Security token trading platform tZERO, a subsidiary of Overstock, has successfully filed a patent to integrate legacy trading systems with crypto exchanges. The patent was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on Jan 1.

The patent describes a “Crypto Integration Platform” capable of taking more traditional broker requests to trade items, such as securities and digital shares, and converts them into crypto orders on a crypto exchange. It also combines market information from a variety of sources to determine the best pricing for the digital asset involved in the transaction.

The system claims to secure the item to be traded and confirm the availability of funds for the trade before clearing and settling the transaction.

The filling explains that “the Crypto Integration Platform takes a protocol for trading and communication between broker-dealers, Alternative Trading Systems (“ATS”), and exchanges, and transforms the message so that the trade can be consummated using cryptographic techniques.”

The platform will also use blockchain technology to verify the ownership and availability of all items to be traded, notes the filing.

Overstock was recently reported to be the first company that will pay some of its taxes in Bitcoin this year.