Computer method and apparatus for engineered product management using a project view and a visual grammar

• US 8,423,390 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oculus Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Oculus Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Wall, Matthew B., Wall, Timothy R., Aucott, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleischer, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US11/975,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11, 705/300
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

Computer method and apparatus managing software configuration revisions. A repository holds one or more assets. For each asset, the repository holds respective revisions of the asset. A revision manager tracks changes of state of assets of the repository. Each change of state of a given asset results in a respective revision of the given asset. The revision manager provides a project view illustrating for a set of assets (i) changes of state of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions. In this way, i.e., via the project view, the present invention revision manager enables users to manage assets and revisions. The revision manager renders the project view in one mode illustrating changes made to the assets (state changes) in order of time, and in another mode illustrating changes made to the assets in order of sequence of revisions.

Claims

1. Computer apparatus for managing engineered product revisions, comprising:

a repository in memory and holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products; and

a digital processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to execute a revision manager tracking changes of state made to engineered product assets of the repository, each change of state made to a given engineered product asset resulting in a respective revision of the given engineered product asset, the revision manager configured to enable users to manage engineered product assets and revisions by providing to users a project view illustrating for a set of engineered product assets (i) changes of state of engineered product assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the engineered product assets and (iii) any dependency relationships between the resulting revisions of the engineered product assets, the dependency relationships representing dependencies between the resulting revisions of the engineered product assets.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the revision manager renders the project view in one mode and another mode, the one mode illustrating changes made to the engineered product assets in order of time, and

the another mode illustrating changes made to the engineered product assets in order of sequence of revisions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the project view includes any one or combination of:

branches representing a set of engineered product assets;

tags representing state of an engineered product asset or set of engineered product assets; and

commit points indicating respective changes of state of one or more engineered product assets;

copy paths indicating one or more engineered product assets copied from one branch to another; and

a head indicator providing a handle for a latest state of one or more engineered product assets.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the project view further includes any of:

performance indicators corresponding to respective changes of state of engineered product assets;

metric change indicators indicating change in respective performance metric corresponding to the performance indicators; and

display of annotations by users.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the project view further enables a user to copy or affect a group of engineered product assets.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the revision manager employs a visual grammar in providing the project view, the visual grammar using any of:

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a polygon to represent tags,

icons for indicating working copy of an engineered product asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the project view further includes a working copy indicator for indicating an engineered product asset is currently checked out of the repository and for indicating there exists a working copy of the engineered product asset.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 where the revision manager renders the project view combined with project planning information, overlaying the illustrated set of engineered product assets with the project planning information.

9. A computer implemented method for managing engineered product revisions comprising the steps of:

in a digital processor;

holding one or more assets in a repository, for each asset, holding respective revisions of the asset in the repository, different assets forming different engineered products;

tracking changes of state made to engineered product assets of the repository, each change of state made to a given engineered product asset resulting in a respective revision of the given engineered product asset; and

generating a project view illustrating for a set of engineered product assets (i) changes of state of engineered product assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the engineered product assets and (iii) any dependency relationships between the resulting revisions, the project view assisting users with managing engineered product assets and revisions stored to and copied from the repository, the dependency relationships representing dependencies between the engineered product assets of the set.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising rendering the project view in one mode illustrating changes made to the engineered product assets in time order, and rendering the project view in another mode illustrating changes made to the engineered product assets in order of sequence of revisions.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the project view includes any one or combination of:

branches representing a set of engineered product assets;

tags representing state of an engineered product asset or set of engineered product assets;

commit points indicating respective changes of state of one or more engineered product assets;

copy paths indicating one or more engineered product assets copied from one branch to another; and

a head indicator providing a handle for a latest state of one or more engineered product assets.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the project view further includes any of:

performance indicators corresponding to respective changes of state of engineered product assets;

metric change indicators indicating change in respective performance metric corresponding to the performance indicators; and

indications of annotations by users.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the project view further includes a working copy indicator for indicating an engineered product asset is currently checked out of the repository and for indicating there exists a working copy of the engineered product asset.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the project view further enables a user to copy or affect a group of engineered product assets.

