IP Library Granted Patent US 11,935,628
Granted Patent B2
US 11,935,628 · App. 17/979,412 · Granted Mar 19, 2024

Finding relatives in a database

Inventors: Lawrence Hon (Sunnyvale, CA); Serge Saxonov (Oakland, CA); Brian Thomas Naughton (Mountain View, CA); Joanna Louise Mountain (Menlo Park, CA); Anne Wojcicki (Palo Alto, CA); Linda Avey (Lafayette, CA)
Assignee: 23andMe, Inc.
G16B50/30G06F16/2457G06F16/9535G06N5/048G16B10/00G16B30/00G16B50/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,935,628
App. No.
17/979,412
Granted
Mar 19, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Determining relative relationships of people who share a common ancestor within at least a threshold number of generations includes: receiving recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of a first user and recombinable DNA sequence information of a plurality of users; processing, using one or more computer processors, the recombinable DNA sequence information of the plurality of users in parallel; determining, based at least in part on a result of processing the recombinable DNA information of the plurality of users in parallel, a predicted degree of relationship between the first user and a user among the plurality of users, the predicted degree of relative relationship corresponding to a number of generations within which the first user and the second user share a common ancestor.

Claims (44)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system and from a user, an opt-in election to consent to being presented with information about potential familial relatives among a plurality of users in a familial relative finder database, wherein the familial relative finder database comprises recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of the plurality of users, including that of the user;

determining, by the computing system and from identical-by-descent (IBD) segments from the recombinable DNA of the user and the recombinable DNA of the plurality of users, familial relative relationships between the user and each of a subset of users from the plurality of users; and

providing, by the computing system and for display on a client device of the user, a representation of a graphical user interface indicating the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users in tabular form, wherein each entry in the tabular form displays, for the user and a particular user of the subset of users, a predicted familial relative relationship and a percent of DNA shared.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein an entry in the tabular form displays an icon selectable by way of the graphical user interface that facilitates making contact between the user and a second user to which the entry applies.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, an indication that the user has selected the icon; and

in response to receiving the indication, providing, for display on the client device, a representation of a second graphical user interface that prompts the user to enter a personalized introduction message and to select personal information that the user is willing to share with the second user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, the personalized introduction message or selection of the personal information; and

in response to receiving the personalized introduction message or selection of the personal information, transmitting an invitation to connect to the second user on behalf of the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the second user has opted-in to being presented with information about potential familial relatives among the plurality of users.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising:

receiving, from a second client device associated with the second user, an acceptance of the invitation to connect; and

in response to receiving the acceptance of the invitation to connect, updating the familial relative finder database to indicate that the user and the second user are connected.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , further comprising:

based on the user and the second user being connected, revealing identifies, genetic information, and existing familial relative relationships of the user and the second user to one another.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , further comprising:

based on the user and the second user being connected, inferring an additional familial relative relationship between the user and a third user from an existing familial relative relationship between the second user and the third user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a number of generations as a threshold relationship value, wherein each of the subset of users has a respective common ancestor with the user that is no more than the number of generations from the user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users comprises determining common patterns of nucleotides between the user and each of the subset of users.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the common patterns of nucleotides between the user and each of the subset of users are common lengths of recombinable DNA of the user and recombinable DNA of at least one of the subset of users exceeding a predetermined threshold.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the entries in the tabular form are sorted according to closeness of the predicted familial relative relationships with the user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the entries in the tabular form are anonymized to hide identities of the subset of users.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each of the subset of users has opted-in to being presented with information about potential familial relatives among the plurality of users.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each entry in the tabular form also displays, for the user and the particular user of the subset of users, a number of IBD segments shared.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user, an opt-in election to consent to being presented with information about potential familial relatives among a plurality of users in a familial relative finder database, wherein the familial relative finder database comprises recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of the plurality of users, including that of the user;

determining, from identical-by-descent (IBD) segments from the recombinable DNA of the user and the recombinable DNA of the plurality of users, familial relative relationships between the user and each of a subset of users from the plurality of users; and

providing, for display on a client device of the user, a representation of a graphical user interface indicating the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users in tabular form, wherein each entry in the tabular form displays, for the user and a particular user of the subset of users, a predicted familial relative relationship and a percent of DNA shared.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein an entry in the tabular form displays an icon selectable by way of the graphical user interface that facilitates making contact between the user and a second user to which the entry applies.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, an indication that the user has selected the icon; and

in response to receiving the indication, providing, for display on the client device, a representation of a second graphical user interface that prompts the user to enter a personalized introduction message and to select personal information that the user is willing to share with the second user.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, the personalized introduction message or selection of the personal information; and

in response to receiving the personalized introduction message or selection of the personal information, transmitting an invitation to connect to the second user on behalf of the user.

20. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user, an opt-in election to consent to being presented with information about potential familial relatives among a plurality of users in a familial relative finder database, wherein the familial relative finder database comprises recombinable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence information of the plurality of users, including that of the user;

determining, from identical-by-descent (IBD) segments from the recombinable DNA of the user and the recombinable DNA of the plurality of users, familial relative relationships between the user and each of a subset of users from the plurality of users; and

providing, for display on a client device of the user, a representation of a graphical user interface indicating the familial relative relationships between the user and each of the subset of users in tabular form, wherein each entry in the tabular form displays, for the user and a particular user of the subset of users, a predicted familial relative relationship and a percent of DNA shared.

Assignments (5)
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 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE FIFTH INVENTOR'S NAME ON THE COVER SHEET PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 061635 FRAME: 0564. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Nov 10, 2022
From: HON, LAWRENCE; SAXONOV, SERGE; NAUGHTON, BRIAN THOMAS; MOUNTAIN, JOANNA LOUISE; WOJCICKI, ANNE; AVEY, LINDA
To: 23ANDME, INC.
Reel/Frame 062541/0796 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 2, 2022
From: HON, LAWRENCE; SAXONOV, SERGE; NAUGHTON, BRIAN THOMAS; MOUNTAIN, JOANNA LOUISE; WAJCICKI, ANNE; AVEY, LINDA
To: 23ANDME, INC.
Reel/Frame 061635/0564 →
Continuity (9)
Continuation 17576738 · Jan 14, 2022
Continuation 17351052 · Jun 17, 2021
Continuation 17073110 · Oct 16, 2020
Continuation 16129645 · Sep 12, 2018
Continuation 15264493 · Sep 13, 2016
Continuation 13871744 · Apr 26, 2013
Continuation 12644791 · Dec 22, 2009
Provisional Application 61204195 · Dec 31, 2008
Related Publication 20230298704A1 · Sep 21, 2023