Distribution and mapping of financial records from data stream

• US 8,473,396 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2002
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bloomberg LP
• Original Assignee: Bloomberg LP
• Inventors: Hausman, Andrew, Rubinfine, Vyacheslav T., Enny, Philip, Field, Nicholas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdi, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ziegle, Stephanie M
• Application Number:
  US10/218,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,968 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/36, 395/425, 345/738
• US Class Current: 705/36.R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Improved systems, methods, and programs for customized distribution of data, particularly financial data. Individual users of networked computer systems have the capability to select and receive data from data streams produced by sources and made available simultaneously and in standardized format to numbers of client terminals. Selected data is mapped according to individual user specifications and may be used in client applications such as databases or spreadsheets, and stored in caches until users are ready to receive it. Data may be formatted and sent back to the stream source for use in applications operated at the source. The system also facilitates checking of data integrity, in particular by comparing sequences of records sent by the source and received by the client system.

Claims

1. A computer system for distributing data in one or more data records to users of the computer system, each record comprising a data type and at least one field that is distinct from the data type, each field comprising a value, and the computer system comprising:

at least one programmable processor;

at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors; and

a computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the processors, causes the computer system at least to;

receive through at least one of the interfaces, from a first application operating on a user terminal, a filter for data records to be transmitted to the first application, the filter comprising a specification of a data type and one or more criteria that apply to at least one field;

receive through at least one of the interfaces, from at least one data source, a plurality of financial data records, each record comprising a data type and at least one field;

identify, from the received financial data records, data records having the specified data type and having one or more fields that satisfy the one or more criteria, for electronic transfer through at least one of the interfaces to the user terminal; and

for each of the data records identified for electronic transfer to the user terminal, map each record in accordance with respective mapping data, stored in the computer-readable medium, that is specific to a respective application program that is operable on the user terminal;

the mapping comprising at least one of (1) reordering fields within the record, (2) deleting at least one of the fields from the record, (3) adding one or more fields to the record, and (4) specifying a display format for use in displaying at least one of the fields of the record;

wherein;

mapping comprises placing fields within data records of a specified data type in an order specified for the user terminal and a first application, the first application being one of the application programs that is operable on the user terminal;

a first instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal;

a second instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal at the same time that the first instance is operating on the user terminal; and

the mapping comprises (1) a first mapping that specifies a first order in which fields are to be placed for the first instance and (2) a second mapping that specifies a second order, different from the first order, in which fields are to be placed for the second instance.

2. A computer system for distributing data in one or more data records to users of the computer system, each record comprising a data type and at least one field that is distinct from the data type, each field comprising a value, and the computer system comprising:

at least one programmable processor;

at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors; and

a computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the processors, causes the computer system at least to;

receive through at least one of the interfaces, from a first application operating on a user terminal, a filter for data records to be transmitted to the first application, the filter comprising a specification of a data type and one or more criteria that apply to at least one field;

receive through at least one of the interfaces, from at least one data source, a plurality of financial data records, each record comprising a data type and at least one field;

identify, from the received financial data records, data records having the specified data type and having one or more fields that satisfy the one or more criteria, for electronic transfer through at least one of the interfaces to the user terminal; and

for each of the data records identified for electronic transfer to the user terminal, map each record in accordance with respective mapping data, stored in the computer-readable medium, that is specific to a respective application program that is operable on the user terminal;

the mapping comprising at least two of (1) reordering fields within the record, (2) deleting at least one of the fields from the record, (3) adding one or more fields to the record, and (4) specifying a display format for use in displaying at least one of the fields of the record;

wherein;

a first instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal;

a second instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal at the same time that the first instance is operating on the user terminal; and

the mapping comprises (1) a first mapping that specifies a first order in which fields are to be placed for the first instance and (2) a second mapping that specifies a second order, different from the first order, in which fields are to be placed for the second instance.

3. A method of distributing data in one or more data records to users of a computer system, each record comprising a data type and at least one field that is distinct from the data type, each field comprising a value, the computer system comprising at least one programmable processor, at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, and a computer readable medium storing instructions, executable by at least one of the processors to cause the computer system to carry out the method, the method comprising:

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from a first application operating on a user terminal, a filter for data records to be transmitted to the first application, the filter comprising a specification of a data type and one or more criteria that apply to at least one field;

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from at least one data source, a plurality of financial data records, each record comprising a data type and at least one field;

at least one of the processors identifying, from the received financial data records, data records having the specified data type and having one or more fields that satisfy the one or more criteria, for electronic transfer through at least one of the interfaces to the user terminal; and

for each of the data records identified for electronic transfer to the user terminal, at least one of the processors mapping each respective record in accordance with mapping data, stored in the computer-readable medium, that is specific to a respective application program that is operable on the user terminal;

the mapping comprising at least one of (1) reordering fields within the record, (2) deleting at least one of the fields from the record, (3) adding one or more fields to the record, and (4) specifying a display format for use in displaying at least one of the fields of the record;

wherein;

mapping comprises placing fields within data records of a specified data type in an order specified for the user terminal and a first application, the first application being one of the application programs that is operable on the user terminal;

a first instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal;

a second instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal at the same time that the first instance is operating on the user terminal; and

the mapping comprises (1) a first mapping that specifies a first order in which fields are to be placed for the first instance and (2) a second mapping that specifies a second order, different from the first order, in which fields are to be placed for the second instance.

4. A method of distributing data in one or more data records to users of a computer system, each record comprising a data type and at least one field that is distinct from the data type, each field comprising a value, the computer system comprising at least one programmable processor, at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, and a computer readable medium storing instructions, executable by at least one of the processors to cause the computer system to carry out the method, the method comprising:

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from a first application operating on a user terminal, a filter for data records to be transmitted to the first application, the filter comprising a specification of a data type and one or more criteria that apply to at least one field;

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from at least one data source, a plurality of financial data records, each record comprising a data type and at least one field;

at least one of the processors identifying, from the received financial data records, data records having the specified data type and having one or more fields that satisfy the one or more criteria, for electronic transfer through at least one of the interfaces to the user terminal; and

for each of the data records identified for electronic transfer to the user terminal, at least one of the processors mapping each respective record in accordance with mapping data, stored in the computer-readable medium, that is specific to a respective application program that is operable on the user terminal;

the mapping comprising at least two of (1) reordering fields within the record, (2) deleting at least one of the fields from the record, (3) adding one or more fields to the record, and (4) specifying a display format for use in displaying at least one of the fields of the record;

wherein;

a first instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal;

a second instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal at the same time that the first instance is operating on the user terminal; and

the mapping comprises (1) a first mapping that is specified for the first instance and (2) a second mapping, different from the first mapping, that is specified for second instance.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one of the processors within a computer system that comprises at least one processor and at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, cause the computer system to perform a method of distributing data in one or more data records to users of a computer system, each record comprising a data type and at least one field that is distinct from the data type, each field comprising a value, the method comprising:

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from a first application operating on a user terminal, a filter for data records to be transmitted to the first application, the filter comprising a specification of a data type and one or more criteria that apply to at least one field;

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from at least one data source, a plurality of financial data records, each record comprising a data type and at least one field;

at least one of the processors identifying, from the received financial data records, data records having the specified data type and having one or more fields that satisfy the one or more criteria, for electronic transfer through at least one of the interfaces to the user terminal; and

for each of the data records identified for electronic transfer to the user terminal, at least one of the processors mapping each respective record in accordance with mapping data, stored in the computer-readable medium, that is specific to a respective application program that is operable on the user terminal;

the mapping comprising at least one of (1) reordering fields within the record, (2) deleting at least one of the fields from the record, (3) adding one or more fields to the record, and (4) specifying a display format for use in displaying at least one of the fields of the record;

wherein;

mapping comprises placing fields within data records of a specified data type in an order specified for the user terminal and a first application, the first application being one of the application programs that is operable on the user terminal;

a first instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal;

a second instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal at the same time that the first instance is operating on the user terminal; and

the mapping comprises (1) a first mapping that specifies a first order in which fields are to be placed for the first instance and (2) a second mapping that specifies a second order, different from the first order, in which fields are to be placed for the second instance.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one of the processors within a computer system that comprises at least one processor and at least one interface that is operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, cause the computer system to perform a method of distributing data in one or more data records to users of a computer system, each record comprising a data type and at least one field that is distinct from the data type, each field comprising a value, the method comprising:

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from a first application operating on a user terminal, a filter for data records to be transmitted to the first application, the filter comprising a specification of a data type and one or more criteria that apply to at least one field;

receiving through at least one of the interfaces, from at least one data source, a plurality of financial data records, each record comprising a data type and at least one field;

at least one of the processors identifying, from the received financial data records, data records having the specified data type and having one or more fields that satisfy the one or more criteria, for electronic transfer through at least one of the interfaces to the user terminal; and

for each of the data records identified for electronic transfer to the user terminal, at least one of the processors mapping each respective record in accordance with mapping data, stored in the computer-readable medium, that is specific to a respective application program that is operable on the user terminal;

the mapping comprising at least two of (1) reordering fields within the record, (2) deleting at least one of the fields from the record, (3) adding one or more fields to the record, and (4) specifying a display format for use in displaying at least one of the fields of the record;

wherein;

a first instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal;

a second instance of the first application is operating on the user terminal at the same time that the first instance is operating on the user terminal; and

the mapping comprises (1) a first mapping that is specified for the first instance and (2) a second mapping, different from the first mapping, that is specified for second instance.