Method and interface for consolidating price levels on a trading screen

• US 8,195,554 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Singer, Scott F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Monfeldt, Sarah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ziegle, Stephanie M
• Application Number:
  US12/907,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 705/36.R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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 trading screen may display price and quantity information for price levels in a static axis of prices. The static axis of prices may be divided into two or more different regions. The price and quantity information for one or more of the regions may be consolidated from price and quantity information from plurality of un-consolidated price levels.

Claims

1. A system including:

a client device,

wherein the client device is adapted to receive market information for a tradeable object from an electronic exchange;

wherein the client device is adapted to generate a plurality of price levels along a static axis of prices, the plurality of price levels pertaining to the market information for the tradeable object;

wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate a first portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices, wherein every two or more price levels of the first portion are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the first portion of the plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated price levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate quantity indicators for the every two or more price levels of the first portion into a consolidated quantity indicator, wherein the consolidated quantity indicator corresponds to the consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the quality indicators for every two or more price levels of the first portion of the plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated quantity levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to display the plurality of consolidated price levels for the first portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices;

wherein the client device is adapted to display the plurality of consolidated quantity indicators for the first portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices in alignment with the plurality of consolidated price levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to display a second portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices without consolidation, wherein the first portion and the second portion align to form the static axis of prices; and

wherein the client device is adapted to display quantity indicators for the second portion of the plurality of price levels in the static axis of prices in alignment with the second portion of the plurality of price levels, wherein the quantity indicators for the second portion are un-consolidated.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate a third portion of the plurality of price levels along the static price axis, wherein every two or more price levels of the third portion are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the third portion of the plurality of price levels results in a second plurality of consolidated price levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to display the second plurality of consolidated price levels for the third portion of the plurality of price levels along the static price axis, wherein the first, second, and third portion align to form the static axis of prices; and

wherein the client device is adapted to display consolidated quantity indicators for the third portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices in alignment with the second plurality of consolidated price levels.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the consolidated quantity indicators for the first and third portion are each formed by combining a different number of un-consolidated price levels.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the plurality of price levels in the static axis of prices includes an inside market, and wherein the second portion of the plurality of price levels dynamically changes based on the movement of the inside market.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of price levels in the first portion are configurable by a user, and wherein a number of plurality of price levels in the second portion are configurable by a user.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate the second portion of the plurality of price levels along the static price axis, wherein every two or more price levels of the second portion are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the second portion of the plurality of price levels results in a third plurality of consolidated price levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to display the third plurality of consolidated price levels for the second portion of the plurality of price levels along the static price axis, wherein the first portion and the second portion align to form the static axis of prices; and

wherein the client device is adapted to display consolidated quantity indicators for the second portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices in alignment with the third plurality of consolidated price levels.

7. A system including:

a client device,

wherein the client device is adapted to receive market information that comprises bids and offers for a tradeable object;

wherein the client device is adapted to generate a price axis comprising a plurality of price levels, wherein the market information is displayed in association to the price axis;

wherein the client device is adapted to divide up the price axis to comprise at least a first region and a second region, wherein the first region represents a first plurality of price levels along the price axis and the second region represents a second plurality of price levels along the price axis;

wherein the client device is adapted to determine a first level of resolution for the first region and a second level of resolution for the second region, wherein the first level of resolution is different from the second level of resolution, wherein the first level of resolution is different from the second level of resolution, wherein the first level and the second level of resolution each correspond to a number of price levels per consolidated price level;

wherein the client device is adapted to display incoming market information for the tradeable object in the first region according to the first level of resolution; and

wherein the client device is adapted to display incoming market information for the tradeable object in the second region according to the second level of resolution.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate the first plurality of price levels to be displayed in the first region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution, such that every two or more price levels in the first plurality of price levels are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the first plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated price levels.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate any bids to be displayed in the first region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate any offers to be displayed in the first region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate the second plurality of price levels to be displayed in the second region along the price axis corresponding to the second level of resolution, such that every two or more price levels in the second plurality of price levels are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the second plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated price levels.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate any bids to be displayed in the second region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate any offers to be displayed in the second region along the price axis corresponding to the first level of resolution.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the first level of resolution is user adjustable.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the second level of resolution is user adjustable.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the price axis represents a static price axis.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the price axis represents a column of price levels.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein the price axis represents a dynamic price axis.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein the client device is adapted to display working order indicators in the first region corresponding to the first level of resolution.

20. The system of claim 7, wherein the client device is adapted to display working order indicators in the second region corresponding to the second level of resolution.

21. The system of claim 7, wherein the first level of resolution is higher than the second level of resolution.

22. The system of claim 7, wherein the first level of resolution is lower than the second level of resolution.

23. The system of claim 7, wherein the first level of resolution corresponds to a first level of consolidation, and wherein the second level of resolution corresponds to a second level of consolidation.

24. A system including:

a client device,

wherein the client device is adapted to receive market information for a tradeable object from an electronic exchange;

wherein the client device is adapted to generate a plurality of price levels along a static axis of prices, the plurality of price levels pertaining to the market information for the tradeable object;

wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate a first portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices, wherein the first portion does not include a highest bid price level or a lowest ask price level, wherein every two or more price levels of the first portion are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the first portion of the plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated price levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate quantity indicators for the every two or more price levels of the first portion into a consolidated quantity indicator, wherein the consolidated quantity indicator corresponds to the consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the quality indicators for every two or more price levels of the first portion of the plurality of price levels results in a plurality of consolidated quantity levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to display the plurality of consolidated price levels for the first portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices;

wherein the client device is adapted to display the plurality of consolidated quantity indicators for the first portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices in alignment with the plurality of consolidated price levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to display a second portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices without consolidation, wherein the second portion includes at least one of the highest bid price level and the lowest ask price level, wherein the first portion and the second portion align to form the static axis of prices; and

wherein the client device is adapted to display quantity indicators for the second portion of the plurality of price levels in the static axis of prices in alignment with the second portion of the plurality of price levels, wherein the quantity indicators for the second portion are un-consolidated.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion.

26. The system of claim 24,

wherein the client device is adapted to consolidate a third portion of the plurality of price levels along the static price axis, wherein the third portion does not include the highest bid price level or the lowest ask price level, wherein every two or more price levels of the third portion are grouped into a consolidated price level, and wherein consolidating the third portion of the plurality of price levels results in a second plurality of consolidated price levels;

wherein the client device is adapted to display the second plurality of consolidated price levels for the third portion of the plurality of price levels along the static price axis, wherein the first, second, and third portions align to form the static axis of prices; and

wherein the client device is adapted to display consolidated quantity indicators for the third portion of the plurality of price levels along the static axis of prices in alignment with the second plurality of consolidated price levels.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the consolidated quantity indicators for the first and third portions are each formed by combining a different number of un-consolidated price levels.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the first portion corresponds to price levels on a buy side for the tradeable object and wherein the third portion corresponds to price levels on a sell side for the tradeable object.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion and wherein the second portion is adjacent to the third portion.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein a number of the plurality of price levels in the first portion is configurable by a user, and wherein a number of plurality of price levels in the second portion is configurable by a user.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the client device is adapted to dynamically change the price levels in the first portion and the second portion based on movement of the inside market.