ELECTRONIC TRADING SYSTEM

• US 20060229971A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Patsystems PLC
• Original Assignee: Patsystems PLC
• Inventors: Kelly, Brian Vincent
• Application Number:
  US11/307,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A client terminal for use in an electronic trading system is disclosed. The client terminal comprises a data interface for sending data to and receiving data from a server; and a user interface including a display for presenting information to a user and receiving trading commands from a user. In the terminal, the user interface displays a rectangular grid containing rows and columns of values, each row (or column) referring to a specific future expiry date and each column (or row) referring to a commodity and/or strategy been traded, the particular expiry dates and commodities and/or strategies being selectable by a user. This grid-like layout allows a large amount of information to be displayed in a comparatively small area of a display, with little of the area occupied not containing useful information. Multiple commodities and strategies can be displayed simultaneously.

Claims

1. A client terminal for use in an electronic trading system comprising:

a data interface for sending data to and receiving data from a server; and

a user interface including a display for presenting information to a user and receiving trading commands from a user;

in which the user interface displays a rectangular grid containing rows and columns of values, each row (or column) referring to a specific future expiry date and each column (or row) referring to a commodity and/or strategy been traded, the particular expiry dates and commodities and/or strategies being selectable by a user.

2. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which, when a user selects a cell in the grid, for example by moving a mouse pointer over it, cells that contain data relating to individual legs of a trade that the cell identifies.

3. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which where the cell represents a calendar spread, the cells that represent the buy leg and the sell leg will be highlighted along with the relevant column headings for each expiry.

4. A client terminal according to claim 2 in which, when a user selects a cell in the grid, associated column (or row) headings are highlighted.

5. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which the user can select arbitrary expiry dates.

6. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which the topmost row and the leftmost column contain cells that include descriptive information to describe the corresponding column and row.

7. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which the user can select from several pre-defined strategies and/or commodities to be included in the display.

8. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which the user can specify custom strategies and/or commodities to be included.

9. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which the user can select from strategies including one are more of:

a fly, a condor, a pack, a bundle or a strip.

10. A client terminal according to claim 1 in which the user can select the period of the strategy.

11. An electronic trading system comprising a server and a plurality of client terminals according to claim 1 interconnected in a data network.

12. A computer software product executable on computer hardware to constitute a client terminal according to claims 1.

13. A method of displaying information on a user interface screen of a trading client terminal, the method comprising:

receiving data from data interface from a trading server; and

displaying upon the screen a rectangular grid containing rows and columns of values, each row (or column) referring to a specific future expiry date and each column (or row) referring to a commodity been traded, the particular expiry dates and commodities being selectable by a user.