Some recently filed patent applications (not examined/granted yet, that means the full contents must be disclosed first even a patent is finally not granted) below: System for trading financial assets using volume weighted average price http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...&s1=20020194107&OS=20020194107&RS=20020194107 Artificial intelligence based trading system http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...&s1=20020128950&OS=20020128950&RS=20020128950
What's really sad is that the USPTO will probably actually grant the petitions for those ridiculous and frivolous "trading system" patents. Then the holders of the new patents will sue the CME/NYMEX/NYSE/etc. and every online broker for patent infringement. Then it'll have to be litigated and some stupid jury will grant damages and finally cause public outcry before the idiots at the PTO realize how stupid they were and invalidate the patents.
What if patent Bar Charts... I'll get a penny everytime a person pulls up or mentions Open-High-Low-Close of any given time.... Bwahahahahahahahahahaha
My patent is pending: System to automate frontrunning and backing away from bids/offers, no human intervention, thus no liability. Nice, huh.