Abstract: Runtime computer software product management system including a computer database, an access control system and a composite model including an integrated entitlement-service state model with first state data specifying access to a subscription of a computer software product of a host and second state data specifying permissible actions involving the subscription based at least in part upon the first state data. The access control system is in communication with the computer database and generates grants for an accountant and client based on the entitlement-service state model and receives a request from the computer software product for the client to access the product. The access control system determines a grant status based at least in part upon the first grant status and the second grant status and responds to the request with the determined grant status which governs client access to the computer software product.

Abstract: A method and system generates extended patterns from base patterns with an automatic pattern generation engine. The method and system tests the extended patterns with an automatic pattern testing engine. The patterns correspond to configurations for implementing cloud-based applications. The patterns are extendable to make additional extended patterns. Extended patterns carry the characteristics of the patterns from which they were extended. Updating a base pattern with new security measures causes a cascade effect that updates all extended patterns that descend from the base pattern.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that manages synchronization between a profile store and a source of truth that is used to update the profile store. During operation, the system obtains a request to compare a first set of attributes from a profile for an entity in the profile store with a source of truth. During a period for delaying processing of the request, the system reduces a load on the source of truth by ignoring additional requests to compare the profile with the source of truth. After the period has passed, the system obtains a first set of attributes from the profile and a second set of attributes for the entity from the source of truth. The system then compares the first and second sets of attributes to detect and correct mismatches between the first and second sets of attributes.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for automatically modifying computer parameters as an incentive for complying with data policies. During operation, the system receives, at a computing system, a data policy definition, wherein the data policy definition comprises: one or more metrics associated with data usage, and one or more desired vectors associated with the one or more metrics. Next, the system receives, at the computing system, usage statistics for data, wherein the usage statistics comprise the one or more metrics for one or more clients. The system then analyzes the usage statistics to determine, at the computing system, a first score indicating how a first client in the one or more clients is performing compared to the one or more desired vectors for the one or more metrics. Finally, the system automatically modifies a parameter of the computing system associated with the first client based on the first score.

Abstract: A method includes establishing a network connection with a source computing device and an application services computing device, receiving, via the network connection, a source event stream at the application services computing device, and extracting a sample of the source event stream. The method further includes partitioning the sample of the source event stream into fields, identifying a field data type of a field of the multiple fields in the sample, identifying a distribution of values of the field in the sample, and extrapolating, from the sample of the source event stream, extrapolated functions for the fields. Extrapolating an extrapolated function is dependent on the field data type and the distribution of the field. The method further includes transforming, based on the plurality of extrapolated functions in the configuration file, the source event stream to obtain a transformed event stream, and analyzing, by a target machine learning model, the transformed event stream.

Abstract: Artificial intelligence, big data, and crowd sourcing techniques are utilized to efficiently and effectively determine permissions that should be granted to a party within an organization. In one example, the permissions granted to a party within an organization are determined using one or more algorithms to identify, weight, and correlate historical and current permissions to party attributes for parties within the organization and/or for similar parties in similar organizations. In one example, the activity of the party within the organization is then monitored and the permissions granted the party are automatically modified as needed to allow the party to perform their tasks in the organization as the party's responsibilities within the organization evolve.

Abstract: Big data analysis methods and machine learning based models are used to provide offer recommendations to consumers that are probabilistically determined to be relevant to a given consumer. Machine learning based matching of user attributes and offer attributes is first performed to identify potentially relevant offers for a given consumer. A de-duplication process is then used to identify and eliminate any offers represented in the offer data that the consumer has already seen, has historically shown no interest in, has already accepted, that are directed to product or service types the user/consumer already owns, for which the user does not qualify, or that are otherwise deemed to be irrelevant to the consumer.

Abstract: Various aspects described herein are directed to methods and systems that preprocess an electronic document or some data therein and conceal sensitive data in the electronic document by applying steganography to the data associated with one or more fonts. A steganography map is generated or updated to include steganography information about applying steganography to the data. Cryptography may be applied to the steganography map; and the electronic document may be transformed into a different document format.

Abstract: Embodiments presented herein provide a partner authentication (PA) system that coordinates a network-based authorization process for an application. The PA system exchanges a series of messages with the application seeking an access token for a protected resource, an authorization server associated with the resource, and an agent executing on a device accessed by a user who wants the application to access the resource. The PA system and the agent communicate with the authorization server on behalf of the application throughout the authorization process. The PA system receives an access token and a refresh token from the server on behalf of the application and sends a partner authorization (PA) token to the application. When the application seeks access to the resource that is available to authorized parties via the resource server, the application sends the PA token to the PA system and receives the access token in return.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for classifying inquiries in real-time or nearly real-time. These techniques identify or generate a data model that receives and determine one or more classes for the inquiry in real-time or nearly real-time at least by applying a hierarchical set of rules in the data model to the inquiry. A hierarchical class data structure at least by storing and indexing the one or more classes based in part or in whole upon a hierarchical structure of the one or more classes in a non-transitory computer memory.

Abstract: An execution platform comprising a workflow engine and an application engine is provided. A workflow definition associated with an application is received. The workflow definition is used to run an application workflow to perform an action with respect to the application, at least in part by causing an executable binary to be run by the application engine.

Abstract: Computer-implemented method, tax return preparation systems and computer program products for presenting an explanation for a tax calculation or operation performed by a tax return preparation system when the system is in “forms” mode. An electronic version of a tax authority form that has been modified by inclusion of interface elements is displayed to a user. In response to the user selecting an interface element while in forms mode, presentation of an explanation regarding a tax calculation or operation for the associated field is invoked. The user interface controller provides data in response to selection of the interface element to an explanation engine, which determines an explanation based at least in part upon the tax calculation graph. The explanation is provided to the user interface controller for presentation to the user.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to language agnostic unsupervised removal of text from form images. According to one embodiment, a method comprises generating a spectral domain representation of an image by applying a transformation, where the image depicts form layout elements and text elements, applying a first filter to the spectral domain representation to remove a portion of the frequency domain corresponding to the text element, and applying a transformation to the filtered spectral domain representation of the image to generate a reconstructed image. The text elements are not depicted in the reconstructed image.

Abstract: Computer-implemented methods, systems and articles of manufacture for determining which questions to present to a user of a modular tax preparation application in which analysis of tax logic by the tax logic agent is separate from interview screens generated by the user interface controller. A topic engine of the modular tax preparation application is configured or programmed to predict which tax topics are applicable to the current electronic tax return based at least in part upon a data of a prior year tax return. Other sources besides the current tax return being prepared and the prior year tax return may also be utilized for topic determination. The tax logic agent generates a non-binding suggestion for the user interface controller based at least in part upon an output generated by the topic engine.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for managing encrypted data stored in one or more blocks of a first data structure. One embodiment presented herein includes a computer-implemented method, which includes retrieving the encrypted data from the one or more blocks. The method further includes placing the encrypted data in a container object. The method further includes applying an encryption technique to the container object to generate an encrypted container object and a key. The method further includes generating a second data structure. A first block of the second data structure may include either the encrypted container object or information related to the encrypted container object.

Abstract: A network-based synchronization system includes a server executing an electronic tax preparation program. The server is in communication with first and second computing devices through first and second networks. The first computing device utilizes the electronic tax preparation program. The second computing device is a mobile communication device including an image acquisition component and a mobile application executing thereon. The server, and the first and second computing devices are cooperatively operable through the first and second networks to synchronize the electronic tax preparation program and the mobile application based at least in part upon data acquired by the image acquisition component. The server receives the data acquired by the image acquisition component and transmits the data to the first computing device to synchronize the mobile application and the electronic tax preparation program.

Abstract: A method and system provides automatic patterns for implementing cloud based applications. The automatic patterns are extendable to make additional extended patterns. Extended patterns carry the characteristics of the patterns from which they were extended. Updating a base pattern with new security measures causes a cascade effect that updates all extended patterns that descend from the base pattern.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for predicting a location based on transaction record data. An example technique includes obtaining a first set of transaction records and determining a merchant associated with each transaction record. The example further includes based on the merchant, determining and appending a branch identifier to each transaction record associated with the merchant to generate a first set of extended transaction records. The example further includes creating a consumption graph based on the first set of extended transaction records and determining an estimated location based on the consumption graph. The example further includes determining a precise point location based on the estimated location.

Abstract: A method for storing object state on hash chains. A block of a hash chain is located with an accessor function. The block includes a field value of a field of an object. Version data is located using the block. The version data identifies a block version of the block. The block version is compared to a function version of the accessor function. The field value from the block is returned when the block version matches the function version. A version matched accessor function is called to return the field value when the block version does not match the function version.