Online sales risk management system

• US 7,024,383 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2000
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Company (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anagnostopoulos, Effie Konstantine, Greener, Sharon, Mancini, Robert S., Rothman, Daniel J., Higgins, Mark, Godfrey, John Henry, Young, Paul M., Gunewardena, Arun M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, Alain L.
• Application Number:
  US09/526,606
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/37, 705/38
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• 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

A computer-implemented method for providing risk management for online transactions. An exchange price for a foreign currency relative to a base currency is entered into a host computer. The host computer will also receive data descriptive of one or more transactions involving the foreign currency that occurred within a predetermined time period. The data will include a transaction amount. Currency is exchanged according to the entered price and the transaction amounts contained in the data. A risk exposure for the predetermined time period can be calculated based upon an aggregate amount of currency involved in transactions during the predetermined time period. The risk exposure can be based upon market data relating to the price of the foreign currency. The present invention can be implemented to capture each transaction amount that relates to a sale occurring on an e-commerce site. Currency is automatically exchanged at the price entered for the local currency. Transactions can include an online sales transaction consummated over a computerized communications network, a retail transaction between a business and a retail customer, a business to business transaction, an online auction transaction or any other quantifiable transaction.

Claims

1. A computerized apparatus system for facilitating management of risk associated with conducting a transaction for at least one of goods and services, said transaction conducted in multiple currencies, and said computerized apparatus system comprising:

a host computer comprising a processor and a storage for digital data; and

executable software stored on the host computer storage and executable on demand, the software operative with the host computer processor to cause the host computer to;

store in the host computer storage digital data identifying a seller of at least one of;

goods and services;

store in the host computer storage digital data descriptive of a currency exchange price that relates a base currency to a foreign currency and which is effective for currency amounts involved in multiple transactions comprising at least one of goods and services, sold by the seller and based upon a projected amount of sales received;

indicate in the host computer storage a predetermined period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective for amounts exchanged as a result of multiple transactions involving the sale of at least one of;

goods and services, sold by the seller;

receive into the host computer storage digital data descriptive of multiple executed transactions, wherein the digital data descriptive of the multiple executed transactions comprises an indication that the transactions involved at least one of;

goods and services sold by the seller, and wherein the digital data additionally comprises an amount of foreign currency involved in the multiple transactions and the date each of the multiple transactions were executed;

determine that one or more of the executed transactions were executed during the period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective; and

calculate an amount of foreign currency to be exchanged according to the currency exchange price based upon the amount of foreign currency transacted in the one or more transactions executed during the period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective; and

an e-commerce participant computer comprising a processor and a storage; and

executable software stored on the e-commerce participant computer storage and executable on demand, the software operative with the e-commerce participant computer processor to cause the e-commerce participant computer to;

calculate the projected amount of sales which will be transacted by the seller during the period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective;

transmit the projected amount of sales to the host computer;

receive the currency exchange price that relates a base currency to a foreign currency which is effective for one or more transactions involving the sale of at least one of;

goods and services, sold by the seller; and

calculate a sale price for at least one of;

a good and service wherein the sale price is denominated in a foreign currency and based upon the currency exchange price.

2. The computerized apparatus system of claim 1 additionally comprising software operative with the e-commerce participant computer processor to cause the e-commerce participant computer to transmit an offer to sell the at least one of:

a good and service, for the calculated sale price denominated in a foreign currency and based upon the currency exchange price.

3. The computerized apparatus system of claim 1 additionally comprising software operative with the host computer processor to cause the host computer to determine a risk exposure for the time during which the currency exchange price is effective based upon the projected amount of sales which will be transacted by the seller.

4. The computerized apparatus system of claim 1 wherein the digital data descriptive of one or more executed transactions comprises data descriptive of each transaction executed on a particular website.

