100 had not yet determined that credit data should be offered to the consumer, when the consumer is located at a lender location, the combination of the previous search queries and the location of the consumer may initiate retrieval of credit data to provide to the consumer. In other embodiments, other combinations of data associated with the consumer may initiate retrieval of credit data for the consumer (possibly after authentication).

[0033] FIG. 7 is an example flowchart illustrating one example of a process of providing credit data in a consumer's search results or based on information accessed through the consumer's web browser or other software for accessing information, whether networked information or locally stored information. The flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7 and described below are example processes which may be performed by the bill payment system 100 and/or other suitable computing systems, such as consumer computing devices. In some embodiments, fewer or additional blocks may be present, or the processes may be performed in a different order than shown in the figures.

[0034] Beginning in block 710 of FIG. 7, the credit report system 100 accesses information including input from a consumer and/or content accessed by the consumer. Such information may include search terms from a consumer, search results, webpages identified in search results, webpages accessed by the consumer, and/or other information entered by a consumer. In some embodiments, only some types of information may be accessed by the credit report system. For example, in some embodiments, only information related to search term and search results is accessed. In some embodiments, the credit report system may only access information on webpages accessed by the consumer. In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may monitor the information entered into input fields in various applications used by the consumer or the information accessed by the consumer. For example, the credit report system 100 may access content on webpages accessed by the consumer through the consumer's browser. The credit report system 100 may also monitor inputs directly from input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen.

[0035] Moving on to block 720, the credit report system 100 may parse the accessed information to identify one or more keywords. Such keywords may include terms related to credit (e.g. “credit,” “loan,” etc.), entities which provide credit (e.g. “Visa,” “MasterCard,” etc.), activities that may require credit (e.g. “new cars,” “realtors,” etc.), or other terms which indicate credit data may be useful to a consumer. The credit report system may identify keywords by comparing the information accessed in block 710 to terms stored in a data structure associated with the credit report system 100. In some embodiments, the data structure may contain a list of keywords relevant to credit. In some embodiments the data structure may also include weightings for the keywords, information indicating that some keywords are related to other keywords, and/or other information enabling the credit report system to identify appropriate terms.

[0036] In block 730, the credit report system determines if the identified terms (the keywords identified in block 720) meet a threshold for providing credit data. In some embodiments, the threshold is set at a quantity of credit related terms that must be in the accessed information. In some embodiments, the quantity of terms required changes based on the type of information accessed. For example, if the accessed information with credit related keywords is search results entered by the consumer, the credit report system 100 may only require one credit related term. However, if the accessed information with credit related keywords is a webpage, the credit report system may require more terms. In some embodiments, the threshold is met based on a combination of the number of terms and the weighting of the terms, for example, as stored in a data structure. In some embodiments an entity or computer system, other than the credit report system 100, monitors the accessed information and then sends an indication of the accessed information, the relevance of the information, and/or an indication that the threshold has been met to credit report system 100. If the threshold is not met, the method returns to block 710 and accesses additional and/or different information.

[0037] If the threshold has been met in block 730, the method continues on to block 740, where the credit report system 100 determines if the consumer has been authenticated. If the consumer has not been authenticated, then the credit report system 100 may perform block 750 and authenticate the consumer's identity. The consumer's identity may be authenticated as discussed in reference to the user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, or in another manner. If the credit report system 100 determines in block 740 that the consumer has been authenticated or the consumer is authenticated by the credit report system 100 in block 750, then the credit report system 100 may proceed to provide credit information to the consumer.

[0038] In block 760, the credit report system 100 accesses the consumer's credit data (in some embodiments, the consumer's credit data may be accessed as part of an authentication process, such as to determine out of wallet questions to be provided to the consumer). Such data may comprise the consumer's credit report, credit score, or other information related to the consumer's credit. In some embodiments the consumer's credit data may be accessed at one or more credit bureaus and their databases. In some embodiments, the consumer's credit data is stored on the credit report system 100, in which case, retrieval of credit data from a credit bureau may not be necessary. The credit data may include a complete credit report about a consumer, summary data, such as credit attributes (also referred to as credit variables) that are calculated using various modules, such as Experian's STAGG (standard aggregation variables) attributes, and/or credit data inputs to calculate a complete or partial credit score. Each credit data input may be associated with a particular category of credit inputs, for example credit usage, payment history, age of accounts, types of accounts, or credit inquiries. In some embodiments, credit report system 100 may calculate the Summary/STAGG attributes or perform other modifications on the credit report or other credit data gathered. The credit report system 100 may also gather information about how a credit score is calculated. This may include algorithms, formulas, executable code, statistical variables, and the like.

