Method and system for performing a financial rewind

• US 8,732,055 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Dinamani, Vidya, Preece, Richard N., Taylor, David D., Greener, Keith A., Tifford, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): OJIAKU, CHIKAODINAKA
• Application Number:
  US12/276,124
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/14, 705/31, 705/35, 705/36.R, 705/64, 701/35, 281/31
• US Class Current: 705/36.T
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A computing device of a user, including a processor, a memory, an electronic organization application comprising software instructions stored in memory and executed on the processor to store a plurality of activities associated with the user, and a rewind application configured to interact with the electronic organization application and including software instructions stored in memory and executed on the processor to present at least one question associated with each of the plurality of activities stored in the electronic organization application, receive a response to the at least one question, determine whether each of the plurality of activities is of a predetermined category based on the response received to obtain a subset of the plurality of activities, and store, in a repository, data associated with the subset of the plurality of activities for use in a financial application.

Claims

1. A computing device of a user, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an electronic calendar application comprising software instructions stored in memory and executed on the processor to store a plurality of calendar events associated with the user; and

a rewind application configured as an intermediary application between the electronic calendar application and a financial application, and comprising software instructions stored in memory and executed on the processor to;

determine that a particular period of time has expired;

gather a subset of calendar events of the plurality of calendar events from the electronic calendar application, wherein the subset of calendar events comprises activities performed during the particular period of time;

determine a first question based on a first calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

present, to the user via a user interface, the first question associated with the first calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

receive, from the user via the user interface, a first response to the first question;

determine, based on the first response, that the first calendar event is a tax deductible activity; and

provide, to the financial application, data associated with the first calendar event and the first response for use in the financial application.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the financial application is a tax preparation software.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the electronic calendar application is configured to store a plurality of business appointments of the user.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first question is presented in an e-mail message.

5. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of calendar events in the electronic calendar application are a plurality of credit card transactions made by the user.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the determination, based on the first response, that the first calendar event is a tax deductible activity comprises a determination that the first calendar event is a business related purchase made by the user.

7. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the rewind application is further configured to automatically reset the period of time.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the rewind application further comprises software instructions stored in memory and executed on the processor to:

determine a second question based on a second calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

present, to the user via the user interface, the second question associated with the second calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

receive, from the user via the user interface, a second response to the second question; and

determine, based on the second response, that the second calendar event is not a tax deductible activity.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, when executed on a processor, for unwinding a plurality of calendar events of a user of a computing device, wherein the instructions are configured to:

determine, by a rewind application, that a particular period of time has expired, wherein the rewind application is configured as an intermediary application between an electronic calendar application and a financial application;

gather, by the rewind application, a subset of calendar events of the plurality of calendar events from the electronic calendar application, wherein the electronic calendar application is configured to store the plurality of calendar events associated with the user, and wherein the subset of calendar events comprises activities performed during the particular period of time;

determine, by the rewind application, a first question based on a first calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

present, by the rewind application to the user via a user interface on the computing device, the first question associated with the first calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

receive, by the rewind application from the user via the user interface, a first response to the first question;

determine, by the rewind application based on the first response, that the first calendar event is a tax deductible activity; and

provide, by the rewind application to the financial application, data associated with the first calendar event and the first response for use in the financial application.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the financial application is a tax preparation software.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the electronic calendar application is configured to store a plurality of business appointments of the user.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first question is presented via an e-mail message.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9,

wherein the plurality of calendar events in the electronic calendar application are a plurality of credit card transactions made by the user.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the determination, based on the first response, that the first calendar event is a tax deductible activity comprises a determination that the first calendar event is a business related purchase made by the user.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the software instructions are further configured to automatically reset the period of time.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

determine a second question based on a second calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

present, to the user via the user interface, the second question associated with the second calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

receive, from the user via the user interface, a second response to the second question; and

determine, based on the second response, that the second calendar event is not a tax deductible activity.

17. A method for unwinding a plurality of calendar events of a user of a computing device, comprising:

determining, by a rewind application, that a particular period of time has expired, wherein the rewind application is configured as an intermediary application between an electronic calendar application and a financial application;

gathering, by the rewind application, a subset of calendar events of the plurality of calendar events from the electronic calendar application, wherein the electronic calendar application is configured to store the plurality of calendar events associated with the user, and wherein the subset of calendar events comprises activities performed during the particular period of time;

determining, by the rewind application executing on a processor of the computing device, a first question based on a first calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

presenting, by the rewind application executing on the processor to the user via a user interface on the computing device, the first question associated with the first calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

receiving, by the rewind application executing on the processor from the user via the user interface, a first response to the first question;

determining, by the rewind application executing on the processor based on the first response, that the first calendar event is a tax deductible activity; and

providing, by the rewind application executing on the processor to the financial application, data associated with the first calendar event and the first response for use in the financial application.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein the plurality of calendar events in the electronic calendar application are a plurality of credit card transactions made by the user.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the financial application is a tax preparation software.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a second question based on a second calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

presenting, to the user via the user interface, the second question associated with the second calendar event of the subset of calendar events obtained from the electronic calendar application;

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a second response to the second question; and

determining, based on the second response, that the second calendar event is not a tax deductible activity.