Method and apparatus for developing and checking technical configurations of a product

• US 7,003,548 B1
• Filed: 03/29/1999
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Gelco Corporation (Element Fleet Management Corp.)
• Inventors: Bentley, Forrest, Barck, David, Hennelly, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLETT, STEPHAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/280,609
• Time in Patent Office: 2,521 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/228, 709/201, 709/203, 340/825, 395/712, 710/104, 713/1, 713/100, 705/26
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A method for developing a technical configuration and electronically delivering to a client from a server an order report for the technical configuration. The method comprises interactively eliciting and electronically receiving from a user on the client a desired technical configuration, wherein the act of interactively eliciting and electronically receiving comprises providing to the client from the server a limited configuration engine and performing a first, limited check on the viability of the desired technical configuration on the client using the limited configuration engine; performing a second, final check on the viability of the desired technical configuration using a full configuration engine on the server; and, in response to the final check, preparing and outputting on the client an electronic order report.

Claims

1. In a computer network having at least one server connectable to at least one client, including a full set of configuration programs and a full set of configuration information, having a full set of option rules relating to a set of products, a method for creating technical configurations and electronically delivering order reports to at least one client, the method comprising:

receiving on-line from a user on the client a selection of a desired product selected from the set of products, wherein the selection represents initial product configuration data of the desired product;

downloading to the client from the server only limited configuration information that is a subset of the full set of configuration information and limited configuration programs that are a subset of the full configuration programs, the limited configuration information including option attributes of the desired product and limited option rules that define relationships therebetween, wherein the limited configuration information and limited configuration programs are determined at the server based on the initial product configuration data of the desired product, and wherein the limited configuration information and the limited configuration programs are downloaded to the client responsive to the user selection;

requesting a desired technical configuration of the desired product from the user on the client, wherein selections for the option attributes of the desired product are elicited from the user;

preliminarily checking the viability of the desired technical configuration of the desired product at the client, wherein the limited configuration programs verify conformity of the user selections for the option attributes with the limited option rules;

receiving at the server the desired technical configuration from the client subsequent to preliminarily checking the viability of the desired technical configuration;

performing a full check at the server on the viability of the desired technical configuration, wherein the full set of configuration programs verify conformity of the user selections for the option attributes with the full set of option rules;

preparing and transmitting to the client an electronic order report, if the full check at the server is successful; and

downloading to the client from the server additional option rules that are a subset of the full set of option rules and receiving from the client at the server a second desired technical configuration developed on the client and verified on the client for conformity with the additional option rules, if the full check at the server is not successful.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a TCP/IP connection to pass an HTTP request from the client to the server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the limited configuration information comprises limited option attributes and limited option rules.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the limited configuration programs comprise an HTML page and client-side programs.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the client-side programs comprise a plug-in or helper-application.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the client-side programs include one or more programs selected from lava, JavaScipt, ActiveX, and Helper-Viewer.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the client-side programs are cached on the client.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the client-side programs are cached in client-side memory.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the client-side programs are cached on client-side disk storage.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of performing a full check comprises executing a CGI script on the server.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

downloading to the client additional limited configuration information, wherein the additional limited configuration information is a subset of the full set of configuration information and includes the additional option rules; and

wherein the second desired technical configuration is verified on the client for conformity with the additional limited configuration information, if the full check at the server is not successful.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of requesting a desired technical configuration further comprises enabling the user to specify whether an exact match or a loose match is desired between the desired technical configuration and a viable configuration.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of requesting a desired technical configuration further comprises using templates of pre-configured information.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting a desired technical configuration includes requesting at least one of the group consisting of:

a vehicle make, a vehicle model, and a vehicle series.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the desired technical configuration is a vehicle configuration.

16. A method for generating an order for a vehicle on a network-based computer system including a server and a client, the server including a full configuration engine including software, a full set of option attributes, and a full set of option rules relating to each of a plurality of vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving on-line from a user on the client an identification of a desired vehicle, wherein the identification represents initial desired vehicle configuration data;

transmitting only a limited configuration engine to the client in response to the identification, the limited configuration engine corresponding to the desired vehicle and including a limited set of option attributes of the desired vehicle and a limited set of option rules that define relationships therebetween, wherein the limited set of option attributes is a subset of the full set of option attributes and the limited set of option rules is a subset of the full set of option rules, and wherein the limited configuration engine is determined at the server based on the initial desired vehicle configuration data;

requesting a vehicle configuration of the desired vehicle from the user, wherein selections for the limited set of option attributes of the desired vehicle are elicited from the user;

preliminarily checking the viability of the vehicle configuration of the desired vehicle at the client, wherein the client verifies the conformity of the user selections for the limited set of option attributes with the limited set of option rules;

receiving on-line at the server the vehicle configuration from the client subsequent to preliminarily checking the viability of the vehicle configuration;

performing a full viability check of the vehicle configuration at the server, wherein the software of the full configuration engine verifies conformity of the user selections for the limited set of option attributes with the full set of option rules;

sending an order report from the server to the client summarizing the vehicle configuration to the client, if the full viability check at the server is successful; and

downloading to the client from the server additional option rules that are a subset of the full set of option rules and receiving from the client at the server a second vehicle configuration developed on the client and verified on the client for conformity with the additional option rules, if the full viability check at the server is not successful.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the limited engine includes limited software and a limited set of option attributes.

18. The method of claim 16 further including, after performing the full viability check, communicating at least one problem with the vehicle configuration to the client.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one problem is displayed on the client in an HTML web page.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein, if the full viability check is unsuccessful, the server transmits an updated limited configuration engine to the client, the updated limited configuration engine including the additional option rules.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising transmitting an updated limited configuration engine to the client, where the vehicle configuration failed to pass the final viability check.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the client has performed a second viability check of the second vehicle configuration, using the updated limited configuration engine.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the receiving an identification of the desired vehicle comprises:

receiving on-line a vehicle make from the client;

sending on-line a set of vehicle models to the client, the vehicle models corresponding to the vehicle make; and

receiving on-line a vehicle model from the client, the vehicle model chosen from the set of vehicle models.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the limited configuration engine includes an HTML web page and client-side programs.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the client-side programs include a plug-in or helper-application.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the client-side programs include one or more programs selected from the group consisting of:

Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, and Helper-Viewer.

27. A method for generating an order for a vehicle on a network-based computer system including a server in communication with a client, the server including a full configuration engine including software, a full set of option attributes, and a full set of option rules relating to each of a plurality of vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving at the server an identification of a desired vehicle, wherein the identification represents initial desired vehicle configuration data;

transmitting only a limited configuration engine from the server in response to the identification, the limited configuration engine corresponding to the desired vehicle and including a limited set of option attributes of the desired vehicle and a limited set of option rules that define relationships therebetween, wherein the limited set of option attributes is a subset of the full set of option attributes and the limited set of option rules is a subset of the full set of option rules, and wherein the limited configuration engine is determined at the server based on the initial desired vehicle configuration data;

receiving at the server a vehicle configuration of the desired vehicle, including selections for the limited set of option attributes, wherein the vehicle configuration received at the server has been preliminarily checked for viability to verify the conformity of the limited set of option attributes with the limited set of option rules;

performing a full viability check of the vehicle configuration at the server, wherein the software of the full configuration engine verifies conformity of the limited set of option attributes with the full set of option rules;

sending an order report from the server summarizing the vehicle configuration, if the full viability check at the server is successful; and

transmitting from the server additional option rules that are a subset of the full set of option rules and receiving at the server a second vehicle configuration that has been verified for conformity with the additional option rules, if the full viability check at the server is not successful.