Patents Assigned to Intuit
  • Patent number: 8843108
    Abstract: To facilitate security, locations of a portable electronic device may be tracked during a time interval. These tracked locations are then used to determine a location pattern, and the location pattern is used to estimate one or more secure locations. Then, when a user accesses financial information using the portable electronic device, the security level is determined based on a current location and the one or more secure locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: David F. Lish, Christopher H. J. Whittam, Indraneel Bhattacharyya
  • Patent number: 8843851
    Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for providing online support to a user of a client application. The method includes: initiating a wizard including dialogs for completing a task; displaying a dialog to the user; enabling, based on a network connection being available, a help threshold associated with the dialog; determining, by a computer processor, that the help threshold is exceeded after enabling the help threshold; sending, in response to the help threshold being exceeded, an availability request to an external support server; receiving, after sending the availability request, a confirmation of an available support specialist; displaying an indication to the user that support is available; receiving a support request from the user; opening a chat dialog in response to receiving the support request; and initiating, using the chat dialog, a chat session between the user and the available support specialist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew B. Gotchy, Jason Alexander Poteet, Anne Quinter Smith, Michael Anthony Panian, Zachery Moneypenny, Alexandr Tolchinsky, Rajasivasubramanian Ramanathan
  • Patent number: 8838492
    Abstract: A system that generates a financial aid application. During operation, the system determines whether a person has authorized access to a tax return belonging to the person for purposes of generating a financial aid application. If so, the system retrieves the tax return for the person, extracts information about the person from the tax return, and uses the extracted information to populate one or more fields in the financial aid application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventor: Tristan C. Baker
  • Patent number: 8826260
    Abstract: A technique for facilitating customization of a software application is described. During this customization technique, an indicator, which indicates that a software application for an electronic device has been discovered by a user, is provided to a publisher of the software application. In response to the indicator, the publisher provides a token to the user. This token identifies a customized application-delivery service for the software application and/or a user-specific customization of the software application. Note that the customized application-delivery service and the user-specific customization are based on information about the user associated with the user's pre-existing or just-established relationship with the publisher. Next, the token is provided to an application-delivery service, and the application-delivery service provides the customized software application to the electronic device or a computer, for example, using the customized application-delivery service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander S. Ran, Daniel C. McGloin, Desiree D. G. Gosby, Troy D. Otillio
  • Patent number: 8825513
    Abstract: A method to process cancellation requests. The method includes receiving, by a computer processor and from a first user, a first request to cancel a first subscription to an online service, calculating, by the computer processor in response to the first request: a first retention value score of the first user based on a first usage profile of the first user interacting with the online service, and a first retention value threshold based on a first availability measure of support agents for the online service, and sending, by the computer processor and in response to the first retention value score exceeding the first retention value threshold, a message to the first user to contact at least one of the support agents to discuss cancelling the first subscription.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Nilendu Misra, Sanjay Channarayapatna Ramakrishna, Norman Happ
  • Patent number: 8825840
    Abstract: Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for logging computer generated log messages utilizing a computerized feedback signal. A logging server logs computer generated log messages from a log source at a logging server at a first detail level. The detail level of logging is the amount of information or data logged for a given activity. A log analyzer analyzes the log messages being logged by the logging server at a first detail level. Then, in response to a computerized feedback signal based upon the analysis of the log messages by the log analyzer, the detail level of logging at the logging server is automatically modified to a second detail level which is different than the first detail level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Choi Chung
  • Publication number: 20140244455
    Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for generating interface elements of an electronic tax preparation application to allow a taxpayer or user to view a portion of an image of a tax document that is a source of data for a field of a screen generated by the electronic tax application. The image portion displayed may be a particular box or field of a tax document for a corresponding particular field of the screen generated by the electronic tax preparation or a bounding region including one or more adjacent or surrounding boxes or fields. Embodiments allow taxpayers to view an image of a source document while viewing the data that was entered in the field from within the tax preparation application without having to consult paper copies of the tax documents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: INTUIT INC.
