Figure drawing apparatus and inventory purchasing system using the same

• US 5,444,844 A
• Filed: 09/08/1994
• Issued: 08/22/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NSK Limited
• Original Assignee: NSK Limited
• Inventors: Wakimoto, Masao, Katou, Toshio, Hamamura, Katuhiko, Ikeda, Masaki, Tanaka, Hisao, Inoue, Kimio
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/302,379
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155-161, 395/608, 395/133, 345/179, 345/117-120, 345/156-157, 345/162, 345/902, 178/17-18, 364/474.4-474.24, 364/488-491, 364/401-403
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/46 Printing mechanisms combined with apparatus providing a visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

In order to provide an automatic figure drawing apparatus in which erroneous figure drawing can be prevented, neither a large-capacity magnetic disk nor a number of floppy disks is required, and management and operation can be performed easily by integrating a parametric system storing various CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) figures and an inventory control system. An automatic figure drawing apparatus provides a data selection device for selecting figure drawing data of an figure, on the basis of assignment data, from memory in which a data base of various dimensions of predetermined figure drawing subjects is built, and a figure drawing information production device for supplying figure drawing information of a parametric system to a figure drawing output device on the basis of the selected figure drawing data. Thereby, it is possible to prevent mistakes from being produced by a user selecting catalog data in a book.

Claims

1. An inventory purchase system using a figure drawing apparatus, comprising:

a figure drawing apparatus comprising;

a figure drawing menu including at least one schematic symbol of an electronic catalog portion,

a figure formation selection means for selecting a figure drawing subject to be drawn in accordance with a positional instruction corresponding to one of said schematic symbols of said electronic catalog portion,

an input selection means for selecting assignment data which corresponds to figure drawing data,

a memory device for storing the figure drawing data so that a first data base is formed with numerical data of a parametric system corresponding to said assignment data,

a data selection means for selecting said figure drawing data based on said assignment data from said first data base formed in said memory device, and

a drawing information production means for producing display data for drawing a figure by the parametric system in accordance with said figure drawing data; and

an inventory purchase apparatus including a second data base storing inventory contents information of said figure drawing subject,

wherein said automatic figure drawing apparatus is connected with said inventory purchase system through an online communication link in such a manner that order information of said subject can be transmitted and received through the online communication link while a figure of said subject is drawn with said automatic figure drawing apparatus.

2. The inventory purchase system according to claim 1, wherein said inventory purchase apparatus comprises a common data base storing data, which is owned by companies producing electronic catalogs to be commonly stored for a plurality of inventory items.