Financial activity based on natural weather events

• US 8,055,563 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2009
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weather RISK Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Weather RISK Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Horowitz, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khattar; Rajesh
• Application Number:
  US12/460,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45
• 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

Abstract

A financial activity network includes a central managing system connected to a plurality of participant terminals. Rules governing operation of the financial activity are stored for future reference. A participant provides investment information such as a map location for the predicted strike by the natural event and, optionally, one or more secondary parameters relating to the natural event, such as the time interval between the time of investment and the time of all event strike and/or the severity of the event strike according to an established scale. In one example, an external objective independent information source is consulted, with the external objective independent information source providing monitoring, interpretation and derived determination of parameters pertaining to the natural event. Methods and articles of manufacture are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computerized method of offering for purchase, positions predicting a future hurricane landstrike resulting from a substantially continuous ongoing natural process culminating in a future hurricane landstrike, comprising:

providing a computer graphical user interface having an output for a display that has first and second regions;

providing a database containing

     1) a map of geographical areas corresponding to the positions to be offered for purchase, the geographical areas being at least one of the coastal and the inland type;

     2) strike probabilities of future hurricane landstrikes for the geographical areas;

     3) offer prices for purchasing positions predicting future hurricane landstrikes in respective geographical areas, that are based at least in part on respective strike probabilities;

     4) current level of severity of the continuous ongoing natural process; and

     5) the level of severity of the future hurricane landstrike;

displaying the map in the first region of the graphical user interface with user selectable items corresponding to the geographical areas of the map;

during the substantially continuous ongoing natural process, electronically obtaining updated data including the location and level of severity of the continuous ongoing natural process culminating in a future hurricane landstrike so as to provide at least part of the basis for electronic calculations of damage probabilities of a future hurricane landstrike for the geographical areas;

in response to a user selecting a user selectable item and thereby indicating a geographical area for selection, displaying in the second region of the graphical user interface, an offer price, electronically updated in substantially real time so as to be based at least in part on an updated damage probability, for purchasing a position predicting the location and level of severity of a future hurricane landstrike in the indicated geographical area; and

providing a payout value for users successfully predicting the location and level of severity of a hurricane landstrike resulting from the substantially continuous ongoing natural process.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, in response to the user selecting the user selectable item, displaying in the second region of the graphical user interface, a strike probability of a future hurricane landstrike for the indicated geographical area.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second region of the graphical user interface displays data in the form of a table.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a third region of said graphical user interface for entry of order data including a designation of the indicated geographical area and the offer price for purchasing a position predicting a future hurricane landstrike in the indicated geographical area.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a fourth region of said graphical user interface for confirming a commitment to purchase a position corresponding to the order data entered.

6. A system for offering purchase positions predicting a future hurricane landstrike resulting from a substantially continuous ongoing natural process culminating in a future hurricane landstrike, comprising:

a computer interface module for electronically providing a graphical user interface having an output for a display that has first and second regions;

a database containing

     1) a map of geographical areas corresponding to the positions to be offered for purchase, the geographical areas being at least one of the coastal and the inland type;

     2) strike probabilities of future hurricane landstrikes for the geographical areas;

     3) offer prices for purchasing positions predicting future hurricane landstrikes in respective geographical areas, that are based at least in part on respective strike probabilities;

     4) current level of severity of the continuous ongoing natural process; and

     5) the level of severity of the future hurricane landstrike;

the interface module communicating with the database to display the map in the first region of the graphical user interface with user selectable items corresponding to the geographical areas of the map;

the database further containing electronically updated data obtained during the substantially continuous ongoing natural process, that includes the location and severity of the continuous ongoing natural process culminating in a future hurricane landstrike that provides at least part of the basis for electronic calculations of damage probabilities of a future hurricane landstrike for the geographical areas;

the interface module, in response to a user selecting a user selectable item and thereby indicating a geographical area for selection, displaying in the second region of the graphical user interface, an offer price, electronically updated in substantially real time so as to be based at least in part on an updated damage probability, for purchasing a position predicting the location and level of severity of a future hurricane landstrike in the indicated geographical area; and

the interface module providing a payout value for users successfully predicting the location and level of severity of a hurricane landstrike that is proportional to the level of severity of the future hurricane landstrike resulting from the substantially continuous ongoing natural process.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the interface module, in response to the user selecting the user selectable item, also displays in the second region of the graphical user interface, a strike probability of a future hurricane landstrike in the indicated geographical area.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the second region of the graphical user interface is displayed in the form of a table.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface further has a third region for entry of order data including a designation of the indicated geographical area and the offer price for purchasing a position predicting a future hurricane landstrike in the indicated geographical area.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface further has a fourth region for confirming a commitment to purchase a position corresponding to the order data entered.

11. An article of manufacture including a machine readable non-transitory tangible medium for causing a computer to perform a computerized method of offering for purchase, positions predicting a future hurricane landstrike resulting from a substantially continuous ongoing natural process culminating in a future hurricane landstrike, comprising:

providing a computer graphical user interface having an output for a display that has first and second regions;

providing a database containing

     1) a map of geographical areas corresponding to the positions to be offered for purchase, the geographical areas being at least one of the coastal and the inland type;

     2) strike probabilities of future hurricane landstrikes for the geographical areas;

     3) offer prices for purchasing positions predicting future hurricane landstrikes in respective geographical areas, that are based at least in part on respective strike probabilities;

     4) current level of severity of the continuous ongoing natural process; and

     5) the level of severity of the future hurricane landstrike;

displaying the map in the first region of the graphical user interface with user selectable items corresponding to the geographical areas of the map;

during the substantially continuous ongoing natural process, electronically obtaining updated data including the location and level of severity of the continuous ongoing natural process culminating in a future hurricane landstrike so as to provide at least part of the basis for electronic calculations of damage probabilities of a future hurricane landstrike for the geographical areas;

in response to a user selecting a user selectable item and thereby indicating a geographical area for selection, displaying in the second region of the graphical user interface, an offer price, electronically updated in substantially real time so as to be based at least in part on an updated damage probability, for purchasing a position predicting the location and level of severity of a future hurricane landstrike in the indicated geographical area; and

providing a payout value for users successfully predicting the location and level of severity of a hurricane landstrike resulting from the substantially continuous ongoing natural process.