Systems and methods for retrieving data

Abstract

This invention relates to a computer-based method and apparatus for facilitating the retrieval, classification, and distribution of information. In one embodiment, a method for providing information relating to a topic comprises specifying a first and second topic, specifying a relationship between the two topics, receiving a first and second piece of information, associating the first piece of information with the first topic and the second piece of information with the second topic, requesting information associated with the first topic, and receiving the information associated with the first and second topics.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] This invention relates to computer-based methods and systems for retrieving, organizing, and distributing data and, more particularly, to computerized methods and systems for retrieving, organizing, and distributing financial research data. BACKGROUND INFORMATION [0002] The data available to individuals and institutions that monitor the global financial markets is wide-ranging. Investment professionals who may be responsible for monitoring a particular company or industry sector may receive thousands of individual information items each day. Some of these information items may be in well-formatted and categorized formats from reliable and well-known sources such as financial statements filed with a stock exchange or the Securities and Exchange Commission, whereas other information items may be in the form of informal correspondence such as email or instant message, phone conversations, or face to face meetings. Furthermore, the application of numerous internet...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] In general, the invention relates to computer based tools that allow investment professionals to associate information with a particular entity upon receipt, and to further facilitate the retrieval, update, and distribution of that information, either upon request or in real-time. Such tools allow investment professionals, who can be responsible for providing investment advice and / or making investment decisions, to identify and record the derivative influences affecting an investment through the use of an entity / relationship model where the entities represent any topic on which research can be conducted, and the relationships represent the influences the topics exert on one another. The investment professional can classify information according to one topic (which, for example, may be a legal entity, an industry, or other area of interest) and to define and modify relationships among numerous topics. The defined relationships allow an investment professional to query the system for information about one entity, and obtain in response “indirect” or “derivative” information associated with other entities that have defined relationships with the entity. The ability to receive, retrieve, and evaluate the data associated with the derivative topic may in turn give analysts an advantage in making investment decisions at any given time.

[0007] Such tools can facilitate the easy capture, storage, retrieval, and distribution of the great variety of information available to investment professionals in its various forms (e.g. email, instant message, document, newswire release, etc.) without an analyst having to remember or determine all of the numerous companies, industries, or entities to which the information might pertain. Such a system allows a user to quickly assign an information item to a primary entity (or other topic), and to use centrally stored relationships among the entities and rules governing the use of the relationship to determine if there are additional entities may be affected by the information.

[0008] Moreover, a system that stores the entities, the relationships, and the rules governing the use and creation of the relationships in a central database, while distributing access to view and modify the central entity / relationship model in real-time, can allow multiple users of the system to benefit from the combined knowledge and experience of all the current and previous users. In addition, if an individual analyst with specific knowledge were unavailable, the knowledge of the relationships between entities remains available to other users. Thus, relationships become institutional knowledge, and can be leveraged into productivity enhancements and a strategic advantage over other competing investment houses.

Problems solved by technology

Investment professionals must therefore be able analyze, in short periods of opportunity, historic information that is often difficult and time-consuming to recall or retrieve manually.

However, expanding the universe of relevant data to include these derivative influences often exponentially increases the volume of data an investment professional must review.

Further complicating the process, when an investment professional receives information pertaining to a particular investment, there may be numerous other investments that are indirectly affected by the information.

At the same time, the fundamental research basis of a firm's investment decisions are coming under greater scrutiny, and heightening the need for a clear research audit trail.

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