Patent ID: 6101423
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A computer-implemented method for automatically selecting component parts for assembly of a device from among a supply of available component parts, each component part having a performance parameter associated therewith, said method comprising:storing in a database memory component part data for each component part of the supply of available component parts, the component part data being in a computer readable format and indicative of a type of each part and the performance parameter of each part;retrieving from said database memory the component part data for a plurality of the available component parts;sorting the component part data retrieved from the database memory according to at least the performance parameter of each retrieved component part data;selecting at least one component part among the sorted component part data based on a preset parameter; andidentifying at least one remaining component part among the sorted component part data based on the performance parameter of the at least one component part and the performance parameter of the at least one remaining component part, the at least one component part and the at least one remaining component part being selected for assembly of the device; wherein said retrieving, said sorting, said selecting and said identifying are automatically carried out by a programmed computer responsive to an input instruction of a user, wherein said identifying at least one remaining component part includes comparing a specified overall performance parameter of the device to be assembled and the performance parameter of the at least one component part to determine a difference therebetween, and selecting the at least one remaining component part according to said difference, the component part data is further indicative of a batch number of each component part in the supply of available component parts, and wherein said retrieving from said database memory includes retrieving the component part data of a first batch number of each type of component part of the device to be assembled, determining whether a sufficient number of each type of component parts associated with each first batch number, and retrieving the component part data of at least one additional second batch number in the event that there is an insufficient number of component parts associated with each first batch number.