Patent ID: 9330402
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: G06Q

Claim Text:
1. A computing system implemented method for providing a payroll preparation platform with user contribution-based plug-ins comprising-the following, which when executed individually or collectively by any set of one or more processors perform a process including: receiving, at a first computing system implementing a first payroll preparation and management system executing on the first computing system, user input representing a first user-created customization of a payroll configuration; receiving user input designating a first portion of the first user-created customization as being sharable; receiving user input designating a second portion of the first user-created customization as not being sharable; receiving, at a second computing system from the first computing system, payroll modification data representing only the first portion of the first user-created customization of a payroll configuration; receiving, at a third computing system implementing a second payroll preparation and management system executing on the third computing system, user input representing a second user-created customization of a payroll configuration; receiving, at the second computing system from the third computing system, payroll modification data representing the second user-created customization of a payroll configuration; transforming, at a transformation module at the third computing system, the received payroll modification data into two or more payroll optimization plug-ins categorized according to a region associated with the payroll optimization plug-ins, wherein a plug-in is at least one software component that provides a specific payroll configuration; aggregating, at a data storage mechanism, sharable payroll optimization plug-ins of the same category into regional sharable payroll optimization plug-in sets; implementing, through an implementing individual selecting a first plug-in from the data storage mechanism, the first plug-in in a payroll preparation and management system of the implementing individual, the selected first plug-in being one of the transformed plug-ins originating as the first user-created customization of a payroll configuration; and generating a rating of the first plug-in, the rating being at least partly based on a reputation and/or history of an individual who provided the user input creating the first user-created customization of a payroll configuration, the rating being further at least partly based on a rating provided by the implementing individual.