Patent Publication Number: US-11645260-B2

Title: Personal information database modification and monitoring

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/204,281, filed Mar. 17, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,461,306, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/552,795, filed Aug. 27, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,983,979, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/386,005 filed Apr. 16, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,437,811, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This description generally relates to human resource database systems and specifically to identifying and presenting potential penalties and liabilities based on user modifications to a database. 
     In current human resource database systems, when a customer requests to modify user information, database modifications must be manually entered. However manual entry is prone to error and may be forgotten or neglected. Further, a single database modification to a user&#39;s data may not always fix the problem it is intended to fix. As a result, current human resource database systems are not able to rectify downstream liability changes from a single update in user information. Further, manual entry is often linked with increased labor costs and penalties, which customers are expected to absorb. Finally, changing a user&#39;s information may result in liabilities and penalties that aren&#39;t always apparent prior to updating the database. 
     SUMMARY 
     A database management engine allows users to easily and automatically make retroactive modifications to database entries in a human resource database. Automating the modifications to a human resource database can reduce penalties and liabilities incurred by an entity associated with the database by reducing database modification delays caused by manual entry of such modification. The database management engine is also able to automatically identify exemptions, deductions, rebates, etc., available to an employer or employee associated with the database. Further, the database management engine allows users to modify database entries without removing any information from the human resource database. 
     The database management engine provides a user interface that allows users to access and modify employee information in a database. The database includes entries for each employee of an employer, and each database entry includes identifying information about the associated employee. For example, the database entry may include data describing a geographic location of a workplace of an employee. Users can access individual database entries of the database through various interactive or data entry elements of the user interface. The database management engine receives requests from users to retrospectively modify database entries in the database. For example, a user may request to modify data in a database entry to update the geographic location of the workplace of a corresponding employee who moved during a now-closed financial quarter. 
     Responsive to the request, the database management engine identifies one or more tax liabilities of the database modification. The one or more tax liabilities may be identified based on federal, state, and local tax laws, information in the employee&#39;s database entry, and information about the employer. Based on the one or more identified tax liabilities, the database management engine computes the aggregate tax liability owed by the employer and/or employee. The database management engine may also compute any tax penalties owed by the employee and/or employer, amendments that need to be filed, and the like. 
     Before modifying the data in the database entry, the database management engine modifies the user interface to detail the computed aggregate tax liability associated with the database modification. The user interface may also detail other effects of the database modification (tax penalties, debits, refunds, exemptions, etc.) and projected effects if additional database modifications are made to the same or different database entries in the database. The database management engine also requests that the user explicitly confirm the requested database modification to the data in the database entry. 
     Once a user has given explicit confirmation, the database management engine modifies the data in the database entry. The database management engine may also propagate the database modification throughout the database. For example, the database management engine may update employer database entries in the database and file requisite amendments or tax documents on behalf of the employee and/or employer. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a diagram of a system environment of a database management engine, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a block diagram of an architecture of the database management engine, according to one embodiment. 
         FIGS.  3 A- 3 C  illustrate a process of a user modifying an entry in a database managed by the database management engine, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a flow chart illustrating a method of modifying an entry in the database by the database management engine, according to one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     The figures depict various example embodiments of the present technology for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that other alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the technology described herein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     System Overview 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a diagram of a system environment  100  of a database management engine  115 , according to one embodiment. The system environment  100  shown by  FIG.  1    includes a user  105 , a client device  110 , a database management engine  115 , and a database  120 . In alternative configurations, different and/or additional components may be included in the system environment  100 . 
     A user  105  of the database management engine  115  is an individual or entity associated with an organization. Organizations may include schools or universities, businesses, non-profits, government agencies, and the like. Each organization has one or more employees. A user  105  can use the database management engine  115  to manage employee information, in particular payroll and tax-related information. 
     The client devices  110  are one or more computing devices capable of receiving user input as well as transmitting and/or receiving data via a network. In one embodiment, a client device  110  is a conventional computer system, such as a desktop or a laptop computer. Alternatively, a client device  110  may be a device having computer functionality, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a smartphone, or another suitable device. A client device  110  is configured to communicate via a network. In one embodiment, a client device  110  executes an application allowing a user of the client device  110  to interact with the database management engine  115 . For example, a client device  110  executes a browser application or native application to enable interaction between the client device  110  and the database management engine  115  via a network. In another embodiment, a client device  110  interacts with the database management engine  115  through an application programming interface (API) running on a native operating system of the client device  110 , such as IOS® or ANDROID™. 
