Audio financial data system

• US 6,574,600 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goldenberg, Hehmeyer & Company (Penson Futures)
• Original Assignee: Marketsound LLC
• Inventors: Fishman, Bradley S., Vagle, Wade J.
• Primary Examiner(s): {haeck over (S)}mits, Tálivaldis Ivars
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azad, Abul K.
• Application Number:
  US09/483,286
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 704/260, 704/258, 704/270, 705/274, 705/35, 705/36
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

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;

a data reception module to receive said financial data;

a set of pre-determined rules including a decay value, to prioritize said financial data and provide a priority value to said financial data, wherein said priority value is decreased in accordance with said decay value;

at least one audio channel to broadcast said financial data;

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

a data manipulation means to 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 manipulation means includes at least one of (a) volume control, (b) voice compression, (c) selection from at least one of a plurality of sound types, (d) audio spatial positioning, and (d) selection from a set of available comments.

3. A financial data system as recited in claim 2, wherein said sound types includes library of voices.

4. A financial system as recited in claim 1, wherein said aural delivery of said verbal comments is elevated in importance 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 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.

6. A financial data system as recited in claim 1, wherein a first set of variables are provided in said 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.

7. A financial data system as recited in claim 6, wherein said listing of possible verbal comments is different depending on said priority value.

8. A financial data system as recited in claim 6, wherein said decay value is affected by each successive calculation of said second set of variables and said listing of said possible verbal comments.

9. A financial data system as recited in claim 8, wherein said decay value is calculated based on a function of time.

10. A financial data system as recited in claim 8, wherein said decay value is calculated based on receipt of new data.

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

12. A financial data system as recited in claim 1:

wherein said real-time financial data includes a first set of variables and a second set of variables;

wherein said set of pre-determined rules dynamically prioritize said first set of variables and said second set of variables; and

wherein said set of pre-determined rules provide a single real-time priority to said financial data.

13. A financial data system comprising:

real-time data;

a data reception module to receive said data;

a set of pre-determined rules including a decay value, wherein said set of predetermined rules prioritize said data and provide a priority value to said data, a first set of variables provided in said 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 priority value;

a plurality of audio channels to broadcast said data, a first audio channel broadcasting background sounds and a second audio channel broadcasting specific comments according to said 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

a methodology and an overriding function to alter an aural delivery of said verbal comments according to said priority value.

14. A financial data system as recited in claim 13, wherein said methodology includes at least one of (a) volume control, (b) voice compression, (c) selection from at least one of a plurality of sound types, (d) audio spatial positioning, and (d) selection from a subset of available comments.

15. A financial data system as recited in claim 13, wherein said pre-determined rules include a decay value that affects said priority value of said possible verbal comments.

16. A financial data system as recited in claim 13, wherein there is at least a third audio channel, said third channel broadcasting comments related to specific items of interest.

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

providing real-time financial data;

prioritizing said financial data according to pre-determined rules, including a decay value;

generating a priority value for said financial data;

reducing said priority value in accordance with the decay value;

converting said financial 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.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein said manipulating step includes at least one of adjusting automatically a delivery volume for said verbal comment, adjusting automatically a vocalization compression for said verbal comment, and using one of a plurality of available sound types, according to said priority value.

19. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein said sound types include a library of voices.