[0039] In block 770, the credit report system 100 selects and/or summarizes credit data to provide to the consumer. Such summarizing may result in the visual representations of the consumer's credit data as illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2D, for example. In some embodiments the credit report system 100 may provide different credit data to a consumer depending on the terms identified in the consumer's search results. For example, if the consumer searches for “credit report” the credit report system 100 may display information to the consumer directed toward activity on the consumer's credit report. On the other hand, if the consumer searches for “car loans” the credit report system 100 may display information directed toward the consumer's credit score and ways the consumer can improve the score to qualify for better loan terms. In some embodiments, summarizing the consumer's credit data may include generating or accessing the consumer's credit score, determining credit factors for the consumer, summarizing accounts on the consumer's credit report, and/or other credit summarization relevant to the consumer's credit.

[0040] In block 780, the credit report system 100 inserts the selected and/or summarized credit data into the search results. For example, in block 760, the credit report system 100 may generate all or part of the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In some embodiments, the consumer's credit data may be inserted into the user interface by a search engine. In some other embodiments, the consumer's credit data may be inserted into the user interface by a web browser or other modules of the credit report system 100. If the consumer selects the credit data displayed by the credit report system 100 in block 780, the consumer may be redirected to a webpage associated with the credit report system 100. In some embodiments, the credit report system may display the consumer's credit data in applications other than a browser. For example, as part of a stand-alone application on a desktop computer, a widget, a mobile application, or as part any other application through which the consumer may access data relevant to credit.

[0041] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing some examples of communications resulting in the credit report system 100 providing credit data in a consumer's search results. FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating some examples of the credit report system 100 providing credit data in a user interface associated with a consumer's browser.

[0042] In FIG. 8, a consumer computing device 810 interacts with one or more computer systems through a browser 820. In communication 1, the consumer interacts with a search engine 830. In some embodiments the consumer may enter search terms and queries into search engine 830, and in response, the search engine will provide search results. The search results may comprise links to a variety of pages relevant to the consumer's search, summarized data from one or more sources, and/or other information relevant to the consumer's search.

[0043] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the search engine 830 may include several modules. For example, a user input module 832, a searching module 834, a user interface module 838 and a credit relevance module 836. User input module 832 may receive input from a consumer 810. For example, user input module 832 may receive text input by the consumer into a search field associated with the search engine 830. User input module 832 may also receive other input from a consumer such as mouse clicks, mouse-overs, or other selections depending on the computing device through which the consumer is accessing search engine 830.

[0044] Searching module 834 performs searches for the search engine 830. The searching module 834 may perform searches in any manner known in the art. For example, searching module 834 may perform searches by determining if there are matches between search terms in the consumer's search query and text in documents searched by the search engine 830. The searching module 834 may receive search terms with which to perform searches from user input module 832. In some embodiments, searching module 834 may provide search results to credit relevance module 836 and/or user interface module 838 for display to a consumer.

[0045] In some embodiments, credit relevance module 836 may determine if the search terms and/or the search results are relevant to credit reports and/or credit scores. For example, credit relevance module 836 may determine whether search terms or results include terms related to credit (e.g. “credit,” “loan,” etc.), entities which provide credit (e.g. “Visa,” “MasterCard,” etc.), activities that may require credit (e.g. “new cars,” “realtors,” etc.), or other terms which indicate credit data may be useful to a consumer. If the credit relevance module 836 does not identify terms or data relevant to credit terms or credit scores, the credit relevance module 836 may not perform any more processes. In some embodiments the credit relevance module 836 may indicate to other modules (e.g. user interface module 838) that the terms and results do not include credit related terms.

