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System of relational entities for object-oriented computer-aided geometric design

  • US 5,856,828 A
  • Filed: 05/05/1997
  • Issued: 01/05/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of computer aided design of geometric models constructed from a multiplicity of geometric elements such as points, curves and surfaces in a design space of two or more dimensions, said method comprising:

  • defining and supporting a set of geometric entities for use in constructing said geometric models, each of said geometric entities being an abstract geometric object type that is adapted to be actualized into one or more corresponding geometric objects stored in computer accessible memory, each of said geometric entities comprising data fields and requiring, for its actualization into each of said one or more corresponding geometric objects, filling specified data fields with data items of valid data types, wherein each corresponding geometric object is stored in said computer accessible memory as a corresponding data structure, each of said geometric entities representing a specific procedure for constructing one or more of said geometric objects from the values in said data fields;

    said geometric entities including one or more point class entities, one or more curve class entities, and one or more surface class entities,wherein each of said point class entities is adapted to be actualized into one or more point class objects, each of said point class objects designating a zero-dimensional point in said design space,wherein each of said curve class entities is adapted to be actualized into one or more curve class objects, each of said curve class objects designating a one-dimensional continuous point set in said design space,wherein each of said surface class entities is adapted to be actualized into one or more surface class objects, each of said surface class objects designating a two-dimensional continuous point set in said design space;

    identifying at least some of said geometric objects by corresponding unique object identifiers;

    defining and supporting a plurality of relational entities among said set of geometric entities, each of said relational entities being adapted to be actualized into one or more corresponding relational objects stored in computer accessible memory, each of said relational entities requiring, for its actualization into each of said one or more corresponding relational objects, references to the object identifiers of one or more geometric objects, which references are stored in computer memory in association with the corresponding actualized relational objects thereby establishing a dependency relationship upon the one or more other geometric objects whose object identifiers are referenced by said relational object;

    wherein at least one of said relational entities is one of said curve class entities and requires for actualization into a relational curve class object reference to the object identifiers of two or more point class objects;

    wherein at least one of said relational entities is one of said surface class entities and requires for actualization into a relational surface class object reference to the object identifiers of two or more geometric objects selected from a group including point class objects and curve class objects.

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