Method and apparatus for computer aided building specification generation

• US 6,236,409 B1
• Filed: 06/23/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Building Systems Design, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: The Construction Specifications Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Hartman, Linda Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, GREGORY F
• Application Number:
  US09/102,580
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 345/435, 345/420, 705/29, 705/34, 707/1-10, 707/100-104, 709/217, 709/218, 709/249, 700/97-107
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and apparatus for producing a design document for a product, with the product having product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner and stored in a relational database, is described. A selection is received for at least one product element. At least one performance value associated with the selected product element is received. A text segment associated with each selected product element is retrieved from the database. Selected text segments are then used to construct the design document.

Claims

1. A method for defining a product to be produced by a builder, comprising:

constructing a first overlay for a performance database at a first device, said first overlay pointing to addresses within said database;

sending said first overlay to a second device;

receiving a second overlay for said database from said second device, said second overlay comprising a modified version of said first overlay;

retrieving a first set of data from said database corresponding to said first overlay, and a second set of data from said database corresponding to said second overlay; and

displaying said first and second sets of data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said constructing comprises:

receiving a selection for at least a first product element from a first set of product elements;

receiving at least one performance value for said first product element; and

storing a first representative for said first product element and said performance value in electronic form.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said receiving said second overlay comprises:

receiving said first overlay at said second device;

constructing said second overlay using said first overlay; and

sending said second overlay to said first device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein constructing said second overlay comprises:

retrieving said first product element and said performance value from said first overlay;

retrieving at least one second product element from a second set of product elements, said second product element comprising a portion of said first product element and consistent with said performance value; and

storing said first representative and performance value with a second representative for said second product element in electronic form.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

comparing said first and second sets of data to ensure each of said first product elements includes a corresponding second product element; and

indicating each of said first product elements not having a corresponding second product element.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

constructing a third overlay;

sending said third overlay to a third device;

retrieving a third set of data from said database corresponding to said third overlay; and

displaying said third set of data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a fourth overlay at said first device;

retrieving a fourth set of data from said database corresponding to said fourth overlay;

comparing said first and fourth sets of data to ensure each of said first product elements includes a corresponding second product element;

indicating each of said first product elements not having a corresponding second product element; and

displaying said first, second and fourth sets of data.

8. A method for producing a specification document for a product using a database of product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner, comprising:

receiving a selection for at least one product element;

receiving at least one performance value associated with said selected product element;

retrieving a text segment associated with each selected product element;

receiving a selection for at least one of said retrieved text segments;

constructing the document from said selected text segments and

formatting the document according to global variables relating to data in said database.

9. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to assist in defining a product to be produced by a builder, the computer system having a design program and a relational database management program that when executed performs:

constructing a first overlay for a performance database at a first device, said first overlay pointing to addresses within said database;

sending said first overlay to a second device;

receiving a second overlay for said database from said second device, said second overlay comprising a modified version of said first overlay;

retrieving a first set of data from said database corresponding to said first overlay, and a second set of data from said database corresponding to said second overlay; and

displaying said first and second sets of data.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said constructing performs:

receiving a selection for at least a first product element from a first set of product elements;

receiving at least one performance value for said first product element; and

storing a first representative for said first product element and said performance value in electronic form.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein said receiving said second overlay performs:

receiving said first overlay at said second device;

constructing said second overlay using said first overlay; and

sending said second overlay to said first device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said constructing said second overlay performs:

retrieving said first product element and said performance value from said first overlay;

retrieving at least one second product element from a second set of product elements, said second product element comprising a portion of said first product element and consistent with said performance value; and

storing said first representative and performance value with a second representative for said second product element in electronic form.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further performing the steps of:

comparing said first and second sets of data to ensure each of said first product elements includes a corresponding second product element; and

indicating each of said first product elements not having a corresponding second product element.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further performing the steps of:

constructing a third overlay;

sending said third overlay to a third device;

retrieving a third set of data from said database corresponding to said third overlay; and

displaying said third set of data.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further performs:

receiving a fourth overlay at said first device;

retrieving a fourth set of data from said database corresponding to said fourth overlay;

comparing said first and fourth sets of data to ensure each of said first product elements includes a corresponding second product element;

indicating each of said first product elements not having a corresponding second product element; and

displaying said first, second and fourth sets of data.

16. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to assist in producing a specification document for a product using a database of product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner, and the computer system having a design program and a relational database management program that when executed performs:

receiving a selection for at least one product element;

receiving at least one performance value associated with said selected product element;

retrieving a text segment associated with each selected product element;

receiving a selection for at least one of said retrieved text segments;

constructing the document from said selected text segments; and

formatting the document according to global variables relating to data in said database.

17. An apparatus for producing a design document, comprising:

a relational database having product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner, with said product elements having associated performance values and text segments;

a relational database management system in communication with said relational database;

a design module in communication with said relational database and said relational database management system, said design module producing the design document using preselected performance values and text segments; and

a formatting module in communication with said relational database and said relational database management system, said formatting module formats the design document using global variables that relate to data in said relational database.

18. A method for developing a request for proposal by an owner, and a responding proposal by a design builder for design and construction of a product, comprising:

defining a requirements file for said request for proposal including a performance specification and a prescriptive specification by selecting product descriptors from an owner database;

combining said requirements file with owner information to produce said request for proposal by selecting prewritten text segments from said owner database;

electronically linking attachments to said requirements file;

sending said request for proposal with said attachments as a first overlay to a design builder;

opening and reading said first overlay with reference to a proposer database correlating to said owner database;

preparing a responding proposal from said design builder by adding detailed product descriptors selected from said proposer database to said first overlay and producing a second overlay;

attaching proposer information and a cost statement to said second overlay;

sending said second overlay from said design builder to said owner; and

producing an electronic comparison file by comparing said first overlay and said second overlay.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said defining comprises:

modifying a text segment associated with each selected product element;

adding additional text segments not contained in said owner database; and

constructing said request for proposal from said additional text segments.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said defining comprises:

selecting at least one first product element from a first set of product elements on said owner database;

selecting from said owner database at least one performance value for said at least one first product element;

customizing said at least one product element and said at least one performance value by adding and subtracting text; and

storing a first representative for said customized at least one product element and said customized at least one performance value in electronic form.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said preparing comprises:

retrieving said at least one first product element and said at least one performance value from said first overlay;

selecting at least one second product element from a second set of product element, said at least one second product element comprising a portion of said at least one first product element and consistent with said at least one performance value; and

storing said first representative and said at least one performance value with a second representative for said at least one second product element in electronic form.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

comparing said first and second sets of product elements to ensure each of said first set of product elements includes a corresponding each of said second set of product elements; and

indicating each of said first set of product elements not having a corresponding each of said second set of product elements.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said preparing further comprises:

sending said second overlay to a third device of a supplier of materials for said product;

selecting at said third device a third set of data from a supplier database correlating to said proposer database;

constructing a third overlay by adding detailed product descriptors from said supplier database; and

sending said third overlay to said second device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said preparing further comprises:

receiving said third overlay at said second device;

retrieving a third set of product elements from said third overlay;

comparing said second set of product elements to said third set of product elements to ensure each of said second set of product elements includes a corresponding each of said third set of product elements;

incorporating said third set of product elements into said second overlay.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein said preparing comprises:

receiving said first overlay; and

constructing said second overlay using said first overlay.

26. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to assist in preparing a request for proposal and a responding proposal for a product using a database of product descriptors having product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner and the computer system having a design program and a relational database management program that when executed allows a user to perform:

selecting at least one product element;

selecting at least one performance value associated with said selected product element;

modifying a text segment associated with each selected product element;

adding text segments not contained in said database;

constructing said request for proposal from said at least one product element and said modified text segment, and said added text segments.

27. An apparatus for producing a request for proposal and a responding proposal, comprising:

a relational database having product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner, with said product elements having associated user-selected performance values, prescriptive specifications, and text segments;

a relational database management system in communication with said relational database; and

a formatting module in communication with said relational database and said relational database management system, said formatting module assembles and formats the request for proposal and the responding proposal from said performance values, said prescriptive specifications, and said text segments.