    Inventors: Nankun Huang, Amir Eftekhari, Carol A. Howe, Alan B. Tifford, Jeffrey P. Ludwig
  • Publication number: 20140244237
    Abstract: During a survey technique, a product survey in an original language is translated into a target language, and any errors in the translation are identified and corrected. Words in the translation that do not translate well or clearly may be reverted back to the original language based on transliteration instructions. This may allow customers to answer the translated product survey in the target language using a user interface (such as a keyboard) based on the original language. After receiving answers from the users to questions in the translated product survey, the answers may be analyzed to determine results of the product survey in the target language. Then, the results may be translated back into the original language. After translation into the original language, the results across multiple target languages can be consolidated and presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: INTUIT INC.
    Inventors: Vijayan Srinivasan, Venkata Gopinath Bodagala, Rama Palaniappan
  • Publication number: 20140244456
    Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for allowing taxpayers to utilize mobile communication or communication devices such as smartphones and tablet devices to upload tax document images and process tax document images such that resulting recognized tax data is incorporated into an electronic tax return. Authentication data is generated and provided to the taxpayer to establishing a connection with an image processor, which provides recognized tax data to the on-line tax preparation application for incorporation into the electronic tax return. Authentication data may be embodied within a URL address to the image processor that is transmitted as a SMS message to the mobile communication or computing device or encoded within a QR code such that the mobile communication or computing device can be used to take an image of and decode the QR code to determine the URL address and authentication data to establish a connection with the image processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Nankun Huang, Amir Eftekhari, Carol A. Howe, Alan B. Tifford, Jeffrey P. Ludwig
  • Publication number: 20140241631
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of acquiring tax data for use in tax preparation application includes acquiring an image of at least one document containing tax data therein with an imaging device. A computer extracts one or more features from the acquired image of the at least one document and compares the extracted one or more features to a database containing a plurality of different tax forms. The database may include a textual database and/or geometric database. The computer identifies a tax form corresponding to the at least one document from the plurality of different tax forms based at least in part on a confidence level associated with the comparison of the extracted one or more features to the database. At least a portion of the tax data from the acquired image is transferred into corresponding fields of the tax preparation application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: INTUIT INC.
    Inventors: Nankun Huang, Amir Eftekhari, Carol A. Howe, Alan B. Tifford, Jeffrey P. Ludwig
  • Patent number: 8806444
    Abstract: Activities of a user are tracked while a user uses a software application. Based on the tracked user activities, a user-experience metric is determined for the user, where the user-experience metric reflects a need to modify a user experience associated with the software application. In response to the determined user-experience metric, the user experience is modified. For example, modifying the user experience may include: providing help content to the user, changing a user interface associated with the software application, and/or contacting the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Igor A. Podgorny, Moshe Olim, Marc J. Attinasi, Troy D. Otillio
  • Patent number: 8799861
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates testing a system-under-test with functional-test software and a transformation accelerator. During operation, the system receives a functional-test template at the transformation accelerator. The system also receives a test signal at the transformation accelerator, wherein the test signal comprises testing parameters. Next, the system manipulates the functional-test template at the transformation accelerator according to the testing parameters to create one or more functional-test transactions. The system then sends the one or more functional-test transactions to the system-under-test. Next, the system receives results for the one or more functional-test transactions from the system-under-test. Finally, the system queues the results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Pearl
  • Patent number: 8799075
    Abstract: A method and system for providing refined location relevant marketing devices whereby a marketing device management system obtains: data representing one or more marketing devices from one or more merchants; location refinement data associated with the merchants; location refinement data associated with the marketing devices; and location refinement data associated with a consumer. The marketing device management system includes a marketing device matching engine that includes a location refinement matching filter. The location refinement matching filter uses all, or part of: the location refinement data associated with the merchant; the location refinement data associated with the marketing devices; and the location refinement data associated with the consumer; to determine the marketing devices in the marketing device database most relevant to the consumer, and the consumer's current state. The most relevant marketing devices are then provided to the consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Kashinath Kakarla, Vishnu Nanda, Sagar Dutta, Anup P. Mutalik
  • Patent number: 8799762
