ACQUIRING PEOPLE

• US 20130226772A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Keiser, Timothy M., Burns, Michael R.
• Application Number:
  US13/838,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226772A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Systems and methods include displaying to a user names associated with a plurality of real persons, wherein each person has related thereto a plurality of instruments that can be traded for a price, receiving from the user an order to buy or sell at least one instrument related to a first of the plurality of persons, wherein the order to buy or sell includes a number of instruments to buy or sell; and displaying to the user one or more names of one or more persons for which the user has purchased instruments.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying by one or more servers to users a list of names associated with a plurality of real persons, wherein each person has related thereto a plurality of instruments that can be traded for a price;

receiving by the one or more servers from a first user a buy order to buy at least one instrument related to a first of the plurality of persons, wherein the buy order includes a number of instruments to buy;

receiving by the one or more servers from a second user a sell order to sell at least one instrument of the first person, wherein the sell order includes a number of instruments to sell;

matching by the one or more servers the buy order with the sell order;

responsive to the matching;

reducing by the one or more servers an account value of the first user;

increasing by the one or more servers an account value of the second user;

displaying by the one or more servers to the first user a portfolio of persons for which the first user has purchased instruments, including the number of instruments purchased for each person; and

displaying by the one or more servers to the second user a portfolio of persons for which the second user has purchased instruments, including the number of instruments purchased for each person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value of the first user and the account value of the second user each represents virtual currency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value of the first user and the account value of the second user each represents real currency.

4. An apparatus comprising,

one or more processors;

and

a tangible computer readable medium having one or more programs stored thereon that when executed by the one or more processors direct the one or more processors to;

display to users a list of names associated with a plurality of real persons, wherein each person has related thereto a plurality of instruments that can be traded for a price;

receive from a first user a buy order to buy at least one instrument related to a first of the plurality of persons, wherein the buy order includes a number of instruments to buy;

receive from a second user a sell order to sell at least one instrument of the first person, wherein the sell order includes a number of instruments to sell;

match the buy order with the sell order;

responsive to the matching;

reduce an account value of the first user;

increase an account value of the second user;

display to the first user a portfolio of one or more persons for which the first user has purchased instruments, including the number of instruments purchased for each person; and

display to the second user a portfolio of one or more persons for which the second user has purchased instruments, including the number of instruments purchased for each person.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the account value of the first user and the account value of the second user each represents virtual currency.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the account value of the first user and the account value of the second user each represents real currency.

7. A method comprising:

displaying by one or more servers to a user names associated with a plurality of real persons, wherein each person has related thereto a plurality of instruments that can be traded for a price;

receiving by the one or more servers from the user an order to buy or sell at least one instrument related to a first of the plurality of persons, wherein the order to buy or sell includes a number of instruments to buy or sell; and

displaying by the one or more servers to the user one or more names of one or more persons for which the user has purchased instruments.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to the order to buy or sell, adjusting an account value of the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the account value represents virtual currency.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the account value represents real currency.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving from another user an order to buy or sell at least one instrument related to the first of the plurality of persons; and

matching the order to buy or sell from the user with the order to buy or sell from the another user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

responsive to the matching;

adjusting an account value of the user; and

adjusting an account value of the another user.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying to the user one or more names of one or more persons for which the user has purchased instruments, including the number of instruments purchased for each person.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying to the user a total value of all instruments owned by the user.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying to the user for at least instruments owned by the user a price at which the user purchased the instrument.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying to the user for the at least instruments owned by the user a last trading price for the instrument.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising offering to the user through an initial offering an ability to buy at least one instrument related to a real person.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more servers determine, at least in part, a price at which the at least one instrument related to the first of the plurality of persons is bought or sold.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein a price at which the at least one instrument related to the first of the plurality of persons is bought or sold is based at least in part on data about the person.

20. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a tangible computer readable medium having one or more programs stored thereon that when executed by the one or more processors direct the one or more processors to;

display to a user names associated with a plurality of real persons, wherein each person has related thereto a plurality of instruments that can be traded for a price;

receive from the user an order to buy or sell at least one instrument related to a first of the plurality of persons, wherein the order to buy or sell includes a number of instruments to buy or sell; and

display to the user one or more names of one or more persons for which the user has purchased instruments.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to:

responsive to the order to buy or sell, adjust an account value of the user.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the account value represents virtual currency.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the account value represents real currency.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to:

receive from another user an order to buy or sell at least one instrument related to the first of the plurality of persons; and

match the order to buy or sell from the user with the order to buy or sell from the another user.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to:

responsive to the matching;

adjust an account value of the user; and

adjust an account value of the another user.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to display to the user one or more names of one or more persons for which the user has purchased instruments, including the number of instruments purchased for each person.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to display to the user a total value of all instruments owned by the user.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to display to the user for instruments owned by the user a price at which the user purchased the instrument.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to display to the user for the at least instruments owned by the user a last trading price for the instrument.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, further direct the one or more processors to offer to the user through an initial offering an ability to buy at least one instrument related to a real person.

31. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more servers determine, at least in part, a price at which the at least one instrument related to the first of the plurality of persons is bought or sold.

32. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a price at which the at least one instrument related to the first of the plurality of persons is bought or sold is based at least in part on data about the person.