Computer method and apparatus for engineered product management using a project view and a visual grammar

• US 20090083102A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oculus Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Oculus Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Wall, Timothy R., Aucott, Andrew, Wall, Matthew B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

Computer method and apparatus managing software configuration revisions. A repository holds one or more assets. For each asset, the repository holds respective revisions of the asset. A revision manager tracks changes of state of assets of the repository. Each change of state of a given asset results in a respective revision of the given asset. The revision manager provides a project view illustrating for a set of assets (i) changes of state of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions. In this way, i.e., via the project view, the present invention revision manager enables users to manage assets and revisions. The revision manager renders the project view in one mode illustrating changes made to the assets (state changes) in order of time, and in another mode illustrating changes made to the assets (state changes) in order of sequence of revisions. The revision manager may render the project view effectively overlaid or otherwise combined with project planning and scheduling information. The revision manager employs a visual grammar in providing and generating the project view. The visual grammar employs: lines to indicate branches, a certain polygon to represent tags, a shaded or filled circles to represent commit points, and dashed lines to show where assets are copied from one state to another, merging of changes from one branch to another, and deletion/creation of branches and assets.

Claims

1. Computer apparatus for managing engineered product revisions, comprising:

a repository holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products; and

a revision manager tracking changes of state made to assets of the repository, each change of state made to a given asset resulting in a respective revision of the given asset, the revision manager enabling users to manage assets and revisions by providing to users a project view illustrating for a set of assets (i) changes of state of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the revision manager renders the project view in one mode and another mode, the one mode illustrating changes made to the assets in order of time, and

the another mode illustrating changes made to the assets in order of sequence of revisions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the project view includes any one or combination of:

branches representing a set of assets;

tags representing state of an asset or set of assets; and

commit points indicating respective changes of state of one or more assets;

copy paths indicating one or more assets copied from one branch to another; and

a head indicator providing a handle for a latest state of one or more assets.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the project view further includes any of:

performance indicators corresponding to respective changes of state of assets;

metric change indicators indicating change in respective metric utilized by performance indicators; and

display of annotations by users.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the project view further enables a user to copy or effect a group of assets.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the revision manager employs a visual grammar in providing the project view, the visual grammar using any of:

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a certain polygon to represent tags,

certain icons for indicating working copy of an asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the project view further includes a working copy indicator for indicating an asset is currently checked out of the repository and for indicating there exists a working copy of the asset.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 where the revision manager renders the project view, combined with project planning information, including effectively overlaying the illustrated set of assets with the project planning information.

9. A computer implemented method for managing engineered product revisions comprising the steps of:

holding one or more assets in a repository, for each asset, holding respective revisions of the asset in the repository, different assets forming different engineered products;

tracking changes of state made to assets of the repository, each change of state made to a given asset resulting in a respective revision of the given asset; and

generating a project view illustrating for a set of assets (i) changes of state of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions, the project view assisting users with managing assets and revisions stored to and copied from the repository.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising rendering the project view in one mode illustrating changes made to the assets in time order, and

rendering the project view in another mode illustrating changes made to the assets in order of sequence of revisions.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the project view includes any one or combination of:

branches representing a set of assets;

tags representing state of an asset or set of assets;

commit points indicating respective changes of state of one or more assets;

copy paths indicating one or more assets copied from one branch to another; and

a head indicator providing a handle for a latest state of one or more assets.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the project view further includes any of:

performance indicators corresponding to respective changes of state of assets;

metric change indicators indicating change in respective metric utilized by performance indicators; and

indications of annotations by users.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the project view further includes a working copy indicator for indicating an asset is currently checked out of the repository and for indicating there exists a working copy of the asset.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the project view further enables a user to copy or effect a group of assets.

15. A method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising utilizing a visual grammar in generating the project view, the visual grammar using any of:

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a certain polygon to represent tags,

certain icons for indicating working copy of an asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

16. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the step of generating includes displaying project planning information relative to the project view, including effectively combining the project planning information and the project view in a layering fashion.

17. An engineered product revision management system comprising:

repository means for holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository means holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products;

means for tracking changes of state of assets of the repository means, each change of state of an asset resulting in a respective revision of the asset; and

project viewing means for illustrating to users for a set of assets (i) changes of state of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions, the project viewing means enabling users to effectively manage assets and revisions of the repository means.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project viewing means in one mode illustrates changes to the assets in order of time and in another mode illustrates changes to the assets in order of sequence of revisions.

19. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project viewing means employs any one or combination of:

branches representing a set of assets;

tags representing a state of an asset or set of assets; and

commit points indicating respective changes of state of one or more assets;

copy paths indicating one or more assets copied from one branch to another;

a head indicator providing a handle for a latest state of one or more assets;

performance indicators corresponding to respective changes of state of assets;

metric change indicators indicating change in respective metric utilized by performance indicators; and

text rendering of annotations by users.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19 wherein the project viewing means employs a visual grammar having any of:

lines to indicate branches,

a certain polygon to represent tags,

certain icons for indicating working copy of an asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

21. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project viewing means further employs a working copy indicator for indicating when an asset is currently checked out of the repository means and for indicating existence of a working copy of the asset.

22. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project reviewing means illustrates the set of assets and project planning information in a combined manner with respect to each other.

23. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having a computer readable program,

wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes a computer to;

hold one or more assets in a repository, including for each asset holding respective revisions of the asset in the repository, different assets forming different engineered products;

track state changes of assets of the repository, each state change of a given asset resulting in a respective revision of the given asset; and

generate a project view illustrating to users, for a set of assets, (i) state changes of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions, the project view having one mode illustrating state changes of the assets in time order and another mode illustrating state changes of assets in order of sequence of revisions.

24. Computer apparatus for rendering views in an engineering product system, comprising:

a repository holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products; and

one or more working modules configured to respectively change state of the repository; and

a view generation assembly coupled to the one or more working modules and rendering at least one view of assets and revisions associated with the repository, the view generation assembly including a visual grammar applied to the at least one view and utilizing any one or combination of;

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a certain polygon to represent tags,

certain icons for indicating working copy of an asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

25. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein the visual grammar employs color coding.

26. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein the at least one view includes any of:

a project view illustrating for a set of assets (i) changes of state of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions;

a working copy view;

a file history view; and

a repository per-asset timeline view.

27. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein the one or more working modules includes a revision manager.

28. A computer method for rendering views in an engineering product system comprising:

accessing a repository holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products;

employing a visual grammar, rendering at least one view of assets and revisions associated with the repository, the visual grammar having any one or combination of;

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a certain polygon to represent tags,

certain icons for indicating working copy of an asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a filled circle to represent a commit point.