Securities valuation system

• US 4,334,270 A
• Filed: 08/11/1972
• Issued: 06/08/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frederic C. Towers
• Original Assignee: Frederic C. Towers
• Inventors: Towers, Frederic C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wise, Edward J.
• Application Number:
  US05/279,781
• Time in Patent Office: 3,588 Days
• Field of Search: 235/451.1, 340/172.5, 444/1, 364/300
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90348 by searching ordered data, e.g. alpha-numerically ordered data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

This discloses a method of operating a general purpose digital computer to produce securities portfolio valuation schedules for multiple simultaneous users. The computer maintains securities information in system-wide files which are updated, both electronically and manually, on a daily basis. The system permits each user to store information about his portfolios, as well as information about supplemental securities not contained in the system-wide files.

Claims

1. The method of operating a general purpose digital computer having a plurality of data files, to allow a plurality of users to simultaneously retrieve information, while allowing the computer operator to update the information in said data files, comprising:

(a) providing each of said data files with a keyword through which said file is accessed,

(b) ordering said data in said data files in a sorted sequence, each data file having a separate sorted segment of data,

(c) providing an index file with a sequential string of correspondence fields containing, for each segment of sorted data, an associated keyword in a particularly sequence identifying a data file,

(d) providing a spare data file for editing the data on said files,

(e) immediately after said editing routine, exchanging the keywords in the fields of the index files corresponding to said unedited and edited data files,

(f) accessing said data files to retrieve a particular record by a comparison to determine said segment of data containing said record,

(g) searching said index file to determine the data file containing the segment of data including said record,

(h) reading the correspondence field of said segment of data to retrieve the keyword of the data file having the most recently edited version of said data segment,

(i) accessing said data file and retrieving said data record.

2. The method of operating a general purpose digital computer having data files simultaneously accessible by a plurality of users to produce reports of current valuations of securities portfolios, said portfolios having data information, comprising:

(a) providing data files containing unique values identifying said securities, hereinafter termed security numbers and reserved fields for current pricing and other financial data;

(b) segregating said data files into a first group of files containing those securities in which daily pricing information is available in electronically encoded form;

(c) processing said daily pricing information against said files to produce an edited updated file;

(d) producing an error file of these securities on said daily pricing file, for which there is no corresponding security in said data file, those in the data file for which there is no daily pricing data, and those in the data file for which there is a change;

(e) producing a further edit file based on said error report for processing against said data files;

(f) providing a second group of files containing widely held securities without associated pricing information;

(g) providing for each user an additional file containing all other securities in the portfolios of said user;

(i) providing a cross-reference file containing a field having a value corresponding to an outdated security number, a field having a value corresponding to the new security number, and a field having a value corresponding to the exchange rate between said securities,

(j) providing a data file for storing sorted uniquely identified portfolios containing data about each security including fields having values corresponding to the security number and the amount of the security holding;

(k) retrieving from the portfolio file for each security the security number and amount;

(l) retrieving from the data file the current pricing information for that security;

(m) for each unpriced security transferring program control to the user terminal to supply the current price information;

(n) for each security not found in the search of the data files accessing and searching the cross-reference file to determine the new security number and new amount of holding;

(o) displaying in ordered form at the security portfolio and valuation.

3. The method of claim 2, including for each security a second key, herein called a ticker symbol and providng a cross-reference file between said ticker symbols and said security numbers, whereby said user may identify his portfolio securities by ticker symbol.

4. The method of claim 2, in which each security record has fields reserved for stock dividend amounts and dates-said portfolios have fields reserved for latest valuation and said retrieval routines adjust said holdings where applicable.

5. A stored program data processing system including a digital computer having memory and logic means for storing and retrieving and displaying information about investment securities, the combination including

(a) a plurality of input/output terminals operatively connected to said system;

(b) a memory providing a plurality of data storage areas for data;

(c) a first data storage area for system data, comprising records of data hereinafter termed priced securities;

(d) a second data storage area for system data comprising records of data hereinafter termed unpriced securities;

(e) a third data storage area comprising records of data hereinafter termed a user file;

(f) each user file including an area reserved for the date of entry of the data, the numeric address indicative of each security and the amount of each security holding;

(g) a first set of numeric address means for each of said priced security records;

(h) a second set of numeric address means for each of said unpriced security records, said second set of numeric addresses differing from said first set;

(i) means to access and edit each of said priced security records utilizing said first set of numeric addresses;

(j) means to access and edit each of said unpriced security records utilizing said second set of numeric addresses;

(k) a second alphameric key for each of said priced and unpriced security records;

(l) a plurality of conversion means for translation of a signal for one key into a signal for another key;

(m) a first conversion means for translating an alphameric key into a numeric address for a priced or unpriced security record;

(n) a second conversion means for translating a numeric key representing a prior memory address of a priced or unpriced security to a current memory address;

(o) a third conversion means for translating an alphameric key representing a prior security identification into a current alphameric key representative of said security;

(p) a fourth conversion means for converting the data in the amount field in a user file, based on its date of entry to data corresponding to the current amount of said holding;

(q) means to retrieve a selected user file;

(r) means to retrieve corresponding data from said priced and unpriced security file;

(s) means to compute and display the current value of said selected portfolio of securities.