Business system simulator

• US 7,921,047 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Schlunk, Otmar
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani
• Assistant Examiner(s): MADAMBA, CLIFFORD B
• Application Number:
  US12/710,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45, 705/99
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• 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 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Users of a simulator gain skills for investing using a simulator. The simulator simulates a business system that conducts a market transaction. The simulator selects a set of factors from a plurality of sets; selects a current factor from the selected set; and determines a price in accordance with the current factor. The simulator further updates a financial position of the user of the simulator in response to a transaction; and performs the transaction in accordance with the price and an input from the user. The input from the user corresponds in content to an input to the business system. Consequently, the user develops skill in specifying market transactions to be conducted by reviewing changes in the user'"'"'s financial position. The simulator may include a simulated competitor having a financial position affected by transactions according to a strategy of the competitor selected from a set of stored strategies.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer processor;

a user interface in communication with the processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

(a) determine a price for an opportunity to participate in a market, wherein determining the price comprises;

(1) selecting a set of mathematical factors from a plurality of sets, wherein the set of factors is associated with a predetermined price pattern;

(2) selecting a current factor from the selected set; and

(3) determining a price in accordance with the current factor, wherein determining the price in accordance with the current factor includes applying the current factor to an immediately prior market interval;

(b) update a financial position of a user of the system in response to a transaction; and

(c) perform the transaction in accordance with the price and an input from the user through the user interface, the input from the user corresponding in content to an input to a simulated business system that conducts a market transaction, whereby the user develops skill in specifying market transactions to be conducted by reviewing changes in the user'"'"'s financial position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions to cause the processor to update a financial position of an automated competitor that uses the business system for a second transaction, wherein the automated competitor determines whether to participate in the second transaction in accordance with a strategy selected from a set of stored strategies, and whereby the user develops skill in specifying market transactions to be conducted by being aware of the second transaction and changes in the automated competitor'"'"'s financial position.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected strategy includes a set of parameters for defining how the automated competitor responds to an opportunity to participate in the second transaction, and wherein at least one of the parameters is a numeric value randomly-selected from within a range of possible values.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising replacing the selected strategy with a second strategy selected from the set of stored strategies.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of factors is randomly selected from the plurality of sets.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising performing multiple selections of factors from the plurality of sets.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least two of the multiple selections select the same set of factors from the plurality of sets.