Computer-implemented methods, systems and articles of manufacture for processing sensitive electronic tax return data

• US 10,664,924 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Cabrera, Luis F., Wang, Gang, McCluskey, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apple, Kirsten S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Christine
• Application Number:
  US14/701,087
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 703 31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods, computerized systems and articles of manufacture for processing sensitive electronic tax return data. A tax logic agent reads runtime data of the electronic tax return from a shared data store and identifies logic computations to be performed given a directed completion graph and runtime data. Certain logic computations involve sensitive runtime data (name, social security number, other personal identification data, and private data such as address, telephone number and account numbers), are indicated as such, and may be processed differently than other logic computations involving runtime data not indicated to be sensitive data. Logic computations involving sensitive data may be performed locally, whereas logic computations not involving sensitive data may be performed by a remote computing resource, in which case computation results are merged and used to generate a non-binding suggestion of a topic or question to present to the user via the user interface controller.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

reading, by a first process executed by at least one processor, first runtime data of an electronic tax return from a shared data store;

scanning, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the first runtime data for one or more sensitive data tags;

detecting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the one or more sensitive data tags as an outcome of the scanning;

identifying within the first runtime data, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a first subset of the first runtime data tagged by the detected one or more sensitive data tags, wherein the first subset of the first runtime data is sensitive data based on the tags;

identifying within the first runtime data, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a second subset of the first runtime data that is untagged by the detected one or more sensitive data tags, wherein the untagged second subset of the first runtime data is non-sensitive data based on being untagged;

selecting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a first subset of logic computations to be performed on the sensitive data;

selecting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a second subset of logic computations to be performed on the non-sensitive data;

identifying, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a first remote computing source;

receiving, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, one or more security attributes of the first remote computing source;

comparing, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the one or more security attributes of the first remote computing source against one or more pre-determined minimum security criteria to identify first matches between the one or more security attributes of the first remote computing source and the one or more pre-determined minimum security criteria;

in response to identifying the first matches, indicating, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, that the first remote computing source has security attributes satisfying the pre-determined minimum security criteria;

identifying, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a second remote computing source;

receiving, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, one or more security attributes of the second remote computing source;

comparing, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the one or more security attributes of the second remote computing source against the one or more pre-determined minimum security criteria to identify second matches between the one or more security attributes of the second remote computing source and the one or more pre-determined minimum security criteria;

in response to identifying the second matches, indicating, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, that the second remote computing source has security attributes satisfying the pre-determined minimum security criteria;

identifying, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a third remote computing source;

transmitting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor through a first network and to the first remote computing resource, a first portion of the first subset of logic computations in response to the indicating that that the first remote computing source has security attributes satisfying the pre-determined minimum security criteria, wherein the first remote computing resource executes the first subset of logic computations involving sensitive data;

transmitting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor through a second network and to the second remote computing resource, a second portion of the first subset of logic computations in response to the indicating that the second remote computing source has security attributes satisfying the pre-determined minimum security criteria, wherein the second remote computing resource executes the second portion of the first subset of logic computations involving sensitive data to distribute execution of logic computations involving sensitive data among different remote computing resources to enhance security of the sensitive data;

transmitting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor through a third network and to the third remote computing resource, the second subset of logic computations that involve non-sensitive data, wherein the third remote computing resource executes the second subset of logic computations;

receiving, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, first results of executing the first portion of the first subset of logic computations involving sensitive data from the first remote computing resource, receiving second results of executing the second portion of the first subset of logic computations involving sensitive data from the first remote computing resource, receiving third results of executing the second portion of the first subset of logic computations from the third remote computing resource;

storing, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the first results, the second results, and the third results to the shared data store to update the first runtime data to generate second runtime data;

reading, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the second runtime data from the shared data store;

generating, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a first non-binding suggestion including interview screen content that is dependent upon at least a portion of the first results, the second results, and the third results in the second runtime data;

generating, by a second process executed by the at least one processor, an interview screen including at least a portion of the interview screen content in the first non-binding suggestion, the interview screen being presented through a display in communication with the at least one processor, and the second process executing independently of the first process;

receiving, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, user input in response to the interview screen; and

updating, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, the second runtime data to generate third runtime data based at least in part upon the user input.

