Method and system for representing financial information in a gaming environment

• US 7,783,552 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eToro Group Ltd.
• Original Assignee: eToro Group Ltd.
• Inventors: Assia, Ronen, Assia, Johnathan, Ring, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii; Behrang
• Application Number:
  US11/814,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20080275824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/36.R, 705/37, 463/9, 463/16, 463/25
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

An apparatus, method and data structure for procuring and analyzing information, regarding the financial markets and a system to execute financial transactions using Internet-based front end graphics that resembles casino games and betting games. The system provides a comprehensive combination of financial information and transactions in a format that facilitates known and new casino/betting like front end graphics.

Claims

1. A method of on-line trading of actual financial instruments which are actively traded in the real world financial markets, the trading transactions being transmitted over an electronic network using an electronic communicating device, said method comprising:

receiving at said device over the electronic network a data stream of real-time actual financial information relating to at least one of said actual financial instruments;

generating a graphical game scenario including user game actions, the game comprising gaming elements forming variable aspects of the game;

associating each gaming element with a respective one of said actual financial instruments, and associating related financial information concerning said financial instruments using said user game actions;

correlating at least one of the appearance and position of each gaming element with the actual information in the received data stream of the associated financial instrument;

graphically displaying on a graphic display associated with the device the actual financial information received in the data stream in the format of the graphical game scenario, such that the user visualizes the financial information of the financial instruments only as part of the graphical game scenario;

transforming the user game actions back to associated financial transactions involving each of said financial instruments; and

transferring over the electronic network information relating to the financial transactions performed by the user to a financial server such that each of the electronic device users experience a net actual financial result based upon said actual financial information received and user actions performed, thereby enabling on-line trading through the graphical gaming elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said net financial result is real.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said net financial result is simulated as a game.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said actual financial information comprises relative changes in the price of the at least one actual financial instrument, wherein a relative change is a mathematical relation between at least two aspects of the at least one actual financial instrument.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said actual financial information comprise ask/bid prices of at least one financial instrument.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said actual financial information comprise a market data indicator, said indicator comprising mathematical transformations of said actual financial information.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said actual financial information comprise a technical indicator, said technical indicator comprising a statistical prediction/suggestion for the future movement of said actual financial information.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said actual financial information comprise currency ratios, said currency ratios comprising a relation of at least two currency prices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said currency ratio is traded via foreign exchange trading.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said currency ratio comprises several traded ratios.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein said actual financial information comprise security derivative prices and evaluation parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said evaluation parameters are at least one of:

options;

forwards; and

futures, and wherein said evaluation parameters are the parameters of option elements.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said actual security derivative prices are quoted from an exchange.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said actual security derivative prices are calculated via option pricing formulas.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical game scenario is one of fixed and varying time duration with one of a fixed and varying start time and one of a fixed and varying end time, such that said user actions translate to financial transactions over varying periods of time.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed on an electronic device and comprises at least one of:

a computer;

a mobile phone;

a personal digital assistant;

and a kiosk.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one actual financial instrument is at least one of:

a traded security;

a traded bond;

a traded stock;

a financial derivative that can be traded;

a foreign exchange financial instrument comprising at least one of;

spot;

forward; and

futures; and

a commodity financial instruments comprising at least one of;

spot;

forward; and

futures.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical gaming scenario comprises at least one of:

slot machines;

roulette;

dice games;

racing;

horse racing;

card games;

Blackjack; and

Poker.

19. A system for facilitating on-line trading of actual financial instruments which are actually traded in the real world financial markets, the user having an electronic device capable of transmitting over an electronic network, said system comprising:

a communicating device capable of receiving over the electronic network a data stream of real-time actual financial information relating to at least one of said actual financial instruments;

a presentation module capable of generating a game scenario including user game actions, the game scenario comprising gaming elements forming variable aspects of the game;

a processor capable of associating each gaming element with a respective one of said financial instruments and associating related financial information concerning said financial instruments using said user game actions;

said processor capable of correlating at least one of the appearance and position of each gaming element with the actual information of the received data stream of the associated financial instrument;

a graphic display capable of graphically displaying the actual financial information received in the data stream in the format of the graphical game scenario such that the user visualizes the financial information of the financial instruments only as part of the graphical game scenario;

said processor capable of transforming the user game actions back to associated financial transactions involving each of said financial instruments; and

the electronic network capable of transferring information relating to the financial transactions performed by the user to a financial server such that each of the electronic device users experiences a net actual financial result based upon said actual financial information received and user actions performed, thereby enabling on-line trading through the graphical gaming elements.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said processor module provides algorithms to calculate and present:

a. parameters of said gaming element as constituted before entering the game, parameters of said gaming element parameters comprising trade leverage and trade transactions that relate to actions of the graphical game scenario;

b. changes in said gaming elements from said data during the game; and

c. profit/loss of the game during the game.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein said communication device provides a communication link between electronic devices of the users and said processor and comprises at least one of:

a voice protocol network (VPN);

a dial-up modem; and

the Internet.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the electronic devices are client computers.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor resides at a remote location and the electronic network is the Internet.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor translates said financial information to said gaming elements in real-time using fixed rules.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the processor translates said financial information to said gaming elements, using algorithms comprising historic and real-time financial information to calculate the evaluation of the transaction in real-time.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor translates the user gaming actions to financial transaction data using fixed rules.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor translates the user gaming actions to financial transaction data, using algorithms that use historic and real-time financial information to calculate the evaluation of the transaction in real-time.