Method and apparatus for an incremental editor technology

• US 5,963,939 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hiles, Paul E., Chavez, Javier E., Dawson, Scott M., Alose, Gary L., Brayton, Robert S., McCann, Paul H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lintz, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US08/941,789
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/4, 345/326, 345/336, 345/337, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

An object-driven application tool allows a Value Added Reseller (VAR) to access a large body of publicly available information about computing devices and to identify the needs of a particular customer or end user and to select an appropriate solution of equipment, hardware, and networking products to meet the customer'"'"'s needs. Moreover, the tool includes capabilities allowing a VAR to demonstrate to the end user the appropriateness of the solution, for allowing information entry in high level, abstract business-oriented vocabulary rather than a highly technical low level jargon (thus facilitating data entry of information obtained from the end user) and allowing the tool to recognize whether, for example, a slight increase in memory capacity beyond the express needs of the end user may allow a dramatic reduction in requirements for processor speed or non-volatile data storage. The latter tools allow the exemplary embodiment of the present invention to suggest superior solutions over and beyond the express needs of the end user. Selection of a particular solution is generally decoupled from the needs of the end user, which are stored in a separate database; thereafter, as new equipment to obtain on-line information relating to new products and services. Information in the database also includes retrofit information, so that new products can be installed into existing networks.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system for selecting products, comprising:

a database with at least one class of products having physical performance parameters;

a calibration table coupled to the database, the calibration table providing a translation between physical and relative, logical performance parameters such that a product with a particular physical performance parameter is selected responsive to specification of the relative, logical performance curve parameters; and

a user interface for specifying the class of product and the relative, logical performance parameter for the class of product, and for displaying a product with the corresponding physical performance parameter.

2. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein:

the database resides within a memory within a server; and

the user interface resides within a subsystem coupled to the server over a network.

3. The computer implemented system of claim 2, wherein the network is the Internet.

4. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the database and the user interface reside on the same stand-alone computer, such that the database and the user interface are directly accessible by a processor.

5. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein:

the products include computers.

6. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein:

the products include computer network components.

7. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein:

the products include computer peripherals.

8. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein:

the products include computers, computer network components, and computer peripherals.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the user interface includes buttons.

10. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein:

the user interface allows a user to enter the increment and decrement inputs via a keyboard.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the particular relative, logical parameter is within a sortable range of values, each value in the range of values translating to a distinct physical performance parameter.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein:

each physical performance parameter translates to a distinct subset of the class of products.

13. In a computer system having a database with at least one class of products having physical performance parameters, a method for selecting a subset of the class of products, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a relative, logical performance parameter;

translating the relative, logical performance parameter to a physical performance parameter; and

determining a subset of the class of products having the physical performance parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of translating includes a step of:

accessing a calibration table coupled to the database; and

the calibration table providing a translation between physical performance parameters and the relative, logical performance parameters such that a set of products with a particular physical performance parameter is selected responsive to specification of the relative logical performance parameter.