2. The method of claim 1, the sensitive data comprising personal identification data of or related to the taxpayer.

3. The method of claim 2, the personal identification data of or related to the taxpayer including one or more of:

a name of a taxpayer, a name of a spouse of the taxpayer;

a name of a dependent of the taxpayer;

a social security number of the taxpayer;

a social security number of the spouse;

a social security number of the dependent.

4. The method of claim 1, the sensitive data comprising private data of a taxpayer.

5. The method of claim 4, the private data being a residence address of the taxpayer or person associated with the taxpayer or a date of birth of the taxpayer or person associated with the taxpayer.

6. The method of claim 4, the private data comprising an account number.

7. The method of claim 1, the first data structure comprising a completeness directed graph, the method further comprising detecting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, based on the first runtime data, conditions for a specific topic that have been satisfied or addressed based at least in part upon the completeness graph.

8. The method of claim 7, the completeness directed graph indicating that the electronic tax return is a fileable tax return.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the completeness graph is not populated with the first runtime data, the method further comprising:

storing, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, runtime data to a cache; and

comparing, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the first runtime data in the cache and elements of the completeness graph to identify additional data required to complete a specific topic of the electronic tax return.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the third runtime data from the shared data store;

selecting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, calculation computations to be executed based at least in part upon a second data structure different than the first data structure and the third runtime data;

transmitting, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, through the second network and to the second remote computing resource, the calculation computations, wherein the second remote computing resource executes the calculation computations;

receiving, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, fourth results of executing the calculation computations from the second remote computing resource;

storing, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the fourth results to the shared data store to update the third runtime data to generate fourth runtime data;

reading, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the fourth runtime data from the shared data store;

generating, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a second non-binding suggestion based at least in part upon the fourth runtime data;

generating, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, a second interview screen based at least in part upon the second non-binding suggestion, the second interview screen being presented through the display of the computing device executing or accessing the computerized tax return preparation application to prepare the electronic tax return;

receiving, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, second user input in response to the second interview screen; and

updating, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, the fourth runtime data to generate fifth runtime data based at least in part upon the second user input.

14. The method of claim 1, the second remote computing resource providing a lower level of security relative to the first remote computing resource.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a financial cost of utilizing the second remote computing resource is less than a financial cost of utilizing the first remote computing resource.

16. The method of claim 15, respective costs of respective first and second remote computing resources being based on respective spot instances for respective first and second remote computing resources.

17. The method of claim 1, the first remote computing resource being at a first geographic location that is different than a second geographic location of the second remote computing resource.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first subset of logic computations involving the sensitive data is not permitted to be executed by a remote computing resource at the second geographic location to enhance security of the sensitive data.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, a comparison of elements of a schema of the shared data store from which the first runtime data is read with pre-determined sensitive schema criteria;

identifying, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, sensitive runtime data based at least in part upon the comparison; and

identifying, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, logic computations involving the sensitive runtime data, the first subset of logic computations comprising the identified logic computations.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive runtime data is stored in the shared data store with an associated tag indicating that the runtime data is sensitive runtime data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising tagging, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, runtime data as sensitive data.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, input from the user that certain runtime data is sensitive data; and

tagging, by the second process executed by the at least one processor, the runtime data that was the subject of the user input such that a tag indicates that runtime data stored in the shared data store is sensitive runtime data.

11. The method 10, further comprising populating, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, the second data structure with the calculation computation results executed by the second remote computing resource.

12. The method of claim 11, the second data structure comprising a directed calculation graph, the method further comprising determining, by the first process executed by the at least one processor, computations to be performed based at least in part upon nodes of the directed calculation graph.

13. The method of claim 12, the directed calculation graph comprising a directed acyclic graph comprising encoded data dependencies amongst tax concepts or topics.