Intuit, Inc.

Robert E Bamford

Carol Ann Howe

Christopher Marc Dye

Nankun Huang

Varadarajan Sriram

Brian Joon Chung

Karla Julietta Uribe

Vitaliy Igorevich Lee

Michael Albert Miljour

Caitlin Elizabeth Flint

Joshua David Ackerman

Ashpak Salim Shaikh

Harsimran S Badwal

Massimo Mascaro

Yao H Morin

Horace Chan

Sheldon Porcina

Vijoy J Caro

Greg Coulombe

Avanish C Pathak

Nikolaos Ioannou

Sharon E Hunt

Gaurav Doon

Alexis Hartford

Brian Lyle Hofmaister

Andrew Roe

Sylvia R Knust

Thai D Dang

Kasey L Matthews

A network-based synchronization system includes a server executing an electronic tax preparation program. The server is in communication with first and second computing devices through first and second networks. The first computing device utilizes the electronic tax preparation program. The second computing device is a mobile communication device including an image acquisition component and a mobile application executing thereon. The server, and the first and second computing devices are cooperatively operable through the first and second networks to synchronize the electronic tax preparation program and the mobile application based at least in part upon data acquired by the image acquisition component. The server receives the data acquired by the image acquisition component and transmits the data to the first computing device to synchronize the mobile application and the electronic tax preparation program.

Network-based synchronization system and method

A computer-implemented method for collaboratively preparing an electronic tax return includes a host computer receiving a request from a first user for a collaborative tax preparation session through tax preparation software utilized by the first user to prepare an electronic tax return. The method also includes the host computer sending a message through a second network to a second computing device of a second user, inviting the second user to participate in the collaborative tax preparation session with the first user. The method further includes the host computer receiving a reply from the second computing device, including agreement by the second user to participate in the session. Moreover, the method includes the host computer establishing the collaborative tax preparation session. During the collaborative tax preparation session, the host computer receives tax-related information from the second computing device, and sends the received tax-related information to the first computing device.

Methods, systems and computer program products for collaborative tax return preparation

Computing systems, computer-implemented methods, articles of manufacture for making personalized assessments regarding whether a taxpayer should be presented with a standardized flow of interview screens, questions or topics, or with an itemized deduction flow of interview screens, questions or topics. This assessment is made utilizing a generated user interface and analytic data elements that generate outputs that reflect the taxpayer's data, e.g., in the form of ranges of numerical data that are based on the taxpayer's data. User interface elements representing response options in the form of range data may be selected by the user without entering specific electronic tax return data for the purpose of making standardized v. itemized determinations and to determine which questions or topics can be bypassed.

Computer generated user interfaces, computerized systems and methods and articles of manufacture for personalizing standardized deduction or itemized deduction flow determinations

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

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

A method and system provides augmented OCR data to a user of a financial system. The method and system include receiving image data related to an image of a financial document of the user and generating OCR data based on the image data. The method and system further include receiving financial data related to the financial document, analyzing the financial document, and generating the augmented OCR data based on the OCR data and the financial data.

Data accuracy in OCR by leveraging user data and business rules to improve data accuracy at field level

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.

Methods systems and articles of manufacture for providing tax document guidance during preparation of electronic tax return

During a data-entry technique, a subset of desired information is determined based on an attribute of the user (such as an identifier). For example, the subset of the information may be associated with at least a field in a document, and the remainder of the information may be associated with at least a second field. This second field may be: empty, related to the subset of the information, and/or redundant with the subset of the information. Using the determined subset of the information, the data-entry process may be simplified. In particular, a user may only have to provide the subset of the information, instead of all the information.

Streamlined data entry based on data relationships

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Robert E Bamford