     The client devices  110  are configured to communicate via a network, which may include any combination of local area and/or wide area networks, using both wired and/or wireless communication systems. In one embodiment, a network uses standard communications technologies and/or protocols. For example, a network includes communication links using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, code division multiple access (CDMA), digital subscriber line (DSL), etc. Examples of networking protocols used for communicating via the network include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), and file transfer protocol (FTP). Data exchanged over a network may be represented using any suitable format, such as hypertext markup language (HTML) or extensible markup language (XML). In some embodiments, all or some of the communication links of a network may be encrypted using any suitable techniques. 
     The database management engine  115  enables a user  105  to manage information of employees or other personnel or individuals associated with an organization. For instance, the database management engine  115  enables a user  105  to amend and update employee information stored by the database  120 . A user  105  may access and modify information stored in the database  120  through an interface populated by the database management engine  115  and displayed by a client device  110 . The database management engine  115  is described in detail below. 
     Each employee of an organization is associated with an entry in the database  120 . A user  105  creates and modifies database entries of the database  120  using the database management engine  115 . A database entry includes declarative information about the employee that was provided by the employee, for instance at the time of hiring the employee. Each database entry includes multiple data fields, each describing one or more attributes of the corresponding employee. Examples of information stored in a database entry include (but are not limited to) biographic information, demographic information, geographic information (such as state of employment and/or home address), payroll history, and other types of descriptive information, such as information related to tax filings (e.g., salary, employer, citizenship status, number of dependents, work location, deductions, and the like). In some embodiments, database entries also include documents filled-in by the employee or on behalf of the employee, such as documents related to benefits selections, tax filings, equity, etc. In some embodiments, a database entry in the database may also maintain references to actions made to the corresponding database entry. For example, the database entry may include a log of changes made to a database entry, including changes to payroll, workplace location, citizenship, and corresponding metadata (e.g., time, date, location, author, etc.) 
     In some embodiments, the database  120  also includes database entries for the organization itself. Information stored in an entity database entry may include payroll history, number of employees, location of company holdings, benefits provided to each employee (health care, retirement plans, equity, etc.). The database  120  may also include information about organizational preferences and security settings. For example, an organization database entry may include data fields corresponding to payroll frequency, when database modifications can be made to database entries, who can modify database entries, when bonuses are given and/or received, etc. 
     The database management engine  115  manages database entries in the database  120 , and automatically amends and updates the database  120  when database modifications to database entries are made. For example, the database management engine  115  is able to amend discrepancies in the database  120  when a user  105  retrospectively modifies a database entry in a way that affects the activities of a payroll system during a financial quarter. Modifications to database entries may include reversing and rerunning payrolls, rate changes, address changes, exemption changes, unreported hirings, unreported terminations, and the like. Payroll system activities may include computing tax liabilities and penalties owed to affected jurisdictions. 
     When a user  105  makes a request to modify a database entry that affects payroll, there are two timelines associated with the requested database modification. If the payroll activities during a financial quarter change, the retrospective view of the financial quarter will also change. The first timeline (“T 1 ”) includes the original configuration of the quarter&#39;s activities (i.e., before a database modification to a database entry is made) and the second timeline (“T 2 ”) includes the new configuration of the quarter&#39;s activities (i.e., after the database modification to the database entry is made). Upon making the requested database modification, a payroll amendment that reconciles the timelines can be identified and processed. In some embodiments, payroll amendments cannot modify previously computed payrolls, thus necessitating an additional payroll be entered to reconcile the timelines. Examples of payroll amendments include debits, refunds, adjusted tax rates, and new state registrations. Liabilities and penalties resulting from the database modifications are also computed. Before a database modification requiring a payroll amendment is made to a database entry, payroll amendments, liabilities and penalties are presented to the user  105  on a user interface displayed by the client device  110  so that the user  105  can see the projected effect of the database modification. In some embodiments, the user  105  must explicitly confirm that the database modification should be entered into the database after viewing the projected payroll effect of the database modification on the organization. The user  105  may also be required to explicitly confirm that payroll amendments should be entered and outstanding debits (such as additional tax liabilities) should be paid, for instance before the database entry is modified. 
