# US 10,319,043 B1 · Methods, systems, and computer program products for linking data schemas to electronic tax return

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,319,043 B1
- Document ID: US10319043B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/011,358
- Filed: 2016-01-29
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2016-01-29
- Assignees: Intuit Inc.
- Applicants: Intuit Inc.
- Inventors: Rajkumar Patel; Eric Dunn; Maurice Clark; Nikolay Kolev; Uma Youts; Gregg Gamble; Laura Grether; Martha Ryan; Jennifer Reeves; Eldwin Pile
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10319043B1

## CPC

- G06Q 40/123: {Tax preparation or submission}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A method and computer program product for identifying errors in a computerized preparation of an electronic financial document to be submitted to an agency. A financial document preparation program is executed, a first connection is initiated with a computer of the agency, the schema requirements are received from the agency via the first connection, data entry fields are generated, data entered into the data entry fields is received, error rules are generated from the schema requirements, each error rule associated with a respective one of the data entry fields associated with the electronic financial document, the data entered into the data entry fields is checked against the respective error rules to identify schema errors in the data entered into the data entry fields, the electronic financial document is generated based on the data entered into the data entry fields, and the electronic financial document is electronically transmitted to the agency.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for identifying errors in a computerized preparation of an electronic financial extensible markup language (XML) document formatted according to a modernized e-file (MeF) standard to be submitted to an agency that promulgates schema requirements for the MeF standard, the method comprising:
executing, by a processor, a financial document preparation program;
initiating, by a transceiver in communication with the processor, a first connection with a computer of the agency in response to the execution of the financial document preparation program;
receiving, by the transceiver, the schema requirements from the agency via the first connection, the schema requirements including XML data entry requirements based on the MeF standard;
generating, by the processor, a plurality of data entry fields;
receiving, by the processor, data entered into the plurality of data entry fields through a user interface;
generating, by the processor, a plurality of error rules from the schema requirements, each error rule associated with a respective one of the plurality of data entry fields associated with the electronic financial document, and each error rule defining a respective XML data entry requirement for the respective one of the plurality of data entry fields;
checking, by the processor, the data entered into the data entry fields against the respective error rules to identify data entered into one or more of the data entry fields that does not comply with the respective XML data entry requirement for each of the one or more of the data entry fields;
identifying, by the processor, one or more schema errors for the one or more of the data entry fields in the data entered into the data entry fields based on the checking;
receiving, by the processor, corrected data into the one or more of the data entry fields through the user interface;
generating, by the processor, the electronic financial document based on the data entered into the data entry fields and the corrected data; and
electronically transmitting, by the transceiver, the electronic financial document to the agency.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising performing, by the processor, at least one numerical calculation based on the data entered into the data entry fields.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the agency is a governmental agency.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the governmental agency is a tax agency, the financial document preparation program is a tax preparation program, the electronic financial document is an electronic tax return, the data entered into the data entry fields is tax data.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the tax agency is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
associating, by the processor, a plurality of tags with the respective plurality of data entry fields, each of the tags being linked to a respective one of the error rules; and
for each data entry field, reading, by the processor, the error rule linked to the tag of the respective each data entry field, and checking, by the processor, the data entered into the respective data entry field against the linked error rule to identify a schema error in the data entered into the respective data entry field.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the data entered into the data entry fields is manually entered into the data entry fields by a preparer of the electronic financial document.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the data entered into the data entry fields is electronically scanned into the data entry fields.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the data entered into the data entry fields is imported from a database into the data entry fields.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the financial document preparation program is locally executed on a user computer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the financial document preparation program is remotely executed on an intermediary computer of a host, and the method further comprises creating a second connection between the intermediary computer and a user computer, wherein the executed financial document preparation program is remotely accessed on-line by the user computer over the second connection.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first connection is between the computer of the agency and an intermediary computer of a host, the method further comprising creating a second connection between the intermediary computer and a user computer, wherein the schema requirements are received from the agency via the first and second connections.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more schema errors are identified as the data is entered into the data entry fields.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising compiling the one or more schema errors in an error report.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the report is one of a log file, an email, web page configured for display on a web browser, and an electronic document.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting a preparer of the electronic financial document of the one or more schema errors.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein alerting the preparer comprises displaying a message on a screen of a user computer utilized to prepare the electronic financial document.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein alerting the preparer comprises highlighting or identifying the data entry field in which data having a schema error was entered.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the preparer is alerted in real time during preparation of the electronic financial document in response to input of data having a schema error into one of the data entry fields.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the preparer is alerted before the electronic financial document is completed.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the error rules is associated with one or more respective error explanations, the method further comprising, by the processor, generating a narrative explanation utilizing the one or more error explanations associated with the identified one or more schema errors.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more error explanations comprise templates having fillable fields, and the narrative explanation is generated using the templates and filling in the fillable fields using the data entered into the data entry fields.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more error explanations comprises fragments, expressions, and partial statements, and generating the narrative explanation comprises converting the one or more error explanations into natural language expressions.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the narrative explanation is automatically generated.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, further comprising generating, by the processor, additional, more detailed narrative explanations in response to user prompts.

