Electronic pitcard for wireless financial exchange

• US 20050171893A1
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New York Mercantile Exchange Incorporated (CME Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: New York Mercantile Exchange Incorporated (CME Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gaer, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Systems and method for facilitating trading in a financial exchange including generating a pitcard interface on a wireless handheld computer. The pitcard interface includes a plurality of information display windows; a plurality of user input controls; and a view-specific data window, wherein the selection, order and arrangement of data in the view-specific data window is dependent upon the view currently selected by the user. In particular examples the wireless handheld computer allows a user to customize the particular interface components with shortcuts, hints, and/or auto-fill capabilities that enable the user to enter transaction information quickly and efficiently. Because these customizations are selected for a specific user, they support the needs of the specific user and are more efficient than direct entry of all transaction information using keyboard/keypad entry devices.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for facilitating trading in a financial exchange, the method comprising:

generating a pitcard interface on a wireless handheld computer, wherein the pitcard interface further comprises;

a plurality of information display windows;

a plurality of user input controls; and

a view-specific data window, wherein the selection, order and arrangement of data in the view-specific data window is dependent upon the view currently selected by the user.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of information display windows include a commodity code display window.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of information display windows include a buy quantity display window.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of information display windows include a sell quantity display window.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of information display windows include a delivery month window.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of information display windows include a price display window.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6 further comprising:

activating one of the user input controls by tapping on the price display window;

drawing a virtual keypad in the view-specific data window; and

displaying numeric input received from the virtual keypad in the price display window.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of information display windows include an opposing trader identification display window.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

activating one of the user input controls by tapping on the opposing trader identification display window;

drawing a virtual QWERTY keyboard in the view-specific data window;

displaying alphanumeric input received from the virtual keyboard in the opposing trader identification display window.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

activating one of the user input controls by tapping on the opposing trader identification display window;

displaying a table of pre-defined opposing trader identification values in the view-specific data window;

displaying opposing trader identification input received from the table in the opposing trader identification display window.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of information display windows include a user trader display window.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user input controls include a plurality of commodity code selector controls.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user input controls include a contract month keyboard control.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user input controls include a plurality of action controls wherein each action control is associated with a graphic and initiates a programmed action in response to user activation.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user input controls include a plurality of navigation controls wherein each navigation control causes a predefined view to be displayed in the pitcard interface.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein the predefined view is a trade entry view and the view-specific data window includes a tabular representation of orders that are recorded but not submitted.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16 wherein the tabular representation includes a number of entries where each entry corresponds to a commodities transaction and each entry includes information identifying a customer, a quantity of commodities contracts that are transacted by the entry, a commodity code and delivery month, a price, an identifier of an opposing trader, and the time at which the trade was recorded.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 17 wherein the plurality of user input controls includes a submit control that initiates submission of a carded entry to a trade system over a wireless link by transmitting an HTTP request to a uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with the trade system, the HTTP request including parameters representing the data contained in each entry.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein the predefined view is a card view and the view-specific data window includes a tabular representation of orders that are recorded and have been previously submitted.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein the predefined view is a position view and the view-specific data display window includes a tabular representation of a customer'"'"'s positions with respect to a particular commodity.

21. A user interface for a handheld wireless computer with a touch screen, the user interface comprising:

a plurality of information display windows;

a plurality of user input controls; and

a view-specific data window, wherein the selection, order and arrangement of data in the view-specific data window is dependent upon the view currently selected by the user, wherein at least one user input control causes an a keyboard to be drawn in the view specific data window upon activation by a user.

22. The user interface of claim 21 wherein the plurality of user input controls includes a contract month virtual keyboard displaying a plurality of user selectable contract month codes.

23. The user interface of claim 22 wherein the contract month virtual keyboard comprises a plurality of keys arranged in a rotating sequence and the particular manner in which the keys are displayed is dependent on the current date.

24. A method of entering commodity trade data into a financial market trading system, the method comprising:

authenticating a user of an electronic trade entry appliance;

presenting a blank pitcard use interface comprising a plurality of controls, a plurality of information display windows, and a view-specific data display window;

selecting a commodity code;

selecting a delivery month;

entering a trade price;

entering an identification of an opposing trader;

activating a first control to card a trade having the user-entered parameters; and

activating a second control to submit the carded trade to a trade management system.