Patent ID: 7409254
Filing Date: 2008-08-05
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A computer-readable portable storage medium storing a design data management program to direct a computer to manage design data generated at a designing side of a product to be produced at a production side, including a plurality of producers, based on the design data, the program comprising: a step of receiving from the designing side the design data generated at the designing side in a first format; a step of converting the design data in the first format to design data in a second format that is applicable to the production side; a step of transmitting the design data in the second format to each of the plurality of producers in the production side; a step of converting the design data in the first format to design data in a third format that is described in a predetermined language; a step of storing the design data in the third format in a storage device; a step of receiving respectively from a first producer of the plurality of producers in the production side pieces of design change data in a fourth format that indicates a change independently made to the design data in the second format respectively by the first producer in producing the product, the product being produced by the first producer respectively with the design change data in the fourth format without approval from the designing side; a step of converting each received piece of the design change data in the fourth format to each piece of design change data in the third format; a step of storing each converted piece of the design change data in the third format in the storage device together with the design data in the third format; and a step of centrally managing the stored design data in the third format and the stored design change data in the third format that includes pieces of data respectively corresponding to the first producer; wherein the third format is a format in which structure of parts information related to a plurality of parts required to produce the product is hierarchically managed by using respective codes of the plurality of parts; the structure is managed as one record in which data indicating an upper part that is in an upper hierarchy in the structure includes master data comprising various types of data relating to a lower part that is in a lower hierarchy in the structure; and the master data is included in the data indicating the upper part in a manner being combined with the code of the lower part.