Dynamically Activating and Deactivating One or More Elements of a Trading Tool

• US 20120265664A1
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: TRIPLETT, Mark W., BUCK, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to intelligently activating and deactivating a trading tool element of a trading tool to improve a user'"'"'s confidence in the trading tool. By dynamically activating and deactivating elements on the trading screen, the trading tool effectively increases a user'"'"'s confidence in placing a trading order, canceling a trade order, or both, for example, by eliminating or reducing undesirable options. Undesirable options might include those that are risky, contrary to a particular trading strategy, would result in a loss of money, and so on. Such an embodiment can improve the overall speed at which a user places or cancels a trade order by, among other things, effectively increasing the user'"'"'s overall confidence in the trading tool.

Claims

1. A method for order entry comprising:

displaying, by a computer device, a trading screen having a display of a trading tool, wherein the trading tool has a trading tool element that is configured to perform one or more trade actions;

determining, by the computer device, whether the trading tool element should be active or inactive based on trade data, wherein the trading tool element, when active, is operable to perform the one or more trade actions and, when inactive, is inoperable to perform a trade action;

dynamically, by the computer device, activating or deactivating the trading tool element based on whether the element should be active or inactive; and

changing, by the computer device, the display of the trading tool element to indicate whether the trading tool element is active or inactive.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically activating or deactivating the trading tool element includes switching an operation state of the trading tool element between active and inactive depending on whether the trading tool element should be active or inactive.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the trade data is risk management data that defines a risk limit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the trading tool element is be active when performing the trade actions associated with the trading tool element does not exceed the risk limit and is inactive when performing the trade actions associated with the trading tool element exceeds the risk limit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trade data is trading methodology data that defines a trading methodology.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the trading methodology is defined by a user to ensure that the trader performs trade actions in accordance with the trading methodology.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the display of the trading tool element includes graying out the trading tool element to indicate when the trading tool element is inactive.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the trade data does not include availability data that defines availability of certain components of an electronic trading system.

9. A method for narrowing down selectable trading tool elements, comprising:

receiving, by a computer device, data associated with a trading tool element, wherein the trading tool element is a selectable option for performing one or more trade actions;

determining, by the computer device, when the trading tool element should no longer be made available as a selectable option based on trade data;

intelligently switching, by the computer device, the trading tool element between an active state and an inactive state, wherein switching includes configuring the trading tool element to be a selectable option for performing the one or more trade actions when in the active state and configuring the trading tool element such that it is not a selectable option for performing the one or more trade actions when in the inactive state; and

displaying, by the computer device, the trading tool element such that the trading tool element indicates whether it is in the active state or the inactive state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein switching includes dynamically activating or deactivating depending on whether the trading tool element should be in the active state or the inactive state.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the trade data is risk management data.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the trade data is trading methodology data.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying includes graying out the trading tool element when the trading tool element is in the inactive state.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein graying out includes changing the display of the trading tool to indicate that the trading tool element is in the inactive state, yet allowing information being represented by the trading tool element to be visible.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer device, one or more variables;

receiving, by the computer device, a set of rules for determining whether a trading tool should be activated or deactivated, wherein the set of rules is based on trade data;

analyzing, by the computer device, the set of rules and the one or more variables to determine whether to activate or deactivate a trading tool element; and

intelligently switching, by the computer device, an operation state of the trading tool element between active and inactive depending on the set of rules and variables to eliminate or reduce undesirable options.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

changing, by the computer device, a display of the trading tool element to indicate whether the trading tool element is active or inactive.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein changing the display includes graying out the trading tool element, such that data associated with the trading tool element is visible.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the data associated with the trading tool element is updated even when the trading tool element is inactive.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein graying out includes changing a shade or color of the trading tool element.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the undesirable options include at least one of the following:

an option that is too risky, an option that is contrary to a particular trading strategy, and an option that would result in a loss of money.