[0046] If the credit relevance module 836 identifies credit related terms, the credit relevance module 836 may communicate with credit report system 100, in communication 2, to request credit data to include with search results for the consumer. In some embodiments, the credit relevance module 836 may be provided to the search engine 830 by the credit report system 100. The credit relevance module 838 may communicate with credit report system 100 through an API provided by either the search engine 830 or the credit report system 100. In communication 2, the credit relevance module 836 may request credit data from the credit report system 100. The credit report system 100 may access credit data for the consumer from credit bureau(s) 108 or from another credit database with credit data for the consumer. Also in communication 2, the credit report system 100 may provide credit data about the consumer to credit relevance module 836. After the credit relevance module 836 receives credit data from credit report system 100, the credit relevance module 836 may provide the data to user interface module 838 included in search engine 830 for display to a consumer. In some embodiments, the user interface module is provided with credit data to configure for presentation to the consumer.

[0047] For data security, in some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may not provide the consumer's credit data through a search engine 830. For example, in communication 3B, the consumer's credit data may be provided to the consumer computing device 810 without passing the information through the search engine 830. In such embodiments, if the credit relevance module 836 does identify credit related terms, it may communicate with credit report system 100, in communication 2, to indicate that relevant search terms or results were identified. Instead of requesting credit data from the credit report system 100, the search engine 830 may pass information to the credit report system 100 enabling the credit report system 100 to communicate with the consumer computing device 810 through browser 820. In some embodiments, the search engine 830 passes a network location associated with the credit report system 100 to the consumer's browser 820. The browser 820 may then access credit data associated with the computer where it is stored at the credit report system 100 to include in the consumer's search results. The search engine 830 or credit report system 100 may also provide instructions indicating to the user interface module 838 how to include credit data received from the credit report system.

[0048] User interface module 838 included in the search engine 830 may combine the search results received from searching module 834 with credit data received from credit report system 100. In communication 3A, the user interface module may provide the search results with relevant credit data to the consumer computing device 810 through browser 820. In some embodiments, the actual credit data may not be transmitted to the browser and, rather, software code (e.g., HTML, Java, Perl, Ruby, Python, etc.) may be transmitted to the browser which the browser can execute to display the consumer's credit data and/or the search results. If a search performed by search engine 830 does not relate to credit, the user interface module 838 may provide only search results to the consumer 810 through browser 820.

[0049] In some embodiments, the consumer computing device 810 may also include a user interface module 838 which may be part of browser 820 as shown in FIG. 8. The user interface module 838 may configure information received from search engine 830 for display on consumer computing device 810. For example, in some embodiments, the search engine 830 may not include a user interface module 838, or may not provide data in a format for display to a consumer. In such cases, the user interface module 838 included in browser 820 may generate a display for consumer computing device 810 based on data received from search engine 830. In some embodiments both the search engine 830 and the browser 820 include a user interface module 838, which may perform similar functions to generate a user interface for consumer computing device 810.

[0050] In some embodiments, user interface module 838 included in search engine 830 may provide search results received from searching module 834 to the consumer through browser 820 and the credit report system 100 may provide the credit data to be included in the search results through communication 3B. The user interface module 838 included in computing device 810 may then combine the information from the search engine 830 and the credit report system 100 into a user interface for the consumer. The user interface module 838 may generate the interfaces described in reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, or other user interfaces displaying the consumer's credit data in addition to the consumer's search results.

[0051] In some embodiments, the consumer's identity is also authenticated by the processes shown in FIG. 8. For example, if the credit relevance module 836 determines that search terms or search results are relevant to credit data, then the credit relevance module 836 may first communicate with the credit report system 100 to determine if the consumer's identity has been authenticated. If the consumer has not been authenticated, the user interface module 838 included at search engine 830 and/or the credit report system 100 may provide user interfaces enabling the consumer to provide identity authentication. For example the consumer may be provided with one or more of the user interfaces described with reference to FIG. 3A or 3B. In some embodiments, credit relevance module 836 or another computer system or module may perform identity verification before analyzing search terms or search results to determine if they are relevant to credit reports or credit scores.

[0052] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating communications used in an embodiment to provide credit data to a consumer based on user input or webpages accessed by the consumer. In some embodiments, a consumer computing device 810 may interact with one or more computer systems and/or view various webpages through a browser 820. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the browser 820 may include various modules. For example, a user input module 832, a data access module 910, a user interface module 838 and a credit relevance module 836. User input module 832 may receive input from a consumer computing device 810. For example, user input module 832 may receive text input by the consumer into fields associated with browser 820 or pages visited by the consumer 810. User input module 832 may also receive other input from a consumer such as mouse clicks, mouse-overs, or other selections depending on the computing device through which the consumer is accessing browser 820.