     For example, a user  105  may wish to enter a backdated address for an employee that transferred from a company&#39;s California office to its New York office between a first and second payroll of a previous financial quarter. If the previous financial quarter is closed, when the database modification is made, the quarter&#39;s filings will no longer be accurate. In this example, the filing does not account for the taxes owed to New York and the taxes overpaid to California in the second payroll of the previous financial quarter. Therefore, a payroll amendment needs to be filed to reconcile between a timeline associated with the as-filed financial quarter, T 1 , and a timeline associated with the financial quarter that includes the address change, T 2 . The database management engine  115  identifies the nature of the database modification as a backdated address change, identifies the payroll amendment that would reconcile T 1  and T 2 , and presents the database modification and payroll amendment to the user  105  on the user interface. In this example, the payroll amendment may include the amount taxes owed to New York, the refund owed to the employee and/or employer for overpaying taxes in California, New York state registrations, and penalties and interests owed for not filing the address change on-time. After viewing the payroll amendments, the user  105  can decide whether or not to proceed with the database modification, and the database modifications aren&#39;t entered until the user  105  explicitly confirms that the database modification should be entered. 
       FIG.  2    is a block diagram of an architecture of the database management engine  115 , according to one embodiment. The database management engine  115  shown in  FIG.  2    includes a user interface  205 , a state and local law database  210 , a liability engine  215 , and an employee management engine  220 . In other embodiments, the database management engine  115  may include additional, fewer, or different components for various applications. Conventional components such as security functions, load balancers, failover servers, management and network operations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure the details of the system architecture. 
     The user interface  205  allows a user  105  to access, modify, and create database entries in the database  120  using various elements of the user interface  205 . The user interface  205  also allows a user  105  to view and accept liabilities, penalties, and payroll amendments identified by the liability engine  215 . In some embodiments, to modify a database entry in the database  120 , a user  105  must view the projected liabilities, penalties, and requisite payroll amendments resulting from the requested database modification, and must explicitly confirm the database modification in view of the requested database modification. For example, the user  105  may have to trigger a user command, provide security information (e.g., a pin number, passcode, etc.), etc., before the database modification and payroll amendments are entered. 
     As a user  105  makes a request to modify a database entry, the requested database modifications are sent to the liability engine  215  and/or employee management engine  220 . The liability engine  215  computes the impacts of the database modification on the database  120 , which are displayed on the user interface  205 . The liability engine  215  is discussed in further detail below. The employee management engine  220  completes and logs any database modifications made to a database entry, as discussed in further detail below. 
     The state and local law database  210  stores federal, state, and/or local tax laws of each jurisdiction an organization or employee works and lives in including, but not limited to, available tax deductions in a particular jurisdiction, available tax refunds in a particular jurisdiction, and tax rates/tax brackets in a particular jurisdiction. The state and local law database  210  may be connected to a network to import tax laws from third-party software systems, third-party databases, and the like. The state and local law database  210  may be updated automatically when new tax laws are put into effect or existing tax laws are amended. The state and local law database  210  may also be updated at a frequency set by the user  105  (e.g., every month, quarter, year, etc.) or by a trigger event (such as a request from the user  105 , a database administrator, running payroll, and the like). In some embodiments, the state and local law database  210  includes other laws that are used to identify and calculate liabilities. The state and local law database  210  may also stores forms relevant to requisite payroll amendments identified by the liability engine  215 . For example, the state and local law database  210  may store templates of new state registration forms, tax amendment forms, tax return forms, and the like. 