6. The computerized apparatus system of claim 1 wherein the software is additionally operative with the host computer processor to cause the host computer to:

indicate in the host computer storage a limit of an aggregate amount of currency which will be exchanged at the currency exchange price during the period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective;

track the aggregate amount of currency to be exchanged at the currency exchange price during the period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective; and

provide an indication of whether the limit of an aggregate amount of currency has been reached.

7. The computerized apparatus system of claim 1 wherein the software is additionally operative with the host computer processor to cause the host computer to:

receive digital data comprising a spot price for converting the foreign currency to the base currency from a foreign exchange market on each respective day that each of the one or more transactions is executed;

store the digital data comprising a spot price in the computer storage; and

compare the spot price to the currency exchange price effective for the one or more transactions.

5. A computerized apparatus system for facilitating management of risk associated with conducting a transaction for at least one of goods and services, said transaction conducted in multiple currencies, and said computerized apparatus system comprising:

a host computer comprising a processor and a storage for digital data; and

executable software stored on the host computer storage and executable on demand, the software operative with the host computer processor to cause the host computer to;

store in the host computer storage digital data identifying a seller of at least one of;

goods and services;

store in the host computer storage digital data descriptive of a currency exchange price that relates a base currency to a foreign currency and which is effective for currency amounts involved in multiple transactions comprising at least one of goods and services, sold by the seller;

indicate in the host computer storage a predetermined period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective for amounts exchanged as a result of multiple transactions involving the sale of at least one of;

goods and services, sold by the seller;

receive into the host computer storage digital data descriptive of multiple executed transactions, wherein the digital data descriptive of the multiple executed transactions comprises an indication that the transactions involved at least one of;

goods and services sold by the seller, and wherein the digital data additionally comprises an amount of foreign currency involved in the multiple transactions and the date each of the multiple transactions were executed;

determine that one or more of the executed transactions were executed during the period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective;

calculate an amount of foreign currency to be exchanged according to the currency exchange price based upon the amount of foreign currency transacted in the one or more transactions executed during the period of time during which the currency exchange price is effective;

receive into the host computer storage digital data descriptive of a projected amount of sales from one or more sellers; and

calculate a forward contract amount comprising an exchange of the base currency and the foreign currency, based upon an aggregate of the projected amounts of sales received.

8. A computer implemented method for managing the impact of foreign exchange on the sale of one or more of goods and services in an online transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving digital data into a computer storage, the digital data indicative of a currency exchange price that relates a cost to exchange a foreign currency into a base currency, wherein the currency exchange price will be adhered to by a currency exchange provider for currency amounts involved in multiple transactions comprising one or more of;

goods and services offered for sale by a particular seller;

storing digital data in the computer memory comprising a price for one or more of;

goods and services, wherein the price is denominated in the base currency;

inputting into the computer storage digital data comprising a predetermined period of time during which the currency exchange price will be adhered to by the currency exchange provider for currency amounts involved in one or more transactions comprising the one or more of;

goods and services offered for sale by the particular seller, and executed during the predetermined period of time;

calculating a selling price with a processor operative with executable software, the selling price comprising a price for the one or more of;

goods and services, denominated in the foreign currency and based upon the price for the one or more of;

goods and services denominated in the base currency and the currency exchange price; and

outputting digital data comprising an offer for sale for the one or more of;

goods and services, wherein the offer for sale comprises the selling price denominated in the foreign currency and an offer time period during which the offer for sale is available, wherein the offer time period is based upon the predetermined period of time during which the currency exchange price will be adhered to by the currency exchange provider;

calculating with the processor, a projected amount of currency involved in online sales executed by the seller during the period of time which the currency exchange price will be adhered to by a currency exchange provider; and

transmitting digital data to the currency exchange provider comprising the projected amount of currency involved in online sales during the period of time which the currency exchange price will be adhered to by the currency exchange provider, wherein the currency exchange price is based upon the projected amount of currency involved in online sales during the period of time which the currency exchange price will be adhered to by the currency exchange provider.