Deferred account reconciliation during service enrollment

• US 9,356,841 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Vernec, Larry D., Barker, Xiaoyan Cindy Liu, Balazs, Alex G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US13/756,233
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service

Abstract

A technique for enrolling an individual for a service is described. During this enrollment technique, a match between an identifier provided by and associated with the individual is determined with an existing identifier associated with another service. If there is a correspondence between the service and the other service, enrollment information from the other service is used in an enrollment process for the service, which allows a subset of the enrollment process to be performed. Otherwise, the full enrollment process for the service is performed. In this case, reconciliation of the identifier and the existing identifier (for example, asking the individual if they also use the other service) is delayed until after the enrollment process is completed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enrolling an individual for a service that is provided to the individual in response to the individual accessing a first computer, the method comprising:

receiving an enrollment request for an enrollment process for the service, wherein the enrollment request includes an identifier associated with the individual;

using a computer, identifying a match between the identifier and an existing identifier associated with another service that is provided to the individual in response to the individual accessing a second computer;

determining if there is a correspondence between the service and the other,

service by determining an overlap between enrollment information from the other service and enrollment information for the enrollment process for the service;

when there is a correspondence between the service and the other service, using the enrollment information from the other service in an enrollment process for the service, which allows a subset of the enrollment process to be performed; and

otherwise, when there is not a correspondence between the service and the other service, performing the enrollment process for the service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes an email address of the individual.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes a numerical identifier associated with the individual.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes a company associated with the individual.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the correspondence between the service and the other service includes a match between more than a predetermined percentage of enrollment information for the service and the enrollment information for the other service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the correspondence between the service and the other service includes a predefined association of the service and the other service based on a common type of service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, before using the enrollment information from the other service in the enrollment process for the service, the method further comprises:

requesting confirmation that the existing identifier is also associated with the individual; and

receiving the confirmation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, after performing the enrollment process for the service, the method further comprises:

requesting confirmation that the existing identifier is also associated with the individual; and

receiving the confirmation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the enrollment request comprises receiving the enrollment request at a website for the service,

wherein the identifier comprises data entered by the individual at the website,

wherein the other service is accessed by using a second website that is separate and different from the website for the service,

wherein requesting responses to the set of enrollment questions comprises presenting a web form at the website that includes a fillable field for each question in the set of enrollment questions, and

wherein providing the responses to the enrollment questions not in the subset from the enrollment information from the other service comprises populating fillable fields in the web form for the enrollment questions not in the subset by using the enrollment information from the other service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the enrollment process comprises requesting responses to a set of enrollment questions from the individual, and wherein using the enrollment information from the other service in the enrollment process comprises requesting responses to only a subset of the enrollment questions from the individual and providing responses to the enrollment questions not in the subset from the enrollment information from the other service.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

when there is a correspondence between the service and the other service, displaying only the subset of the enrollment questions to the individual during the enrollment process for the service without displaying questions or fields for the enrollment questions not in the subset.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the enrollment information from the other service comprises a first set of fields, wherein the enrollment information for the enrollment process comprises a second set of fields, and wherein determining the overlap comprises determining a number of fields in the first set that store information of the same type as fields in the second set.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier and the existing identifier are generated based on a hardware configuration of an electronic device for the individual and are not provided directly by the individual.

14. A computer-program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein to facilitate enrollment of an individual with a service, the computer-program mechanism including instructions for:

receiving an enrollment request for an enrollment process for the service, wherein the enrollment request includes an identifier associated with the individual;

identifying a match between the identifier and an existing identifier associated with another service;

determining if there is a correspondence between the service and the other service by determining an overlap between enrollment information from the other service and enrollment information for the enrollment process for the service;

when there is a correspondence between the service and the other service, using the enrollment information from the other service in an enrollment process for the service, which allows a subset of the enrollment process to be performed; and

otherwise, when there is not a correspondence between the service and the other service, performing the enrollment process for the service.

15. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein the correspondence between the service and the other service includes a match between more than a predetermined percentage of enrollment information for the service and the enrollment information for the other service.

16. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein the correspondence between the service and the other service includes a predefined association of the service and the other service based on a common type of service.

17. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein, before the instructions for using the enrollment information from the other service in the enrollment process for the service, the computer-program mechanism further comprises:

instructions for requesting confirmation that the existing identifier is also associated with the individual; and

instructions for receiving the confirmation.

18. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein, after the instructions for performing the enrollment process for the service, the computer-program mechanism further comprises:

instructions for requesting confirmation that the existing identifier is also associated with the individual; and

instructions for receiving the confirmation.

19. A computer system, comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

a program module, wherein the program module is stored in the memory and configurable to be executed by the processor to facilitate enrollment of an individual with a service, the program module including instructions for;

receiving an enrollment request for an enrollment process for the service, wherein the enrollment request includes an identifier associated with the individual;

identifying a match between the identifier and an existing identifier associated with another service;

determining if there is a correspondence between the service and the other service by determining an overlap between enrollment information from the other service and enrollment information for the enrollment process for the service;

when there is a correspondence between the service and the other service, using the enrollment information from the other service in an enrollment process for the service, which allows a subset of the enrollment process to be performed; and

otherwise, when there is not a correspondence between the service and the other service, performing the enrollment process for the service.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein, before the instructions for using the enrollment information from the other service in the enrollment process for the service, the program module further comprises:

instructions for requesting confirmation that the existing identifier is also associated with the individual; and

instructions for receiving the confirmation.