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 via a real-time link. 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 pre-specified 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 pre-specified 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: A method for monitoring application program interface integrations is provided. The method includes identifying, based on monitored transactions, a plurality of run time dependencies between at least two services. Also, the method includes creating, for each of the identified dependencies, a context of the dependency. In addition, the method includes setting a baseline state of a system utilizing the contexts.

Abstract: A method and system improve retention of a user of a tax return preparation system by personalizing a tax return preparation interview with questions that are at least partially based on user data processed by one or more predictive models, according to one embodiment. The method and system include receiving user data that is associated with a user, and applying the user data to one or more predictive models to cause the one or more predictive models to generate predictive output data, according to one embodiment. The predictive output data are scores for a subset of questions, and scores represent a relevance to the user of each of the subset of questions, according to one embodiment. The method and system include presenting selected ones of the subset of questions to the user, at least partially based on the scores, to personalize a tax return preparation interview for the user.

Abstract: A method for storage retrieval, including receiving a request for application content. The request includes a first field identifier. The method further includes submitting a query to a content repository, for each asset including the first field identifier, receiving a first asset including the first field identifier and a second asset including the first field identifier, and extracting a first variability tag from the first asset and a second variability tag from the second asset based on the first asset having a matching asset property value to the second asset. The first asset and second asset are scored based at least on the first variability tag and at least on the second variability tag to obtain a first and second score, respectively. The method further includes selecting the first asset based on the first score and the second score, and transmitting the first asset as the application content.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to autogenic software testing. In some embodiments, a method of the present disclosure includes scanning source code to identify one or more methods to be tested. The method further includes generating one or more test cases which perform requests using the one or more methods. The method further includes generating one or more logs comprising results of the requests. The method further includes scanning the one or more logs to identify a pattern associated with a request. The method further includes determining that the pattern is not stored in a test data store. The method further includes generating a first test and a first expected response based on the pattern. The method further includes storing the first test and the first expected response in the test data store. The first test may be executed and evaluated based on the first expected response.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for predicting errors in a software code base. The system generates an element set from a plurality of defect records that identify the developer who originated the defect, the code revisions related to the defect, and a classification of the defect. The system predicts the probability and type of defects in software using a machine learning algorithm configured using elements from the defect records and the code related to the defect records.

Abstract: In general, the invention relates to a method involving allowing access to a financial application by a third-party extension based on a single license to use the financial application, where the third-party extension was developed by a third-party developer using one or more tools in a software development kit (SDK) for the financial application and where the financial application stores first transaction data obtained for a first user of the financial application, monitoring operations performed on the financial application by the third-party extension to detect operations that migrate transaction data to a competitive application, using distributed computing software adjust a risk index that is associated with the third-party extension, determining that the risk index exceeds a pre-defined threshold, and controlling future access to the financial application by the third-party extension.

Abstract: Current content data, user historical context data, and user feedback and emotional profile data is analyzed to predict emotional effect on the user of content to be provided to the user through an interactive software system. The resulting emotional effect data is then used to dynamically modify the form of the content delivery message and/or the user's experience by selecting one or more content delivery messages and/or user experience components based on the emotional effect data before, or as, the content is delivered to the user. In this way, different types of content delivery messages and/or user experience components can be utilized, and/or combined, to provide the user with an individualized user experience that is adapted to the predicted emotional effect on the user of the content being delivered, before, or as, that content is being delivered.

Abstract: A method and system applies analytics models to a tax return preparation system to determine a likelihood of qualification for an earned income tax credit by a user, according to one embodiment. The method and system receive user data and applying the user data to a predictive model to cause the predictive model to determine, at least partially based on the user data, a likelihood of qualification for an earned income tax credit for the user, according to one embodiment. The method and system display, for the user, an estimated tax return benefit to the user, at least partially based on the likelihood of qualification for the earned income tax credit exceeding a predetermined threshold, to reduce delays in presenting estimated earned income tax credit benefits to the user during a tax return preparation session in a tax return preparation system, according to one embodiment.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating explanations for a tax calculation or operation performed by tax preparation software is disclosed. A computing device executes a tax calculation engine in connection with the tax preparation software and operates on a tax calculation graph to perform a tax calculation. The tax calculation graph semantically describes data dependent tax operations comprising functional nodes connected to input nodes by one of a plurality of functions, wherein each tax operation is associated with one or more explanations. An explanation engine is executed to generate a narrative explanation from the one or more explanations associated with one of the tax operations and is presented to the user on the computing device.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatuses for processing a digital image of a document, for example, to determine whether the document is a long document. An exemplary method generally includes obtaining a plurality of digital images of the document, segmenting at least a first digital image of the plurality of images into pixels associated with a foreground of the first digital image and pixels associated with a background of the first digital image, detecting a plurality of contours in the segmented first digital image, deciding, for each detected contour of the plurality of contours, whether that contour is an open contour or a closed contour, and determining that one or more sides of the document is out-of-bounds based, at least in part, on the decisions.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that manages access to a computer-based resource. During operation, the system obtains a request for the computer-based resource, wherein the request identifies a user seeking access to the computer-based resource. Next, the system obtains a set of security levels for a set of identity-proofing techniques, wherein the set of security levels is based on a first set of success rates of the identity-proofing techniques in preventing fraudulent access to computer-based resources. The system then calculates an identity assurance level for the user based on the set of security levels and a second set of success rates of the user in completing one or more of the identity-proofing techniques. Upon determining that the identity assurance level of the user meets a minimum identity assurance level for accessing the computer-based resource, the system enables access to the computer-based resource in a response to the request.

Abstract: This disclosure generally relates to executing dynamically generated applications in a web browser-based shell. An exemplary method generally includes instantiating shared components in the browser-based shell, the shared components exposing a common runtime environment to widgets loaded into the browser-based shell. A first workflow definition representing a first step of a workflow is received. The first workflow definition specifies first widgets, comprising modular components that perform functions represented by the first step of the workflow and comprising a user interface definition, to be loaded into the browser-based shell. The first widgets are obtained from one or more of a remote source, a local cache, or a temporary memory and loaded into the browser-based shell. A user interface is generated according to the first workflow definition to exposes the function to a user which, when invoked, initiates a transition to a second step of the workflow.

Abstract: A method to manage screen sharing includes receiving a screen sharing request of a shareable interface displayed on a first computing device of a first end user, conducting, in response to the session sharing request, an inventory of secured assets in the shareable interface, and generating a shared interface from the shareable interface. Generating the shared interface includes obtaining a first secured asset in the inventory of the secured assets, modifying the first secured asset based on a first end user permission defined for the first secured asset to generate a modified secured asset, and adding the modified secured asset to the shared interface. The method further includes transmitting the shared interface to a second computing device of a second end user.

Abstract: Disclosed methods and systems crowdsource quality assurance testing and error detection for user experience pages of a tax return preparation system, according to one embodiment. Testing and debugging combinations and sequences user experience pages can be time consuming and costly, and crowdsourcing error detection can reduce the length of time typically consumed in detecting all errors in a user experience flow, according to one embodiment. The methods and system include monitoring users' navigation behavior (e.g., system access data) within one or more user experience pages, using predictive models to detect when users are experiencing a potential issue, and providing issue resolution content to both help the users and characterize the potential issue, according to one embodiment. If the potential issue is an error, the methods and systems include requesting more information about the error, to facilitate resolving the error for current and subsequent users, according to one embodiment.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the extraction of text from an image including a depiction of a document. According to one embodiment, a mobile device receives an image depicting a document. The mobile device identifies a plurality of text areas in the document and identifies a midpoint of each of the plurality of text areas in the document. The mobile device detects one or more lines of text in the document including a plurality of text areas, where the plurality of text areas included in a line of text are associated with a midpoint having a coordinate within a threshold number of pixels on one axis in a two-dimensional space. Based on an orientation of the detected one or more lines of text, the mobile device determines a probable orientation of the document and extracts text from the image based on the determined probable orientation of the document.

Abstract: During a communication technique, a head-mounted electronic device captures sensory information, where the sensory information is associated with an object in an environment of the head-mounted electronic device, and where the object is associated with a second user of a second head-mounted electronic device. Then, a sensor in the head-mounted electronic device captures the sensory information associated with the object based on the received user command. Moreover, the head-mounted electronic device provides the captured sensory information to a pairing electronic device. Next, the head-mounted electronic device receives connection information from the pairing electronic device if the sensory information specifies the second user. Furthermore, the head-mounted electronic device establishes a secure connection with the second head-mounted electronic device based on the connection information.

Abstract: A method for collecting a payment. The method includes sending, to a payor, a request for the payment, wherein the request comprises an original payment amount and an original payment due date, generating, based on a set of payment collection records from an online financial management application used by payees, a payment statistical measure representing a payment behavior of payors paying the payees, generating, based on the payment statistical measure, the original payment amount, and the original payment due date, an adjusted payment amount and a condition to qualify the adjusted payment amount for completing the payment, enabling, prior to the payor completing the payment, the payor to view the adjusted payment amount and the condition, wherein the payor completes the payment in response to at least the payor viewing the adjusted payment amount and the condition, and collecting the payment completed by the payor.

Abstract: Computer-implemented methods, systems and articles of manufacture for rendering paginated interview screens that include arrangements of tax questions or topics representative of question or topic relevancy and that are selected and arranged based at least in part upon determined question or topic categorization and/or ranking. Different pagination structures may be utilized to visually indicate tax question or topic relevancy and to encourage or enable users of a tax return preparation application to answer more pertinent questions or topics before others, while also allowing the user to navigate or scroll questions or topics of paginated screens and to select questions or topics to answer or address at the user's discretion, without being restricted by a pre-determined sequence of interview questions or hard-coded question-and-answer frameworks. Interview screen paginations and content thereof are dynamically updated as runtime data of the electronic tax return is received or updated.

Abstract: Error occurrence/recurrence rates from multiple users of a software system are monitored. In one embodiment, log error data and context data associated with a critical issue is provided to a server side repository. When it is detected that a threshold number of users of a software application are facing the same critical issue a community portal is updated with a facility for users to post their solutions, i.e., workarounds, and/or observations, and/or comments, associated with the specific critical issue/error. In one embodiment, the posted solutions are rated and/or monitored, and if the rating for a given solution receives a rating above a threshold rating value, then data suggesting the solution, and/or implementing the solution, is pushed to users who continue to encounter the same critical issue, in one embodiment, using an action message framework, until a permanent fix is applied.