IP Library Granted Patent US 10,516,670
Granted Patent B2
US 10,516,670 · App. 15/046,257 · Granted Dec 24, 2019

Genome sharing

Inventors: Brian Lee Hawthorne (San Francisco, CA); Oleksiy Khomenko (Stanford, CA); Jeffrey Mellen (San Francisco, CA); Marcela Miyazawa (Mountain View, CA); Michael Polcari (San Francisco, CA); Jack Tihon (San Francisco, CA); Alexander Wong (Palo Alto, CA); Anne Wojcicki (Palo Alto, CA); Linda Avey (Lafayette, CA)
Assignee: 23andMe, Inc.
H04L63/101G06F15/16G06F16/9535H04L67/306G06F16/958G16B20/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,516,670
App. No.
15/046,257
Granted
Dec 24, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Sharing data is disclosed. In some cases, sharing data includes receiving a request to share data from a first account to a second account, receiving an indication of a plurality of first account profiles associated with the first account to share with the second account, and establishing sharing from the plurality of first account profiles to the second account, wherein sharing comprises the second account having read access to a subset of nonpublic data associated with the plurality of first account profiles.

Claims (49)

1. A method for sharing genetic data, comprising:

providing an account database comprising records for a plurality of users of an application, a genotype database comprising genotype records associated with the plurality of users, and a phenotype database comprising phenotype records associated with the plurality of users; receiving, from a first account, a request to share data with a second account in the application, wherein:

the first account comprises a first account profile of a first user, one or more first user phenotype records, and one or more first user genotype records,

the one or more first user phenotype records are stored in the phenotype database, are uniquely associated with the first account profile of the first user, and comprise phenotype information of the first user,

the one or more first user genotype records are stored in the genotype database, are uniquely associated with the first account profile of the first user, and comprise genotype information of the first user,

the second account comprises a second account profile of a second user, one or more second user phenotype records, and one or more second user genotype records,

the one or more second user phenotype records are stored in the phenotype database, are uniquely associated with the second account profile of the second user, and comprise phenotype information of the second user,

the one or more second user genotype records are stored in the genotype database, are uniquely associated with the second account profile of the second user, and comprise genotype information of the second user,

the request comprises an indication of the first account profile associated with the first account to share with the second account and an indication of a first sharing level of a set of one or more sharing levels, and

the first sharing level of the set of one or more sharing levels specifies a subset of nonpublic data to be shared from the first account profile to the second account, the nonpublic data comprising information associated with the one or more first user genotype records, wherein the first sharing level of the set of one or more sharing levels is selected by the first user;

in response to receiving the request from the first account, notifying the second account of the request from the first account;

in response to notifying the second account of the request from the first account, receiving, from the second account, an acceptance of the request to share data through the application, wherein:

the acceptance comprises an indication of the second account profile associated with the second account to share with the first account and an indication of a second sharing level of a set of one or more sharing levels,

and

the second sharing level in the set of one or more sharing levels specifies a subset of nonpublic data to be shared from the second account profile to the first account, the nonpublic data comprising information associated with the one or more second user genotype records;

in response to receiving, from the second account, the acceptance of the request, establishing sharing from the first account profile to the second account and sharing from the second account profile to the first account, wherein establishing sharing comprises the application retrieving information from one or more of the genotype database and the phenotype database based on one or both of the first sharing level and the second sharing level; and after establishing sharing, storing sharing information in a sharing table comprising, for a shared profile, information pertaining to an account to which the shared profile is shared and a corresponding sharing level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first sharing level and the second sharing level comprises individually indicated data to be shared.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first sharing level and the second sharing level comprises a group of data to be shared.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the one or more first user genotype records comprises an ancestry associated with the genome of the first user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the one or more first user genotype records comprises health information associated with the genome of the first user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the one or more first user genotype records comprises a trait associated with the genome of the first user.

