Method and system for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis

• US 8,335,728 B1
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Dahodwala, Ummulkiram Mohammed, Berhanu, Aaron Elias, Levy, Simon, Glaeser, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): FADOK, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US12/638,156
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 705/27.1, 705/38, 705/33, 705/24
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method and system for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis whereby a given user defines budgetary and/or financial goals for one or more financial categories for a given period of time. A merchant/category database is created that associates one or more merchants with potential financial categories and when the given user accesses a given user interface of a website associated with a given merchant, Uniform Resource Locator (URL) data for the website being accessed is obtained and used to identify the given merchant associated with the given website. The merchant/category database is then searched to find potential financial categories associated with the given merchant and the financial budget/goal data indicating the given user'"'"'s budgetary and/or financial goals for the financial categories associated with the given merchant is then obtained along with current financial data indicating the given user'"'"'s actual spending in each of the potential financial categories associated with the given merchant for the given period of time. Remaining balance data for the potential financial categories associated with the given merchant for the given period of time is then generated and displayed to the user in the same display displaying the user interface of the given merchant website.

Claims

1. A computing system implemented process for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis comprising the following of which are each executed via any set of one or more processors:

defining one or more financial or budgetary goals of a party, the one or more financial goals being associated with one or more financial categories for a defined period of time;

providing a merchant/category database, the merchant/category database associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants;

accessing a given interface display of a given website of a given merchant;

responsive to accessing the interface display of a given website associated with the given merchant, determining which merchant is being displayed in the interface display based on Uniform Resource Locator data associated with the given website of the given merchant;

responsive to determining which merchant is being displayed, searching the merchant/category database to determine one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant;

responsive to determining one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant, accessing the data indicating the one or more financial or budgetary goals of the party associated with one or more financial categories for the defined period of time to obtain data indicating the one or more financial or budgetary goals;

obtaining current financial data associated with the party to determine the party'"'"'s accumulated spending for the defined period of time in the one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant;

analyzing the data indicating the party'"'"'s one or more financial or budgetary goals for the defined period of time and the current financial data associated with the party to generate data indicating a remaining balance associated with one or more of the one or more financial categories; and

displaying the data indicating a remaining balance associated with one or more of the one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant for the defined period of time in a remaining balance data display.

2. The computing system implemented process for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 1, wherein

the merchant/category database includes data associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants obtained from historical categorizations, by one or more parties, of transactions involving the one or more merchants.

3. The computing system implemented process for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 1, wherein

the merchant/category database includes data associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants obtained from categorizations by the party of historical transactions involving the one or more merchants.

4. The computing system implemented process for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 1, wherein

the Uniform Resource Locator data associated with the given website associated with the given merchant is obtained using a browser plug-in to a network browser.

5. The computing system implemented process for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 1, wherein

at least part of the current financial data associated with the party used to determine the party'"'"'s spending so far for the defined period of time in the one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant is obtained from one or more sources of current financial data associated with the party selected from at least one of the group of sources of current financial data associated with the party consisting of:

a bank;

a debit card account;

a credit union;

an investment account;

or

a credit card account.

6. The computing system implemented process for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 1, wherein

the remaining balance data display is at least one remaining balance data display selected from at least one of the group of remaining balance data displays consisting of:

a pop-up display;

a data table;

a graphical symbol;

a graphical display;

a ledger;

a thermometer;

a display integrated into a browser framework; and

a sliding scale.

7. A system for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories having stored therein instructions which when executed by the one or more processors perform a process comprising;

defining one or more financial or budgetary goals of a party, the one or more financial goals being associated with one or more financial categories for a defined period of time;

providing a merchant/category database, the merchant/category database associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants;

accessing a given interface display of a given website of a given merchant;

responsive to accessing the interface display of a given website associated with the given merchant, determining which merchant is being displayed in the interface display based on Uniform Resource Locator data associated with the given website of the given merchant;

responsive to determining which merchant is being displayed, searching the merchant/category database to determine one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant;

responsive to determining one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant, accessing the data indicating the one or more financial or budgetary goals of the party associated with one or more financial categories for the defined period of time to obtain data indicating the one or more financial or budgetary goals;

obtaining current financial data associated with the party to determine the party'"'"'s accumulated spending for the defined period of time in the one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant;

analyzing the data indicating the party'"'"'s one or more financial or budgetary goals for the defined period of time and the current financial data associated with the party to generate data indicating a remaining balance associated with one or more of the one or more financial categories; and

displaying the data indicating a remaining balance associated with one or more of the one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant for the defined period of time in a remaining balance data display.

8. The system for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 7, wherein

the merchant/category database includes data associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants obtained from categorizations, by one or more parties, of historical transactions involving the one or more merchants.

9. The system for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 7, wherein

the merchant/category database includes data associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants obtained from categorizations, by the party, of historical transactions involving the one or more merchants.

10. The system for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 7, wherein

the Uniform Resource Locator data associated with the given website associated with the given merchant is obtained using a browser plug-in to a network browser.

11. The system for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 7, wherein

the remaining balance data display is at least one remaining balance data display selected from at least one of the group of remaining balance data displays consisting of:

a pop-up display;

a data table;

a graphical symbol;

a graphical display;

a ledger;

a thermometer;

a display integrated into a browser framework; and

a sliding scale.

12. A computer program product for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis comprising:

a nontransitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions which when executed via any set of one or more processors, perform a process comprising;

defining one or more financial or budgetary goals of a party, the one or more financial goals being associated with one or more financial categories for a defined period of time;

providing a merchant/category database, the merchant/category database associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants;

accessing a given interface display of a given website of a given merchant;

responsive to accessing the interface display of a given website associated with the given merchant, determining which merchant is being displayed in the interface display based on Uniform Resource Locator data associated with the given website of the given merchant;

responsive to determining which merchant is being displayed, searching the merchant/category database to determine one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant;

responsive to determining one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant, accessing the data indicating the one or more financial or budgetary goals of the party associated with one or more financial categories for the defined period of time to obtain data indicating the one or more financial or budgetary goals;

obtaining current financial data associated with the party to determine the party'"'"'s accumulated spending for the defined period of time in the one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant;

analyzing the data indicating the party'"'"'s one or more financial or budgetary goals for the defined period of time and the current financial data associated with the party to generate data indicating a remaining balance associated with one or more of the one or more financial categories; and

displaying the data indicating a remaining balance associated with one or more of the one or more financial categories associated with the given merchant for the defined period of time in a remaining balance data display.

13. The computer program product for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 12, wherein

the merchant/category database includes data associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants obtained from categorizations, by one or more parties, of historical transactions involving the one or more merchants.

14. The computer program product for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 12, wherein

the merchant/category database includes data associating one or more financial categories with one or more merchants obtained from categorizations, by the party, of historical transactions involving the one or more merchants.

15. The computer program product for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 12, wherein

the Uniform Resource Locator data associated with the given website associated with the given merchant is obtained using a browser plug-in to a network browser.

16. The computer program product for providing real-time financial goal monitoring and analysis of claim 12, wherein

the remaining balance data display is at least one remaining balance data display selected from at least one of the group of remaining balance data displays consisting of:

a pop-up display;

a data table;

a graphical symbol;

a graphical display;

a ledger;

a thermometer;

a display integrated into a browser framework; and

a sliding scale.