Method and apparatus for automatically mapping account-data to tax-forms

• US 7,685,033 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Palfreyman, Thomas R., Hollis, Suzan K., Grose, Eric M., Talan, Jonathan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iwarere; Oluseye
• Application Number:
  US11/642,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/15, 705/31
• US Class Current: 705/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that automatically inserts account-data into a tax-form. During operation, the system receives account-data at a server from a data-provider. The system also receives a tax-form at the server from an application. Next, the system automatically analyzes the account-data to determine a data-map which maps the account-data to the tax-form without assistance from a user. Finally, the system inserts the account-data into the tax-form by applying the data-map to the account-data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically inserting account-data into a tax-form, wherein the computer comprises a processor, the method comprising:

receiving at a server account-data from a data-provider;

receiving at the server a tax-form from an application;

automatically analyzing the account-data to determine a data-map which maps the account-data to the tax-form without assistance from a user, wherein determining the data-map involves;

identifying a subset of account-data;

determining that one or more data-maps are associated with the subset of account-data and the tax-form; and

selecting;

a best-fit data-map, which statistically matches the subset of account-data more accurately than other associated data-maps;

a default pre-selected data-map;

a historically-preferred data-map, which has historically been selected more often than other associated data-maps;

or

a user-selected data-map that the user selects from the one or more data-maps;

inserting the account-data into the tax-form by applying the data-map to the account-data; and

updating data-map usage-statistics indicating how often and in what circumstances the data-map is selected, thereby enabling statistical selection of data-maps based on at least historical or weighted statistics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the data map further involves:

determining that the data-map exists in a map-database for the subset of account-data and the tax-form; and

obtaining the data-map from the map-database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the subset of account-data can include meta-data which describes the account-data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein after obtaining the data-map, the method further comprises presenting the data-map to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the account data is modified;

identifying a subset of the modified account-data;

determining whether the data-map is also associated with the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form;

responsive to determining that the data-map is also associated with the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form, inserting the modified account-data into the tax-form by applying the data-map to the modified account-data; and

responsive to determining that the data-map is not associated with the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form,

identifying a second data-map from the map-database for the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form, and

inserting the modified account-data into the tax-form by applying the second data-map to the modified account-data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a third data-map can be applied to a subset of the account-data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the data-map can involve performing an operation on the account-data.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the data-map involves:

sending a request to the user to create the data-map;

receiving the data-map from the user; and

storing the data-map in the map-database.

8. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for automatically inserting account-data into a tax-form, the method comprising:

receiving at a server account-data from a data-provider;

receiving at the server a tax-form from an application;

automatically analyzing the account-data to determine a data-map which maps the account-data to the tax-form without assistance from a user, wherein determining the data-map involves;

identifying a subset of account-data;

determining that one or more data-maps are associated with the subset of account-data and the tax-form; and

selecting;

a best-fit data-map, which statistically matches the subset of account-data more accurately than other associated data-maps;

a default pre-selected data-map;

a historically-preferred data-map, which has historically been selected more often than other associated data-maps;

or

a user-selected data-map that the user selects from the one or more data-maps;

inserting the account-data into the tax-form by applying the data-map to the account-data; and

updating data-map usage-statistics indicating how often and in what circumstances the data-map is selected, thereby enabling statistical selection of data-maps based on at least historical or weighted statistics.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein determining the data-map further involves:

determining that the data-map exists in a map-database for the subset of account-data and the tax-form; and

obtaining the data-map from the map-database.

10. The computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the subset of account-data can include meta-data which describes the account-data.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 9, wherein after obtaining the data-map, the method further comprises presenting the data-map to the user.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, the method further comprising:

determining that the account data is modified;

identifying a subset of the modified account-data;

determining whether the data-map is also associated with the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form;

responsive to determining that the data-map is also associated with the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form, inserting the modified account-data into the tax-form by applying the data-map to the modified account-data; and

responsive to determining that the data-map is not associated with the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form,

identifying a second data-map from the map-database for the subset of modified account-data and the tax-form, and

inserting the modified account-data into the tax-form by applying the second data-map to the modified account-data.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein a third data-map can be applied to a subset of the account-data.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein applying the data-map can involve performing an operation on the account-data.

22. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the data-map does not exist in the database;

sending a request to the user to create the data-map;

receiving the data-map from the user; and

storing the data-map in the map-database.

15. An apparatus that automatically inserts account-data into a tax-form, comprising:

a receiving mechanism at a sewer configured to receive account-data from a data-provider;

wherein the receiving mechanism is further configured to receive at the sewer a tax-form from an application;

an analysis mechanism configured to automatically analyze the account-data to determine a data-map which maps the account-data to the tax-form without assistance from a user, wherein while analyzing the account-data the analysis mechanism is configured to;

identify a subset of account-data;

determine that one or more data-maps are associated with the subset of account-data and the tax-form;

a selection mechanism configured to select;

a best-fit data-map, which statistically matches the subset of account-data more accurately than other associated data-maps;

a default pre-selected data-map;

a historically-preferred data-map, which has historically been selected more often than other associated data-maps;

or

a user-selected data-map that the user selects from the one or more data-maps;

an insertion mechanism configured to insert the account-data into the tax-form by applying the data-map to the account-data; and

an updating mechanism configured to update data-map usage-statistics indicating how often and in what circumstances the data-map is selected, thereby enabling statistical selection of data-maps based on at least historical or weighted statistics.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein

while analyzing the account-data the analyzing mechanism is further configured to:

determine that the data-map exists on a map-database for the subset of account-data and the tax-form; and

obtain the data-map from the map-database.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a presentation mechanism configured to present the data-map to the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a sending mechanism configured to send a request to the user to create the data-map;

wherein the receiving mechanism is configured to receive the data-map from the user; and

a storage mechanism configured to store the data-map in the map-database.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the analysis mechanism is configured to:

identify a subset of the modified account-data;

determine whether the data-map is associated with the subset of the modified account-data and the tax-form;

responsive to determining that the data map is associated with the subset of the modified account-data, insert the modified account-data into the tax-form by applying the data-map to the modified account-data;

responsive to determining that the data map is associated with the subset of the modified account-data, the analysis mechanism is configured to identify a second data-map from the map-database associated with the subset of the modified account-data and the tax-form; and

to

insert the modified account-data into the tax-form by applying the second data-map to the modified account-data.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an execution mechanism configured to perform one or more operations on the account-data.