System and method for identification of quasi-fungible goods and services, and financial instruments based thereon

Abstract

A machine for determining and creating underlying instruments for products and managing inventory, including a system and method including selecting a reference item, selecting a specification of the reference item, evaluating the specification against alternatives to the reference item, determining interchangeability between the reference item and alternatives based on evaluating of the specification in relation to alternatives, where determining of interchangeability is based on or includes determining at least one of quasi-fungibility and quasi-anti-fungibility. The machine and the said system and method further includes forming at least one set based on the determined interchangeability and determining or creating a product or managing an inventory based on or including at least one of the set and at least one member of the set. The machine can determine tangible and intangible products and inventories, including manufactured products, financial instruments, and events and outcomes.

1 .- 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A machine comprising one or more of:
 a computer processor;   a computer memory operatively connected to the computer processor;   a data storage device comprising a data store, wherein the data storage device and the data store can be queried by the computer processor; and   a computer readable medium operatively connected to the computer processor and comprising machine readable program code embodied therein for controlling the machine and directing the machine to form at least one set, wherein at least one of the set and at least one member of the set comprises a potential underlying instrument for at least one of determining a product and creating a product, the forming, the determining, and the creating comprises:
 selecting a reference item; 
 selecting a specification of the reference item; 
 evaluating the specification against one or more alternatives to the reference item; 
 determining interchangeability between the reference item and the one or more alternatives to the reference item based on the evaluating,
 wherein the determining of interchangeability is based on or comprises determining at least one of quasi-fungibility and quasi-anti-fungibility, 
 wherein quasi-fungibility comprises a degree to which at least one of the one or more alternatives to the reference item is interchangeable with the reference item based on at least one of a use and an application of at least one of the reference and one or more alternatives to the reference, and 
 wherein quasi-anti-fungibility comprises a degree to which at least one of the one or more alternatives to the reference item comprises at least one of a concept, an attribute, a property, and an element anti to at least one of a concept, an attribute, and an element of the reference item; 
 
 forming at least one set based on the determined interchangeability; and 
 at least one of determining a product and creating a product based on or comprising at least one of the set and at least one member of the set. 
   
     
     
         36 . The machine of  claim 35 , wherein the reference is tangible. 
     
     
         37 . The machine of  claim 35 , wherein the product is one selected from a group consisting of tangible and intangible. 
     
     
         38 . The machine of  claim 35 , wherein the step of at least one of determining the product and creating the product further comprises or is based on a manufacturing product. 
     
     
         39 . The machine of  claim 35 , wherein at least one of the reference item and at least one alternative to the reference item comprises a person and a skill set and wherein the product comprises an alternative to the reference item. 
     
     
         40 . The machine of  claim 35 , wherein the product is a financial product. 
     
     
         41 . An inventory management machine comprising one or more of:
 a computer processor;   a computer memory operatively connected to the computer processor;   a data storage device comprising a data store, wherein the data storage device and the data store can be queried by the computer processor; and   a computer readable medium operatively connected to the computer processor and comprising machine readable program code embodied therein for controlling the machine and directing the machine to form at least one set, wherein at least one of the set and at least one member of the set comprises a potential underlying instrument for at least one of determining a product and creating a product, the forming, the determining, and the creating comprises:
 selecting a reference item; 
 selecting a specification of the reference item; 
 evaluating the specification against one or more alternatives to the reference item; 
 determining interchangeability between the reference item and the one or more alternatives to the reference item based on the evaluating,
 wherein the determining of interchangeability is based on or comprises determining at least one of quasi-fungibility and quasi-anti-fungibility, 
 wherein quasi-fungibility comprises a degree to which at least one of the one or more alternatives to the reference item is interchangeable with the reference item based on at least one of a use and an application of at least one of the reference and one or more of the alternatives to the reference item, and 
 wherein quasi-anti-fungibility comprises a degree to which at least one of the one or more alternatives to the reference item comprises at least one of a concept, an attribute, a property, and an element anti to at least one of a concept, an attribute, and an element of the reference item; 
 
 forming at least one set based on the determined interchangeability; and 
 at least one of determining an optimized inventory and creating an optimized inventory based on or comprising at least one of the set and at least one member of the set. 
   
     
     
         42 . The machine of  claim 41 , wherein the reference is tangible. 
     
     
         43 . The machine of  claim 41 , wherein the inventory is one selected from a group consisting of tangible and intangible. 
     
     
         44 . The machine of  claim 41 , wherein at least one of determining the optimized inventory and creating the optimized inventory further comprises manufacturing a product based on or comprising said inventory. 
     
     
         45 . The machine of  claim 41 , wherein at least one of the reference item and at least one alternative to the reference item comprise one or more persons and one or more skill sets and wherein the at least one of the determining of the optimized inventory and the creation of the optimized inventory comprises or is based on an inventory of people and skill sets. 
     
     
         46 . The machine of  claim 41 , further comprising: at least one of determining a financial product and creating a financial product based on or comprising at least one of the determined optimized inventory and the created optimized inventory. 
     
     
         47 . A financial product machine, comprising:
 a computer processor;   a computer memory operatively connected to the computer processor;   a data storage device comprising a data store, wherein the data storage device and the data store can be queried by the computer processor; and   a computer readable medium operatively connected to the computer processor and comprising machine readable program code embodied therein for controlling the machine and directing the machine to form at least one set, wherein at least one of the set and at least one member of the set comprises a potential underlying instrument for at least one of determining a product and creating a product, the forming, the determining, and the creating comprising:
 selecting a reference item; 
 selecting a specification of the reference item; 
 evaluating the specification against one or more alternatives to the reference item; 
 determining interchangeability between the reference item and the one or more alternatives to the reference item based on the evaluating,
 wherein the determining of interchangeability is based on or comprises determining at least one of quasi-fungibility and quasi-anti-fungibility, 
 wherein quasi-fungibility comprises a degree to which at least one of the one or more alternatives to the reference item is interchangeable with the reference item based on at least one of a use and an application of at least one of the reference and one or more alternatives to the reference item, and 
 wherein quasi-anti-fungibility comprises a degree to which at least one of the one or more alternatives to the reference item comprises at least one of a concept, an attribute, a property, and an element anti to at least one of a concept, an attribute, and an element of the reference item; 
 
 forming at least one set based on the determined interchangeability; and 
 at least one of determining a financial product and creating a financial product based on or comprising at least one of the set and at least one member of the set. 
   
     
     
         48 . The machine of  claim 47 , wherein the reference is tangible. 
     
     
         49 . The machine of  claim 47 , wherein the product is one selected from a group consisting of tangible and intangible. 
     
     
         50 . The machine of  claim 47 , wherein at least one of determining the product and creating the product further comprises or is based on manufacturing the product. 
     
     
         51 . The machine of  claim 47 , wherein at least one of the reference item and at least one alternative to the reference item comprises a person and a skill set and wherein the product comprises at least one alternative to the reference item. 
     
     
         52 . The machine of  claim 51 , wherein at least one the reference item and at least one alternative to the reference item comprises at least one of an event and at least one outcome of an event. 
     
     
         53 . The machine of  claim 52 , wherein at least one of the event and the outcome to an event further comprises at least one of a human caused event and a naturally occurring event.