Intuit, Inc.

Nankun Huang

Amir R Eftekhari

Carol Ann Howe

Christopher Marc Dye

Robert E Bamford

Alan Brian Tifford

Jeffrey P Ludwig

Kevin M McCluskey

Paul F Hubbard

Justin Rui Chang Chiang

Maria Regina Villanueva Garcia

Yao H Morin

Justin C Marr

Gang Wang

Luis Felipe Cabrera

Massimo Mascaro

Joseph Elwell

David Alan Hanekamp, Jr

Damien O'Malley

Peter Lubczynski

Matthew Allen Brincho

Andrew Scott Jeddeloh

Paul Bober

Tyler Thomas Krupicka

Vi Joy Caro

Tracy Fung

Damian O'Malley

Art Tawanghar

Edward Milton Renner

Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for allowing taxpayers to utilize mobile communication or communication devices such as smartphones and tablet devices to upload tax document images and process tax document images such that resulting recognized tax data is incorporated into an electronic tax return. Authentication data is generated and provided to the taxpayer to establishing a connection with an image processor, which provides recognized tax data to the on-line tax preparation application for incorporation into the electronic tax return. Authentication data may be embodied within a URL address to the image processor that is transmitted as a SMS message to the mobile communication or computing device or encoded within a QR code such that the mobile communication or computing device can be used to take an image of and decode the QR code to determine the URL address and authentication data to establish a connection with the image processor.

Tax document imaging and processing

A tax data collection system includes a navigation module configured to obtain user data. The system also includes a data graph including information relating to the user data. The system further includes a knowledge engine configured to map the user data onto a data model using the information from the data graph. Moreover, the system includes an inference engine configured to suggest a system action by analyzing at least the data model after the user data has been mapped thereon.

Methods, systems and computer program products for obtaining tax data

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for generating a user experience for a software program product based on a knowledge engine. Techniques for generating the user experience include a UI builder tool providing a set of tabular UI views and receiving in each tabular UI view corresponding input data for generating a calculation graph, a completeness graph, and a client UI view. Based on the input data, the UI builder tool and knowledge engine can generate a set of artifact files. The knowledge engine can generate and/or execute the calculation and completeness graphs as defined in the corresponding artifact files. The UI builder tool can generate an instance of the client UI view. With the generated calculation graph(s), completeness graph(s), and an instance of the client UI view, the user experience can be provided to a computing device.

Knowledge engine auto-generation of guided flow experience

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for generating a user experience for a software program product based on a knowledge engine. Techniques for generating the user experience include a UI builder tool providing a set of tabular UI views and receiving in each tabular UI view corresponding input data for generating a calculation graph, a completeness graph, a client UI view, and a constants table. Based on the input data, the UI builder tool and knowledge engine can generate a set of artifact files. The knowledge engine can generate and/or execute the calculation graph(s), completeness graph(s), and constants table(s) as defined in the corresponding artifact files. The UI builder tool can generate an instance of the client UI view. With the generated calculation graph(s), completeness graph(s), constants table(s), and an instance of the client UI view, the user experience can be provided to a computing device.

A system for facilitating user interaction with a tax return preparation program includes a completion graph parser configured to identify a portion of a tax return completion graph corresponding to a tax topic. The system also includes a query object creator configured to analyze and assign a node in the portion as a query object property. The system further includes a natural language synthesis engine configured to map the property to a first natural language question. Moreover, the system includes a natural language analysis engine configured to analyze user input and to identify a characteristic that maps to the property based on the user input. In addition, the system includes a runner interface configured to modify the query object based on the characteristic, update the tax return completion graph based on the modified query object, and analyze the updated tax return completion graph to determine whether it is complete.

Methods, systems and computer program products for facilitating user interaction with tax return preparation programs

A system for acquiring tax data during electronic tax return preparation includes a client computer configured to render a first webpage and receive interface data from a tax data source computer. The system also includes a browser server computer configured to receive the interface data from the client computer, process the interface data to generate rendering instructions, and transmit the rendering instructions to the client computer. The client computer and the browser server computer are configured such that, when the client computer executes the rendering instructions, the client computer renders a secondary webpage. The secondary webpage is controllable independent of the primary webpage.

Web browsing systems for acquiring tax data during electronic tax return preparation

A system for acquiring tax data during preparation of an electronic tax return includes a client computer executing a browser, a browser rendering computer in communication with the client computer, and a machine learning system utilized by the browser rendering computer. The client computer is configured to present a tax preparation webpage, and receive interface data representing s first user's interactions with a first tax data source website. The browser rendering computer is configured to execute the machine learning system, derive navigation information for the first tax data source website, generate rendering instructions for the first tax data source website, and transmit the rendering instructions to the client computer. The client computer is also configured to execute the rendering instructions to implement a second browser that presents a tax data source webpage that is controllable by a user independently of the tax preparation webpage.

Web browsing and machine learning systems for acquiring tax data during electronic tax return preparation

During an image-analysis technique, the system calculates features by performing image analysis (such as optical character recognition) on a received image of a document. Using these features, as well as spatial and grammatical constraints, the system determines a layout of the document. For example, the layout may be determined using constraint-based optimization based on the spatial and the grammatical constraints. Note that the layout specifies locations of content in the document, and may be used to subsequently extract the content from the image and/or to allow a user to provide feedback on the extracted content by presenting the extracted content to the user in a context (i.e., the determined layout) that is familiar to the user.

Layout reconstruction using spatial and grammatical constraints

The present disclosure relates to dynamically generating user interfaces based on a user's emotional state. An example method generally includes a computer system receiving emotional response data from a client device. The computer system identifies a version of a user experience to present on the client device based on the received emotional response data and generates code for rendering a user interface associated with the identified version of the user experience. The generated code is transmitted to the client device for rendering and presentation on the client device.

Serving different versions of a user interface in response to user emotional state

A computing device acquires a video of a tax document utilizing a video camera such as a webcam. The video is analyzed to detect a first motion of the tax document, such as sufficient shaking or movement of the tax document, satisfying first pre-determined criteria that results in the computing device being prompted or requested by the user to take an image of the tax document. After the first pre-determined criteria has been satisfied, the user is instructed to hold the tax document steady. Subsequent video frames are analyzed to detect a second motion or the tax document being sufficiently still or steady, in response to which an image of the tax document is acquired and processed to extract data of the tax document from the acquired image and populate corresponding fields of the electronic tax return.

Methods systems and computer program products for motion initiated document capture

Computer-implemented methods, systems and computer program products for directing a current user of a tax preparation application to a portion of the current user's tax document. Images of tax documents of other or prior users are received, and a tax document image is selected. Tax data within the selected tax document image is redacted from the image to generate an image of a template of a tax document. Sections or interface elements of interview screens generated by the tax preparation program are mapped to sections of the template. When the current user selects an interface element such as a field, a pre-determined or selected portion of the template image is presented through the tax preparation application to the current user. The particular field mapped to the particular selected interface element may be identified or highlighted.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Nankun Huang