Method and interface for consolidating price levels on a trading screen

• US 7,577,607 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Singer, Scott F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdi; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZIEGLE, STEPHANIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/415,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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

A trading screen may display price and quantity information for price levels in a static axis of prices. The static axis of prices may be divided into two or more different regions. The price and quantity information for one or more of the regions may be consolidated from price and quantity information from plurality of unconsolidated price levels.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying market information on a trading screen, the method comprising:

receiving by a computing device market information that comprises bids and offers for a tradeable object;

generating by the computing device a price axis comprising a plurality of price levels, wherein the market information is displayed in association to the price axis;

dividing up the price axis to comprise at least a first region and a second region, wherein the first region represents a first plurality of price levels along the price axis and the second region represents a second plurality of price levels along the price axis;

determining by the computing device a first level of resolution for the first region and a second level of resolution for the second region, wherein the first level of resolution is different from the second level of resolution, wherein the first level and the second level of resolution each correspond to a number of price levels per consolidated price level;

displaying by the computing device incoming market information for the tradeable object in the first region according to the first level of resolution; and

displaying by the computing device incoming market information for the tradeable object in the second region according to the second level of resolution.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

consolidating the first plurality of price levels to be displayed in the first region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution, such that every two or more price levels in the first plurality of price levels are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein the step of consolidating the first plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated price levels.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

consolidating any bids to be displayed in the first region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

consolidating any offers to be displayed in the first region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

consolidating the second plurality of price levels to be displayed in the second region along the price axis corresponding to the second level of resolution, such that every two or more price levels in the second plurality of price levels are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein the step of consolidating the second plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated price levels.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

consolidating any bids to be displayed in the second region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

consolidating any offers to be displayed in the second region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level of resolution is user adjustable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second level of resolution is user adjustable.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the price axis represents a static price axis.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the price axis represents a column of price levels.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the price axis represents a dynamic price axis.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying working order indicators in the first region corresponding to the first level of resolution.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying working order indicators in the second region corresponding to the second level of resolution.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level of resolution is higher than the second level of resolution.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level of resolution is lower than the second level of resolution.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level of resolution corresponds to a first level of consolidation, and wherein the second level of resolution corresponds to a second level of consolidation.

18. A computer readable medium having computer-executed instructions for performing a method comprising:

receiving by a computing device market information that comprises bids and offers for a tradeable object;

generating by a computing device a price axis comprising a plurality of price levels, wherein the market information is displayed in association to the price axis;

dividing up the price axis to comprise at least a first region and a second region, wherein the first region represents a first plurality of price levels along the price axis and the second region represents a second plurality of price levels along the price axis;

determining by a computing device a first level of resolution for the first region and a second level of resolution for the second region, wherein the first level of resolution is different from the second level of resolution, wherein the first level of resolution is different from the second level of resolution, wherein the first level and the second level of resolution each correspond to a number of price levels per consolidated price level;

displaying by a computing device incoming market information for the tradeable object in the first region according to the first level of resolution; and

displaying by a computing device incoming market information for the tradeable object in the second region according to the second level of resolution.