SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING A BUILD SET AND BILL OF MATERIALS FROM A MASTER SOURCE MODEL

• US 20100250403A1
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MiTek Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MiTek Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Puerini, Gary Ronald, Hinson, Phelan James, Kashian, Richard, Doherty, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A system and method for creating a build set and a BOM from user selected options from a single source model.

Claims

1. A build set processor for creating a solved build set comprising:

a model copier copying a master source model including a set of said computer-aided design (CAD) objects and determining which of said set of said CAD objects has associated option strings;

a box option processor applying user selected option values to each of said associated option strings with each of the determined CAD objects;

an option string processor logically evaluating each of said associated option strings;

a CAD object manipulator manipulating each of the determined CAD objects based on the associated logically evaluated option string, grouping graphical objects associated with said CAD objects into types, applying the user selected option values to said graphical objects according to said type of said graphical object, retaining said graphical object if the applied user selected option value resolves to “

true”

, and deleting said graphical object if the applied user selected option value resolves to “

false”

; and

a build set creator saving the manipulated determined CAD objects in said build set.

2. The build set processor as in claim 1 wherein said box option processor determines, from master source model, at least one box option, said at least one box option having boundary box and option connection array, said option connection array having at least one option connection, each said at least one option connection having an option connection option string, a base point, and a option point.

3. The build set processor as in claim 2 wherein said box option processor:

evaluates said option connection option string associated with said at least one option connection if there is no more than one said at least one option connection;

deletes said CAD objects within said at least one box option and said boundary box if the evaluated option connection option string resolves to “

false”

;

assigns a depth level to each nested box option within said at least one box option;

orders said nested box options according to said depth level; and

solves said at least one box option by solving each of the ordered nested box options according to said depth level by

determining a set of said at least one option connections associated with said at least one box option,

evaluating said option connection option string associated with each of said at least one option connections,

ignoring said at least one option connection if the evaluated option connection option string resolves to “

false”

,

copying said CAD objects contained within said boundary box from said option point to said base point if the evaluated option connection option string resolves to “

true”

, and

deleting said at least one box option after all said option connections have been evaluated, including said CAD objects contained within said at least one box option.

4. A bill of materials (BOM) processor comprising:

a package creator creating a package for each computer-aided design (CAD) object, wherein said package includes at least one quantity of materials and at least one BOM rule;

a user interface receiving a selection of section of a build set;

a package processor collecting said CAD objects from said section, determining said packages associated with said CAD objects, and determining quantities of materials associated with said packages;

a rule processor applying said at least one BOM rule to determine said build set materials from the determined quantities of materials,

a building material processor merging similar of said build set materials to form material list and associated quantities and remove said build set materials that have a zero value for associated quantities from a material list; and

a BOM creator applying a rounding rule associated with said package to said associated quantities, and creating a BOM from the rounded associated quantities and material list.

5. A bill of materials (BOM) processor comprising:

a package creator creating a package for each computer-aided design (CAD) object, wherein said package includes at least one quantity of materials and at least one BOM rule;

a user interface receiving a selection of section of a build set;

a package processor collecting said CAD objects from said section, determining said packages associated with said CAD objects, and determining quantities of materials associated with said packages;

a rule processor applying said at least one BOM rule to determine said build set materials from the determined quantities of materials;

a building material processor merging similar of said build set materials to from material list and associated quantities and remove said build set materials that have a zero value for associated quantities from a material list; and

a BOM creator applying a rounding rule associated with said package to said associated quantities, and creating a BOM from the rounded associated quantities and material list.

6. A computer readable medium including a computer program product comprising the steps of:

creating an electronic package, including quantities of materials and BOM rules, for each computer-aided design (CAD) object in the created package;

receiving a selection of a section of the build set;

collecting the CAD objects from the section;

determining the electronic package associated with each of the collected CAD objects;

determining the quantities of materials associated with the determined package;

applying at least one of the BOM rules to determine build set materials from the quantities of materials;

merging similar of the determined build set materials to form a material list and associated quantities; and

removing the determined build set materials that have a zero value for an associated quantity property for the determined build set materials from the material list.

applying a rounding rule associated with the determined package to the associated quantities;

creating the BOM from the rounded associated quantities and the material list;

copying a master source model including a set of CAD objects;

determining which of the set of the CAD objects has associated option strings with each of the determined CAD objects;

logically evaluating each of eh associated option strings;

manipulating each of the determined CAD object based on the associated logically evaluated option string; and

storing the manipulated determined CAD objects in a build set.