Virtual reality generator for use with financial information

Abstract

A virtual reality generator having an input module that receives as input financial information is disclosed. The virtual reality generator outputs to a display device a virtual reality world generated from the financial information. The financial information can be pre-processed by a financial analytic system prior to input to the virtual reality generator. The financial information can be received from a data file. The virtual reality generator can dynamically display and continuously update the virtual reality world. Further, movement through the virtual reality world can be simulated.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A virtual reality generator comprising an input module that receives as input financial information; and means for outputing to a display device a virtual reality world generated from the financial information.  
     
     
         2 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the financial information is pre-processed by a financial analytic system prior to input to the virtual reality generator.  
     
     
         3 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 2  wherein the financial analytic system pre-processes the financial information in real-time.  
     
     
         4 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the financial information is received from a data file.  
     
     
         5 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the financial information is received from a real-time data source.  
     
     
         6 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the display device is a monitor.  
     
     
         7 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the display device is a visual stereoscopic head-mounted display device.  
     
     
         8 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  further comprising means for dynamically displaying and continuously updating the virtual reality world.  
     
     
         9 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  further comprising means for simulating movement through the virtual reality world under the control of a control device.  
     
     
         10 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 9  wherein the control device is a trackball.  
     
     
         11 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 9  wherein the control device is a data glove.  
     
     
         12 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 9  wherein the control device is a binocular omni orientation monitor.  
     
     
         13 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 9  wherein the control device is a mouse.  
     
     
         14 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 9  wherein the control device is a wand.  
     
     
         15 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 9  wherein the control device is a joystick.  
     
     
         16 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 9  wherein the simulated movement is controlled by movement of a headset containing the display device.  
     
     
         17 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the virtual reality world comprises a plurality of metaphors, each one of the plurality of metaphors representing a subset of financial information.  
     
     
         18 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 17  wherein the plurality of metaphors are output for display as graphical primitives.  
     
     
         19 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 17  further comprising a user interface module controlling a window display, the window display enabling input of a plurality of parameters to define the characteristics of the plurality of metaphors.  
     
     
         20 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 19  wherein the plurality of parameters and the financial information determines the size, shape, color, and movement of each one of the plurality of metaphors.  
     
     
         21 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 19  wherein each one of the plurality of metaphors has a visual consistency and wherein a predetermined one of the plurality of parameters and the financial information determines the visual consistency of each one of the plurality of metaphors.  
     
     
         22 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 19  wherein each one of the plurality of metaphors has a texture and wherein a predetermined one of the plurality of parameters and the financial information determines the texture of each one of the plurality of metaphors.  
     
     
         23 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 17  wherein the plurality of metaphors are animated.  
     
     
         24 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the virtual reality world is defined by a configuration parameter set.  
     
     
         25 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 24  further comprising a memory wherein the configuration parameter set is stored in the memory.  
     
     
         26 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the financial information is pre-processed by a knowledge-base system prior to input to the virtual reality generator.  
     
     
         27 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 1  wherein the financial information is pre-processed by a neural network prior to input to the virtual reality generator.  
     
     
         28 . A virtual reality generator to display on a display device a stream of financial information received from a financial analytic system as a virtual reality world, the virtual reality generator comprising: 
 an input module to continuously receive the stream of financial information from the financial analytic; and    a virtual reality generator module including: 
 (i) means for generating and continuously modifying the virtual reality world so that the virtual reality world correspondingly represents the stream of financial information,  
 (ii) means for causing the virtual reality world to be displayed on the display device from a plurality of perspectives, and 
 (iii) means for simulating, on the display device, movement through the virtual reality world.  
 
   
     
     
         29 . A virtual reality generator to display on a display device financial information as a virtual reality world, the virtual reality generator comprising: 
 an input module to receive as input the financial information; and    a virtual reality generator module including: 
 (i) means for generating the virtual reality world representing the financial information,  
 (ii) means for causing the virtual reality world to be displayed on the display device from a plurality of perspectives, and  
 (iii) means for simulating, on the display device, movement through the virtual reality world.  
   
     
     
         30 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 29  wherein the input module receives the financial information from a real-time data source.  
     
