1. A method for positively identifying an individual comprising:
providing on a computer a name of an individual to be uniquely identified within a population to the exclusion of all others within said population;
providing on said computer two or more databases containing unique sources of data pertaining to said population;
said computer comparing the name of said individual to be uniquely identified to data from said two or more databases to provide a collection of preliminary suspects from said two or more databases that may match the name of said individual, said data from said two or more databases having been normalized into a standardized and common format;
said computer searching an additional different database to obtain additional data relating to said individual and comparing said additional data to data within the collection of preliminary suspects to identify at least one potential match from the collection of preliminary suspects;
said computer reconciling the at least one potential match with data from the two or more databases and locating at least a portion of a unique identifier that may be associated with said individual;
comparing on said computer the at least portion of the unique identifier from the two or more databases with other data records from the additional different database to extract and obtain a complete unique identifier that may be associated with the individual that is to be uniquely identified; and
said computer reconciling the complete unique identifier by performing a three-part matching test that all must be satisfied for the complete unique identifier to be a positive match that uniquely identifies said individual to the exclusion of all others within said population, the three-part matching test comprising a \u201cdirect person\u201d match, an \u201cABC pattern\u201d match and a \u201cno other person\u201d match.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of providing the two or more databases containing unique sources of data pertaining to said population includes the step retrieving data from two or more databases.
3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of said computer performing a data scrubbing operation on the normalized data to provide scrubbed, normalized data.
4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of storing said data on said computer.
5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of said computer verifying and validating said at least one potential match.
6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of updating the data in said two or more databases to provide updated unique sources of data pertaining to said population.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of comparing the at least portion of the unique identifier with other data records within the individual search data source comprises the step of implementing at least one comparison test.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the at least portion of the unique identifier comprises a last name field, a first name field and a middle initial field and the at least one comparison test comprises a three-name-field matching test wherein the last name field, first name field and middle initial fields are compared to corresponding last name field, first name field and middle initial field, respectively, in the data records retrieved from the individual search data source.
9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the at least one comparison test comprises a plurality of comparison tests and another one of the at least one comparison test comprises a two-out-of-three name fields matching test.
10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the two-out-of-three name fields matching test is not implemented when there is no middle initial or middle name field provided either in the data records of the potential match or the data records retrieved from the individual search data source.
11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the at least one comparison test further comprises a compressed name field match test that comprises the steps of:
said computer compressing the last name, first name and middle initial or middle name, when provided, of the at least one potential match and the data records retrieved from the individual search data source so as to eliminate all spaces and punctuation; and
comparing on said computer the compressed last, first and middle initial or middle names of the at least one potential match and the data records retrieved from the individual search data source.
12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the at least one comparison test further comprises a sound comparison test which compares the sound of the pronunciation of a name designated as the potential match and the name defined by the data records retrieved from the individual search data source.
13. The method according to claim 1 wherein said unique identifier is selected from the group consisting of a social security number, a date of birth, a driver’s license number, a Medicare identification number, and a tax identification number.
14. The method according to claim 1 wherein one of the two or more databases containing unique sources of data pertaining to said population comprises data records of all deceased individuals.
15. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of providing on said computer at least one address believed to be associated with said individual for uniquely identifying said individual.
16. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of indicating on said computer that said potential match is said individual that is to be uniquely identified.
17. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of determining whether said complete unique identifier uniquely identifies said individual includes validating and verifying said complete unique identifier and its correlation to said individual that is to be uniquely identified.
18. A method for singularly identifying an individual comprising the steps of:
(a) providing on a computer a plurality of databases, each database containing a unique category of data pertaining to a population of individuals;
(b) providing on said computer search data that comprises information that is associated with a name of an individual that is to be uniquely electronically identified to the exclusion of all others within said population;
(c) said computer comparing the name of said individual to be uniquely identified to data from said plurality of databases to provide a collection of preliminary suspects that may match the name of said individual, said data from said plurality of databases being normalized in a standardized and common format;
(d) said computer searching another of said plurality of databases using the search data to find additional information that may be related to the information defined by the search data;
(e) said computer determining whether the additional information constitutes a unique identifier of said individual or whether the additional information constitutes generic, personal, identifiable information by comparing said additional data to data within the collection of preliminary suspects;
(f) said computer reconciling the unique identifier by performing a three-part matching test that all must be satisfied for the unique identifier to be a positive match that the additional information singularly identifies said individual when the additional information constitutes a unique identifier of said individual, the three-part matching test comprising a \u201cdirect person\u201d match, an \u201cABC pattern\u201d match and a \u201cno other person\u201d match;
(g) said computer revising the search data to replace a portion of the search data with all or a portion of the additional information when it is determined that the additional information is not a unique identifier of said individual but instead is generic, personal, identifiable information; and
(h) repeating steps (d)-(g).
