IDENTIFYING AND CATEGORIZING PURCHASES

• US 20180308179A1
• Filed: 04/25/2017
• Published: 10/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRB Innovations Incorporated (H&R Block, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HRB Innovations Incorporated (H&R Block, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rigney, Nathan K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,706,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

Discovering and categorizing individual purchases associated with a user is described. Exemplary steps include acquiring access to a repository; identifying, from within the repository, an electronic receipt; identifying, from within the electronic receipt, at least one line item; acquiring a set of user information; predicting, based at least in part on the set of user information, whether the line item falls within a certain category; and storing, if the line item falls within the certain category, the line item such that information associated with the line item is retrievable.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that discover and categorize purchases associated with a user, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element performs the following steps:

acquiring access to a repository;

identifying, from within the repository, an electronic receipt;

identifying, from within the electronic receipt, at least one line item;

acquiring a set of user information;

predicting, based at least in part on the set of user information, whether the line item falls within a certain category; and

storing, if the line item falls within the certain category, the line item such that information associated with the line item is retrievable.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the repository is an e-mail account associated with the user.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the repository is a retailer account associated with the user.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the electronic receipt is a purchase record indicative of a purchase of at least one good or service.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the set of user information includes information indicative of an occupation or field of business that is associated with the user.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element further performs the following steps:

accessing a data store of common items within the certain category; and

storing the line item in the data store of common items such that it is associated with the certain category.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 6, wherein the certain category is business-related expenses.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7,

wherein the stored information related to the line item is retrievable by a tax preparation program,

wherein the stored information is utilized by the tax preparation program to complete a tax return that deducts the business-related expenses from a taxable income amount.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element further performs the following steps:

presenting, to the user via a graphical user interface, information indicative of the line item and the certain category; and

presenting, to the user via the graphical user interface, an option to verify that the line item belongs within the certain category.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element further performs the following steps:

calculating a probability that the line item is within the certain category,

wherein the step of presenting an option to verify is only performed if the calculated probability is above a threshold.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element further performs the following step:

presenting, to the user via the graphical user interface, a set of supplemental information to assist the user in making an informed decision as to verification,

wherein the set of supplemental information that is presented to the user includes at least one of information related to the certain category, information related to the line item, and information related to common expenses for the certain category.

12. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that discover and categorize purchases associated with a user, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element performs the following steps:

acquiring access to a repository;

identifying, from within the repository, an electronic receipt;

identifying, from within the electronic receipt, at least one line item;

acquiring a set of user information indicative of an occupation or field of business that is associated with the user;

predicting, based at least in part on the occupation or field of business, whether the line item falls within a business expense category; and

storing, if the line item falls within the business expense category, the line item such that information associated with the line item is retrievable.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the repository is selected from a group consisting of an e-mail account associated with the user and a retailer account associated with the user.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element further performs the following steps:

accessing a data store of common items within the business expense category; and

storing the line item in the data store of common items such that it is associated with the business expense category.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12,

wherein the stored information related to the line item is retrievable by a tax preparation program,

wherein the stored information is utilized by the tax preparation program to complete a tax return that deducts the business-related expenses from a taxable income amount.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by at least one processing element further performs the following steps:

calculating a probability that the line item is within the certain category,

presenting, to the user via a graphical user interface and upon the calculated probability being above a threshold, information indicative of the line item and the certain category; and

presenting, to the user via the graphical user interface, an option to verify that the line item belongs within the certain category;

presenting, to the user via the graphical user interface, a set of supplemental information to assist the user in making an informed decision as to verification,

wherein the set of supplemental information that is presented to the user includes at least one of information related to the certain category, information related to the line item, and information related to common expenses for the certain category.

17. A computerized method for discovering and categorizing purchases associated with a user, the method comprising the following steps:

acquiring access to a repository;

identifying, from within the repository, an electronic receipt;

identifying, from within the electronic receipt, at least one line item;

acquiring a set of user information indicative of an occupation or field of business that is associated with the user;

predicting, based at least in part on the occupation or field of business, whether the line item falls within a business expense category; and

storing, if the line item falls within the business expense category, the line item such that information associated with the line item is retrievable,

wherein the stored information related to the line item is retrievable by a tax preparation program,

wherein the stored information is utilized by the tax preparation program to complete a tax return that deducts the business-related expenses from a taxable income amount.

18. The computerized method of claim 17, wherein the repository is selected from a group consisting of an e-mail account associated with the user and a retailer account associated with the user.

19. The computerized method of claim 17, further comprising the following steps:

accessing a data store of common items within the business expense category; and

storing the line item in the data store of common items such that it is associated with the business expense category.

20. The computerized method of claim 17, further comprising the following steps:

calculating a probability that the line item is within the certain category,

presenting, to the user via a graphical user interface and upon the calculated probability being above a threshold, information indicative of the line item and the certain category; and

presenting, to the user via the graphical user interface, an option to verify that the line item belongs within the certain category;

presenting, to the user via the graphical user interface, a set of supplemental information to assist the user in making an informed decision as to verification,

wherein the set of supplemental information that is presented to the user includes at least one of information related to the certain category, information related to the line item, and information related to common expenses for the certain category.