[0053] Data access module 910 accesses webpages and/or other network locations based on input received through user input module 832. For example, data access module 910 may access web pages based on URLs received by user input module 832 from consumer computing device 810. Data access module 910 may also access data based on mouse-clicks received from the consumer, such as clicks on hyperlinks or buttons for instance. Data access module 910 may provide some or all of the data accessed to credit relevance module 836. For example, in some embodiments data access module 910 may provide text portions of data accessed to credit relevance module 836. Data access module 910 may provide different amounts or types of data to credit relevance module 836 depending on the content of the data received.

[0054] In some embodiments, credit relevance module 836 may determine if the data received from data access module 910 indicates that the data is relevant to a consumer's credit report or credit score. For example, credit relevance module 836 may determine that data accessed by data access module 910 includes terms related to credit (e.g. “credit,” “loan,” etc.), entities which provide credit (e.g. “Visa,” “MasterCard,” etc.), activities that may require credit (e.g. “new cars,” “realtors,” etc.), or other terms which indicate credit data may be useful to a consumer. If the credit relevance module 836 does not identify terms or data relevant to credit terms or credit scores, the credit relevance module 836 may not perform any more processes. In some embodiments the credit relevance module 836 may indicate to other modules (e.g. user interface module 838) that the terms and results do not include credit related terms. In some embodiments the credit relevance module 836 may access more data to determine if the data accessed by consumer computing device 810 is relevant to credit. For example, if the credit relevance module 836 analyzes only a portion of the data accessed by data access module 910 and determines that the data is related to cars, the credit relevance module may access additional information to determine if the data is related to car purchases, which may indicate credit data is useful to the consumer, or related to other aspects of cars such as auto repair, which may not indicate that credit data is useful to the consumer.

[0055] If the credit relevance module 836 does identify credit related terms, the credit relevance module 836 may communicate with credit report system 100 to request credit data to include with search results for the consumer. In some embodiments, the credit relevance module 836 may be provided to the search engine 830 by the credit report system 100. The credit relevance module 838 may communicate with credit report system 100 through an API provided by either the search engine 830 or the credit report system 100. In some embodiments, the credit relevance module 836 may request credit data from the credit report system 100. The credit report system 100 may access credit data for the consumer from credit bureau(s) 108 or from another credit database with credit data for the consumer. The credit report system 100 may then provide credit data about the consumer to credit relevance module 836. After the credit relevance module 836 receives credit data from credit report system 100, the credit relevance module 836 may provide the data to user interface module 838.

[0056] User interface module 838 may combine the credit data received from the credit report system 100 with data received from data access module 910 to generate a user interface to provide to consumer computing device 810. If the credit relevance module determines the accessed data is not related to credit reports and/or scores, then the user interface module 838 may provide only the accessed data in a user interface to the consumer.

[0057] In some embodiments, the credit relevance module 836 may be an add-on, plug-in, enhancement or other similar program for a web browser. Some non-limiting examples of browsers 820 may include, for example, FireFox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and/or Safari. The credit report system 100 may provide user interface module 838 with credit data, or in some embodiments, the credit report system 100 may provide software code (e.g., HTML, Java, Perl, Ruby, Python, etc.) which the user interface module 838 may execute to display the consumer's credit data. The consumer's credit data may be provided as a pop-up, a banner, or in other manners along with the original content of the data accessed. The user interfaces described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B provide some non-limiting examples of user interfaces that may be provided by the processes illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0058] The block diagrams illustrated in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9 may in some embodiments include fewer or additional modules and systems. The modules and systems may perform fewer or additional communications than are illustrated in the figures. In some embodiments, the modules and systems may have a different configuration than is shown in the figures. For example the credit relevance module 836 may be included in credit report system 100. In such cases data may be transferred from browser 820 (in FIG. 9) or search engine 830 (in FIGS. 8A and 8B) to the credit report system 100 before credit relevance module 836 analyzes search terms, results, and/or other data.

[0059] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a credit report system 100, which may be in communication with network 160 and various computing systems, such as computing devices 162, credit bureau(s) 108, and data sources 166, that are also in communication with the network 160. The credit report system 100 may be used to implement systems and methods described herein. In some embodiments, the other computing devices discussed herein, such as the computing devices 162, may include some or all of the same components as discussed below with reference to credit report system 100. Furthermore, depending on the embodiment, certain modules, such as the user interface module 110, credit data gathering module 150, credit relevance module 836, or consumer authentication module 180 may be performed by different and/or multiple computing devices. For example, certain functionality of the interface module 110 may be performed by the computing device 162, while other functionality of the interface module 110 may be performed by the credit report system 100.

[0060] In an embodiment, various software modules are included in the credit report system 100, which may be stored on the system itself, or on computer readable storage media separate from the system and in communication with the system via a network or other appropriate means. The credit report system 100 may include a credit data gathering module 150, which performs various tasks of gathering data used by the credit report system. Such data may include, for example, credit data retrieved from credit bureau(s) 108, which may access information from raw data sources 166, such as banks and creditors. In some embodiments credit data gathering module 150 accesses credit data from other sources.

[0061] The credit data may be retrieved via a network 160, via a dedicated communication channel, or by other means. In an embodiment, credit bureau 108 transmits credit data to the credit report system 100 via a secured communication channel to ensure the privacy and security of the credit data. In an embodiment, credit data is gathered on demand as required by the credit score report system. In another embodiment, credit data is gathered on a periodic basis independent of requests for information to the credit report system. In another embodiment, credit data is stored on the credit report system, in which case, retrieval of credit data from a credit bureau 108 may not be necessary.

[0062] In an embodiment, the credit report system 100 further includes user interface module 838, which may include executable instructions for constructing user interfaces or otherwise interacting with end users. User interface module 838 may include portions that are executed by the credit report system 100 and/or by the computing device 162. Thus, discussion herein of operations performed by the user interface module 838 may be performed entirely by the credit report system 100, entirely by the computing device 162, or some portions may be performed by the credit report system 100 while other portions are performed by the computing device 162. Furthermore, other computing systems may also perform all or some of the processes discussed with reference to the user interface module 838.

[0063] In one embodiment, the user interface module 838 may access data from credit data gathering module 150 or credit bureau(s) 108, and use that data to construct user interfaces that assist the user in visualizing a credit score and the underlying data used to construct a credit score. Such visualization may be presented to the end user and are designed to be easily manipulated and/or understood by the user. In an embodiment, the user interfaces transmitted by user interface module 838 are interactive. Various embodiments of the user interfaces that may be provided by user interface module 838 are shown and described throughout this specification. Variations on such interfaces and other possible interfaces will be known to those of skill in the art.

[0064] User interface module 838 may be configured to construct user interfaces of various types. In an embodiment, user interface module 838 constructs web pages to be displayed in a web browser or computer/mobile application. The web pages may, in an embodiment, be specific to a type of device, such as a mobile device or a desktop web browser, to maximize usability for the particular device. In some embodiments, the user interface module 838 may update or manipulate a user interface provided by another computer system. In an embodiment, user interface module 838 may also interact with a client-side application, such as a mobile phone application (an “app”) or a standalone desktop application, and provide data to the application as necessary to display underlying credit score information.

[0065] The credit relevance module 836 may be configured to analyze data received from one or more sources, such as web pages accessed by a browser 820, search terms entered by a consumer, or the results of a search performed by a search engine 830. In some embodiments, computing device 162 may include a browser 820 and/or a search engine 830. Computing device 162 may access search engine 830 through network 160, in some embodiments using browser 820. The credit relevance module 836 may include portions that are executed by the credit report system 100, by credit bureau(s) 108, by search engine 830, and/or by the computing device 162. Thus, discussion herein of operations performed by the credit relevance module 836 may be performed entirely by the credit report system 100, entirely by credit bureau(s) 108, entirely by search engine 830, entirely by the computing device 162, or some portions may be performed by one system while other portions are performed another system. Furthermore, other computing systems may also perform all or some of the processes discussed with reference to the credit relevance module 836.

[0066] In some embodiments, the credit report system 100 includes a consumer authentication module 180, which may be configured to perform functions to verify the identity of a consumer using credit report system 100. The consumer authentication module 180 may request additional data from a consumer. For example, the consumer authentication module 180 may instruct the user interface module 838 to provide a user interface enabling the consumer to provide information sufficient to verify the consumer's identity. For example, the consumer authentication module 180 may receive information from the consumer through one of the user interfaces discussed in reference to FIG. 3A, 3B, 4A, or 4B. In some embodiments, the consumer authentication module 180 may verify the additional information received from the consumer with information stored on a database (e.g. a credit bureau database), or with a third party computing system which provides identity verification services.

