Trend Attribute Encoding for Time-Series Model Training

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automated modeling systems rely on static snapshots of attribute data, failing to utilize time series data effectively, leading to inaccurate predictive outputs and inefficient resource consumption.

Innovation Solution

Generating trend attributes through frequency transforms, such as discrete cosine transforms (DCT), to encode time-series information, which are used as inputs for automated modeling algorithms, reducing the need for multiple dataset iterations and optimizing resource usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If static snapshots of attribute data are used for training automated modeling systems, then the system implementation is simple, but predictive accuracy deteriorates due to failure to utilize time series data

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepredictive accuracyVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The time series data is segmented into discrete time intervals (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly snapshots), and trend attributes are calculated for each segment. This segmentation allows the system to process time series data in manageable chunks rather than as a continuous stream, improving predictive accuracy while controlling complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Trend attributes are pre-calculated from historical time series data before being fed into the automated modeling system. This preliminary action of computing trends (e.g., rate of change, acceleration, cyclic patterns) in advance reduces the complexity during actual modeling operations while enhancing predictive accuracy with rich temporal features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If multiple dataset iterations are used to capture time-based characteristics, then predictive accuracy improves, but computational resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepredictive accuracyVSAvoidcomputational resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts essential time-based characteristics (trends, cyclic patterns, rate of change) from the full time series data and represents them as compact trend attributes. This extraction reduces the data volume significantly while retaining the critical temporal information needed for accurate predictions, thereby lowering computational resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms time series data from the time domain to the frequency domain using transforms like DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform). This parameter change allows representation of temporal patterns as frequency components, enabling efficient compression and processing while maintaining predictive accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of information

If full time series data is processed directly by automated modeling systems, then complete time-based information is utilized, but data processing efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime-based information completenessVSAvoiddata processing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of processing the entire time series data directly, the system creates compressed representations (copies) in the form of trend attributes that capture the essential time-based characteristics. These trend attribute copies retain the critical temporal information while being much more efficient to process by the automated modeling system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3353688B1Updating attribute data structures to indicate trends in attribute data provided to automated modeling systems
Publication Date: 2025.11.05 EQUIFAX INC
  • EP3353688B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3353688B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP3353688B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

Certain aspects involve updating data structures to indicate relationships between attribute trends and response variables used for training automated modeling systems. For example, a data structure stores data for training an automated modeling algorithm. The training data includes attribute values for multiple entities over a time period. A computing system generates, for each entity, at least one trend attribute that is a function of a respective time series of attribute values. The computing system modifies the data structure to include the generated trend attributes and updates the training data to include trend attribute values for the trend attributes. The computing system trains the automated modeling algorithm with the trend attribute values from the data structure. In some aspects, trend attributes are generated by applying a frequency transform to a time series of attribute values and selecting, as trend attributes, some of the coefficients generated by the frequency transform.