     The liability engine  215  computes the projected liabilities and penalties that result from database modifications made to individual database entries or to the entire database  120 . The liability engine  215  also identifies payroll amendments necessary to reconcile previously-run payrolls, true-up taxes owed/overpaid by the organization or employee, and debit penalties and interests owed for backdated database modifications. Examples of payroll amendments may include: filing amendments to tax documents, paying debits, issuing refunds, filing new state registrations, etc. To compute the projected liabilities and penalties and identify necessary payroll amendments, the liability engine  215  queries the state and local law database  210  using information associated with the requested database modification (e.g., such as an employee&#39;s old address and new address) to identify the relevant liabilities and penalties (and also available tax credits and refunds) associated with the requested database modification. 
     The liability engine  215  also computes the aggregate liabilities and penalties owed when more than one change is made to a database entry, when multiple changes are made to more than one database entry, when an organization changes their payroll preferences (e.g., from biweekly to twice-monthly), and the like. The liabilities, penalties, and requisite payroll amendments associated with the modified database entry are displayed to the user  105  on the user interface  205 . In some embodiments, the liability engine  215  also identifies tax exemptions, deductions, rebates, etc., available to the organization or employee. 
     The employee management engine  220  modifies database entries in the database based on the requested database modification. The employee management engine  220  also enters payroll amendments identified by the liability engine  215 . To do this, the employee management engine  220  receives the computed liabilities, penalties, and requisite payroll amendments identified by the liability engine  215  and completes necessary forms for the payroll amendment (e.g., new state registration, exemption forms, tax amendments, etc.), files the payroll amendments, trues-up debts owed by the organization, etc. Completed payroll amendments are sent to the user interface  205  to be displayed by the user  105 . The user  105  can view and share the payroll amendments via the user interface  205 . In some embodiments, the user  105  can edit payroll amendments using interactive or data entry elements of the user interface  205 . The employee management engine  220  also monitors and logs database modifications made to database entries. Logs may include metadata associated with the database modification, such as a time and date of the database modification, an author of the database modification, information identifying or associated with the modified database entry, a reason for the database modification, a location from which the database modification is requested, etc. 
     The employee management engine  220  also propagates the database modification throughout the database  120 . For example, the employee management engine  220  may recalculate payrolls with the database modifications and update total liabilities and penalties owed by the organization. In some embodiments, the employee management engine  220  may propagate the database entry throughout the database  120  only after the database management engine  115  receives explicit confirmation from the user  105  to modify the database entry in the database  120 . In other embodiments, once a database entry is modified, the employee management engine  220  automatically propagates the database modification throughout the database, modifying database entries in the database affected by the database modification to the database entry. 
       FIG.  3 A  illustrates an example of a user interface of a database management engine  115  displaying database information included within a database entry  305 , according to one embodiment. As previously discussed, a database entry  305  is an object with multiple data fields, each including information about the employee. The database entry  305  shown includes a name field, e.g., Rina Zahara  310 , a workplace location field  315 , a salary field  320 , a forms field  325 , an employer field  330 , a bonus field  335 , a benefits field  340 , and an exemptions field  345 . The workplace location field  315  indicates the employee works in City 1   317 . The forms field  325  includes tax- and payroll-related forms. For example, the forms field  325  may include a W-2 form, a W-4 form, a W-9 form, a  1099  form, etc. The employer field includes information about the employee&#39;s employer. Information may include a particular subsidiary of the organization the employee works for, the department and/or position of the employee, status of the employee, etc. In some embodiments, the employer field  330  may be directly linked to an employer database entry in the database  120  that can be accessed through the user interface  205 . The bonus field  335  may include an amount and time a bonus was received, upcoming bonuses, etc. The benefits field  340  includes information about the employee&#39;s benefits. This may include the insurance coverage the employer provides, insurance plan selections, retirement selections, etc. The exemptions field  345  includes exemptions the employee is eligible for. Examples of examples include: income exemptions, individual exemptions, property exemptions, etc. The exemptions field  345  may also include information related to the employee&#39;s exemption eligibility. This can include citizenship, number of dependents, age, etc. In alternative embodiments, different, fewer, or more data fields are included in database entries. The user interface may include radio buttons that the user  105  can select to edit a database entry, e.g., edit button  350 , or save the database entry  305  and exit the interface displaying the database entry  305 , e.g., save and exit button  355 . 
