Computer implemented methods systems and articles of manufacture for suggestion-based interview engine for tax return preparation application

• US 10,387,969 B1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Gang, McCluskey, Kevin M., Balazs, Alex G., Lisowski, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US14/206,834
• Time in Patent Office: 1,987 Days
• Field of Search: 705 31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods, system and computer program products for determining what to present to a user of a tax preparation application. A tax compliance or rule module receives runtime data of the electronic tax return and tax rules specifying tax authority requirements. The rule module executes at least one tax rule utilizing the runtime data to generate a non-binding suggestion, which is provided as an input to loosely coupled interface controller. The interface controller determines content of an interview screen for display to the user based at least in part upon factors including the non-binding suggestion, and presents the interview screen including the determined content to the user via a user interface. The content may or may not include content based on the non-binding suggestion depending on processing by the interface controller.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

a computer comprising a processor, executing programmed and computer-executable instructions of a computerized tax return preparation application stored in a memory, wherein a user interacts with interview screens generated by the computerized tax return preparation application, to prepare an electronic tax return

receiving, by a modular rule engine of the computerized tax return preparation application that is in communication with a modular interface controller of the computerized tax return preparation application and a shared data store of the computerized tax return preparation application, runtime data of the electronic tax return generated at least in part through calculations performed to prepare the electronic tax return and a plurality of rules from the shared data store;

executing, by the modular rule engine, at least one of the plurality of rules utilizing the runtime data to generate a result comprising a non-binding suggestion of possible content for presentation to the user of the computerized tax return preparation application, the executing of the at least one rule including;

identifying at least one element of the runtime data to which the at least one rule applies;

determining whether the identified at least one element triggers the at least one rule;

determining at least one change to the at least one element to satisfy the triggered at least one rule; and

selecting or generating the possible content corresponding to the at least one change;

receiving, by the modular interface controller of the computerized tax return preparation application executed by the computer, the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine as an input;

accessing, by the modular interface controller, the shared data store comprising a plurality of configuration files;

selecting, by the modular interface controller, a configuration file based at least in part upon the non-binding suggestion;

executing, by the modular interface controller, the configuration file selected based at least in part upon the non-binding suggestion;

determining, by the modular interface controller, content of a computer generated interactive interview screen for display to the user based at least in part upon execution of the configuration file that was selected by the modular interface controller without the modular interface controller referring to a pre-determined question-and-answer hierarchical tree structure or a pre-determined sequence questions wherein the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine and communicated to the modular interface controller does not control the modular interface controller determining the computer generated interactive interview screen content, and

presenting, by the modular interface controller, the computer generated interactive interview screen including the determined content to the user through a display of the computer.

2. The method of claim 1, receiving the runtime data comprising receiving, by the modular rule engine, data manually entered into a field of a prior interactive computer generated interview screen or of the electronic tax return by the user of the computerized tax return preparation application.

3. The method of claim 1, receiving the runtime data comprising receiving, by the modular rule engine, data imported into a field of a prior interactive computer generated interview screen or of the electronic tax return from an electronic file of a computerized financial management system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer a photograph of a tax document, and processing the photograph and extracting data from the photograph, and

receiving, by the modular rule engine, the runtime data comprising the data extracted from the photograph, wherein the non-binding suggestion is based at least in part upon the data extracted from the photograph.

5. The method of claim 1, receiving the runtime data comprising receiving, by the modular rule engine, a result of a calculation performed by the computerized tax return preparation application.

6. The method of claim 1, the modular rule engine accessing the shared data store comprising rules and data of a first schema specifying tax terms, the rules reciting respective conditions involving respective tax terms of the first schema.

7. The method of claim 6, accessing the shared data store comprising the modular rule engine accessing a declarative knowledge base defining tax terms and rules applicable to respective terms.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer, the runtime data comprising data of a second schema and transforming the data of the second schema into data of the first schema, and

receiving, by the modular rule engine, the converted runtime data in the first schema.

