Patent ID: 6240328
Filing Date: 2001-05-29
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A method, performed by a computer, for assembling a product having components, the method comprising the steps of:(a) providing one or more abstract assembly steps for assembling the product, the abstract assembly steps containing variable portions for assembling the product with potentially different configurations, the variable portions including variable parameters capable of representing different component information, text information explaining how to assemble or connect one or more of the components of the product, and the variable portions further including at least one ofan identifier of one or more computer graphics images to be displayed indicating how to assemble or connect one or more of the components of the product, andmachine-readable instructions for the computer to draw and display one or more computer graphics images indicating how to assemble or connect one or more of the components of the product;(b) obtaining a configuration model corresponding to a requested configuration of the product, the configuration model including one or more component information lines corresponding to one or more of the components utilized in the requested configuration, each of the component information lines containing at least one of a component tag identifying a component to be used in the requested configuration, a physical location field providing precise placement information for the component to be used in the requested configuration, a property field indicating a property of the component to be used in the requested configuration and a connection field indicating all locations to which the component to be used in the requested configuration is to be connected; and(c) applying the configuration model to the abstract assembly steps provided for assembling the product by inserting component information from the component information lines into the variable parameters of the variable portions of the abstract assembly steps to produce one or more assembly instructions for assembling the product to have the requested configuration.