SIMPLIFIED AND SECURE EMPLOYMENT FORM COMPLETION

• US 20170193454A1
• Filed: 01/05/2017
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: What Tax Form LLC
• Original Assignee: What Tax Form LLC
• Inventors: Rotolo, Emily
• Application Number:
  US15/399,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193454A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/10 Usage protection of distributed data files

Abstract

A server may securely transmit questions, which may include explanations of how to answer the question, to an employee operated computing device. Responses to the questions may be transmitted from the employee operated computing device to the server. The server may then store the responses in a secure database. The responses may be used to complete a tax form that is presented to the individual using the employee operated computing device. If accurate, an electronic signature may be applied to the tax form and the tax form may be retained in an electronic document repository. An employer operated computing device may access the electronic document repository, but may not be permitted to access the responses stored in the secure database.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server accessible by an employee operated computing device over at least one network via an encrypted exchange of data packets, the server transmitting a series of questions to the employee operated computing device and receiving responses from an individual operating the client device;

an encrypted database securely accessible to the server, the encrypted database storing records of the responses received from the individual operating the client device; and

an encrypted repository of electronic documents populated using at least a portion of the responses received from the individual, the encrypted repository being accessible by an employer operated computing device and the encrypted database being inaccessible to the employer operated computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the encrypted repository of electronic documents comprises a plurality of tax forms.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the server further receives an electronic signature of the employee using the employee computing device for at least one tax form in the repository of electronic documents before the tax form is placed in the repository of electronic documents.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the records of the encrypted database contain more information than is required to complete any one of the tax forms retained in the electronic document repository.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the series of questions transmitted from the server to the employee operated computing device comprise at least a first set of questions having general applicability to multiple tax forms and a second set of questions having specific applicability to a single tax form.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the server transmits explanations with the first set of questions and the second set of questions, the explanations assisting the individual operating the employee operated computing device in providing a response to the questions.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the employer operated computing device cannot access the encrypted database, the first set of questions, the second set of questions, and the explanations.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the tax forms retained in the electronic document repository comprise PDF documents.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the employer operated computing device cannot access a tax form within the repository of document until the employee has electronically signed the tax form.

10. A method for completing forms comprising:

transmitting a plurality of questions from at least one server to a computing device operated by an employee, the plurality of questions transmitted over at least one network in a securely encrypted format;

transmitting a plurality of responses to the plurality of questions from the computing device operated by the employee to the server, the plurality of responses transmitted over the at least one network in a securely encrypted format;

securely retaining the plurality of responses in a secure database accessible by the server;

using the plurality of responses, populating at least one tax form on behalf of the employee;

presenting the at least one tax form to the employee on the computing device operated by the employee over the at least one network in a securely encrypted format;

receiving an electronic signature from the employee on the at least one tax form presented; and

securely retaining the at least one tax form signed with an electronic signature in a repository accessible by an employer computing device, the employer computing device lacking access to the secure database retaining the plurality of responses.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of questions transmitted from the at least one server to the computing device operated by an employee further comprise explanations of the questions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of questions transmitted from the at least one server to the computing device operated by an employee further comprise a first plurality of questions applicable to multiple tax forms and a second plurality of questions applicable to a single tax form.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting from the server to the employer operated computing device a status indicator describing whether an employee has provided responses to questions without providing those responses in any form other than a completed and signed tax form contained within the depository.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein securely retaining the at least one tax form signed with an electronic signature in a repository accessible by an employer computing device further comprises retaining the at least one tax form signed with an electronic signature in the depository accessible by the employer computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the repository accessible by the employer computing device contains tax forms signed by multiple employers and an employer computing device may only access tax forms within the depository signed by the employee using the employee computing device.