Patent ID: 7590584

Claim:
A computer system for allowing a plurality of users to buy and sell virtual shares in a plurality of companies, which virtual shares allow users to buy and sell shares as book entries rather than actual transactions on the stock market, whereby, for any company, a virtual holding may be higher than, less than or the same as a virtual holding, the system comprising: (a) means for storing a record of the number of virtual shares held by each user in each company; (b) means for storing a record of the number of real shares held by the system in each company; (c) means for allowing the users to buy and sell virtual shares in a company of their choice, and for updating the record of the number of virtual shares held by each user; (d) means for determining, for each company, the difference between the total number of virtual shares held in that company by the users, and the number of real shares held in that company by the system; and (e) means for automatically buying or selling real shares externally of the system to reduce said difference, and for updating the record of the number of real shares held by the system in each company.