Method for electronically recognizing and parsing information contained in a financial statement

• US 6,336,094 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1995
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Price Waterhouse World Firm Services BV
• Original Assignee: Price Waterhouse World Firm Services BV
• Inventors: Kornfeld, William, Ferguson, Don Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E.
• Application Number:
  US08/497,355
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 364/408, 395/200.18, 395/885, 395/401, 395/410, 395/411, 395/412, 705/1, 705/35, 705/36, 705/30-34, 704/1, 704/9, 707/500, 707/513, 707/3, 707/5, 707/102, 707/503, 707/531, 707/904, 707/906, 707/908, 382/229
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method for processing a file containing a financial statement in uncoded format such as a financial statement stored in an ASCII file. The starting locations of the various types of financial tables in the financial statement as indicated by their table titles are identified by grammar descriptors. When all the table titles in the file are identified, a table title is then selected for processing. Typically after the table title, there are the associated column headers for the table, and they are analyzed and determined. Following the column headers, there are lines of text that are separated into line items, where each line item is composed of a label and/or one or more numbers corresponding to the label. With these line items, the next task is to parse these line items to verify that these line items make up the table and to identify the components of the financial table. A financial table is comprised of line items, subtotals, and grand totals. By recognizing the mathematical structure of the table, the relationship between the line items, subtotals, and grand totals can be readily understood and categorized.

Claims

1. A method for parsing a financial table being comprised of a sequence of line items each having a label and/or at least one corresponding number, comprising the steps of,reversing the sequence of said line items of said financial table;

2) selecting a line item and designating the number of the selected line item as a subtotal;

3) summing the numbers from each line item following the selected line item;

4) if the sum equals said subtotal, marking all summed line items as a block, said block being treated like a line items in subsequent passes;

5) repeating steps

     2)-4) for each following line item until all the line items in the sequence have been tested as a subtotal;

6) if one or more sums equals the subtotals, starting from the beginning of said reversed sequence and repeating steps

     2)-5); and

7) reversing the sequence of said line items of said financial table.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said summing step is performed by adding, one number at a time, the numbers of the line items following the selected line item, and comparing the sum to said subtotal.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said summing step is performed by adding, one number at a time, the numbers of the line items following the selected line item, subtracting the sum from the number of a next line item after the line items following the selected line item, and comparing the result to said subtotal.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 and including after step 6) the following substeps:

If not all the subtotals are found,

i) designating unincorporated line items for said table as restricted or unrestricted,

ii) negating one or more of said unrestricted line items, and

iii) repeating steps

     2)-6).

5. A method for parsing data presented in table format and being comprised of a sequence of line items each having a label and/or at least one corresponding number, comprising the steps of,reversing the sequence of said line items of said data;

2) selecting a line item and designating the number of the selected line item as a subtotal;

3) summing the numbers from each line item following the selected line item;

4) if the sum equals said subtotal, marking all summed line items as a block, said block being treated like a line items in subsequent passes;

5) repeating steps

     2)-4) for each following line item until all the line items in the sequence have been tested as a subtotal;

6) if one or more sums equal the subtotals, starting from the beginning of said reversed sequence and repeating steps

     2)-5); and

7) reversing the sequence of said line items of said.

6. A method for verifying a financial table composed of a sequence of line items each having a label and an associated value, wherein the values of said line items forming a mathematical structure for said financial table, comprising the steps of:

i) reversing the sequence of said line items of said financial table;

ii) finding subsequences of consecutive line items having sums equal to the value of a line item immediately proceeding each of said respective subseqences of consecutive line items;

iii) marking said subsequences of consecutive line items as blocks;

iv) treating each said blocks as line items and repeating steps ii), iii), and iv) until all blocks have been found;

v) reversing the sequence of said line items of said financial table; and

vi) verifying said line items and said blocks of said financial table operate to form the mathematical structure of said financial table.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein said verifying step employs mathematical function and uses addition operation.

8. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein said verifying step employs mathematical function and uses subtraction operation.

9. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein said verifying step includes the substeps of:

i) designating line items not in said blocks either as a restricted line item or an unrestricted line item; and

ii) subtracting one or more unrestricted line items in forming said mathematical structure.

10. A method for verifying a financial table composed of line items each having a label and an associated value, wherein the values of said line items forming a mathematical structure for said financial table, comprising the steps of:

i). finding subsequences of consecutive line items having sums equal to the value of a line item immediately following each of said respective subsequences of consecutive line items;

ii). marking said subsequences of consecutive line items as blocks;

iii). treating each said blocks as line items and repeating steps i), ii), and iii) until all blocks have been found; and

iv). verifying said line items and said blocks of said financial table mathematically operate to form the mathematical structure of said financial table.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said verifying step employs mathematical function and uses addition operation.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said verifying step employs mathematical function and uses subtraction operation.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said verifying step includes the substeps of:

i) designating line items not in said blocks either as a restricted line item or an unrestricted line item; and

ii) subtracting one or more unrestricted line items in forming said mathematical structure.

14. A method for verifying a table composed of a sequence of line items each having a label and an associated value, wherein the values of said line items forming a mathematical structure for said table, comprising the steps of:

i). finding subsequences of consecutive line items having sums equal to the value of a line item immediately following each of said respective subsequences of consecutive line items;

ii). marking said subsequences of consecutive line items as blocks;

iii). treating each said blocks as line items and repeating steps i), ii), and iii) until all blocks have been found; and

iv). verifying said line items and said blocks of said financial table mathematically operate to form the mathematical structure of said financial table.