PACES Financial Structure for Flexible Stock Sale Timing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Companies face challenges in ensuring opportunities to sell stock at specified times due to limitations in existing financial instruments and technologies, which fail to provide flexible and efficient mechanisms for stock sales and purchases.

Innovation Solution

The development of a financial structure, known as PACES (Post-Arranged Collateralized Equity-Linked Securities), which combines post-paid and pre-paid forward contracts with debt instruments, allowing for the sale and purchase of stock with flexible terms, including variable share delivery and resettable interest rates, ensuring companies can sell stock at predetermined times while providing investors with yield and collateralization options.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If companies use existing financial instruments for stock sales, then stock transactions can occur, but flexibility in timing and pricing is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflexibility in stock sale timing and pricingVSAvoidcomplexity of financial instrument structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple financial instruments (forward contracts, options, debt securities) into a single integrated PACES structure. This merging allows the company to achieve flexible stock sale timing and pricing while presenting a unified financial product to investors, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The PACES structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a forward contract for future stock delivery, provides option-like flexibility for pricing adjustments, and functions as a debt security with interest payments. This multi-functionality enables the company to address various financial needs within a single instrument structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If companies provide fixed-term stock sale opportunities, then investors receive predictable returns, but companies lose opportunities to sell at optimal times

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepredictability of investment returnsVSAvoidability to sell stock at optimal times
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The PACES structure incorporates dynamic elements that allow terms to be adjusted based on market conditions. The forward contract price and stock delivery terms can be modified according to prevailing market prices, enabling the company to sell stock at optimal times while maintaining investor confidence through structured adjustment mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent allows key parameters of the financial instrument (such as strike prices, delivery dates, and share quantities) to be changed based on market conditions and company needs. This parameter flexibility enables the company to adapt to optimal selling opportunities while maintaining the core structure that provides investor predictability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of manufacture

If companies issue stock without collateralization, then issuance is simpler, but investor confidence and yield attractiveness decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesimplicity of stock issuanceVSAvoidinvestor confidence and yield attractiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The PACES structure requires preliminary collateralization actions to be taken before the stock sale is finalized. By establishing collateral positions and debt securities in advance, the company demonstrates commitment and reduces investor risk, thereby increasing confidence and yield attractiveness without significantly complicating the overall issuance process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS7788154B1Methods, systems and securities for assuring a company an opportunity to sell stock after a specified time
Publication Date: 2010.08.31 GOLDMAN SACHS & CO LLC

AI summary

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to methods, systems and securities for assuring a company an opportunity to sell stock (e.g., common stock) after a specified time. More particularly, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a security, comprising: (a) a post-paid forward contract between a first entity and a second entity, which post-paid forward contract obligates the second entity to purchase a fixed number of shares of stock of the first entity; (b) debt of the first entity; and (c) a pre-paid forward contract between the first entity and the second entity, which pre-paid forward contract obligates the second entity to deliver to the first entity a variable number of shares of stock in the first entity.