9. The method of claim 8, receiving data of the second schema comprising receiving, by the computer, a photograph of a tax document, further comprising the computer processing the photograph to extract data in the second schema.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-binding suggestion is based at least in part upon the modular rule engine executing a tax compliance rule specifying how requirements of a tax authority are satisfied.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-binding suggestion is based at least in part upon the modular rule engine executing rules specifying respective comparisons of the runtime data and data within pre-determined fields of the electronic tax return being prepared to identify a possible error or inconsistency within the electronic tax return or the runtime data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-binding suggestion is based at least in part upon the modular rule engine executing rules specifying respective dependencies of respective potential questions, wherein a question is selected by the modular rule engine for a non-binding suggestion when the modular rule engine determines that the selected question is determined to be free of dependency upon another possible question.

13. The method of claim 1, determining the content of the computer generated interactive interview screen comprising determining, by the modular interface controller, whether and when to include content based on the executed configuration file.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined content of the computer generated interactive interview screen does not include content based on the non-binding suggestion.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined content of the computer generated interactive interview screen includes content based on the non-binding suggestion.

16. The method of claim 1, the modular interface controller determining the content of the computer generated interactive interview screen comprising determining content of a subsequent computer generated interactive interview screen relative to a currently displayed computer generated interactive interview screen.

17. The method of claim 1, at least one configuration file specifying when to include content based on the non-binding suggestion in the computer generated interactive interview screen presented to the user is identified by the modular interface controller.

18. The method of claim 1, at least one configuration file specifying content for the non-binding suggestion is identified by the modular interface controller.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer generated interactive interview screen content is determined based at least in part upon a plurality of factors comprising:

a configuration file selected based at least in part upon the non-binding suggestion, and

a form factor of the computer executing the computerized tax return preparation application.

20. The method of claim 19, the plurality of factors comprising a temporal factor indicating when to process the non-binding suggestion to select a configuration file.

21. The method of claim 19, the plurality of factors comprising a priority factor indicating a pre-determined non-binding suggestion having priority over at least one other non-binding suggestion such that the pre-determined non-binding suggestion is processed by the modular interface controller to select a configuration file before the at least one other non-binding suggestion is processed by the modular interface controller.

22. The method of claim 1, the computer executing the modular rule engine comprising a drools expert rule engine.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the modular rule engine, that the electronic tax return has been completed, and

requesting, by the modular rule engine, that the completed electronic tax return be electronically filed with a computer of a tax authority.

24. The method of claim 1, the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine comprising a message or indicator notifying the modular interface controller of a potential error within the electronic tax return.

25. The method of claim 1, the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine comprising a message or indicator notifying the modular interface controller of a potential incomplete field of the electronic tax return.

26. The method of claim 1, the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine comprising a message or indicator of a potential priority of suggested interview questions to present to the user.

27. The method of claim 1, the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine comprising a message or indicator of potential relevancy of a topic or question to the runtime data.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing at least one non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine by a personalization module of the computerized tax return preparation application that is in communication with and between the modular rule engine and the modular interface controller; and

receiving, by the modular interface controller, the at least one processed non-binding suggestion from the personalization module.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising accessing, by the personalization module, the shared data store comprising statistical data of other taxpayers, and processing, by the personalization module, at least one non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine based at least in part upon the statistical data before the at least one processed non-binding suggestion is provided to the modular interface controller.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the non-binding suggestion is processed by the personalization module by modifying content of the non-binding suggestion before the non-binding suggestion is provided to the modular interface controller.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the non-binding suggestion is processed by the personalization module prioritizing non-binding suggestions before the non-binding suggestions are provided to the modular interface controller.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

accessing, by the personalization module, respective electronic tax returns of respective other users of the computerized tax return preparation application and determining, by the personalization module, respective electronic tax return data of respective other users, wherein at least one non-binding suggestion is processed by the personalization module based at least in part upon electronic tax return data of at least one other user of the computerized tax return preparation application having at least one attribute in common with the user.

