US Patent 7512612 Selecting an optimal path through a relationship graph

A relationship graph of nodes representing entities and edges representing relationships among the entities is searched to find a match on search criteria, such as an individual or a company. Paths through the relationship graph to the match are identified and a relevance value is associated with each path. A node in each path is specified as a connector for the path. The connectors and relevance values may be displayed to allow a choice of paths. If more than one match is found, a selection may be made by a user. Additionally, any matches may be filtered according to privacy rules.