# How Assistant Systems Combine Information About One Thing from Many Places > This patent describes a system that gathers all known information about a single person, place, or thing from various sources and combines it into one complete profile for an assistant system. - **Patent:** US 11704899 - **Original title:** Resolving entities from multiple data sources for assistant systems - **Owner:** Meta Platforms - **Granted:** 2023 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 0 - **Field:** software, ai_ml, telecommunications, consumer_electronics ## What it does This method helps an assistant system provide a complete picture of an 'entity' (like a person or place) by combining information from multiple sources. When a 'client system' requests information about a 'first record' (Claim 1), the system identifies a 'globally unique entity identifier' linked to that record (Claim 1). It then finds other 'second records' also linked to this same unique identifier (Claim 1). All these related records are then 'deduped' and 'compiled' into a single 'fused record' (Claim 1), which is then sent back to the client system for presentation. For example, if you ask a voice assistant about a specific author, it could combine details from their book listings, social media profiles, and interview transcripts into one unified summary. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover combining data about an entity if there is no globally unique identifier linking the different records. - Does not cover systems that link data but do not generate and present a single 'fused record' in response to a user request. - Does not cover methods of combining entity data that do not involve a deduplication step to associate records with a unique identifier. - Does not cover systems that simply store multiple records about an entity without actively compiling and presenting a unified view. ## The clever bit The clever part is how it automatically finds all scattered pieces of information about one specific thing across many different data sources, links them using a unique ID, and then intelligently combines them into one clean, complete summary to show a user. This avoids showing fragmented or repetitive information. ## Real-world examples 1. Meta AI 2. Google Assistant 3. Amazon Alexa 4. Apple Siri 5. Knowledge panels in search engines ## Why it matters This patent is important for making AI assistant systems smarter and more helpful. By combining information about a person, place, or topic from many different places, it helps assistants give you a complete picture instead of just bits and pieces. This technology is key for companies like Meta Platforms Inc. to build advanced virtual assistants that can answer complex questions by drawing on a wide range of data. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Assistant Systems Combine Information About One Thing from Many Places cover? This patent describes a system that gathers all known information about a single person, place, or thing from various sources and combines it into one complete profile for an assistant system. ### Who owns patent US 11704899? Meta Platforms owns this patent, granted in 2023. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on September 11, 2040, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent is important for making AI assistant systems smarter and more helpful. By combining information about a person, place, or topic from many different places, it helps assistants give you a complete picture instead of just bits and pieces. This technology is key for companies like Meta Platforms Inc. to build advanced virtual assistants that can answer complex questions by drawing on a wide range of data. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover combining data about an entity if there is no globally unique identifier linking the different records. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11704899/resolving-entities-from-multiple-data-sources-for-assistant-systems **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US11704899 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Google Displays Knowledge Panels Next to Search Results](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9268820/onedrive-cloud-storage) — A method for automatically assembling and displaying information boxes on search result pages by pulling data from multiple sources based on user query patterns. - [How a Digital Assistant Launches Apps Using Your Voice](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9548050/continuity-handoff) — This patent describes how a digital assistant like Siri uses your spoken words and understanding of your conversation to figure out what you want and launch the right app. - [How AI Connects Different Databases Using Knowledge Graphs](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11507851/system-and-method-of-integrating-databases-based-on-knowledge-graph) — This patent describes a server-based method that uses artificial intelligence and two learning models to automatically find and integrate connections between data fields and data values across multiple databases that have different structures. - [How Digital Assistants Control Apps and Ask for More Information](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11204787/github-copilot-code-generation-ai) — This patent describes how a digital assistant on a device can understand what a user wants from a natural language command, find the right app, get a step-by-step guide from another device, and then ask the user for more details on the screen to complete the task with that app. - [How Computers Match and Join Messy Data from Different Sources](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9607103/amazon-athena) — A method for merging datasets by identifying related but non-identical items using flexible matching rules rather than strict equality.