Methods and systems for incentivizing participation in a marketplace through the issuance of warrants

• US 7,765,149 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BGC Partners Incorporated (BGC Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BGC Partners Incorporated (BGC Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Uman, Jonathan, Varacchi, Frederick, Varacchi, legal representative, Uman, legal representative, Lutnick, Howard W., Noviello, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski; Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, KELLIE L
• Application Number:
  US11/674,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/35, 705/36.R, 705/37, 705/38, 705/39, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/37
• 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

Methods and corresponding system are provided herewith that, in at least one embodiment, include the act or acts of issuing at least one warrant to a participant, in which the warrant is convertible into at least one ownership share of an entity associated with a marketplace; receiving information associated with the participant'"'"'s execution of trading activities in the marketplace; determining, based on the received information, a quantity of warrants eligible for conversion into ownership shares; converting the eligible warrants into a quantity of ownership shares; and transmitting an indicia indicating the quantity of ownership shares.

Claims

1. A method for incentivizing a plurality of participants to trade goods and services of a vertical market on a marketplace, the method comprising:

using an ownership processor to issue at least one warrant to a participant who agrees to trade goods and services of the vertical market on the marketplace, in which each warrant is convertible into at least one ownership share of the marketplace based on the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace;

receiving information about the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace from a trading processor, in which the trading processor and the ownership processor are in communication over a network;

using the ownership processor to determine, based on the participant'"'"'s performance, a quantity of warrants that is convertible by the participant into the at least one ownership share of the marketplace;

determining a type of transaction that is provided by the participant;

determining, based on the type of transaction, a fee that is paid to the participant; and

transmitting to the trading processor a notification of the quantity of warrants that is convertible by the participant and the fee that is paid.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the participant trades goods and services of the vertical market with other participants of an agreement.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the act of issuing the at least one warrant to the participant further comprises:

issuing a total amount of warrants in accordance to an agreement, in which the agreement is agreed upon by the plurality of participants in advance, and

in which the agreement permits the participant to convert a portion of the total amount of warrants based on the participant'"'"'s performance.

4. The method of claim 3, in which the act of determining the quantity of warrants that is convertible further comprises:

receiving information about a revenue generated by the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace within a period of time; and

determining that the quantity of warrants that the participant is permitted to convert equals a product of the total amount of warrants issued and a ratio between the revenue and a target revenue,

in which the target revenue is generated over a term of the agreement and is pre-determined by the agreement.

5. The method of claim 3, in which act of determining the quantity of warrants that is convertible further comprises:

receiving information about a revenue generated by the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace;

determining that the revenue meets a target revenue, in which the target revenue is pre-determined by the agreement; and

determining that the quantity of warrants that the participant is permitted to convert equals a pre-determined quantity of warrants.

6. The method of claim 3, in which the act of determining the quantity of warrants that is convertible further comprises:

receiving information about a revenue generated by the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace within a period of time;

determining that the revenue meets a target revenue, in which the target revenue is pre-determined by the agreement; and

determining that the quantity of warrants that the participant is permitted to convert equals a pre-determined quantity of warrants.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the quantity of warrants is converted into the at least one ownership share of the at a full conversion rate.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the act of determining the type of transaction that is provided by the participant further comprises:

determining that the participant provides an information services transaction;

receiving information from the trading processor that an information services transaction has occurred on the marketplace; and

determining that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

a revenue that is derived from the information services transaction.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the act of determining the type of transaction that is provided by the participant further comprises:

determining that the participant provides an electronic transaction; and

receiving information from the trading processor that an electronic transaction has occurred on the marketplace

determining that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

a revenue that is derived from the electronic transaction less a fee for providing at least one of;

a clearance, a settlement, and a fulfillment service.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the act of determining the type of transaction that is provided by the participant further comprises:

determining that the participant provides an electronic transaction; and

receiving information from the trading processor that a voice-assisted transaction has occurred on the marketplace;

determining that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

an amount paid by a voice transaction service provider in order to provide voice-assisted brokerage services.

