Processing tax forms at an automatic teller machine

• US 7,548,885 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Banerjee, Dwip N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kesack; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/742,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 705 42- 45, 705/31
• US Class Current: 705/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer implemented instructions for processing a bill in an automatic teller machine. The bill is scanned to form a bill image in which the bill includes a markup language providing payment information. Optical character recognition is performed on the bill image to identify the payment information. The bill is processed using the payment information. Bills, such as water bills, mortgages, credit card statements, and tax bills may be made in this manner.

Claims

1. A method in an automatic teller machine for processing a tax form, the method comprising:

receiving input from a user identifying a form of submission of a tax form, wherein the form of submission comprises one of a physical tax form or an electronic tax form;

beginning a video recording of the user;

determining whether the form of submission of the tax form comprises a physical tax form or an electronic tax form;

in response to determining that the form of submission of the tax form comprises an electronic tax form, receiving the electronic tax form from a mobile device to generate data, and in response to determining that the form of submission of the tax form comprises a physical tax form, scanning the physical tax form to create an image of the physical tax form and performing optical character recognition on the image of the physical tax form to generate the data; and

processing the tax form based on the data, wherein processing the tax form based on the data comprises;

requesting at least one supporting document for the tax form from the user;

scanning the at least one supporting document for the tax form to generate at least one additional image;

receiving a payment or initiating a refund process in accordance with the tax form; and

time stamping the scanned at least one supporting document;

ending the video recording of the user;

generating a receipt, and;

sending the receipt to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the tax form generates a result, and further comprising:

confirming the result with the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a receipt comprises one of generating a printed receipt at the automatic teller machine, sending an electronic receipt to the mobile device, or sending an email to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA).