US Patent 7917418 Efficient data dissemination for financial instruments

An efficient data dissemination method and system for disseminating financial information is disclosed. The system and method designate instruments listed on a reporting market center that have not traded within a pre-defined time period as “dark.” The information for instruments designated as “dark” is suppressed and not reported to the market, through data consolidators, until the instrument trades again or is manually overridden.