11. An apparatus for incentivizing a plurality of participants to trade goods and services of a vertical market on a marketplace, the apparatus comprising:

an ownership processor in communication with a trading processor over a network;

a memory coupled to the ownership processor, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, direct the ownership processor to;

issue at least one warrant to a participant who agrees to trade goods and services of the vertical market on the marketplace, in which each warrant is convertible into at least one ownership share of the marketplace based on the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace;

receive information about the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace from the trading processor;

determine, based on the participant'"'"'s performance, a quantity of warrants that is convertible by the participant into the at least one ownership share of the marketplace;

determine a type of transaction that is provided by the participant;

determine, based on the type of transaction, a fee that is paid to the participant; and

transmit to the trading processor a notification of the quantity of warrants that is convertible by the participant and the fee that is paid.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the participant trades goods and services of the vertical market with other participants of an agreement.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

issue a total amount of warrants in accordance to an agreement, in which the agreement is agreed upon by the plurality of participants in advance, and in which the agreement permits the participant to convert a portion of the total amount of warrants based on the participant'"'"'s performance.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

receive information about a revenue generated by the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace within a period of time;

determine that the quantity of warrants that the participant is permitted to convert equals a product of the total amount of warrants issued and a ratio between the revenue and a target revenue, in which the target revenue is generated over a term of the agreement and is pre-determined by the agreement.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

receive information about a revenue generated by the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace;

determine that the revenue meets a target revenue, in which the target revenue is pre-determined by the agreement; and

determine that the quantity of warrants that the participant is permitted to convert equals a pre-determined quantity of warrants.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

determine that the participant provides an information services transaction;

receive information from the trading processor that an information services transaction has occurred on the marketplace; and

determine that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

a revenue that is derived from the information services transaction.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

determine that the participant provides an electronic transaction; and

receive information from the trading processor that an electronic transaction has occurred on the marketplace; and

determine that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

a revenue that is derived from the electronic transaction less a fee for providing at least one of;

a clearance, a settlement, and a fulfillment service.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

determine that the participant provides an electronic transaction; and

receive information from the trading processor that a voice-assisted transaction has occurred on the marketplace;

determine that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

an amount paid by a voice transaction service provider in order to provide voice-assisted brokerage services.

19. An article of manufacture for incentivizing a plurality of participants to trade goods and services of a vertical market on a marketplace, the article of manufacture comprising:

a storage medium, in which the storage medium stores instructions which, when executed by an ownership processor, direct the ownership processor to;

issue at least one warrant to a participant who agrees to trade goods and services of the vertical market on the marketplace, in which each warrant is convertible into at least one ownership share of the marketplace based on the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace;

receive information about the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace from a trading processor, in which the trading processor and the ownership processor are in communication over a network;

determine, based on the participant'"'"'s performance, a quantity of warrants that is convertible by the participant into the at least one ownership share of the marketplace;

determine a type of transaction that is provided by the participant;

determine, based on the type of transaction, a fee that is paid to the participant ; and

transmit to the trading processor a notification of the quantity of warrants that is convertible by the participant and the fee that is paid.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, in which the participant trades goods and services of the vertical market with other participants of an agreement.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

issue a total amount of warrants in accordance to an agreement, in which the agreement is agreed upon by the plurality of participants in advance, and in which the agreement permits the participant to convert a portion of the total amount of warrants based on the participant'"'"'s performance.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

receive information about a revenue generated by the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace within a period of time; and

determine that the quantity of warrants that the participant is permitted to convert equals a product of the total amount of warrants issued and a ratio between the revenue and a target revenue, in which the target revenue is generated over a term of the agreement and is pre-determined by the agreement.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

receive information about a revenue generated by the participant'"'"'s performance on the marketplace;

determine that the revenue meets a target revenue, in which the target revenue is pre-determined by the agreement; and

determine that the quantity of warrants that the participant is permitted to convert equals a pre-determined quantity of warrants.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 19, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

determine that the participant provides an information services transaction;

receive information from the trading processor that an information services transaction has occurred on the marketplace; and

determine that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

a revenue that is derived from the information services transaction.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 19, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

determine that the participant provides an electronic transaction; and

receive information from the trading processor that an electronic transaction has occurred on the marketplace; and

determine that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

a revenue that is derived from the electronic transaction less a fee for providing at least one of;

a clearance, a settlement, and a fulfillment service.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 19, in which the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the ownership processor, further direct the ownership processor to:

determine that the participant provides an electronic transaction; and

receive information from the trading processor that a voice-assisted transaction has occurred on the marketplace;

determine that the fee to be paid to the participant comprises;

an amount paid by a voice transaction service provider in order to provide voice-assisted brokerage services.