Remote Data Delivery System

• US 20150242472A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kasik, David Joseph, Briggs, David D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,534,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method and apparatus for delivering engineering data to a portable device for use in performing an operation. Engineering data for each part in a set of parts is stored in a file system on the portable device. A set of entries, each entry including a part identifier and a target locator for a part, is created for the set of parts to form a table. An initial locator constructed by a visualization tool is matched to a target locator in the table for a selected part. The target locator identifies a physical location in the file system of requested engineering data for the selected part. A local server on the portable device retrieves the requested engineering data based on the target locator. The local server serves the requested engineering data to a browser, which displays the requested engineering data for use in performing the operation on the selected part.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a data retriever configured to retrieve engineering data for each part in a set of parts identified by a visualization tool and store the engineering data in a file system on a portable device;

a table generator configured to create a set of entries for the set of parts to form a table in the file system, wherein an entry in the set of entries includes a corresponding part identifier and a corresponding target locator for a part in the set of parts;

a mapper configured to match an initial locator constructed by the visualization tool to a target locator in the table for a selected part from the set of parts, wherein the target locator identifies a physical location of requested engineering data for the selected part in the file system; and

a local server located on the portable device and configured to retrieve the requested engineering data based on the physical location identified and serve the requested engineering data for the selected part to a browser, wherein the requested engineering data is displayed in the browser for use in performing an operation on the selected part.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation is a maintenance operation selected from one of a repair operation, a rework operation, a replacement operation, a service operation, a testing operation, and an inspection operation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the browser is configured to request the requested engineering data from the local server using the initial locator and wherein the local server is configured to send the initial locator to the mapper.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mapper is configured to extract the part identifier for the selected part from the initial locator, match the part identifier to a particular entry in the table, and identify the corresponding target locator in the particular entry as the target locator for the selected part.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a template modifier configured to modify a template used by the visualization tool in response to a selected event by changing an identification of a network server to the local server such that the visualization tool constructs the initial locator for the selected part instead of a standard locator.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mapper is configured to be implemented within the local server.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target locator is a uniform resource locator and wherein the corresponding part identifier includes at least one of a part number, a revision number, or an instantiation identifier for the part.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the requested engineering data includes at least one of design information, manufacturing and maintenance information, safety information, or engineering notes for the selected part.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the design information includes at least one of tolerance information, part dimensions information, three-dimensional models of the part, two-dimensional models of the part, a material profile of the part, or a chemical profile of the part and the manufacturing and maintenance information includes at least one of assembly and disassembly requirements information, manufacturing and maintenance process information, or manufacturing and maintenance tools information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

the visualization tool, wherein the visualization tool is configured to identify the set of parts based on user input entered by a user and construct the initial locator using a part identifier for the selected part and a modified template.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the set of parts are for a product and wherein the user input includes a selection of a portion of a three-dimensional visualization of the product, a selection of a volume of the three-dimensional visualization of the product, or a number of parameters defining the volume of the three-dimensional visualization of the product.

12. A remote data delivery system comprising:

a data retriever configured to retrieve engineering data for each part in a set of parts identified by a visualization tool and store the engineering data in a file system on a portable device;

a table generator configured to create a set of entries for the set of parts to form a table in the file system, wherein an entry in the set of entries includes a corresponding part identifier and a corresponding target locator for a part in the set of parts;

a local server located on the portable device and configured to receive an initial locator constructed by the visualization tool, wherein the local server comprises;

a mapper configured to match the initial locator to a target locator in the table for a selected part from the set of parts, wherein the target locator identifies a physical location of requested engineering data for the selected part in the file system,

wherein the local server is configured to retrieve the requested engineering data based on the physical location identified by the mapper and serve the requested engineering data for the selected part to a browser; and

a display device associated with the portable device and configured to display the requested engineering data in the browser for use in performing a maintenance operation on the selected part.

13. A method for remotely delivering requested engineering data to a portable device for use in performing an operation on a selected part, the method comprising:

storing engineering data retrieved for each part in a set of parts in a file system on the portable device;

creating a set of entries for the set of parts to form a table in the file system, wherein an entry in the set of entries includes a corresponding part identifier and a corresponding target locator for a part in the set of parts;

matching an initial locator constructed by a visualization tool to a target locator in the table for the selected part, wherein the target locator identifies a physical location of the requested engineering data for the selected part in the file system;

retrieving, by a local server located on the portable device, the requested engineering data based on the physical location identified; and

serving, by the local server, the requested engineering data for the selected part to a browser, wherein the requested engineering data is displayed in the browser for use in performing the operation on the selected part.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

performing the operation on the selected part, wherein the operation is a maintenance operation selected from one of a repair operation, a rework operation, a replacement operation, a service operation, a testing operation, and an inspection operation.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein matching the initial locator constructed by the visualization tool to the target locator in the table for the selected part comprises:

extracting a part identifier for the selected part from the initial locator;

matching the part identifier to a particular entry in the table; and

identifying the corresponding target locator in the particular entry as the target locator for the selected part.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

sending, by the browser, a request for the requested engineering data to the local server using the initial locator; and

sending, by the local server, the initial locator to a mapper.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

modifying a template used by the visualization tool such that the visualization tool constructs the initial locator for the selected part instead of a standard locator.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein creating the set of entries for the set of parts to form the table in the file system comprises:

creating the entry with the corresponding part identifier and the corresponding target locator, wherein the corresponding part identifier includes at least one of a part number, a revision number, or an instantiation identifier for the part.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

identifying, by the visualization tool, the set of parts based on user input entered by a user.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

constructing, by the visualization tool, the initial locator using a part identifier for the selected part and a modified template.