Abstract: A method for presenting contact information that includes receiving a search request for the contact information and retrieving a result set comprising a plurality of contacts corresponding to the search request, wherein each contact comprises a plurality of common contact data fields. The method also includes, for each common contact data field in the result set, determining a differentiating factor for the common contact data field, and selectively displaying at least one value of the common contact data field based on the differentiating factor.

Abstract: A method for authenticating a user, the method including: receiving a first value associated with an account from the user, receiving a second value associated with the account from an automated system, comparing the first value with the second value to generate a comparison, and authenticating the user based on the comparison.

Abstract: System and method for providing customer support via Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for particular aspects of tax programs and other computer-implemented processes. Different areas of tax preparation may be identified as different modules in the tax program. After selecting a module, a user of the tax program may select a particular document or particular field on a document that the user may need assistance with. A user interface may provide one or more mechanisms whereby the user may access VoIP support targeted at the particular aspect (e.g., module, document, or field). By enabling users to select particular aspects of the tax program and to invoke VoIP support for aspects at which support is needed, embodiments may enable users to sort themselves into queues targeted at the particular aspects for which support is needed before contacting the vendor's support system.

Abstract: An estimated tax reminder system generates and sends reminders to taxpayers of their estimated tax obligations. The system determines the estimated tax obligation for a taxpayer and receives filing status information for the taxpayer reflecting whether or not a payment has been made for the taxpayer. In an embodiment, a computer program product accepts payment instructions for fulfilling estimated tax obligations and carries out the instructions.

Abstract: A system, method, and a computer program product that enrolls a user with a bill payment service without requiring a user to provide account information.

Abstract: A method for supporting a plurality of financial source forms that includes receiving a user selection of a source form of the plurality of financial source forms to obtain a user-selected source form, and dynamically populating field text within a plurality of dynamic fields on a worksheet associated with the user-selected source form, wherein the worksheet is used for tax preparation.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for segregating access to dynamic content on multiple websites hosted by a web server. When a request is received for dynamic content from a website, a UserRetriever module identifies a path to the content and retrieves a username and password corresponding to the website, from a database that is separate from the web server and used for other purposes (e.g., billing). A UserImpersonator module requests a logon handle for that username from a logon cache manager. The logon handle is used to associate the request with the impersonated user account instead of the default anonymous user account with which the request was initially associated. The dynamic content is retrieved and served under the context of the restricted impersonated user account session, after which the applied logon handle is stripped off and the request is re-associated with the default anonymous user account.

Abstract: A software box or package with reduced original dimensions may be configured to be manipulated to form a box with at least one dimension that is longer than the original dimensions. For example, the box may be manipulated to form an expanded box with a longer height, depth, and/or width than the un-expanded box. In some embodiments, one or more sides of the box may be unfolded and/or one or more internal boxes may be unfolded or pulled out of the un-expanded box to form the expanded box. The expanded box may be used to store documents, back-up software copies, instructions, etc. The expanded box may have a height and width approximately the same as a file folder and may be stored in a filing cabinet. Such software boxes may include boxes for tax software, real estate software, résumés, etc.

Abstract: A method for presenting health care cost-saving opportunities to a health care consumer, the method including obtaining health care data and financial data associated with the health care consumer, identifying a plurality of health care cost-saving opportunities for the healthcare consumer using the health care data and the financial data, and presenting the plurality of health care cost-saving opportunities to the health care consumer in a user interface (UI).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for tracking time using a mobile computing device.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for implementing a persistence application programming interface (API) that is platform independent and can make up-calls to business logic. During operation, the system receives a request at the API to execute a command at a persistence tier of an n-tier distributed application. In response to the request, the system determines an entity type for an entity affected by the command. Next, the system identifies a function at a middle tier of the n-tier distributed application that is associated with the entity type and the command, wherein the middle tier includes the business logic. The system then sends an instruction to the middle tier to execute the function. Finally, upon receiving a confirmation at the API that the function executed, the system executes the command at the persistence tier.

Abstract: A method for searching involving receiving a search term and obtaining a related word based on the search term to generate a search criteria, searching forms for the search criteria, identifying a topic associated with a field within a form based on the search criteria, and presenting the field within the form associated with the topic.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying recurring payments analyzes historical transactions from a predefined time period to identify potential recurring payments and payees, based on one or more potential recurring payment identification parameters. Once potential recurring payments are identified by analyzing the historical transaction data, the user is presented with potential recurring payments report including a list of the potential recurring payments. In one embodiment, the user is given the opportunity to designate a given potential recurring payment as a confirmed recurring payment. Once a potential recurring payment is confirmed as a recurring payment, the data associated with that recurring payment, such as payee, account number, routing/address, payment amount, and date of payment is saved and the user has the opportunity to set up automatic payment of the recurring payment at a selected interval or to have the recurring payment appear as a payment option at a time selected interval.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that automatically associates a foreign currency with an accounting object. First, a name is received from a user. Next, an association between the name and the foreign currency is determined, wherein the foreign currency is different from a home currency. Then, the accounting object is automatically associated with the foreign currency associated with the name.

Abstract: Embodiments of a computer system, a method, and a computer-program product (e.g., software) for use with the computer system are described. These embodiments may be used to identify and correct errors in financial information that was extracted using character-recognition software, such as optical character recognition software and/or intelligent character recognition software. In particular, potential errors may be identified by comparing the financial information for a current financial transaction of a user with expected financial information from one or more previous financial transactions of the user. Error metrics for these potential errors may be determined and used to correct at least some of the potential errors. For example, values of the Levenshtein edit distance may be determined based on the comparison, and one or more potential errors associated with one or more minimum values of the Levenshtein edit distance may be corrected.

Abstract: A method for generating a dynamic help document involves obtaining question-answer pairs associated with a client-server application, determining rankings of the question-answer pairs based on user feedback about the question-answer pairs, and determining a first preferred question-answer pair based on rankings of question-answer pairs. The method further involves generating the dynamic help document using the first preferred question-answer pair, updating rankings of the question-answer pairs based on additional user feedback about the question-answer pairs, determining a second preferred question-answer pair based on updated rankings of the question-answer pairs, and updating the dynamic help document by replacing the first preferred question-answer pair with the second preferred question-answer pair.

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.

Abstract: A method for detecting errors includes obtaining input data, applying a knowledge base to the input data, identifying diagnostics associated with errors in the input data, encapsulating data snippets corresponding to errors with associated diagnostic codes to obtain encapsulated data snippets, and outputting encapsulated data snippets.

Abstract: A system for paying and filing employment tax operates by updating a set of electronic templates such that the electronic templates are compatible with current formats of associated governmental agencies, receiving financial information associated with a user, selecting an electronic template from the set of electronic templates, and merging the financial information with the electronic template to produce a document. This financial information includes employment-tax information that has a format that is compatible with payroll-accounting software, and the electronic template is compatible with a submission format of a governmental agency. Next, the system submits the document to the governmental agency.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates testing object-oriented programming (OOP) methods. During operation, the system receives a request from a client at a test-automation framework to execute a test case for the OOP methods. In response to the request, the system executes the test case in the test-automation framework. (Note that in this system, a class that includes the OOP methods inherits from an originally intended parent class, and calls to a test class are made via reflection.) The system then determines an outcome of executing the test case. Finally, the system reports the outcome of executing the test case.