19. A program storage device readable by a processor capable of executing instructions, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for positively identifying an providing on a computer a name of an individual to be uniquely identified within a population to the exclusion of all others within said population;
providing on said computer two or more databases containing unique sources of data pertaining to said population;
said computer comparing the name of said individual to be uniquely identified to data from said two or more databases to provide a collection of preliminary suspects from said two or more databases that may match the name of said individual, said data from said two or more databases having been normalized into a standardized and common format;
said computer searching an additional different database to obtain additional data relating to said individual and comparing said additional data to data within the collection of preliminary suspects to identify at least one potential match from the collection of preliminary suspects;
said computer reconciling the at least one potential match with data from the two or more databases and locating at least a portion of a unique identifier that may be associated with said individual;
comparing on said computer the at least portion of the unique identifier from the two or more databases with other data records from the additional different database to extract and obtain a complete unique identifier that may be associated with the individual that is to be uniquely identified; and
said computer reconciling the complete unique identifier by performing a three-part matching test that all must be satisfied for the complete unique identifier to be a positive match that uniquely identifies said individual to the exclusion of all others within said population, the three-part matching test comprising a \u201cdirect person\u201d match, an \u201cABC pattern\u201d match and a \u201cno other person\u201d match.
20. A non-transitory computer program product for positively identifying an individual, said non-transitory computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage media;
first program instructions to provide a name of an individual to be uniquely identified within a population to the exclusion of all others within said population;
second program instructions to provide two or more databases containing unique sources of data pertaining to said population;
third program instructions to compare the name of said individual to be uniquely identified to data from said two or more databases to provide a collection of preliminary suspects from said two or more databases that may match the name of said individual, said data from said two or more databases having been normalized into a standardized and common format;
fourth program instructions to search an additional different database to obtain additional data relating to said individual and comparing said additional data to data within the collection of preliminary suspects to identify at least one potential match from the collection of preliminary suspects;
fifth program instructions to reconcile the at least one potential match with data from the two or more databases and locating at least a portion of a unique identifier that may be associated with said individual;
sixth program instructions to compare the at least portion of the unique identifier from the two or more databases with other data records from the additional different database to extract and obtain a complete unique identifier that may be associated with the individual that is to be uniquely identified; and
seventh program instructions to reconcile the complete unique identifier by performing a three-part matching test that all must be satisfied for said complete unique identifier to be a positive match that uniquely identifies said individual to the exclusion of all others within said population, the three-part matching test comprising a \u201cdirect person\u201d match, an \u201cABC pattern\u201d match and a \u201cno other person\u201d match,
wherein the first through seventh program instructions are all stored on the computer readable storage media.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer which comprises first polymerization step for obtaining an aqueous emulsion by emulsion polymerization of a fluoromonomer A in an aqueous medium in the presence of a vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier and second polymerization step for producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer by emulsion polymerization of a fluoromonomer B in said aqueous emulsion,
wherein said vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier is a compound having a radical polymerizable unsaturated bond and a hydrophilic group within the molecule thereof.
2. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the compound having the radical polymerizable unsaturated bond and the hydrophilic group within the molecule thereof is a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (1) represented by the general formula (1):
CR1R2\u2550CR3(CR4R5)j\u2014(O)k \u2014R\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(1)
wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are the same or different and each represents a perfluoroalkyl group (which may optionally be substituted by H), H, F, Cl, Br or I, R represents a straight or branched fluoroalkylene group resulting from substitution of part or all of H atoms of the corresponding alkylene group by F, which may contain oxygen atom in the main chain thereof, j represents an integer of 0 to 6, k represents an integer of 0 or 1, and Y represents a hydrophilic group.
