Patent ID: 6625510
Filing Date: 2003-09-23
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A computer-based system for creating and modifying a tool management document, said document including graphics portions and data portions, said graphics portions representing tools positioned within panels of a toolbox, said tools being utilized to perform various maintenance tasks, comprising:a computer having a word processing module, a graphics module and a data interface arrangement linking said word processing module and said graphics module; said word processing module being operable, in response to a user input, to create text for said document; said graphics module having stored tool representations and stored panel representations by which selected ones of said tools may be graphically placed into selected ones of said panels to create a tool-filled panel graphic; said tool and panel representations having certain attributes defined by associated data; said attributes associated with said tool representations including a description of the tool, an item number of the tool in a list of tools within said panel, and a national stock number; said word processing module and said graphics module being operable to directly exchange said graphics, whereby said tool-filled graphic may be modified in said graphics module and placed directly into said graphic portion of said document; said data interface arrangement being operable to extract data defining said attributes from said graphics module to sort and place selected data into said data portion of said document, said data interface arrangement including an interface module linked to said graphics module for transfer of said data from said graphics module to said interface module, and a sort module linked to said interface module to receive said data and to select and sort only a certain portion of said data for placement into said document, wherein said data placed within said document includes said description of the tool and said item number of the tool in a list of tools within said panel.