34. The method of claim 1, the computer executing the modular rule engine comprising a declarative rule engine.

33. A computing system of a computerized tax return preparation application comprising computer-executable instructions executable by a processor of a computer and operable to generate interactive interview screens and prepare an electronic tax return, the system comprising:

a modular rule engine comprising computer-executable instructions executable by a processor of the computer;

a shared data store in communication with the modular rule engine and comprising runtime data of the electronic tax return being prepared, the runtime data generated at least in part through calculations performed to prepare the electronic tax return;

a modular interface controller in communication with the modular rule engine and the shared data store;

the modular rule engine of the computerized tax return preparation application executable by the computer being configured or programmed to receive a plurality of rules and the runtime data of the electronic tax return from the shared data store and execute at least one of the plurality of rules utilizing the runtime data to generate a result comprising a non-binding suggestion of possible content for presentation a user of the computerized tax return preparation application, the executing of the at least one rule including;

identifying at least one element of the runtime data to which the at least one rule applies;

determining whether the identified at least one element triggers the at least one rule;

determining at least one change to the at least one element to satisfy the triggered at least one rule; and

selecting or generating the possible content corresponding to the at least one change; and

the modular interface controller of the computerized tax return preparation application executable by the computer being configured to receive the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine as an input, access the shared data store comprising a plurality of configuration files, select a configuration file based at least in part upon the non-binding suggestion, execute the configuration file selected based at least in part upon the non-binding suggestion, determine content of a computer generated interactive interview screen for display to the user based at least in part upon execution of the configuration file that was selected by the modular interface controller without the modular interface controller referring to a pre-determined question-and-answer hierarchical tree structure or a pre-determined sequence questions, wherein the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine and communicated to the modular interface controller does not control the modular interface controller determining the computer generated interactive interview screen content, and present the computer generated interactive interview screen including the determined content to the user through a display of the computer.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the modular interface controller is configured to execute the configuration file to determine how to process the non-binding suggestion.

36. The system of claim 33, the configuration file specifying when to present the computer generated interactive interview screen comprising content based on the non-binding suggestion to the user.

37. The system of claim 33, further comprising

a personalization module in communication with and between the modular rule engine and the modular interface controller, the personalization module being configured to process at least one non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine, the at least one processed non-binding suggestion being provided as an input to the modular interface controller.

38. The modular computing system of claim 33, wherein the modular rule engine is a declarative rule engine configured to access a declarative knowledge base defining tax terms and rules applicable to respective terms.

39. The system of claim 33, the modular interface controller being configured to determine whether and when to include content based on the non-binding suggestion in the computer generated interactive interview screen.

40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the computer to execute a process comprising:

executing programmed and computer-executable instructions of a computerized tax return preparation application stored in a memory, wherein a user interacts with interview screens generated by the computerized tax return preparation application, to prepare an electronic tax return;

receiving, by a modular rule engine of the computerized tax return preparation application that is in communication with a modular interface controller of the computerized tax return application and a shared data store of the computerized tax return preparation application, runtime data of the electronic tax return generated at least in part through calculations performed to prepare the electronic tax return and a plurality of rules from the shared data store;

executing, by the modular rule engine, at least one of the plurality of rules utilizing the runtime data to generate a result comprising a non-binding suggestion of possible content for presentation to the user of the computerized tax return preparation application, the executing of the at least one rule including;

identifying at least one element of the runtime data to which the at least one rule applies;

determining whether the identified at least one element triggers the at least one rule;

determining at least one change to the at least one element to satisfy the triggered at least one rule; and

selecting or generating the possible content corresponding to the at least one change;

receiving, by the modular interface controller of the computerized tax return preparation application executed by the computer, the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine as an input;

accessing, by the modular interface controller, the shared data store comprising a plurality of configuration files;

selecting, by the modular interface controller, a configuration file based at least in part upon the non-binding suggestion;

executing, by the modular interface controller, the configuration file selected based at least in part upon the non-binding suggestion;

determining, by the modular interface controller, content a of computer generated interactive interview screen for display to the user based at least in part upon execution of the configuration file that was selected by the modular interface controller without the modular interface controller referring to a pre-determined question-and-answer hierarchical tree structure or a pre-determined sequence questions wherein the non-binding suggestion generated by the modular rule engine and communicated to the modular interface controller does not control the modular interface controller determining the computer generated interactive interview screen content, and

presenting, by the modular interface controller, the computer generated interactive interview screen including the determined content to the user through a display of the computer.