System and method of utilizing a distributed order book in an electronic trade match engine

• US 8,082,206 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (CME Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (CME Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Troxel, Charlie Jr., Goldman, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan, Thu Thao
• Application Number:
  US12/841,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20100293087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 705 37- 38
• 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 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Methods and systems are providing for minimizing the effects of transmission delays when providing orders for financial instruments. A plurality of order books and match engines may be maintained at geographically dispersed locations. The orders may be synchronized to provide the appearance of a single order book to traders and other users. The plurality of order books and match engines allow traders and other users to transmit orders to the match engine associated with the shortest transmission delay and to access orders pending at other match engines.

Claims

1. A match engine implemented at a computer that matches orders for financial instruments, the match engine programmed with computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

(a) receive an order for a financial instrument;

(b) determine if the best price available to match the order is at the match engine or at a remote match engine;

(c) if the best price to match the order is available at the match engine, attempt to match the order with an order at the match engine; and

(d) if the order is not matched, transmit minimal order information to the remote match engine.

2. The match engine of claim 1, wherein the minimal order information comprises identifying information that uniquely identifies the order.

3. The match engine of claim 2, wherein the identifying information comprises a serial number.

4. The match engine of claim 1, wherein the minimal order information further includes information identifying at least one financial instrument, a price and a quantity.

5. The match engine of claim 1, wherein the match engine is coupled to the remote match engine via a high speed data network.

6. The match engine of claim 5, wherein the high speed data network comprises a fiber optic network.

7. The match engine of claim 1, wherein the match engine is further programmed with computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to create and transmit status messages.

8. A computer implemented method of processing an order for a financial instrument, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an order at a local match engine implemented at a first computer;

(b) if the best price is available at the local match engine, attempting to match the order at the local match engine to cause execution of a trade based on the match identified by the local match engine; and

(c) if the best price is available at a remote match engine implemented at a second computer, causing the remote match engine to attempt to match the order to cause execution of a trade based on the match identified by the remote match engine.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further including:

(d) when the order is not matched, transmitting minimal order information to the least one remote match engine.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further including:

(d) transmitting a status message to the remote match engine.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further including:

(d) transmitting a status message to the remote match engine.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further including:

(d) synchronizing order books for orders pending at the local match engine and at the remote match engine.

13. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a match engine computer to perform operations comprising:

(a) receiving an order for a financial instrument;

(b) determining if the best price available to match the order is available locally or at a remote match engine;

(c) if the best price to match the order is available locally, attempting to locally match the order; and

(d) if the order is not matched, transmitting minimal order information to the remote match engine.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the minimal order information comprises identifying information that uniquely identifies the order.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the identifying information comprises a serial number.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the minimal order information further includes information identifying at least one financial instrument, a price and a quantity.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the match engine computer is coupled to the remote match engine via a high speed data network.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the high speed data network comprises a fiber optic network.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further including computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the match engine computer to create and transmit status messages.