       FIG.  3 B  illustrates a user interface  205  displaying the projected effects of a database modification on an entry in the database  120 . A user  105  may request to modify one or more fields in the database entry  305  by selecting the edit button  350 . The projected effects of the database modification are displayed to the user  105  on an additional user interface element  360 . In some embodiments, when a user  105  selects a data field to modify, the additional user interface element  360  is displayed to the user  105 . In other embodiments, the additional user interface element  360  is displayed to the user  105  after the user  105  enters any database modifications, upon request from the user  105  to view the project effects of the database modification, after the database modification is processed by the database management engine  115 , and the like. In the example shown in  FIG.  3 B , a user  105  is requesting to modify the workplace location data field  315  by replacing City 1   317  with City 2   363 . In some embodiments, a user  105  may be prompted to provide additional information for certain database modifications. For example, the user  105  may be asked for the effective date  364  of the database modification, which will be used by the database management engine  115  to calculate liabilities and penalties associated with the database modification. In other examples, a user  105  may be asked for the effective date of a salary change, a new hire, an eligible exemption, a rebate, etc. 
     Once the liability management engine  215  receives an updated value for a data field, it computes any corresponding aggregate liabilities  365  and/or aggregate penalties  370 , and displays them on the additional user interface element  360  of the user interface  205 . The user interface element  360  may also display a graph  375  of the effects of the database modification on the organization. For example, the graph  375  may display the tax rates of different jurisdictions, penalties associated with backdated address changes, fees associated with moving an employee from geographic location to another, net gains or losses, money saved in rebates and/or exemptions, and the like. The interface element  360  may also display any forms  373  that need to be updated or created for the employee or organization. After the user  105  reviews the liabilities and penalties associated with the database modifications, the user  105  confirms the database modifications in view of the displayed liabilities and penalties caused by the database modifications, for instance by selecting the confirm interface element  375 . Likewise, the user  105  may cancel the database modification, e.g., by selecting cancel  380 . 
       FIG.  3 C  illustrates a modified database entry  305 , according to one embodiment. The database entry  305  now includes City 2   385  as the workplace location field  315 , and the forms field  325  now includes a state registration form  390  for City 2 . The user  105  may continue to edit the database entry  305  by selecting the edit button  350 , or the user  105  may save the modified database entry by selecting the save and exit button  355 . 
       FIG.  4    is a flow chart illustrating a method  400  of modifying a database entry in the database by the database management engine  115 , according to one embodiment. A database management engine  115  provides  405  a user interface  205  in which a user  105  can access and modify database entries in a database  120 . In some embodiments, each database entry corresponds to an employee and includes a geographic location of a workplace of an employee. The database management engine  115  receives  410  a request from the user  105  to retrospectively modify data in a database entry in order to update the geographic location of the workplace of a corresponding employee. For example, the user  105  may want to enter a backdated address of an employee who transferred from a first geographic location to a second geographic location. 
     Responsive to the request from the user  105 , the database management engine  115  identifies  415  one or more tax liabilities associated with the requested database modification of the data. The database management engine  115  computes  420  an aggregate tax liability based on the one or more identified tax liabilities. In some embodiments, the database management engine  115  also identifies and computes one or more penalties, exemptions, or rebates based on the database modification. The database management engine  115  modifies  425  the user interface  205  to include an interface element detailing the aggregate tax liability and requesting the user  105  to explicitly confirm the requested database modification to the database entry. In response to explicit confirmation, the database management engine  115  modifies  430  the data in the database entry and propagates the database modification throughout the database  120 . In some embodiments, the database management engine  115  completes and files payroll amendments on behalf of the user  105 . For example, the database management engine  115  may debit the user  105  any liabilities owed to one or both of the geographic locations, may prepare and file tax documents and payroll amendments, and the like. 
     Conclusion 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the patent rights to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure. 
     Some portions of this description describe the embodiments in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while described functionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, without loss of generality. The described operations and their associated modules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof. 
     Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may be performed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules, alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps, operations, or processes described. 
     Embodiments may also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, and/or it may include a general-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability. 
     Embodiments may also relate to a product that is produced by a computing process described herein. Such a product may include information resulting from a computing process, where the information is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer program product or other data combination described herein. 
     Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the patent rights. It is therefore intended that the scope of the patent rights be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the patent rights, which is set forth in the following claims.