Model for managing variations in a product structure for a product
First Claim
1. A data processing system for reducing an amount of data storage used to capture variations in a product structure, relative to storing each variation individually, by managing variations in a product structure for a product, the data processing system comprising:
- a processor; and
a non-transitory computer recordable storage medium in communication with the processor and storing a model, the model comprising;
a primary hierarchical organization comprising a group of domain master objects, a main structure, and a number of instantiated structures, wherein at least one domain master object in the main structure is associated with an instantiated structure in the number of instantiated structures, the group of domain master objects comprising a number of objects considered necessary in a product structure; and
a number of optimized product variant structures comprising a group of domain configuration objects in which each domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects represents a configuration for a component represented by a corresponding domain master object in the group of domain master objects, wherein the number of optimized product variant structures is a number of secondary hierarchical organizations in which each secondary hierarchical organization in the number of secondary hierarchical organizations is associated with the primary hierarchical organization and configured to represent a variant of the product and wherein a number of domain configuration objects in the each secondary hierarchical organization represents a number of variations in the product structure for the product; and
wherein the group of domain master objects and the group of domain configuration objects belong to domain classes derived from fundamental classes, wherein a domain master object in the group of domain master objects is selected from one of a domain definition object, a domain usage object, and a domain occurrence object, and wherein a domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects is selected from one of a definition configuration object, a usage configuration object, and a usage configuration object; and
the processor configured to modify the non-transitory computer recordable storage medium by being configured to add a secondary hierarchical organization to the model for a new variant of the product and to nest the number of secondary hierarchical organizations within the primary hierarchical organization, whereby a first amount of data storage used to store the model in the non-transitory computer recordable storage medium is less than a second amount of data storage which would be used to store individually the number of variations in the model.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for managing variations in a product structure for a product. In one illustrative embodiment, a product management system for managing variations in a product structure for a product comprises a model. The model comprises a primary hierarchical organization and a number of optimized product variant structures. The primary hierarchical organization comprises a group of domain master objects. The number of optimized product variant structures comprises a group of domain configuration objects in which each domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects represents a configuration for a component represented by a corresponding domain master object in the group of domain master objects.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A data processing system for reducing an amount of data storage used to capture variations in a product structure, relative to storing each variation individually, by managing variations in a product structure for a product, the data processing system comprising:
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a processor; and a non-transitory computer recordable storage medium in communication with the processor and storing a model, the model comprising; a primary hierarchical organization comprising a group of domain master objects, a main structure, and a number of instantiated structures, wherein at least one domain master object in the main structure is associated with an instantiated structure in the number of instantiated structures, the group of domain master objects comprising a number of objects considered necessary in a product structure; and a number of optimized product variant structures comprising a group of domain configuration objects in which each domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects represents a configuration for a component represented by a corresponding domain master object in the group of domain master objects, wherein the number of optimized product variant structures is a number of secondary hierarchical organizations in which each secondary hierarchical organization in the number of secondary hierarchical organizations is associated with the primary hierarchical organization and configured to represent a variant of the product and wherein a number of domain configuration objects in the each secondary hierarchical organization represents a number of variations in the product structure for the product; and wherein the group of domain master objects and the group of domain configuration objects belong to domain classes derived from fundamental classes, wherein a domain master object in the group of domain master objects is selected from one of a domain definition object, a domain usage object, and a domain occurrence object, and wherein a domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects is selected from one of a definition configuration object, a usage configuration object, and a usage configuration object; and the processor configured to modify the non-transitory computer recordable storage medium by being configured to add a secondary hierarchical organization to the model for a new variant of the product and to nest the number of secondary hierarchical organizations within the primary hierarchical organization, whereby a first amount of data storage used to store the model in the non-transitory computer recordable storage medium is less than a second amount of data storage which would be used to store individually the number of variations in the model. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for reducing an amount of data storage used to capture variations in a product structure, relative to storing each variation individually, by managing variations in a product structure for a product, the apparatus comprising:
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a data processing system storing a model, the model comprising; a primary hierarchical organization comprising a group of domain master objects in which a domain master object in the group of domain master objects belongs to a domain master class derived from a corresponding fundamental class, the group of domain master objects comprising a number of objects considered necessary in a product structure; and a number of optimized product variant structures comprising a group of domain configuration objects in which a domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects belongs to a domain configuration class derived from the corresponding fundamental class, wherein each domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects represents a configuration for a component represented by a corresponding domain master object in the group of domain master objects, wherein the number of optimized product variant structures is a number of secondary hierarchical organizations in which each secondary hierarchical organization in the number of secondary hierarchical organizations is associated with the primary hierarchical organization and configured to represent a variant of the product and wherein a number of domain configuration objects in the each secondary hierarchical organization represents a number of variations in the product structure for the product; wherein the group of domain master objects and the group of domain configuration objects belong to domain classes derived from fundamental classes, wherein a domain master object in the group of domain master objects is selected from one of a domain definition object, a domain usage object, and a domain occurrence object, and wherein a domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects is selected from one of a definition configuration object, a usage configuration object, and a usage configuration object; the data processing system configured to add a secondary hierarchical organization to the model for a new variant of the product and to nest the number of secondary hierarchical organizations within the primary hierarchical organization, whereby a first amount of data storage used to store the model in the data processing system is less than a second amount of data storage which would be used to store individually the number of variations in the model. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A computer-implemented method for reducing an amount of data storage used to capture variations in a product structure, relative to storing each variation individually, by managing variations in a product structure for a product, the method comprising:
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creating on a data processing system a primary hierarchical organization for a model of the product structure for the product using a group of domain master objects, the group of domain master objects comprising a number of objects considered necessary in a product structure; creating a number of optimized product variant structures for the model using a group of domain configuration objects in which each domain configuration object in the group of domain configuration objects represents a configuration for a component represented by a corresponding domain master object in the group of domain master objects; storing on a storage device in communication with the data processing system, at least one of the primary hierarchical organization and the number of optimized product variant structures store in the storage device, wherein an optimized model is formed, and whereby a first amount of data storage used to store the optimized model in the storage device is less than a second amount of data storage which would be used to store individually the number of variations in the optimized model. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification