Abstract: The system is configured to create a generalized document automation framework that captures relevant data from documents based upon replicating historical human actions associated with a document. The system may use machine vision and natural language processing to match a new document to a document that was already human extracted in an existing corpus. This is accomplished by comparing both visual elements and textual elements. This match can be verified by statistical approaches by comparing the match metrics across multiple documents. After the match has been found and verified, the system then uses the historical extractions from the historical document and maps the extractions to similar regions in the new document based upon again both visual and text commonalities between documents. Data is then extracted from these regions of interest in the new document, sanity checked for data integrity against historical data, and then passed downstream for processing.

Abstract: The system is configured to create a generalized document automation framework that captures relevant data from documents based upon replicating historical human actions associated with a document. The system may use machine vision and natural language processing to match a new document to a document that was already human extracted in an existing corpus. This is accomplished by comparing both visual elements and textual elements. This match can be verified by statistical approaches by comparing the match metrics across multiple documents. After the match has been found and verified, the system then uses the historical extractions from the historical document and maps the extractions to similar regions in the new document based upon again both visual and text commonalities between documents. Data is then extracted from these regions of interest in the new document, sanity checked for data integrity against historical data, and then passed downstream for processing.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for automatically obtaining tax documents. The system includes a taxpayer client device and a server configured to automatically identify tax return items associated with the taxpayer by analyzing a prior year tax return. The server is configured to generate a list of tax return items including the automatically identified tax return items. The server is configured to receive, from the taxpayer client device, authentication data for a third party database. The server is configured to access the third party database using the authentication data. The server is configured to receive a document from the third party database and automatically determine whether the document corresponds to a tax return item from the list of tax return items. The server is configured to automatically store the document when the document corresponds to one of the tax return items from the list of tax return items.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for automatically obtaining tax documents. The system includes a taxpayer client device and a server configured to automatically identify tax return items associated with the taxpayer by analyzing a prior year tax return. The server is configured to generate a list of tax return items including the automatically identified tax return items. The server is configured to receive, from the taxpayer client device, authentication data for a third party database. The server is configured to access the third party database using the authentication data. The server is configured to receive a document from the third party database and automatically determine whether the document corresponds to a tax return item from the list of tax return items. The server is configured to automatically store the document when the document corresponds to one of the tax return items from the list of tax return items.

Abstract: The system may perform a method comprising analyzing metadata of a text layer of a page of a first pdf document to determine that the pdf document is a first true pdf document; receiving the first true pdf document, in response to the first pdf document being the first true pdf document; receiving a selection of a field including first data to be extracted from the first true pdf document; displaying the first data; creating a template including the coordinates corresponding to the selected field and the first data of the first true pdf document; and extracting from an accessible text layer of a second true pdf document, second data based on the template from the first true pdf document.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for facilitating interactions between a taxpayer and a tax preparer. The system includes a taxpayer client device configured to provide a graphical user interface to a user for receiving and displaying data in a consistent manner. The system also includes a signature unit configured to receive taxpayer signature data from the taxpayer client device via the graphical user interface. The system also includes a document upload unit configured to receive tax document data from the taxpayer client device via the graphical user interface. The system also includes a secure messaging unit configured to facilitate securely exchanging messages between devices. The system also includes an E-File authorization unit configured to receive taxpayer E-File authorization data from the taxpayer client device via the graphical user interface. The system also includes a payment unit configured to receive payment data from the taxpayer client device via the graphical user interface.

Abstract: The system is configured to create a generalized document automation framework that captures relevant data from documents based upon replicating historical human actions associated with a document. The system may use machine vision and natural language processing to match a new document to a document that was already human extracted in an existing corpus. This is accomplished by comparing both visual elements and textual elements. This match can be verified by statistical approaches by comparing the match metrics across multiple documents. After the match has been found and verified, the system then uses the historical extractions from the historical document and maps the extractions to similar regions in the new document based upon again both visual and text commonalities between documents. Data is then extracted from these regions of interest in the new document, sanity checked for data integrity against historical data, and then passed downstream for processing.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for using a local neighborhood for determining similar targets in different documents or using implicit coordinates for obtaining a coordinate location of a target. The local neighborhood method may include identifying a first target in a first document; identifying one or more first elements within a first distance range from the first target; creating a first local neighborhood based on the identifying; determining that that first local neighborhood is similar to a third local neighborhood in a second document; and determining a second target in the second document that corresponds to the first target in the first document, based on the determining the similarity. The implicit coordinates method may include performing OCR on the first document to find the first target; and obtaining a first location of the first target by using at least one of OCR or element recognition.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for automatically assembling documents. The system includes a client device which communicates a document file. The system includes a server which receives, from the client device, the document file, and automatically detects document data. The server stores a data resource, and transform the data resource to include the document data. The server provides access to the data of the data resource to the client device and a preparer client device when the preparer is authorized by the user. The server removes access to the data of the data resource to the preparer client device when authorization of the preparer is removed by the user. The server provides access to a client device associated with a new preparer when the new preparer is authorized by the user. The server provides the data resource to a secondary system configured to automatically generate a completed form for the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for automatically obtaining tax documents. The system includes a taxpayer client device and a server configured to automatically identify tax return items associated with the taxpayer by analyzing a prior year tax return. The server is configured to generate a list of tax return items including the automatically identified tax return items. The server is configured to receive, from the taxpayer client device, authentication data for a third party database. The server is configured to access the third party database using the authentication data. The server is configured to receive a document from the third party database and automatically determine whether the document corresponds to a tax return item from the list of tax return items. The server is configured to automatically store the document when the document corresponds to one of the tax return items from the list of tax return items.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for automatically obtaining tax documents. The system includes a taxpayer client device and a server configured to automatically identify tax return items associated with the taxpayer by analyzing a prior year tax return. The server is configured to generate a list of tax return items including the automatically identified tax return items. The server is configured to receive, from the taxpayer client device, authentication data for a third party database. The server is configured to access the third party database using the authentication data. The server is configured to receive a document from the third party database and automatically determine whether the document corresponds to a tax return item from the list of tax return items. The server is configured to automatically store the document when the document corresponds to one of the tax return items from the list of tax return items.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically verifying optical character recognition (OCR) detected text of a native electronic document having an image layer comprising a matrix of pixels and a text layer comprising a sequence of characters. The method includes determining a location of OCR-detected text in the text layer of the native electronic document based on a pixel-based coordinate location of the OCR-detected text in the image layer of the native electronic document. The method also includes applying the location of the OCR-detected text to the text layer of the native electronic document to detect text in the text layer corresponding to the OCR-detected text. The method also includes rendering only the detected text in the text layer as an output when the OCR-detected text does not match the detected text in the text layer, to improve accuracy of the output text.

Abstract: Methods for automatically verifying text detected by optical character recognition (OCR). The method includes obtaining a native digital document having an image layer comprising a matrix of computer-renderable pixels and a text layer comprising computer-readable encodings of a sequence of characters. The method includes obtaining OCR-detected text from the image layer of the native digital document and a pixel-based coordinate location of the OCR-detected text in the image layer of the native digital document. The method includes determining, using a pixel transformation, a computer-interpretable location of the OCR-detected text in the text layer of the native digital document. The method includes detecting text in the text layer based on the computer-interpretable location of the OCR-detected text in the text layer. The method includes rendering only the detected text in the text layer when the OCR-detected text does not match the detected text in the text layer.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for automatically verifying text of a native digital document having an image layer and a text layer. The text is detected by optical character recognition (OCR) of the image layer, and is compared to text at a corresponding location in the text layer. Normalization processing is performed on both the detected image-layer text and the text-layer text. When the image-layer text and the text-layer text do not match, the text-layer text may be used or an icon indicating that the image-layer text and the text-layer text do not match is rendered and displayed.

Abstract: Devices, methods and systems are disclosed herein to describe a document element indexing system which efficiently organizes different files or the constituent parts of different files into an index, thereby allowing users to easily and efficiently access, annotate and/or review the desired information. The indexing system may be applied to organize components of homogeneous and/or heterogeneous file types.

Abstract: A system for verifying and correcting errors after translation of printed text into machine-readable text. The system includes a memory for storing formulas defining relationships between data fields. A processor evaluates the formulas according to data values associated with the data fields to determine whether the formulas evaluate as truthful statements. The processor marks the data fields of the formulas as unverified or as verified based upon this evaluation. The system also uses the processor to calculate a determined value for data fields in an attempt to correct errors in the translation of the printed text into machine-readable text. If different determined values are calculated for the same data field, based upon different formulas, the data field is marked as uncertain. The system iterates based upon the marking of the data fields of the formulas as verified or unverified and as uncertain or not uncertain.

Abstract: A method for submitting information for an engagement is disclosed. The method might include the steps of generating a tracking screen for tracking the submission of a plurality of files, including a tax file and an image file, each file having the same client identification code, receiving the tax file from a first client device, and updating the tracking screen to reflect the submission of the tax file. The method further might include the steps of receiving an image file from a second client device, updating the tracking screen to reflect the submission of the image file, and transmitting the plurality of files to a remote server system.

Abstract: A processor-based method for preparing a tax return using multiple service providers. The method includes receiving at a first service provider an image file that includes a plurality of data values and assigning at the first service provider the image file to a form having a plurality of predefined field names, wherein each of the plurality data values belong to one of the plurality of predefined field names. The method also includes receiving at a second service provider the image file and an input form having a plurality of input fields corresponding to the plurality of predefined field names and associating at the second service provider the plurality of data values from the image file with the plurality of input fields.

Abstract: A method for processing taxpayer source documents is disclosed. The method may include receiving proforma data and an electronic image of a taxpayer source document, determining a type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document and using the proforma data, a database, and business rules to verify the type of the tax statement for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document. This can be done by searching for an identification code within the electronic image of the taxpayer source document to determine whether the identification code matches the proforma data. The method can also include extracting data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document and determining if the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error. Once the data is extracted, the method can also include creating an electronic document that includes the extracted data.

Abstract: A method for processing taxpayer source documents is disclosed. The method may include receiving proforma data and an electronic image of a taxpayer source document, determining a type of tax statement for the taxpayer source document from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document and using the proforma data, a database, and business rules to verify the type of the tax statement for the electronic image of the taxpayer source document. This can be done by searching for an identification code within the electronic image of the taxpayer source document to determine whether the identification code matches the proforma data. The method can also include extracting data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document and determining if the extracted data from the electronic image of the taxpayer source document has an error. Once the data is extracted, the method can also include creating an electronic document that includes the extracted data.