15. A method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising utilizing a visual grammar in generating the project view, the visual grammar using any of:

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a polygon to represent tags,

icons for indicating working copy of an engineered product asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

16. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the step of generating includes displaying project planning information relative to the project view, including combining the project planning information and the project view in a layering fashion.

17. An engineered product revision management system comprising:

repository means in a memory and for holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository means holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products; and

a digital processor operatively coupled to the memory, the digital processor executing;

means for tracking changes of state of engineered product assets of the repository means, each change of state of an engineered product asset resulting in a respective revision of the engineered product asset; and

project viewing means for illustrating on a display monitor to users for a set of engineered product assets (i) changes of state of engineered product assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the engineered product assets and (iii) any dependency relationships between the resulting revisions, the dependency relationships representing dependencies between the resulting revisions of the engineered product assets, the project viewing means enabling users to manage engineered product assets and revisions of the repository means.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project viewing means in one mode illustrates changes to the engineered product assets in order of time and in another mode illustrates changes to the engineered product assets in order of sequence of revisions.

19. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project viewing means employs any one or combination of:

branches representing a set of engineered product assets;

tags representing a state of an engineered product asset or set of engineered product assets; and

commit points indicating respective changes of state of one or more engineered product assets;

copy paths indicating one or more engineered product assets copied from one branch to another;

a head indicator providing a handle for a latest state of one or more engineered product assets;

performance indicators corresponding to respective changes of state of engineered product assets;

metric change indicators indicating change in respective metric utilized by performance indicators; and

text rendering of annotations by users.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19 wherein the project viewing means employs a visual grammar having any of:

lines to indicate branches,

a polygon to represent tags,

icons for indicating working copy of an engineered product asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

21. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project viewing means further employs a working copy indicator for indicating when an engineered product asset is currently checked out of the repository means and for indicating existence of a working copy of the engineered product asset.

22. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the project viewing means simultaneously displays the set of engineered product assets and project planning.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer executable instructions tangibly embodied on the computer readable medium that when executed by a computer causes the computer to;

hold one or more assets in a repository, including for each asset holding respective revisions of the asset in the repository, different assets forming different engineered products;

track state changes of engineered product assets of the repository, each state change of a given engineered product asset resulting in a respective revision of the given engineered product asset; and

generate a project view illustrating to users, for a set of engineered product assets, (i) state changes of engineered product assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the engineered product assets and (iii) any dependency relationships between the resulting revisions, the project view having one mode illustrating state changes of the engineered product assets in time order and another mode illustrating state changes of engineered product assets in order of sequence of revisions, the dependency relationships representing dependencies between the resulting revisions of the engineered product assets.

24. Computer apparatus for rendering views in an engineering product system, comprising:

a repository in a memory and holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products; and

a digital processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to execute a working module for rendering in a display to a user at least one view of engineered product assets and revisions associated with the repository, the at least one view illustrating any dependency relationship between the revisions, the dependency relationship representing dependencies between the revisions of the engineered product assets, the working module applies a visual grammar to the at least one view and the visual grammar having any one or combination of;

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a polygon to represent tags,

icons for indicating working copy of an engineered product asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a shaded circle to represent commit points.

25. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein the visual grammar employs color coding.

26. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein the at least one view includes any of:

a project view illustrating for a set of engineered product assets (i) changes of state of engineered product assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the engineered product assets and (iii) any dependency relationships between the resulting revisions;

a working copy view;

a file history view; and

a repository per-asset timeline view.

27. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein the working module includes a revision manager.

28. A computer method for rendering views in an engineering product system comprising:

in a digital processor;

accessing a repository holding one or more assets, for each asset the repository holding respective revisions of the asset, different assets forming different engineered products;

executing a visual grammar, the visual grammar configured to render on a display monitor at least one view of engineered product assets and revisions associated with the repository and any dependency relationships between the revisions the dependency relationships representing dependencies between the revisions of the engineered product assets,

the visual grammar having any one or combination of;

labeled lines to indicate branches,

a polygon to represent tags,

icons for indicating working copy of an engineered product asset,

squares for indicating head handles,

arrows to indicate changes in performance metrics,

other icons for indicating annotations,

dashed lines to indicate copy paths,

colored blocks for performance indicators, and

a filled circle to represent a commit point.