[0067] Client computing device 162, which may comprise software and/or hardware that implements the user interface module 838, may be an end user computing device that comprises one or more processors able to execute programmatic instructions. Examples of such a computing device 162 are a desktop computer workstation, a smart phone such as an Apple iPhone or an Android phone, a computer laptop, a tablet PC such as an iPad, Kindle, or Android tablet, a video game console, or any other device of a similar nature. In some embodiments, the client computing device 162 may comprise a touch screen that allows a user to communicate input to the device using their finger(s) or a stylus on a display screen. The computing device 162 and/or credit report system 100 may comprise storage systems such as a hard drive or memory, or comprise any other non-transitory data storage medium. The storage systems may be configured to store executable instructions that may be executed by one or more processors to perform computerized operations on the client computing device, accept data input from a user (e.g. on the touch screen), and/or provide output to a user using the display. These executable instructions may be transmitted to another device for execution or processing by the device to implement the systems and methods described herein.

[0068] The computing device 162 may be connected to the credit report system 100, including credit data gathering module 150, or credit bureau 108 via a network 160. The computing device 162 may be connected to the network 160, which may include any combination of networks, such as local area, wide area, Internet, etc., by way of a wired network, such as an ethernet LAN or cable modem, or via a wireless method, such as through an 802.11 access point or via a cell phone network. The network 160 allows computing devices to send (i.e. transmit) and receive electronic transmissions.

[0069] The computing device 162 may also comprise one or more client program applications, such as a mobile “app” (e.g. iPhone or Android app) that may be used to visualize data, and initiate the sending and receiving of messages in the credit report system. This app may be distributed (e.g. downloaded) over the network to the client computing device directly from a credit bureau 108, from the credit report system 100, credit data gathering module 150, user interface module 838, or from various third parties such as an Apple iTunes repository or Android app store. In some embodiments, the application may comprise a set of visual interfaces that may comprise templates to display a consumer's credit data information from a credit report or associated attributes. In some embodiments, as described above, visual user interfaces may be downloaded from another server or service, such as the credit report system 100. This may comprise downloading web page or other HTTP/HTTPS data from a web server and rendering it through the “app”. In some embodiments, no special “app” need be downloaded and the entire interface may be transmitted from a remote Internet server to computing device 162, such as transmission from a web server that is a part of the credit report system 100 to an iPad, and rendered within the iPad's browser.

[0070] As described above, some embodiments may include portions that are executed by the credit report system 100 and/or by the computing device 162, or are entirely executed by the credit report system 100 or the computing device 162. Thus, discussion herein of any structure (e.g. CPU, memory, etc.) of the computing device 162 or operations performed by the computing device 162, credit relevance module 836, consumer authentication module 180, or user interface module 838 may be equally applied to the credit report system 100. Furthermore, other computing systems may also perform all or some of the processes discussed with reference to the various modules.

[0071] The credit report system 100 includes, for example, a personal computer that is IBM, Macintosh, iOS, Android or Linux/Unix compatible or a server or workstation. In one embodiment, the credit report system 100 comprises a server, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a kiosk, or a media player, for example. In one embodiment, the exemplary credit report system 100 includes one or more central processing unit (“CPU”) 112, which may each include a conventional or proprietary microprocessor. The credit report system 100 further includes one or more memory 130, such as random access memory (“RAM”) for temporary storage of information, one or more read only memory (“ROM”) for permanent storage of information, and one or more mass storage device 120, such as a hard drive, diskette, solid state drive, or optical media storage device. Typically, the modules of the credit report system 100 may be connected to the computer using a standard based bus system. In different embodiments, the standard based bus system could be implemented in Peripheral Component Interconnect (“PCI”), Microchannel, Small Computer System Interface (“SCSI”), Industrial Standard Architecture (“ISA”) and Extended ISA (“EISA”) architectures, for example. In addition, the functionality provided for in the components and modules of computing device 162 may be combined into fewer components and modules or further separated into additional components and modules, and executed in software, hardware, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0072] The computing device 162 and credit report system 100 are generally controlled and coordinated by operating system software, such as iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Windows CE, Unix, Linux, SunOS, Solaris, iOS, Blackberry OS, or other compatible operating systems. In Macintosh systems, the operating system may be any available operating system, such as MAC OS X. In other embodiments, the computing device 162 and/or credit report system 100 may be controlled by a proprietary operating system. Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer processes for execution, perform memory management, provide file system, networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface functionality usable by the user interface module 838, such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things.

[0073] The exemplary computing device 162 and/or credit report system 100 may include one or more commonly available input/output (I/O) devices and interfaces 111, such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, and printer. In one embodiment, the I/O devices and interfaces 111 include one or more display devices, such as a monitor or touchscreen, that allows the visual presentation of data to a user. More particularly, a display device provides for the presentation of GUIs, application software data, and multimedia presentations, for example. The computing device 162 and/or credit report system 100 may also include one or more multimedia devices 140, such as speakers, video cards, graphics accelerators, and microphones, for example.

[0074] In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the I/O devices and interfaces 111 provide a communication interface to various external devices. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the computing device 162 is electronically coupled to a network 160, which comprises one or more of a LAN, WAN, and/or the Internet, for example, via a wired, wireless (such as 802.11 networks or a cell phone network), or combination of wired and wireless, communication link. The network 160 communicates with various computing devices and/or other electronic devices via wired or wireless communication links.

[0075] In some embodiments information may be provided to the computing device 162 over the network 160 from a credit report system 100 and/or a credit bureau 108. Similarly, in some embodiments, information may be provided to the credit report system 100 over the network 160 from a credit bureau 108. The credit report system 100 and the credit bureau 108 may include one or more internal and/or external data sources 166. The data sources 166 may include internal and external data sources which store, for example, credit bureau data and/or other consumer data. In some embodiments, one or more of the databases or data sources may be implemented using a relational database, such as Sybase, Oracle, CodeBase and Microsoft® SQL Server as well as other types of databases such as, for example, a flat file database, an entity-relationship database, and object-oriented database, and/or a record-based database.

[0076] In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the credit report system 100 includes various modules that may be stored in the mass storage device 120 as executable software codes that are executed by the CPU 112. The modules included in the credit report system 100 may include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

[0077] User interface module 838 may generate and render one or more visual user interfaces (such as the user interfaces illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 1A-6) based on upon the received credit information. By interacting with these user interfaces, a user of computing device 162 may view various information about credit score goals (or thresholds) and alerts.

[0078] In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, Lua, C or C++. A software module may be compiled and linked into an executable program, installed in a dynamic link library, or may be written in an interpreted programming language such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python. It will be appreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules or from themselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events or interrupts. Software modules configured for execution on computing devices may be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compact disc, digital video disc, flash drive, magnetic disc, or any other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and may be originally stored in a compressed or installable format that requires installation, decompression or decryption prior to execution). Such software code may be stored, partially or fully, on a memory device of the executing computing device, such as the computing device 162, for execution by the computing device. Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be further appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised of connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or may be comprised of programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein are preferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented in hardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer to logical modules that may be combined with other modules or divided into sub-modules despite their physical organization or storage. Like the credit report system 100, computing device 162 and credit bureau(s) 108 may comprise similar computing hardware, software, and functionality as described above for credit report system 100.

[0079] In some embodiments, the system distinguishes between the initial transmission of credit data required for user interfaces, and subsequent transmissions of user interface data so that it may transmit only portions that are necessary to update a credit score user interface or other portions of the user interface, such as search results or web pages. This may be done, for example, using an XMLHttpRequest (XHR) mechanism, a data push interface, or other communication protocols.

[0080] Although the foregoing systems and methods have been described in terms of certain embodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the disclosure herein. Additionally, other combinations, omissions, substitutions and modifications will be apparent to the skilled artisan in view of the disclosure herein. While some embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms without departing from the spirit thereof. Further, the disclosure herein of any particular feature, aspect, method, property, characteristic, quality, attribute, element, or the like in connection with an embodiment can be used in all other embodiments set forth herein.

[0081] All of the processes described herein may be embodied in, and fully automated via, software code modules executed by one or more general purpose computers or processors. The code modules may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Some or all the methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized computer hardware. In addition, the components referred to herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof.

[0082] Conditional language such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are otherwise understood within the context as used in general to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0083] Any process descriptions, elements or blocks in the flow diagrams described herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should be understood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or elements in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments described herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executed out of order from that shown, or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved as would be understood by those skilled in the art.