Drawing system and drawing method

• US 20050240499A1
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Morita, Kensuke, Furusho, Naoki
• Application Number:
  US10/840,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240499A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A drawing of a system having plural components that are combined is formed based on components in a computer having a volatile memory and diagram data having drawings of the components. Information about the arrangement of the components on the drawing is received. Drawing information of the system is produced as a bitmap object by a processor of the computer, based on the received component arrangement information and the component diagram data. The volatile memory stores the bitmap object. The stored bitmap object is transmitted as an image.

Claims

1. A system for forming a drawing of a system having a plurality of components that are to be combined comprising:

a merchandise information provider terminal adapted to be responsive to component arrangement information used to arrange the components on the drawing, estimate information used to calculate prices of the components, and a drawing-functional component diagram used to draw drawings of the components;

a component arrangement information and estimate information database for storing the component arrangement information and the estimate information adapted to be entered at said merchandise information provider terminal;

a component diagram database for storing the drawing-functional component diagram entered at said merchandise information provider terminal;

a database server for transmitting the component arrangement information and the estimate information stored in said component arrangement information and estimate information database; and

a Web and application server for receiving a request and a condition, which are used to form a drawing, and for forming the drawing;

said Web and application server being arranged to;

(a) receive component arrangement information corresponding to the received condition from said database server, and (b) form the drawing of the system in which the components are to be combined based on said received component arrangement information and the drawing-purpose component diagram stored in said component diagram database.

2. A method of forming a drawing of a system in which a plurality of components are combined based on component diagram data having drawings of the respective components, the method being performed with a computer having a volatile memory and a processor, the method comprising:

receiving component arrangement information including an arrangement of the components on the drawing;

generating, by using the processor, drawing information of the system as a bitmap object based on the received component arrangement information and the component diagram data; and

storing the bitmap object in the volatile memory.

3. The method of claim 2 further including transmitting the bitmap object stored in the volatile memory.

4. A method of forming a drawing of a system as claimed in claim 3 wherein:

said step of transmitting said bitmap object includes transmitting said bitmap object by streaming.

5. A method of forming a drawing of a system as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

said component arrangement information and said component diagram data are independent of each other.

6. A method of forming a drawing of a system as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

said component arrangement information includes the coordinates of a component, the size of the drawing, the scale of the drawing, an image frame, and a dimensional line.

7. A method of forming a drawing of a system as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

forming drawing information of the system as a drawing file.

8. A method of forming a drawing of a system as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

the drawing information of said system is a perspective view.

9. A method of forming a written estimate of a system in which a plurality of components are combined based on component diagram data having drawings of the respective components and price data having price information of the respective components, the method being performed with in a computer having a volatile memory and a processor, comprising:

receiving component arrangement information including an arrangement of the components on a drawing;

generating, by using the processor, drawing information of the system as a bitmap object based on the received component arrangement information and the component diagram data;

storing the bit map object in the volatile memory; and

generating, by using the processor, estimate information of the system based on said received component arrangement information and said price data.

10. The method according to claim 9 further including

transmitting the bitmap object stored in said volatile memory;

and

transmitting the estimate information of said system.

11. A method of forming a written estimate of a system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising:

storing the generated estimate information and an identification number that specifies said estimate information, whereby the written estimate can be retrieved.

12. A drawing of a system in which a plurality of components are combined, the drawing having been formed in a computer having a volatile memory and a processor based on component diagram data having drawings of the respective components;

said system drawing being formed by;

receiving component arrangement information including an arrangement of the components on a drawing;

generating, by the processor, drawing information of the system as a bitmap object based on the received component arrangement information and the component drawing data;

storing the bitmap object in the volatile memory; and

transmitting the bitmap object stored by the volatile memory.

13. A written estimate of a system in which a plurality of components are combined with each other, the system being formed in a computer having a volatile memory and a processor based on component diagram data having drawings of the respective components and price data having price information of the respective components;

said written estimate being formed by;

receiving component arrangement information including an arrangement of the components on a drawing;

generating, by using the processor, drawing information of the system as a bitmap object based on the received component arrangement information and the component drawing data;

storing the bit map object;

generating, by using the processor, estimate information of the system based on said received component arrangement information and said price data;

transmitting the bitmap object stored in the volatile memory; and

transmitting the estimate information of said system.

14. A computer program product for enabling a computer having a volatile memory and a processor to form a drawing of a system in which a plurality of components are combined with each other based on component diagram data having drawings of the respective components, the computer program product causing the computer to execute the steps of:

receiving component arrangement information including an arrangement of the components on the drawing;

producing, by the processor, drawing information of the system as a bitmap object based on the received component arrangement information and the component drawing data; and

storing the bit map object in the volatile memory.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the product causes the computer to perform the step of

transmitting the bitmap object stored by said volatile memory.

16. A data structure used to display, on a terminal apparatus, a written estimate of a system in which a plurality of components are combined based on (a) component diagram data having drawings of the respective components and (b) price data having price information of the respective components, the data structure being in a computer and comprising:

drawing information of the system which has been generated as a bitmap object based on component arrangement information for the arrangement of the components on the drawing and the component diagram data; and

cost estimate information of the system which has been generated based on said component arrangement information and said price data.

17. A data structure used to display, on a terminal apparatus, a written estimate of a system in which a plurality of components are combined based on (a) component diagram data having drawings of the respective components and (b) price data having price information of the respective components, the data structure being in a computer and comprising:

drawing information of the system including a bitmap object including component arrangement information for the arrangement of the components on the drawing and the component diagram data; and

cost estimate information of the system including costs of said component arrangement and said price data.