Graphical representation of financial information

• US 8,659,605 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2013
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cary D. Perttunen
• Original Assignee: Cary D. Perttunen
• Inventors: Perttunen, Cary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US13/986,759
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/440, 345/619, 345/473, 705/37, 705/10, 705/38, 705/39, 705/80, 709/217, 709/219, 715/764, 715/853
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

A first region approximately shaped as a circle represents a first stock market index. A second region approximately shaped as an annular sector represents a second stock market index that is a parent of a third stock market index in a non-unary tree. A third region radially-adjacent the second region and approximately shaped as an annular sector represents a third stock market index. The third region has an arc angle that is approximately equal to an arc angle of the second region times a sum of market capitalization weights of the third stock market index and stock market indices that are descendents of the third stock market index in the tree divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of stock market indices that are descendents of the second stock market index in the tree. Each region has a respective color based on a price change of its respective index.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer-readable form of a non-unary tree that relates a plurality of stock market indices to a first stock market index, the plurality of stock market indices comprising a second stock market index and a third stock market index, wherein a first plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the first stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein a second plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein a third plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein the first stock market index is a parent of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, and wherein the second stock market index is a parent of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree;

at least one computer programmed to determine a visible representation based on the computer-readable form of the non-unary tree stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the visible representation comprising a first region approximately shaped as a circle to represent the first stock market index, a second region approximately shaped as an annular sector to represent the second stock market index, and a third region approximately shaped as an annular sector to represent the third stock market index, the second region being radially-adjacent the first region, the third region being radially-adjacent the second region, the third region having an arc angle that is approximately equal to an arc angle of the second region times a sum of market capitalization weights of the third stock market index and the third plurality of the plurality of stock market indices that are descendents of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the second plurality of the plurality of stock market indices that are descendents of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree; and

a display device that displays the visible representation determined by the at least one computer, wherein the first region is displayed with a first interior color that is based on a change in price of the first stock market index, wherein the second region is displayed with a second interior color that is based on a change in price of the second stock market index, and wherein the third region is displayed with a third interior color that is based on a change in price of the third stock market index.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first region approximately shaped as the circle has a radius approximately equal to an overall radius of the visible representation times a square root of a quotient of a market capitalization weight of the first stock market index divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the first stock market index and the plurality of stock market indices.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the third region is user-selectable to retrieve a quote associated with the third stock market index.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visible representation visually represents that a first price behavior of the first stock market index is more similar to a second price behavior of the second stock market index than to a third price behavior of the third stock market index by the second region being radially interposed between the first region and the third region.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the non-unary tree has a height of four.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first region approximately shaped as the circle has a radius approximately equal to an overall radius of the visible representation times a square root of a quotient of a market capitalization weight of the first stock market index divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the first stock market index and the plurality of stock market indices;

wherein the third region is user-selectable to retrieve a quote associated with the third stock market index; and

wherein the visible representation visually represents that a first price behavior of the first stock market index is more similar to a second price behavior of the second stock market index than to a third price behavior of the third stock market index by the second region being radially interposed between the first region and the third region.

7. A method comprising:

storing, in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a computer-readable form of a non-unary tree that relates a plurality of stock market indices to a first stock market index, the plurality of stock market indices comprising a second stock market index and a third stock market index, wherein a first plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the first stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein a second plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein a third plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein the first stock market index is a parent of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, and wherein the second stock market index is a parent of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree;

determining a visible representation based on the computer-readable form of the non-unary tree stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the visible representation comprising a first region approximately shaped as a circle to represent the first stock market index, a second region approximately shaped as an annular sector to represent the second stock market index, and a third region approximately shaped as an annular sector to represent the third stock market index, the second region being radially-adjacent the first region, the third region being radially-adjacent the second region, the third region having an arc angle that is approximately equal to an arc angle of the second region times a sum of market capitalization weights of the third stock market index and the third plurality of the plurality of stock market indices that are descendents of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the second plurality of the plurality of stock market indices that are descendents of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein said determining the visible representation is performed by at least one computer programmed to perform same; and

displaying the visible representation using a display device, wherein the first region is displayed with a first interior color that is based on a change in price of the first stock market index, wherein the second region is displayed with a second interior color that is based on a change in price of the second stock market index, and wherein the third region is displayed with a third interior color that is based on a change in price of the third stock market index.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first region approximately shaped as the circle has a radius approximately equal to an overall radius of the visible representation times a square root of a quotient of a market capitalization weight of the first stock market index divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the first stock market index and the plurality of stock market indices.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the third region is user-selectable to retrieve a quote associated with the third stock market index.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the visible representation visually represents that a first price behavior of the first stock market index is more similar to a second price behavior of the second stock market index than to a third price behavior of the third stock market index by the second region being radially interposed between the first region and the third region.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the non-unary tree has a height of four.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the first region approximately shaped as the circle has a radius approximately equal to an overall radius of the visible representation times a square root of a quotient of a market capitalization weight of the first stock market index divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the first stock market index and the plurality of stock market indices;

wherein the third region is user-selectable to retrieve a quote associated with the third stock market index; and

wherein the visible representation visually represents that a first price behavior of the first stock market index is more similar to a second price behavior of the second stock market index than to a third price behavior of the third stock market index by the second region being radially interposed between the first region and the third region.

13. A method comprising:

storing, in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a computer-readable form of a non-unary tree that relates a plurality of stock market indices to a first stock market index, the plurality of stock market indices comprising a second stock market index and a third stock market index, wherein a first plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the first stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein a second plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein a third plurality of the plurality of stock market indices are descendents of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein the first stock market index is a parent of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein the second stock market index is a parent of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree, and wherein the non-unary tree has a height of four;

determining a visible representation based on the computer-readable form of the non-unary tree stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the visible representation comprising a first region approximately shaped as a circle to represent the first stock market index, a second region approximately shaped as an annular sector to represent the second stock market index, and a third region approximately shaped as an annular sector to represent the third stock market index, the first region having a radius approximately equal to an overall radius of the visible representation times a square root of a quotient of a market capitalization weight of the first stock market index divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the first stock market index and the plurality of stock market indices, the second region being radially-adjacent the first region, the third region being radially-adjacent the second region, the visible representation visually representing that a first price behavior of the first stock market index is more similar to a second price behavior of the second stock market index than to a third price behavior of the third stock market index by the second region being radially interposed between the first region and the third region, the third region having an arc angle that is approximately equal to an arc angle of the second region times a sum of market capitalization weights of the third stock market index and the third plurality of the plurality of stock market indices that are descendents of the third stock market index in the non-unary tree divided by a sum of market capitalization weights of the second plurality of the plurality of stock market indices that are descendents of the second stock market index in the non-unary tree, wherein said determining the visible representation is performed by at least one computer programmed to perform same; and

displaying the visible representation using a display device, wherein the first region is displayed with a first interior color that is based on a change in price of the first stock market index, wherein the second region is displayed with a second interior color that is based on a change in price of the second stock market index, and wherein the third region is displayed with a third interior color that is based on a change in price of the third stock market index.