Collaborative Tax Preparation Session via Intermediary Server
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tax return preparation systems lack collaborative features that enable seamless information sharing and coordination between users, leading to inefficiencies and increased risk of identity theft during the preparation process.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for collaborative tax return preparation that allows users to establish sessions through tax preparation software, enabling the sharing of tax-related information while masking sensitive data and facilitating participation by multiple users, including tax professionals, via interconnected networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tax return preparation is done individually without collaboration features, then user privacy is maintained, but preparation efficiency and accuracy decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a collaboration server as an intermediary component that mediates between multiple users participating in tax return preparation. The server manages user connections, controls information sharing, and coordinates collaborative activities without requiring direct peer-to-peer connections between users. This intermediary architecture enables efficient collaboration while maintaining system security and privacy controls.
2Ease of operation
If collaborative features are added to tax preparation software, then information sharing and coordination improve, but security risks and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by providing different levels of information access and sharing capabilities to different users based on their roles and permissions. Each user can share specific portions of their tax information selectively with authorized participants rather than all-at-once. The system applies different security policies and data visibility rules to different users and data elements, enabling controlled collaboration that maintains security while facilitating necessary information exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaboration server implements feedback mechanisms that monitor and control information flow between users in real-time. The system tracks what information is shared, with whom, and under what conditions, providing continuous feedback to maintain security policies. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of sharing permissions and provides audit trails for security monitoring.
3Productivity
If multiple users connect simultaneously to share tax information, then collaborative preparation improves, but network bandwidth and server resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple users' tax return data and collaboration activities into a single centralized session managed by the collaboration server. Instead of maintaining separate connections for each user pair, the server consolidates all user interactions into one unified collaborative workspace. This merging approach reduces redundant data transmission and optimizes network resource utilization while maintaining real-time collaboration capabilities among multiple users.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for collaboratively preparing an electronic tax return includes a host computer receiving a request from a first user for a collaborative tax preparation session through tax preparation software utilized by the first user to prepare an electronic tax return. The method also includes the host computer sending a message through a second network to a second computing device of a second user, inviting the second user to participate in the collaborative tax preparation session with the first user. The method further includes the host computer receiving a reply from the second computing device, including agreement by the second user to participate in the session. Moreover, the method includes the host computer establishing the collaborative tax preparation session. During the collaborative tax preparation session, the host computer receives tax-related information from the second computing device, and sends the received tax-related information to the first computing device.