US Patent 8145557 Bid/offer spread trading

A bid/offer spread market is presented that allows a trader to increase liquidity in traded items. A bid/offer spread market maker may make a bid/offer spread market. This bid/offer spread market may be made available to any market participant. In response to the spread market, an aggressor may respond to a bid or an offer with a hit or a take, respectively. In response to the hit or the take, the aggressor or bid/offer spread market maker, respectively, may create a separate underlying market using the selected (bid or offer) spread within a specified amount of time. The other party, a bid/offer spread trader, may trade on the quoted price within a specified amount of time, at which point a trade has occurred.