7. The method of claim of claim 1 , wherein the nonpublic data to be shared from the first account profile to the second account comprises single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data of the first user.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application is a web application.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second sharing level is selected by the second user.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second sharing level is the same as the first sharing level and is selected by the first user.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subset of nonpublic data to be shared from the first account profile to the second account comprises nonpublic phenotype data of the first user.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subset of nonpublic data to be shared from the first account profile to the second account comprises nonpublic genotype data of the first user.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subset of nonpublic data to be shared from the first account profile to the second account comprises nonpublic genetic data of the first user.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first account profile is the only profile associated with the first account.

15. A system for genetic sharing data, comprising:

an account database comprising records for a plurality of users of an application;

a genotype database comprising genotype records associated with the plurality of users; and

a phenotype database comprising phenotype records associated with the plurality of users; and

one or more processors configured to:

receive, from a first account, a request to share data with a second account in the application, wherein:

the first account comprises a first account profile of a first user, one or more first user phenotype records, and one or more first user genotype records,

the one or more first user phenotype records are stored in the phenotype database, are uniquely associated with the first account profile of the first user, and comprise phenotype information of the first user,

the one or more first user genotype records are stored in the genotype database, are uniquely associated with the first account profile of the first user, and comprise genotype information of the first user,

the second account comprises a second account profile of a second user, one or more second user phenotype records, and one or more second user genotype records,

the one or more second user phenotype records are stored in the phenotype database, are uniquely associated with the second account profile of the second user, and comprise phenotype information of the second user,

the one or more second user genotype records are stored in the genotype database, are uniquely associated with the second account profile of the second user, and comprise genotype information of the second user,

the request comprises an indication of the first account profile to share with the second account and an indication of a first sharing level of a set of one or more sharing levels and the first sharing level of the set of one or more sharing levels specifies a subset of the nonpublic data of the first account profile to be shared from the first account profile to the second account, the nonpublic data comprising information associated with the one or more first user genotype records, wherein the first sharing level of the set of one or more sharing levels is selected by the first user;

in response to receiving the request from the first account, notify the second account of the request from the first account;

in response to notifying the second account of the request from the first account, receive, from the second account, an acceptance of the request to share data through the application, wherein:

the acceptance comprises an indication of the second account profile to share with the first account and an indication of a second sharing level of a set of one or more sharing levels and the second sharing level of the set of one or more sharing levels specifies a subset of the nonpublic data of the second account profile to be shared from the second account profile to the first account, the nonpublic data comprising information associated with the one or more second user genotype records;

in response to, from the second account, the acceptance of the request, establish sharing from the first account profile to the second account and sharing from the second account profile to the first account wherein to establishing sharing comprises retrieving information from one or more of the genotype database and the phenotype database based on one or both of the first sharing level and the second sharing level; and

after establishing sharing, store sharing information in sharing table, comprising, for a shared profile, information pertaining to an account to which the shared profile is shared and a corresponding sharing level.

16. The method of claim 6 , wherein the health information includes age-related macular degeneration.

17. The method of claim 2 , further comprising setting the first sharing level and the second sharing level to be the same.

Assignments (4)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE APP. NO. 63806415 TO 63806145 AND APPL NO. 17721779 TO 17731779 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 73168 FRAME 531. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Jan 6, 2026
From: 23ANDME PGS LLC
To: 23ANDME GENOMICS LLC
Reel/Frame 074434/0334 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 22, 2025
From: 23ANDME PGS LLC
To: 23ANDME GENOMICS LLC
Reel/Frame 073168/0531 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 26, 2025
From: 23ANDME, INC.
To: 23ANDME PGS LLC
Reel/Frame 072562/0795 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 23, 2019
From: HAWTHORNE, BRIAN LEE; KHOMENKO, OLEKSIY; MELLEN, JEFFREY; MIYAZAWA, MARCELA; POLCARI, MICHAEL; TIHON, JACK; WONG, ALEXANDER; WOJCICKI, ANNE; AVEY, LINDA
To: 23ANDME, INC.
Reel/Frame 049836/0677 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 12288014 · Oct 14, 2008
Provisional Application 61070321 · Mar 19, 2008
Provisional Application 60999148 · Oct 15, 2007
Provisional Application 60999064 · Oct 15, 2007
Related Publication 20160277408A1 · Sep 22, 2016
Cited By (8)
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