3. A method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer which comprises first polymerization step for obtaining an aqueous emulsion by emulsion polymerization of a fluoromonomer A in an aqueous medium in the presence of a vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier and second polymerization step for producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer by emulsion polymerization of a fluoromonomer B in said aqueous emulsion,
wherein said vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier is a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (I) represented by the general formula (I):
CF2\u2550CF\u2014(CF2)a\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(I)
wherein a represents an integer of 1 to 10 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal,
a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (II) represented by the general formula (II):
CF2\u2550CF\u2014(CF2C(CF3)F)b\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(II)
wherein b represents an integer of 1 to 5 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal,
a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (III) represented by the general formula (III):
CF2\u2550CFO\u2014(CF2)c\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(III)
wherein c represents an integer of 1 to 10 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal,
a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (IV) represented by the general formula (IV):
CF2\u2550CF(CF2)d\u2014O\u2014(CF2CFXO)e\u2014(CF2)f\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(IV)
wherein X represents \u2014F or \u2014CF3, d represents an integer of 0 to 2, e represents an integer of 1 to 10, f represents an integer of 1 to 3 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal,
a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (V) represented by the general formula (V):
CH2\u2550CFCF2O\u2014(CF(CF3)CF2O)g\u2014CF(CF3)\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(V)
wherein g represents an integer of 0 to 10 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal,
a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (VI) represented by the general formula (VI):
CF2\u2550CF(CF2)hO\u2014(CF(CF3)CF2O)i\u2014CF(CF3)\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(VI)
wherein h represents an integer of 1 to 6, i represents an integer of 1 to 10 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal,
a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (VII) represented by the general formula (VII):
CH2\u2550CH(CF2)p1\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(VII)
wherein p1 represents an integer of 1 to 10 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal andor
a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (VIII) represented by the general formula (VIII):
CF2\u2550CFO\u2014(CH2)q\u2014(CF2)p2\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(VIII)
wherein q represents an integer of 1 to 4, p2 represents an integer of 1 to 10 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal.
4. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the elastomeric fluoropolymer is a vinylidene fluoride-based copolymer.
5. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the elastomeric fluoropolymer is a tetrafluoroethylenepropylene-based copolymer.
6. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the elastomeric fluoropolymer is a tetrafluoroethyleneperfluoro vinyl ether-based copolymer.
7. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 3,
wherein the vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier is the vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (I), the vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (III), the vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (IV), the vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (V), the vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (VI), the vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (VII) andor the vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (VIII).
8. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 7,
wherein said vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier is a vinyl group-containing fluorinated compound (i) represented by the general formula (i):
CH2\u2550CFCF2O\u2014(CF(CF3)CF2O)k\u2014CF(CF3)\u2014Y\u2003\u2003(i)
wherein k represents an integer of 0 to 3 and Y represents \u2014SO3M or \u2014COOM in which M represents H, NH4 or an alkali metal.
9. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier is used at an addition level of not lower than 1 ppm but not higher than 10% by mass relative to the aqueous medium.
10. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the first polymerization step is carried out using a water-soluble radical polymerization initiator and the second polymerization step is carried out using an oil-soluble radical polymerization initiator.
11. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the first polymerization step andor the second polymerization step is carried out using a chain transfer agent.
12. The method of producing an elastomeric fluoropolymer according to claim 1,
wherein the first polymerization step andor the second polymerization step is carried out in the absence of any fluorine-containing surfactant.
13. The method of producing elastomeric fluoropolymers according to claim 1,
which further comprises a dilution step in which the aqueous emulsion obtained in the first polymerization step is diluted with water to reduce the number of emulsified polymer particles and the vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier concentration per unit quantity of the aqueous medium in said emulsion prior to the second polymerization step.
14. An elastomeric fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion which comprises a particle comprising an elastomeric fluoropolymer dispersed in an aqueous medium,
wherein said elastomeric fluoropolymer is an elastomeric fluoropolymer produced by the method according to claim 1,
said elastomeric fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion contains a vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier or does not contain any vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier and
the content of said vinyl group-containing fluorinated emulsifier is lower than 1000 ppm relative to said elastomeric fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion.