Method and apparatus for maintaining and configuring systems

• US 6,405,308 B1
• Filed: 10/03/1998
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Versata Development Group, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Trilogy Software, Inc. (Xero Limited)
• Inventors: Veeraraghavan, Venky, Gupta, Neeraj, Agarwal, Ajay
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Rijue
• Application Number:
  US09/165,656
• Time in Patent Office: 1,347 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 364/468, 364/488, 364/468.02, 364/468.03, 364/468.1, 364/468.01, 364/578, 364/389, 707/104, 707/102, 395/500, 717/1, 700/107, 700/180, 700/19, 710/8
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4097 characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM G05B19/4093 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35152 Part coding, description from 3-D cad database
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35155 From parts catalog, database, define part relationships, product definitions, specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35156 Group technology, identify and group simular parts, tools and machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/20 Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

The invention provides the ability to interactively select and configure a product among a set of related products based on availability and compatibility of features and options. It does not impose an order in the selection of products, features or options; only valid selections can be made at any time. To create an electronic representation of the product information to achieve the above goal, the invention provides a framework for defining a systems by defining the components of the system using elements contained in a parts catalog and defining relationships between the components of a system. A configuration system validates a configuration using the system definition, the current state of the configuration and user input.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a system comprising:

providing a definition of a system, said definition comprising a plurality of graphically displayed components;

defining a set of component relationships, said set of component relationships identifying classifications for said plurality of graphically displayed components;

obtaining user input, said user input identifying at least one selected component from said plurality of graphically displayed components; and

analyzing said at least one selected component to determine if activating said set of component relationships associated with said at least one selected component results in a valid system configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of component relationships identifies which of said plurality of graphically displayed components are compatible.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of defining said set of relationships further comprises:

determining which of said set of relationships is active;

updating a configuration state;

determining if an additional set of relationships becomes active as a result of said configuration state update.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least one of said set of relationships is identified as active when user input is provided.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein updating said configuration state further comprises:

evaluating said set of relationships forward and backward.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein evaluating said set of relationships backward comprises:

determining if activating at least one of said set of relationships would result in an invalid system configuration.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of relationships identifies which of said plurality of graphically displayed components are available.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of relationships comprises an excludes relationship.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of relationships comprises an includes relationship.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of relationships comprises a excludes relationship.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of relationships comprises a requires relationship.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of relationships comprises a remove relationship.

9. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied configured to cause a computer to maintain and configure systems comprising;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to provide a definition of a system, said definition comprising a plurality of components;

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to define a set of relationships, said set of relationships identifying how said plurality of components are interrelated;

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to obtain user input, said user input identifying a selected component; and

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine if activating said set of relationships associated with said selected component results in a valid system configuration.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein said set of relationships identifies which of said plurality of components are compatible.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to determine if activating said set of relationships associated with said selected component results in a valid system configuration further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to determine which of said set of relationships is active;

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to update a configuration state; and

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to determine if an additional set of relationships becomes active as a result of said configuration state update.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 10 wherein at least one of said set of relationships is identified as active when user input is provided to said computer readable program code.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 10 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to update said configuration state further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to evaluate said set of relationships forward and backward.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to evaluate said set of relationships backward comprises:

determining if activating at least one of said set of relationships would result in an invalid system configuration.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein said set of relationships identifies which of said plurality of components are available.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein said set of relationships comprises an includes relationship.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein said set of relationships comprises an excludes relationship.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein said set of relationships comprises a requires relationship.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 9 wherein said set of relationships comprises a remove relationship.

18. A method of configuring a system comprising:

providing a definition for said system, said definition comprising a plurality of elements, said plurality of elements being conveyed graphically using a set of product relationships, said set of product relationships identifying classifications for said plurality of elements;

generating a set of component relationships between said plurality of elements.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said set of component relationships is conveyed graphically.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

configuring said system using said definition and said set of component relationships and said set of product relationships.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said configuring further comprises:

obtaining input from a user;

validating said input based on said definition, said set of relationships, and

a current configuration state; and

identifying a set of valid configuration options using said definition, said set of relationships and said current configuration state.

28. A method of configuring a system, wherein the system is comprised of a plurality of elements, the method comprising:

including the element in a configuration of the system as an included element if the element is automatically included in the configuration of the system;

including the element as an optional element in the configuration of the system if the element is not a necessary component of the system; and

including the element as a required choice in the configuration of the system if the element is a group that contains one or more members from which to choose.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the element is a member of a first element set, the first element set containing one or more elements and the system further comprising a second element set containing one or more elements, the method further comprising:

including the second element set in the configuration of the system if the first element set is present in the system;

excluding the second element set from the system when the first element set is present in the system; and

removing the second element set from the system when the first element set is present in the system.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

including in the configuration of the system one or more elements in a group of elements when the first element set is present in the system.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the system is an automobile.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the system is a computer.

33. A system configured in accordance with the method of claim 28.

35. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the element is a member of a first element set, the first element set containing one or more elements and the system further comprising a second element set containing one or more elements, the method further comprising:

means for including the second element set in the configuration of the system if the first element set is present in the system;

means for excluding the second element set from the system when the first element set is present in the system; and

means for removing the second element set from the system when the first element set is present in the system.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 further comprising:

means for including in the configuration of the system one or more elements in a group of elements when the first element set is present in the system.

34. An apparatus for configuring a system, wherein the system is comprised of a plurality of elements, the apparatus comprising:

means for including the element in a configuration of the system as an included element if the element is automatically included in the configuration of the system;

means for including the element as an optional element in the configuration of the system if the element is not a necessary component of the system; and

means for including the element as a required choice in the configuration of the system if the element is a group that contains one or more members from which to choose.