     
         31 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 29  wherein the input module receives the financial information from a database.  
     
     
         32 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 29  wherein the input module receives the financial information from a real-time data source and a database.  
     
     
         33 . The virtual reality generator of any one of claims  29 ,  30 ,  31  or  32  wherein the financial information is pre-processed by an analytic system prior to receipt by the input module.  
     
     
         34 . A virtual reality generator to display financial information as a virtual reality world, the virtual reality generator comprising: 
 an input module receiving financial information from a financial analytic system;    a user interface module receiving as input a plurality of display parameters and a plurality of filter parameters, the user interface module modifying the financial information to comply with the plurality of filter parameters; and    a virtual reality generator module generating and continuously modifying a virtual reality world, the virtual reality world representing the modified financial information and satisfying the plurality of display parameters.    
     
     
         35 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the virtual reality generator module further comprises means for displaying the virtual reality world from a plurality of perspectives.  
     
     
         36 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the virtual reality generator module further comprises means for simulating movement in the virtual reality world.  
     
     
         37 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the modified financial information is displayed as a plurality of metaphors in the virtual reality world.  
     
     
         38 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the plurality of metaphors are geometric primitives.  
     
     
         39 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the plurality of metaphors are polygons.  
     
     
         40 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the plurality of metaphors are rotatable.  
     
     
         41 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the plurality of metaphors have variable luminance.  
     
     
         42 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein a subset of the plurality of metaphors is selected to rotate by a predetermined one of the plurality of display parameters, each metaphor in the subset generated by the virtual reality generator module such that it rotates.  
     
     
         43 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the plurality of metaphors have user defined textures.  
     
     
         44 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the plurality of metaphors are colored.  
     
     
         45 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 44  wherein the color of each of the plurality of metaphors is determined by a predetermined one of the plurality of display parameters.  
     
     
         46 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein a subset of the plurality of metaphors is selected to flash by a predetermined one of the plurality of display parameters, each metaphor in the subset generated by the virtual reality module such that it flashes.  
     
     
         47 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 35  wherein the plurality of display parameters comprise attributes of financial instruments.  
     
     
         48 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 35  wherein the user interface module includes means for displaying a simulated cockpit.  
     
     
         49 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 35  wherein the virtual reality world is divided into a grid of sub-regions.  
     
     
         50 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 49  wherein the virtual reality world represents the financial information for a single industry and each sub-region represents the financial information for the single industry in a plurality of markets.  
     
     
         51 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 49  wherein the virtual reality world represents the financial information for a single market and each sub-region represents the financial information for a plurality of industries in the single market.  
     
     
         52 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 49  wherein the virtual reality world represents the financial information for stocks, options and bonds in a single market and each sub-region represents the financial performance of the stocks, options and bonds having a predetermined expiration date in a predetermined industry group.  
     
     
         53 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the financial information comprises financial information concerning stocks.  
     
     
         54 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the financial information comprises financial information concerning bonds.  
     
     
         55 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the financial information comprises financial information concerning commodities.  
     
     
         56 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 53  wherein the virtual reality world comprises a plurality of metaphors representing a plurality of stocks, each one of the plurality of stocks displayed in the virtual reality world satisfying the filter parameters.  
     
     
         57 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 56  wherein each one of the plurality of metaphors have shape, size, position, behavior and color to represent financial information concerning one of the plurality of stocks.  
     
     
         58 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 43  wherein the user defined texture includes a logo.  
     
     
         59 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 35  wherein the virtual reality world is updated at least  30  times per second.  
     
     
         60 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 34  wherein the virtual reality generator module includes means for generating and simultaneously displaying a plurality of virtual reality worlds.  
     
     
         61 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 37  wherein the user interface module includes means for selecting one of the plurality of metaphors and wherein the virtual reality generator module includes means for displaying information relating to the selected one of the plurality of metaphors.  
     
     
         62 . The virtual reality generator of  claim 61  further comprising means for producing sounds relating to the selected one of the plurality of metaphors.  
     
