Inference-based tax preparation

US8407113B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Intuit Inc. · US

Inventors

• Amir Eftekhari · San Diego, US
• Carol Ann Howe · San Diego, US
• Jane L. Ryder · San Diego, US
• Alan Tifford · San Diego, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 9, 2010
• Grant date: Mar 26, 2013
• Expiry date: Feb 25, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q40/123
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method for operating a tax inference engine involves receiving tax data items, assigning confidence ratings to the tax data items using inference rules, and assigning relevance ratings to tax questions using the inference rules. The method further involves determining tax questions having ratings that exceed a threshold amount, and ordering the tax questions by the relevance ratings, personalizing a tax question using the inference rules, tax data items, and confidence ratings by altering a wording of the tax question, and determining tax advice using the inference rules, the tax data items, and the confidence ratings.