US 7,013,291 B1Granted

Financial instrument filtering system and method therefor

OwnerPaul T. Greeninventor

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Abstract

A user interactive apparatus for searching a universe of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, funds and the like. The search is conducted with a filtering process that involves performing n filter passes of the universe with a computer system having a viewing screen, an input device and an investment selection program. The filter condition for each filter is from a plurality of parameter limiters and a plurality of investment parameters. The pluralities of criteria and of parameters are presented in one area of the viewing screen. The program enables a user to select the filter condition for the ith filter pass from the displayed criteria and parameters by operation of the input device. A histogram is then displayed in a second area of the viewing screen as an aid to the user in making filter condition selections. The histogram shows the population of financial instruments in different frequency of occurrence categories for the user selections. The ith filter pass is execute d upon a command provided in response to user operation of the input device. The process is repeated until the nth filter pass has been performed.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of searching a universe of financial instruments by performing n filter passes of said universe with a computer having a processor, a memory, a viewing screen and a computer input device, each said filter pass having a filter condition, said method comprising:

configuring said computer based on a search procedure to perform steps comprising:
(a) displaying on said viewing screen a plurality of filter criteria, at least one of said filter criteria being selectable by user operation of said computer input device as a proposed filter condition of an ith filter pass, where i is any integer from 1 to n, said proposed filter condition including (a) said at least one filter criteria selected by user operation of said computer input device and (b) all filter conditions for previously performed ones of said filter passes;
(b) in response to a selection of said at least one filter criteria, filtering said universe of financial instruments based on said proposed filter condition to provide a proposed filter output;
(c) displaying on said viewing screen a histogram based upon said proposed filter output, wherein said histogram includes an ordinate and an abscissa, one of which represents a number of financial instruments and the other of which represents frequency of occurrence categories of said financial instruments;
(d) if said user makes an additional filter criteria selection to provide a modified proposed filter output, repeating steps (b) and (c) based on said modified proposed filter output, wherein said histogram is modified based on said modified proposed filter output;
(e) executing said ith filter pass based on said proposed filter output or said modified proposed filter output in response to a run command generated by user operation of said computer input device;
and
(f) repeating steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) until the nth filter pass has been performed.

5 more elements

A memory media that is capable of controlling a computer to search a universe of financial instruments by performing n filter passes of said universe, said computer having a viewing screen and a computer input device, each said filter pass employing a filter condition, said memory media comprising:

a search procedure that is capable of controlling said computer to perform the following steps:
(a) displaying on said viewing screen a plurality of filter criteria, said filter criteria being selectable by user operation of said computer input device as a proposed filter condition of an ith filter pass, where i is an integer from 1 to n, said proposed filter condition including (i) at least one investment parameter selected by user operation of said computer input device and (ii) all filter conditions for previously performed ones of said filter passes;
(b) in response to a selection of said at least one filter criteria, filtering said universe of financial instruments based on said proposed filter condition to provide a proposed filter output;
(c) displaying on said viewing screen a histogram based upon said proposed filter output, wherein said histogram includes an ordinate and an abscissa, one of which represents a number of financial instruments and the other of which represents frequency of occurrence categories of said financial instruments;
(d) if said user makes an additional filter criteria selection to provide a modified proposed filter output, repeating steps (b) and (c) based on said modified proposed filter output, wherein said histogram is modified based on said modified proposed filter output;
(e) executing said ith filter pass based on said proposed filter output or said modified proposed filter output in response to a run command generated by user operation of said computer input device;
and
(f) repeating steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) to repeat until the nth filter pass has been performed.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/389,939Filed 3 Sep 1999 · us provisional application
Priority: 4 Sep 1998
Granted: 14 Mar 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G06Q 40/06
Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes: asset management; Financial planning or analysis
G06Q 40/123
Accounting: tax preparation or submission
G06Q
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial