User's request reflecting design system and method thereof

• US 7,587,301 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Kamini S
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAY, HERNG DER
• Application Number:
  US09/781,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20010055023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,129 Days
• Field of Search: 345700-752, 345/641, 703/1, 715/751, 709/204, 705/27, 705/10, 700/96, 700/157
• US Class Current: 703/1
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

A design data publicizing processing unit publicizes public design data and an editing program file to users through a network connected and based on personal information recited in an electronic mail received through the network, a received mail processing unit classifies user correction data attached to the received mail and registers the data in a user correction data DB, and user correction data stored in the user correction data DB is referred to or used as design data in product designing.

Claims

1. A user'"'"'s request reflecting design system for timely and accurately reflecting users'"'"' requests on a product, comprising:

design data publicizing means for publicizing design data to users through a computer network;

correction data receiving means for receiving and storing correction data as said design data corrected by a user through said computer network; and

design assisting means for reflecting said correction data received by said correction data receiving means on product design,

wherein said design data publicizing means includes

public design data prepared in advance to be publicized among said design data,

an editing program file for editing said public design data, and

a design data publicizing processing unit responsive to a request from a terminal connected to said computer network for transferring said public design data and said editing program file to said terminal, and

wherein said correction data receiving means includes

a data base for registering said correction data, and

a received submission processing unit for receiving an electronic submission associated with a specific user to which said correction data and additional personal information of the specific user is attached and registering and storing said correction data in said data base,

said received submission processing unit classifying said attached correction data based on the additional personal information of the specific user recited in said received electronic submission and registering said correction data in said data base based on the classification results.

2. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said design data is three-dimensional data.

3. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said editing program file enables editing of three-dimensional data.

4. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said correction data receiving means further includes

a data base for registering said correction data, and

a received submission processing unit for receiving an electronic submission to which said correction data is attached and registering and storing said correction data in said data base, and

in creation of said design data by said design assisting means, said correction data registered in said data base is used.

5. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additional personal information of the specific user matches categories, wherein said categories are common to a group of users.

6. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said correction data is classified according to at least two categories.

7. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electronic submission is electronic mail.

8. The user'"'"'s request reflecting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the additional personal information of the specific user is age, sex and residence of the specific user.

9. A user'"'"'s request reflecting design system for timely and accurately reflecting users'"'"' requests on a product, comprising:

design data publicizing means for publicizing design data to users though a computer network;

correction data receiving means for receiving and storing correction data as said design data corrected by a user though said computer network; and

design assisting means for reflecting said correction data received by said correction data receiving means on product design,

wherein said design data publicizing means includes

public design data prepared in advance to be publicized among said design data,

an editing program file for editing said public design data, and

a design data publicizing processing unit responsive to a request from a terminal connected to said computer network for transferring said public design data and said editing program file to said terminal or transferring a questionnaire entry page in the form of a menu provided in a design data public home page to said terminal, and

wherein the terminal includes

an information entry selecting means to selectively enter correction data either in the questionnaire entry page without downloading said public design data or by requesting transfer of said public design data from the design data publicizing processing unit to the user together with said editing program file.

10. A user'"'"'s request reflecting design method of timely and accurately reflecting users'"'"' requests on a product, comprising the steps of:

publicizing design data to users through a computer network;

receiving correction data as said design data corrected by a user through said computer network; and

reflecting said correction data received on product design,

wherein said design data publicizing step includes the step of

in response to a request from a terminal connected to said computer network, transferring public design data prepared in advance to be publicized among said design data and an editing program file for editing said public design data to said terminal, and

wherein said correction data receiving step including the steps of

receiving an electronic submission associated with a specific user to which said correction data and additional personal information of the specific user is attached, and

classifying said attached correction data based on the additional personal information of the specific user recited in said received electronic submission and registering said correction data in a data base based on the classification results.

11. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said additional personal information of the specific user matches categories, wherein said categories are common to a group of users.

12. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of searching the correction data based upon classified additional personal information.

13. The user'"'"'s request reflecting design method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the electronic submission is electronic mail.

14. The user'"'"'s request reflecting system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the additional personal information of the specific user is age, sex and residence of the specific user.

15. A server of a user'"'"'s request reflecting design system for timely and accurately reflecting users'"'"' requests on a product, comprising:

design data publicizing means for publicizing design data to users through a computer network; and

correction data receiving means for receiving correction data as said design data corrected by a user through said computer network and storing said correction data so as to be usable by design assisting means for reflecting said correction data on product design,

wherein said design data publicizing means includes

public design data prepared in advance to be publicized among said design data,

an editing program file for editing said public design data, and

a design data publicizing processing unit responsive to a request from a terminal connected to said computer network for transferring said public design data and said editing program file to said terminal; and

wherein said correction data receiving means includes

a data base for registering said correction data, and

a received submission processing unit for receiving an electronic submission associated with a specific user to which said correction data and additional personal information of the specific user is attached and registering and storing said correction data in said data base,

said received submission processing unit classifying said attached correction data based on said additional personal information of the specific user recited in the received electronic submission and registering said correction data in said data base based on the classification results.

16. The server of a user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 15, wherein said additional personal information of the specific user matches categories, wherein said categories are common to a group of users.

17. The server of a user'"'"'s request reflecting design system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the electronic submission is electronic mail.

18. The user'"'"'s request reflecting system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the additional personal information of the specific user is age, sex and residence of the specific user.