Systems and methods for providing price axes

Abstract

The invention relates to systems and methods that provide a user interface for use with an electronic trading system. The interface displays a bid price axis and an ask price axis, as well as corresponding sizes, and an indication of the inside market. When the inside market changes in response to changing market conditions, the indication of the inside market changes locations before being restored to its original location by shifting the bid and ask prices in a direction parallel to the bid or ask price axis. The user may enter trade commands at different price levels using an input device. In order to help prevent such trade commands from being entered at erroneous price levels, the system locks a pointer associated with the input device to a price the user points to during the shifting process, unless the pointer is moved away from that price.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method comprising:
 controlling, by at least one processor of a computer:   displaying, over a communication network, on a display of a remote computing device, a plurality of bid prices along a first axis and a plurality of ask prices along a second axis, and an indication of an inside market among the bid and ask prices in a central display location along the first and second axes;   in response to the inside market changing from a first of the plurality of bid prices and a first of the plurality of ask prices to at least one of a second of the plurality of bid prices and a second of the plurality of ask prices, displaying, over the communication network, on the display of the remote computing device, the indication of the inside market in a second location along the first and second axes corresponding to a display location of the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, the second location being different than the central display location;   receiving, over the communication network, real time trade information indicating market activities including a first market activity; and   automatically, in real time in response to the change to the inside market, over the communication network, shifting at least one of the plurality of bid prices along the first axis of the display and the plurality of ask prices along the second axis of the display, the shifting comprising:
 displaying (1) the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, and (2) the indication of the inside market, at a third location at least part of a way between the second location and the central display location, the third location being different than the second and central display locations; and 
 displaying (1) the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, and (2) the indication of the inside market, at the central display location, 
   wherein the shifting of the at least one of the plurality of bid prices and the plurality of ask prices (i) is at a varying speed including a first speed before a first market activity occurs and a second speed different from the first speed after the first market activity occurs and (ii) substantially continuously in real time maintains the display location of the indication of the inside market at or near the central display location;   wherein the display includes a pointer associated with a mouse;   when the inside market changes at a time when the pointer is pointing to one of the prices on one of the axes, as the shifting of the plurality of bid and ask prices occurs, maintaining the pointer at the pointed-to price by repositioning the pointer on the display; and   in response to receiving a click from the mouse, generating an order to buy or sell at the pointed-to price.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the second axis is parallel to but not collinear with the first axis. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the first and second axes are the same axis. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the first and second axes are curved axes. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising, when shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices, displaying along the first and second axes one or more bid and ask prices that were not displayed on the display immediately before the shifting. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2  wherein shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices comprises shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices on a pixel by pixel basis on the display. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2  wherein shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices comprises transitioning the plurality of bid and ask prices on a cell by cell basis. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2  wherein shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices occurs at a particular speed. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said particular speed is set by a user of the computer display. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said second speed is less than the first speed and a change of speed from the first speed to the second occurs when a user of the computer display enters a command to trade. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2  wherein shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices occurs at a slower speed when a pointer associated with an input device is pointing to one of the plurality of bid and ask prices than when the pointer is not pointing to any of the plurality of bid and ask prices. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2  wherein:
 the shifting to maintain the display location of the inside market is at an amount that is a ratio less than one of a distance by which the display location of the inside market changes. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising receiving a command to trade from a user. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising, substantially at the same time as shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices, repositioning a pointer associated with an input device associated with the display such that the pointer is pointing to a price previously pointed to prior to the change in the inside market. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising controlling, by the at least one processor, displaying, over the communication network, on the display a plurality of sizes along a third axis that is parallel to but not collinear with the first axis, wherein at least one of the plurality of sizes corresponds to at least one order for a price displayed in a location along the first axis that is aligned with a location of the at least one of the plurality of sizes. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising controlling, by the at least one processor, displaying, over the communication network, on the display a second plurality of sizes along a fourth axis that is parallel to but not collinear with the second axis, wherein at least one of the second plurality of sizes corresponds to at least one order for a price displayed in a location along the second axis that is aligned with a location of the at least one of the second plurality of sizes. 
     
     
         18 . A method for displaying market information, the method comprising:
 controlling, by at least one processor of a computer:   displaying, over a communication network, on a display of a remote computing device, a plurality of bid prices along a first axis and a plurality of ask prices along a second axis;   displaying, over the communication network, on the display an indication of an inside market in a first location along the first and second axes;   in response to the inside market changing from a first of the plurality of bid prices and a first of the plurality of ask prices to at least one of a second of the plurality of bid prices and a second of the plurality of ask prices, over the communication network, on the display of the remote computing device, displaying the indication of the inside market in a second location along the first and second axes corresponding to a display location of the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, the second location being different than the first location;   receiving, over the communication network, real time trade information indicating market activities including a first market activity;   following the displaying of the indication of the inside market in the second location, in real time in response to the change to the inside market, over the communication network, shifting at least one of the plurality of bid prices along the first axis and the plurality of ask prices along the second axis of the display, the shifting comprising:
 displaying on the display (1) the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, and (2) the indication of the inside market, at a third location at least part of a way between the second location and the first location, the third location being different than the second and first locations; and 
 displaying on the display (1) the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, and (2) the indication of the inside market, at the first location, 
   wherein the shifting is at a varying speed including a first speed before a first market activity occurs and a second speed different from the first speed after the first market activity occurs;   substantially at the same time as shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices, in real time repositioning a pointer associated with an input device on the display such that the pointer is pointing to a price previously pointed to prior to the change in the inside market;   wherein the display includes a pointer associated with a mouse;   when the inside market changes at a time when the pointer is pointing to one of the prices on one of the axes, as the shifting of the plurality of bid and ask prices occurs, maintaining the pointer at the pointed-to price by repositioning the pointer on the display; and   in response to receiving a click from the mouse, generating an order to buy or sell at the pointed-to price.   
     
     
         19 . A system for displaying market information, the system comprising:
 a server computer adapted to distribute, over a communication network, a plurality of bid and ask prices associated with an item to a plurality of workstations that are coupled to the server, each of the plurality of workstations displaying a user interface, the server computer including at least one processor configured to control to:
 displaying, over the communication network, on a display of at least one of the workstations as a remote computing device a plurality of bid prices along a first axis and a plurality of ask prices along a second axis, including an indication of an inside market among the bid and ask prices in a central display location along the first and second axes; 
 in response to the inside market changing from a first of the plurality of bid prices and a first of the plurality of ask prices to at least one of a second of the plurality of bid prices and a second of the plurality of ask prices, displaying, over the communication network, on the display, the indication of the inside market in a second location along the first and second axes corresponding to a display location of the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, the second location being different than the central display location; 
 receiving, over the communication network, real time trade information indicating market activities including a first market activity; and 
 automatically, in real time in response to the change to the inside market, over the communication network, shifting at least one of the plurality of bid prices along the first axis of the display and the plurality of ask prices along the second axis of the display, the shifting comprising:
 displaying (1) the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, and (2) the indication of the inside market, at a third location at least part of a way between the second location and the central display location, the third location being different than the second and central display locations; and 
 displaying (1) the at least one of the second of the plurality of bid prices and the second of the plurality of ask prices, and (2) the indication of the inside market, at the central display location, 
 
 wherein the shifting of the least one of the plurality of bid prices and the plurality of ask prices maintains the display location of the indication of the inside market at or near the central display location, the shifting being (i) is at a varying speed including a first speed before a first market activity occurs and a second speed different from the first speed after the first market activity occurs and (ii) substantially continuous in real time to appear visually smooth; and 
 substantially at the same time as shifting the plurality of bid and ask prices, maintaining a display pointer associated with an input device to point at the same price on one of the axes as the pointer pointed to before the change in the inside market, by in real time repositioning the input device pointer on the display; 
 wherein the display includes a pointer associated with a mouse; 
 when the inside market changes at a time when the pointer is pointing to one of the prices on one of the axes, as the shifting of the plurality of bid and ask prices occurs; 
 maintaining the pointer at the pointed-to price by repositioning the pointer on the display; and 
 in response to receiving a click from the mouse, generating an order to buy or sell at the pointed-to price.