     
         63 . A computer system to create a virtual reality world representing financial information, the computer system comprising 
 an input port receiving as input financial information;    a programmable processor coupled to the input port including means for generating the virtual reality world from the financial information;    a display device coupled to the programmable processor for displaying the virtual reality world; and    a control device coupled to the programmable processor to control display of and movement through the virtual reality world.    
     
     
         64 . The computer system of  claim 63  wherein the programmable processor is a microprocessor.  
     
     
         65 . The computer system of  claim 63  wherein the display device is at least a 20 inch, high resolution monitor.  
     
     
         66 . The computer system of  claim 63  wherein the display device is a headset.  
     
     
         67 . The computer system of  claim 63  wherein the control device is a trackball.  
     
     
         68 . The computer system of  claim 63  wherein the display device is a binocular omni orientation monitor.  
     
     
         69 . The computer system of  claim 63  wherein the control device is a dataglove.  
     
     
         70 . The computer system of  claim 63  wherein the means for generating the virtual reality world utilizes a plurality of object-oriented library functions.  
     
     
         71 . The computer system of  claim 70  wherein the plurality of object-oriented library functions generate the virtual reality world.  
     
     
         72 . The computer system of  claim 63  further comprising a memory device coupled to the programmable processor to store the virtual reality world.  
     
     
         73 . A virtual reality generator to generate a virtual reality world representing financial information, the virtual reality generator comprising: 
 an input module continuously receiving from a financial analytic system the financial information; and    a virtual reality generator module for generating and continuously modifying the virtual reality world such that the virtual reality world correspondingly represents the financial information.    
     
     
         74 . A virtual reality generator to display on a display device financial information as a virtual reality world, the virtual reality generator comprising: 
 means for receiving as input the financial information; and    a virtual reality generator module including means for 
 (i) generating the virtual reality world representing the financial information,  
 (ii) displaying on the display device a virtual reality world representing the financial information,  
 (iii) displaying the virtual reality world from a plurality of perspectives, and  
 (iv) simulating, on the display device, movement through the virtual reality world.  
   
     
     
         75 . A computer system to create a virtual reality world representing financial information, the computer system comprising 
 an input port receiving as input financial information;    a plurality of programmable processors coupled to coupled to the input port including means for generating the virtual reality world from the financial information;    a display device coupled to at least one of the plurality of programmable processors for displaying the virtual reality world in stereoscopic form; and    a control device coupled to at least one of the plurality of programmable processors to control display of and movement through the virtual reality world.    
     
     
         76 . A virtual reality generator comprising: 
 an input module to receive packets of financial information at regular predetermined intervals;    display means for displaying on a display device a virtual reality world generated from the financial information; and    processing means for updating the virtual reality world when a new packet of financial information is received by the input module.    
     
     
         77 . The virtual reality world of  claim 76  further comprising: 
 means for receiving input from a user; and  
 means for modifying the display on the display device in response to the input received from the user.  
 
     
     
         78 . A method for displaying and manipulating large quantities of financial information, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. receiving as input pre-processed financial information;    b. controllably selecting a part of the preprocessed financial information for display;    c. generating a virtual reality world from the financial information selected for display, the virtual reality world representing the financial information; and    d. displaying the virtual reality world.    
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 78  further comprising the steps of: 
 e. continuously updating the virtual reality world using the pre-processed financial information; and  
 f. simulating movement through the virtual reality world.  
 
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 78  further comprising the step of simulating movement through the virtual reality world.  
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 78  further comprising the steps of continuously updating the virtual reality world using the pre-processed financial information.  
     
     
         82 . A method for displaying and manipulating financial information, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. receiving as input the financial information;    b. generating a virtual reality world from the financial information, the virtual reality world representing the financial information; and    c. displaying the virtual reality world.    
     
     
         83 . The method of claim  82  further comprising the steps of: 
 d. continuously updating the virtual reality world using the financial information; and  
 e. simulating movement through the virtual reality world.  
 
     
     
         84 . A method for displaying and manipulating financial information, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. continuously receiving as input packets of financial information;    b. generating a virtual reality world from the packets of financial information, the virtual reality world representing the financial information;    c. displaying the virtual reality world    d. updating the virtual reality world when a packet of financial information is received; and    e. simulating movement through the virtual reality world.