    Abstract: A technique for generating a form is described. In the technique, a user provides information associated with a user-defined field, including a data type and/or semantic information for an entry associated with the user-defined field. Then, a computer system generates the form, which includes the user-defined field and additional fields based on the information associated with the user-defined field and the additional fields. This form includes a spatial reference pattern that, when printed on paper, facilitates data input using a writing instrument (such as a digital pen). Furthermore, generating the form may involve translating from a computer-input format of the form to a writing-instrument format based on specified layouts or sequential positions of the user-defined field and the additional fields. Next, the computer system provides the form to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Gang Wang, Gerald B. Huff, William A. Lucchini
  • Patent number: 8798354
    Abstract: An optical image of a check submitted to a business as part a check-based financial transaction is obtained and the optical image of the check is scanned using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to obtain optical image-based financial transaction data. The optical image-based financial transaction data is then used to automatically match, or correlate, the check to a customer account and/or invoice and, pending user review and/or approval, a payment entry is automatically generated and the check-based payment represented by the check is automatically credited to the customer account and the customer account balance is transformed to reflect the check-based payment, and/or the status of an associated invoice is transformed to reflect the check-based payment, e.g., the invoice is marked as paid, or partially paid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Breeana D. Bunzel, Akbar A. Rangara, Kai Chun Chan
  • Patent number: 8799066
    Abstract: A system that facilitates providing of commercial offers is described. During operation, this system receives financial information associated with a user of financial software. Then, the system presents an icon corresponding to the commercial offer to the user. This commercial offer is targeted to the user based on a financial history of the user, which includes multiple transactions with multiple commercial establishments. Moreover, the icon exhibits animated behavior which can vary over time, and the user can pursue the commercial offer by interacting with the icon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Nesladek, Ricardo Marquez, Lisa C. Gevelber, Miriam Geller, Gang Wan, Ashley M. Fernandes
  • Patent number: 8799639
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that converts authentication-tokens to facilitate interactions between applications. During operation, the system receives a command-execution request from a first application, wherein the command-execution request specifies a command to execute on a second application. Subsequently, the system verifies a first authentication-token included with the command-execution request. Next, the system translates the first authentication-token into a form associated with the second application to produce a second authentication-token. The system then modifies the command-execution request by replacing the first authentication-token with the second-authentication-token to create a modified command-execution request. Then, the system sends the modified command-execution request to the second application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Alex G. Balazs, Zane Z. Y. Pan
  • Patent number: 8799177
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, a computer-readable storage medium, and an apparatus for building a small business social graph. During operation, the system receives a collection of data from a first business. Next, the system determines if a first node for the first business exists in a social graph, wherein the social graph is a graph-based data model that indicates relationships among various businesses. If not, the system adds the first node for the first business to the social graph. The system then analyzes the collection of data to identify a second business. Next, the system determines if a second node for the second business exists in the social graph. If not, the system adds the second node for the second business to the social graph. Finally, the system adds a relationship between the first node and the second node to the social graph to indicate the relationship between the first business and the second business.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Sundar Saiprasad, Seegler Ittyavirath
  • Patent number: 8799122
    Abstract: A method for identifying an origin of fraudulent activity including receiving a first affirmative fraud flag from a first user for a financial transaction associated with a first user account and obtaining financial transaction information for the first user account, which includes a first financial transaction entry listing a payee and a first time. The method further includes receiving a second affirmative fraudulent flag from a second user corresponding to a financial transaction and a second user account and obtaining financial transaction information for the second user account, which includes a second financial transaction entry listing the payee and a second time. The method further includes determining an intersection between the first and the second financial transaction entries, identifying a potential origin of fraud from the intersection, and alerting the first and the second user of the potential origin of fraud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Del Favero, Marko Rukonic
  • Patent number: 8799124
    Abstract: An accounting professional database is created that includes, but is not limited to, accounting professional profile data for one or more accounting professionals representing detailed information associated with the accounting professionals. A user of one or more financial management systems who may need the assistance of an accounting professional is identified and user need data indicating the detailed and specific accounting professional needs of the user is obtained. One or more matching criteria for the user are then determined/identified using the user need data and the one or more matching criteria for the user is used to search the accounting professional profile data in the accounting professional database to find one or more accounting professionals that match, or most closely match, the one or more matching criteria for the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Daken, Samir Khosla, Ian Vacin, Eric de Guzman