### Claim 26

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereupon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a computer, identifies errors in a computerized preparation of an electronic financial extensible markup language (XML) document formatted according to a modernized e-file (MeF) standard to be submitted to an agency that promulgates schema requirements for the MeF standard, the computer program product comprising:
a financial document preparation program configured for being executed, initiating a first connection with a computer of the agency in response to the execution of the financial document preparation program, receiving the schema requirements from the agency via the first connection, the schema requirements including XML data entry requirements based on the MeF standard, generating a plurality of data entry fields, receiving data entered into the plurality of data entry fields through a user interface, generating the electronic financial document, and causing the electronic financial document to be electronically transmitted to the agency;
a schema error module configured for receiving the schema requirements from the agency via the first connection, generating a plurality of error rules from the schema requirements, each error rule associated with a respective one of the plurality of data entry fields associated with the electronic financial document, and each error rule defining a respective XML data entry requirement for the respective one of the plurality of data entry fields; and
an error check engine configured for checking the data entered into the data entry fields against the respective error rules to identify data entered into one or more of the data entry fields that does not comply with the respective XML data entry requirement for each of the one or more of the data entry fields, and identifying one or more schema errors for the one or more of the data entry fields in the data entered into the data entry fields based on the checking;
wherein:
the financial document preparation program is further configured for receiving corrected data into the one or more of the data entry fields through the user interface, and
the generating of the electronic financial document is based on the data entered into the data entry fields and the corrected data.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the financial document preparation program is configured for performing at least one numerical calculation based on the data entered into the data entry fields.

### Claim 28 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the agency is a governmental agency.

### Claim 29 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the governmental agency is a tax agency, the financial document preparation program is a tax preparation program, the electronic financial document is an electronic tax return, the data entered into the data entry fields is tax data.

### Claim 30 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the tax agency is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

### Claim 31 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the financial document preparation program is further configured for associating a plurality of tags with the respective plurality of data entry fields, each of the tags being linked to a respective one of the error rules, and wherein the error check engine is configured for, for each data entry field, reading the error rule linked to the tag of the respective each data entry field, and checking the data entered into the respective data entry field against the linked error rule to identify a schema error in the data entered into the respective data entry field.

### Claim 32 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the data entered into the data entry fields is manually entered into the data entry fields by a preparer of the electronic financial document.

### Claim 33 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the data entered into the data entry fields is electronically scanned into the data entry fields.

### Claim 34 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the data entered into the data entry fields is imported from a database into the data entry fields.

### Claim 35 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first connection is between the computer of the agency and an intermediary computer of a host, and the financial document preparation program is configured for creating a second connection between the intermediary computer and a user computer, wherein the schema error module is configured for receiving the schema requirements from the agency via the first and second connections.

### Claim 36 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the error check engine is configured for identifying the one or more schema errors as the data is entered into the data entry fields.

### Claim 37 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the error check engine is configured for compiling the one or more schema errors in an error report.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the report is one of a log file, an email, web page configured for display on a web browser, and an electronic document.

### Claim 39 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the error check engine is further configured for alerting a preparer of the electronic financial document of the one or more schema errors.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

The computer program product of claim 39, wherein alerting the preparer comprises displaying a message on a screen of a user computer utilized to prepare the electronic financial document.

### Claim 41 (depends on 39)

The computer program product of claim 39, wherein alerting the preparer comprises highlighting or identifying the data entry field in which data having a schema error was entered.

### Claim 42 (depends on 39)

The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the preparer is alerted in real time during preparation of the electronic financial document in response to input of data having a schema error into one of the data entry fields.

### Claim 43 (depends on 39)

The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the preparer is alerted before the electronic financial document is completed.

### Claim 44 (depends on 26)

The computer program product of claim 26, wherein one or more of the error rules is associated with one or more respective error explanations, the computer program product comprising an error explanation engine configured for generating a narrative explanation utilizing the one or more error explanations associated with the identified one or more schema errors.

### Claim 45 (depends on 44)

The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the one or more error explanations comprise templates having fillable fields, and the narrative explanation is generated using the templates and filling in the fillable fields using the data entered into the data entry fields.

### Claim 46 (depends on 44)

The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the one or more error explanations comprises fragments, expressions, and partial statements, and generating the narrative explanation comprises converting the one or more error explanations into natural language expressions.

### Claim 47 (depends on 44)

The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the narrative explanation is automatically generated.

### Claim 48 (depends on 44)

The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the error explanation engine is further configured for generating additional, more detailed narrative explanations in response to user prompts.