Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a trustworthy data exchange between a first device and a second device. In some embodiments, a query is received from the second device. The query may comprise a question and an indication of a trusted authority that is to certify authenticity of information used to determine an answer to the query. In some embodiments, information related to the query is determined. In certain embodiments, credentials are received from a user for retrieving the information. In some embodiments, information related to the query is retrieved, using the credentials, from one or more data repositories storing data verified by the trusted authority. In certain embodiments, an answer to the query is determined based on the information. In come embodiments, the answer is provided to the second device. The answer may indicate that the answer is based upon information certified by the trusted authority.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that facilitates making a copy of a profile store while the profile store is being updated. During operation, the system retrieves profiles from a profile snapshot queue, wherein the profile snapshot queue is periodically populated by accessing each profile in the profile store, and recording a snapshot of each accessed profile in the profile snapshot queue. The system then stores the profiles retrieved from the profile snapshot queue into the copy of the profile store. Next, the system retrieves updates to profiles from a live update queue, which contains a sequential list of updates to profiles in the profile store, wherein the updates are retrieved starting with a first update that occurred after the process of sequentially accessing the profiles was commenced up to a most recent update. Finally, the system uses the retrieved updates to update corresponding profiles in the copy of the profile store.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for. The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates execution of an application on an electronic device. During operation, the system obtains a font file comprising a set of scalable representations of graphical assets used in the application. Next, the system obtains a layout of a user interface of the application. The system then obtains, from the layout, a mapping of a user-interface element in the user interface to a scalable representation of a graphical asset in the font file. Finally, the system uses the mapping and the scalable representation to render the graphical asset in the user interface based on an attribute of a screen in the electronic device.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to decompose a query from a client application. A micro-service storing each object and property requested by the query is identified. A micro-service query is generated for each micro-service. Upon receiving a response from each micro-service query, the responses are joined into a single response and returned to the client application.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates application usage. During operation, the system obtains a user context associated with a first user, wherein the user context includes at least one of a location of the first user, profile data for the first user, device data associated with a computing device for the first user, and data types associated with existing applications on the computing device. Next, the system obtains a first set of new applications matching the user context. Finally, the system provides the first set of new applications to the first user for installation and use by the first user.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a dynamic method for automated Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) custom correlation rule generation through the use of an interactive network visualization. The visualization is based on log data received from network endpoints and inputs received from a user, and is provided to the user for feedback before the SIEM custom correlation rules are automatically generated based on the visualization. The automatically generated SIEM custom correlation rules are then used to determine whether to trigger actions based on event data received from the network endpoints.

Abstract: A hybrid response mechanism for processing queries submitted through an interview screen of a tax preparation application. User submits query through search field of interview screen generated by tax preparation application. Response engine accesses runtime data of electronic tax return stored in data store and generates hybrid response including runtime data and an action. Hybrid response data may be alpha/numerical runtime data or data identifying runtime data and identifying or including a link to an action, e.g., a form to be completed or revised, or to prepare a new form. The hybrid search result can also include a result (such as reference materials, e.g., information about tax topics or an answer provided by an on-line community member) generated by an external computing resource such as an online community for the tax preparation application also processing the query but that is not included in the electronic tax return being prepared.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates selecting a message to be presented to users based on a statistically valid hypothesis test. During operation, the system runs a hypothesis test by presenting alternate versions of a message to a test set of users and receives user-feedback data. Next, the system obtains a significance level for the test and determines a number of independent data subsets associated with data from the test. The system subsequently uses the significance level and the number of independent data subsets to calculate an individual significance level for each independent data subset. The system then uses the individual significance levels to calculate an amount of user-feedback data required to achieve the significance level during the test, and selects one of the alternate versions of the message by analyzing the calculated amount of user-feedback data during the test. Finally, the system presents the selected version.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to identify a form document in an image using a digital fingerprint of the form document. To do so, the image is evaluated to detect features of the image. For each feature, a pixel is plotted in a second image. The second image is the digital fingerprint of the form. To identify the form corresponding to the digital fingerprint, the digital fingerprint may be compared to digital fingerprints of known forms.

Abstract: A method for schematizing fields in documents involves segmenting an image of a document into snippets, classifying a first, a second, and a third snippet of the snippets as a first label, a second label, and a data field, respectively. The method further includes generating, for a combination of the first label and the data field, a first image to be classified, and classifying the first image to be classified to obtain a first classification score. The method further includes generating, for a combination of the second label and the data field, a second image to be classified, and classifying the second image to be classified to obtain a second classification score. The method also includes determining that the first classification score is greater than the second classification score and identifying, based on the determining step, that the data field is associated with the first label.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of an application on an electronic device. During operation, the system executes an orchestrator that coordinates the operation of a set of rendering components for rendering different views of a user interface for the application. The orchestrator is used to provide the user interface on the electronic device. First, the orchestrator obtains content for rendering the user interface. Next, the orchestrator identifies, from the content, a first rendering component from the set of rendering components for use in rendering a first view of the user interface. The system then provides the content to the first rendering component, wherein the content is used by the first rendering component to render the first view of the user interface.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to live support integration in a virtual machine based development environment. According to one embodiment, a method generally includes obtaining, by a virtual machine in the virtual machine based development environment, a token from a secure location. In some embodiments, upon determining, that the token is authentic, the virtual machine determines system configuration information relating to the virtual machine. In certain embodiments, the virtual machine establishes a communication channel with a remote support device using the token. The establishing may comprise transmitting, by the virtual machine, the system configuration information to the remote support device and enabling two-way communication between the virtual machine and the remote support device.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to dynamic software configuration. In some embodiments, a client device of a plurality of client devices requests a configuration. The request may comprise information identifying an environment of the client device. In some embodiments, the configuration request is compared to a baseline configuration and a custom configuration. The baseline configuration may comprise values corresponding to a plurality of dynamic properties, and the custom configuration may comprise values corresponding to a subset of the plurality of dynamic properties. Device. In some embodiments, upon determining, based on the comparing, that the custom configuration is applicable to the environment of the client device, the client device is provided with a client configuration comprising the values from the baseline configuration wherein the values of the subset of the plurality of dynamic properties are replaced by the values from the custom configuration.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for overseeing execution of graph-based contracts using hash chains. The method includes obtaining a graph-based contract. The graph-based contract is configured to enforce a contract for performing a transaction between at least two parties. The method also includes obtaining event data associated with an execution of the graph-based contract, and performing, governed by the graph-based contract, a first state transition from a first state to a second state by making a determination that a first state transition criterion is met by the event data, with the first state transition connecting the second state to the first state, and based on the determination transitioning to the second state. The method further includes appending a first block to a hash chain. The first block includes a documentation of the first state transition.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for background removal from documents. The method includes obtaining an image of a document, performing a clustering operation on the image to obtain a plurality of image segments, and performing, for each image segment, a foreground/background classification to determine whether the image segment includes foreground. The method further includes obtaining an augmented image by combining the image segments that include foreground, and obtaining a background-treated image by cropping the image of the document, based on the foreground in the augmented image.

Abstract: A method to configure a software solution may include receiving a first specification of a type of configuration data items and a second specification of system selected user attributes associated with the type of configuration data items, and receiving a configuration data item that is used to configure a first localized version of the software solution. The method may further include receiving a contributing user attribute specification that specifies a first user attribute and a second user attribute of the system selected user attributes, and generating a search tag assigned to the configuration data item. The method may further include receiving a search request to search the configuration data items, selecting, in response to the search request, the configuration data item based on the search tag, and configuring, in response to selecting the configuration data item, a second localized version of the software solution based on the configuration data item.

Abstract: A method to process a reward item. The method includes detecting, by a computer processor and from a networked application associated with a product, a user using the networked application to access a pre-determined service, wherein the detecting comprises receiving a product identifier of the product that is acquired by the user, determining, by the computer processor and in response to detecting the user accessing the pre-determined service, the reward item offered by a reward program associated with acquiring the product by the user, and facilitating, by the computer processor and in response to the determining, delivery of the reward item to the user.

Abstract: A method and system generates sufficient sample data sets for efficiently and accurately testing a new calculation for preparing a portion of an electronic document for users of an electronic document preparation system. The method and system prepares the new calculation and gathers historical user data related to previously prepared electronic documents for a large number of historical users. The method and system generates a representative value for each historical user data, based on the sections of a previous version of electronic document preparation software which were executed for each historical user in preparing electronic documents for the historical users. The method and system groups the historical users based on the hash values which indicates the historical user's behavior in the software. The groups are then sampled by selecting a small number of historical users from each group.

Abstract: A method and system increases Internet traffic to a question and answer customer support system, according to one embodiment. The method and system receive a question, and determine a search engine popularity or searchability of the question, according to one embodiment. If the search engine popularity or searchability of the question is less than a threshold, the question is provided to customer support personnel for reformation, according to one embodiment. The question and answer customer support personnel provide question reformation suggests to the customer support personnel, according to one embodiment.

Abstract: A personalized financial podcast generation system, the system includes a user data module configured to acquire user data associated with a user and analyze the user data to identify a keyword associated with a financial topic of interest to the user. The system also includes a keyword analyzer configured to calculate a weight of the keyword. The system further includes a content analyzer configured to identify financial media content based on the keyword and the weight. Moreover, the system includes a summarizer configured to identify a relevant sentence in the financial media content. In addition, the system includes a speech processor configured to synthesize speech based on the relevant sentence.