Management of component members using tag attributes

• US 20060123019A1
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bauer, George Philip III, Nguyen, Thomas Ngoc
• Granted Patent: US 7,814,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system to associate a plurality of members with a component, associate a member type with one of the plurality of members, and associate a value tag attribute with the one of the plurality of members. Some aspects include receipt of an instruction to access data associated with a member of a component, determination of whether the member is associated with a first tag attribute, and issuance, if the member is associated with the first tag, of a first query for the data associated with the member of the component and for data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute.

Claims

1. A method to define a component representative of a value and of data related to the value, comprising:

associating a plurality of members with the component;

associating a member type with one of the plurality of members; and

associating a value tag attribute with the one of the plurality of members.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating a respective one of one or more tag attributes with another one or more of the plurality of members,

wherein the one or more tag attributes comprise one or more of;

a units tag attribute;

a description tag attribute;

a key tag attribute;

a high limit tag attribute;

or a low limit tag attribute.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein each of the one or more tag attributes is associated with only one of the plurality of members.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the value tag attribute is associated with only one of the plurality of members.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating a second plurality of members with a second component, the second plurality of members comprising the component; and

associating a respective member type with at least one of the second plurality of members,

wherein no tag attribute is associated with any of the second plurality of members.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the component in a component model.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a query for data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute; and

querying a database for the data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein querying the database for the data comprises issuing a respective query for data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute.

9. A user interface to define a component representative of a value and of data related to the value, comprising:

a member interface to associate a plurality of members with the component;

a member type interface to associate a member type with one of the plurality of members; and

a tag attribute interface to associate a value tag attribute with the one of the plurality of members.

10. A user interface according to claim 9, wherein the tag attribute interface is to associate a respective one of one or more tag attributes with another one or more of the plurality of members,

wherein the one or more tag attributes comprise one or more of:

a units tag attribute;

a description tag attribute;

a key tag attribute;

a high limit tag attribute;

or a low limit tag attribute.

11. A user interface according to claim 10, wherein each of the one or more tag attributes is to be associated with only one of the plurality of members.

12. A user interface according to claim 9,

the member interface to associate a second plurality of members with a second component, the second plurality of members comprising the component;

and

the member type interface to associate a respective member type with at least one of the second plurality of members,

wherein no tag attribute is to be associated with any of the second plurality of members.

13. An apparatus to define a component representative of a value and of data related to the value, comprising:

a memory storing processor-executable process steps; and

a processor in communication with the memory and operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to;

associate a plurality of members with the component;

associate a member type with one of the plurality of members; and

associate a value tag attribute with the one of the plurality of members.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, the processor further operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to:

associate a respective one of one or more tag attributes with another one or more of the plurality of members,

wherein the one or more tag attributes comprise one or more of;

a units tag attribute;

a description tag attribute;

a key tag attribute;

a high limit tag attribute;

or a low limit tag attribute.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein each of the one or more tag attributes is associated with only one of the plurality of members.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the value tag attribute is associated with only one of the plurality of members.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13, the processor further operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to:

associate a second plurality of members with a second component, the second plurality of members comprising the component; and

associate a respective member type with at least one of the second plurality of members,

wherein no tag attribute is associated with any of the second plurality of members.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13, the processor further operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to:

receive a query for data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute; and

query a database for the data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein querying the database for the data comprises issuing a respective query for data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute.

20. A medium storing processor-executable process steps to define a component representative of a value and of data related to the value, the process steps comprising:

a step to associate a plurality of members with the component;

a step to associate a member type with one of the plurality of members; and

a step to associate a value tag attribute with the one of the plurality of members.

21. A medium according to claim 20, the process steps further comprising:

a step to associate a respective one of one or more tag attributes with another one or more of the plurality of members,

wherein the one or more tag attributes comprise one or more of;

a units tag attribute;

a description tag attribute;

a key tag attribute;

a high limit tag attribute;

or a low limit tag attribute.

22. A medium according to claim 21, wherein each of the one or more tag attributes is associated with only one of the plurality of members.

23. A medium according to claim 20, wherein the value tag attribute is associated with only one of the plurality of members.

24. A medium according to claim 20, the process steps further comprising:

a step to associate a second plurality of members with a second component, the second plurality of members comprising the component; and

a step to associate a respective member type with at least one of the second plurality of members,

wherein no tag attribute is associated with any of the second plurality of members.

25. A medium according to claim 20, the process steps further comprising:

a step to receive a query for data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute; and

a step to query a database for the data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute.

26. A medium according to claim 25, wherein the step to query the database for the data comprises a step to issue a respective query for data associated with each of the plurality of members that is associated with a tag attribute.

27. A method comprising:

receiving an instruction to access data associated with a member of a component, the member being associated with a member type;

determining if the member is associated with a first tag attribute; and

if the member is associated with the first tag attribute, issuing a first query for the data associated with the member of the component and for data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute.

28. A method according to claim 27, further comprising:

if the member is not associated with the first tag attribute, issuing a second query for the data associated with the member of the component.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein the first tag attribute is a value tag attribute.

30. A method according to claim 27, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction to display the data associated with the member in an interface, and further comprising:

receiving the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute; and

displaying the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute in the interface.

31. A method according to claim 27, wherein the first query comprises a subscription to the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute in the interface.

32. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing processor-executable process steps; and

a processor in communication with the memory and operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to;

receive an instruction to access data associated with a member of a component, the member being associated with a member type;

determine if the member is associated with a first tag attribute; and

if the member is associated with the first tag attribute, issue a first query for the data associated with the member of the component and for data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute.

33. An apparatus according to claim 32, the processor further operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to:

issue a second query for the data associated with the member of the component if the member is not associated with the first tag attribute.

34. An apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the first tag attribute is a value tag attribute.

35. An apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction to display the data associated with the member in an interface, and the processor is further operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to:

receive the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute; and

display the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute in the interface.

36. An apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the first query comprises a subscription to the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute in the interface.

37. A medium storing processor-executable process steps, the process steps comprising:

a step to receive an instruction to access data associated with a member of a component, the member being associated with a member type;

a step to determine if the member is associated with a first tag attribute; and

a step to issue, if the member is associated with the first tag, a first query for the data associated with the member of the component and for data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute.

38. A medium according to claim 37, the process steps further comprising:

a step to issue a second query for the data associated with the member of the component if the member is not associated with the first tag attribute.

39. A medium according to claim 37, wherein the first tag attribute is a value tag attribute.

40. A medium according to claim 37, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction to display the data associated with the member in an interface, and the process steps further comprising:

a step to receive the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute; and

a step to display the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute in the interface.

41. A medium according to claim 37, wherein the first query comprises a subscription to the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute in the interface.

42. A system comprising:

an administration device to associate a plurality of members with a component, associate a member type with one of the plurality of members, and associate a value tag attribute with the one of the plurality of members;

a server device to display the component in a component model; and

a user device to receive an instruction to access data associated with the one of the plurality of members, to determine that the one of the plurality of members is associated with the value tag attribute, and to issue a first query to the server device for the data associated with the one of the plurality of members and for data associated with each other of the plurality of members of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute.

43. A system according to claim 42, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction to display the data associated with the one of the plurality of members in an interface, and

wherein the user device is to receive the data, to receive the data associated with each other of the plurality of members of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute, and to display the data and the data associated with each other member of the component that is associated with a respective tag attribute in the interface.