Dynamic prioritization of financial data by predetermined rules with audio output delivered according to priority value

• US 6,507,818 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1999
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Goldenberg, Hehmeyer & Company (Penson Futures)
• Original Assignee: Marketsound LLC
• Inventors: Fishman, Bradley S., Vagle, Wade J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks-Harold, Marsha D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azad, Abul K.
• Application Number:
  US09/363,125
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 704/260, 704/258, 704/270, 704/272, 704/274, 705/35, 705/36
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

A financial data system is disclosed that receives real-time data, uses a set of pre-determined rules to prioritize the data and provide a priority value, and then delivers the highest priority data by way of multiple audio channels. A key aspect of the invention is the use of data manipulation according to the priority value to adjust delivery volume, provide selective vocalization compression, add additional audio channels, or to override an existing comment when required. As a result of the invention, a significant amount of information may be aurally delivered to a user including properties of events as they change in response to changing financial conditions.

Claims

1. A financial data system comprising:

real-time financial data, including a first set of variables and a second set of variables;

a data reception module to receive said financial data;

a set of pre-determined rules to dynamically prioritize said first set of variables and said second set of variables and provide a single real-time priority value to said financial data;

at least one audio channel to broadcast said financial data;

a data delivery module for converting said financial data into verbal comments; and

a data manipulation module to dynamically alter an aural delivery of said verbal comments according to said priority value.

2. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data delivery module comprises at least one of a pre-recorded audio file, voice synthesizer and live audio streaming.

3. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data manipulation module includes volume control.

4. A financial data system as recited in claim 3, wherein said verbal comments are delivered at a volume greater than a base-line volume when said priority value is greater than a pre-determined threshold.

5. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data manipulation module includes vocalization compression.

6. A financial data system as recited in claim 5, wherein said verbal comments are delivered in a compressed verbal format when said priority value is greater than a pre-determined threshold.

7. A financial data system as recited in claim 6, wherein a pitch for a given comment remains generally constant between a normal verbal format and said compressed verbal format.

8. A financial data system as recited in claim 5, wherein said verbal comments are delivered at a volume greater than a base-line volume and in a compressed verbal format when said priority value is greater than a predetermined threshold.

9. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data manipulation means comprises an override of a current verbal comment by a new verbal comment when said priority value of said new verbal comment is greater than a threshold value when compared to said priority value of said current verbal comment.

10. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein a first set of variables are provided in said financial data and a second set of variables are calculated using said first set of variables, said first and second set of variables being used to generate a listing of possible verbal comments ranked by said priority value.

11. A financial data system as recited in claim 10, said pre-determined rules including a decay value that affects said priority value of said possible verbal comments with each successive calculation of said second set of variables and said listing of said possible verbal comments.

12. A financial data system as recited in claim 10, wherein said second set of variables and said listing of said possible verbal comments are continuously calculated.

13. A financial data system as recited in claim 9, wherein said pre-determined rules include a current set of said variables and a prior set of said variables.

14. A financial data system as recited in claim 9, wherein at least a subset of said variables are normalized to generate said priority values between a pre-determined minimum and maximum value such that each of said possible verbal comments may be compared to all other possible verbal comments to determine a highest ranking priority comment for a specific audio channel.

15. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein there are at least two audio channels, a first audio channel broadcasting background sounds and a second audio channel broadcasting specific market comments according to said pre-determined rules.

16. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data manipulation module comprises one of activating a new audio channel and overriding an existing verbal comment when said priority value of a new verbal comment is greater than a threshold value of existing verbal comment.

17. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said priority value of said verbal comments is adjusted to remove variables used in guiding a sequence of said verbal comments before using said data manipulation module.

18. The financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said second set of variables is calculated from said first set of variables.

19. The financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first set of variables includes a monetary value.

20. The financial data system as recited in claim 19, wherein said second set of variables comprises at least one of a frequency, a quantity, a volume, or a period of time.

21. A financial data system comprising:

real-time financial data;

a data reception module to receive said financial data,

a set of pre-determined rules to dynamically prioritize said financial data and provide a real-time priority value to said financial data, a first set of variables provided in said financial data and a second set of variables calculated using said first set of variables, said first and second set of variables being used to generate a listing of possible verbal comments ranked by said real-time priority value;

a plurality of audio channels to broadcast said financial data, a first audio channel broadcasting background sounds and a second audio channel broadcasting specific comments according to said real-time priority value;

at least one of a pre-recorded audio file, voice synthesizer and live audio streaming for converting said data into verbal comments; and

at least one of a volume control, vocalization compression, a new audio channel and an overriding function to dynamically alter an aural delivery of said verbal comments according to said priority value.

22. A financial data system as recited in claim 21, wherein said pre-determined rules include a decay value that affects said priority value of said possible verbal comments with each successive calculation of said second set of variables and said listing of said possible verbal comments, said decay value being removed before using said data manipulation means and after selecting said verbal comments.

23. A financial data system comprising:

real-time financial data, including a first set of variables and a second set of variables;

a data reception module to receive said financial data;

a set of pre-determined rules to dynamically prioritize said first set of variables and set second set of variables, and provide a single real-time priority value to said financial data;

at least two audio channels being simultaneously used to broadcast said financial data; and

a data delivery module for converting said financial data into verbal comments.

24. A method for vocalizing real-time financial data comprising the steps of:

providing real-time data, including a first set of variables and a second set of variables;

prioritizing said data according to pre-determined rules in a dynamic manner;

generating a single priority value for said first set of variables and said second set of variables;

converting said data into a plurality of possible verbal comments;

selecting at least one verbal comment based on said priority value;

choosing from one of a plurality of audio channels;

manipulating said verbal comment and altering an aural delivery of said verbal comment according to said priority value; and

delivering said verbal comment.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, including the further step of overriding a current verbal comment with a new verbal comment when said priority value of said new verbal comment is greater than a threshold value when compared to said priority value of said current value comment.

26. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein said manipulating step includes a step of adjusting automatically a delivery volume for said verbal comment according to said priority value.

27. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein said manipulating step includes a step of adjusting automatically a vocalization compression for said verbal comment according to said priority value.

28. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein said delivering step includes a step of selecting said verbal comment from a lookup table of pre-recorded market comments and inserting at least a sub-set of said data into said verbal comment.

29. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein said prioritizing step includes using a decay value that effects said priority value on a successive said prioritizing step for said possible verbal comments.

30. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein said converting step includes the sub-steps of

normalizing said possible verbal comments between a pre-determined minimum and maximum value; and

comparing each of said possible verbal comments to determine a highest ranking priority comment for a specific audio channel.