Patent ID: 6523045
Filing Date: 2003-02-18
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for managing information about a manufacturing operation, the manufacturing operation comprising at least one shop floor, each shop floor including at least one factory element, the method comprising:storing the information about the manufacturing operation in a database; displaying the information about the manufacturing operation stored in the database on a graphical user interface; and inputting the information about the manufacturing operation through the graphical user interface; wherein displaying the information about the manufacturing operation in the database on the graphical user interface comprises: graphically depicting each at least one shop floor and the at least one factory element of that shop floor on a corresponding shop floor screen, comprising, for each at least one shop floor: representing each of the at least one factory element of that shop floor with a selectable icon, comprising, for at least one of the at least one shop floor screen, representing each of at least one machine located on the corresponding shop floor with a corresponding selectable machine icon, positioning each selectable icon at a location within that shop floor screen corresponding to a location of the corresponding shop floor occupied by the factory element represented by that selectable icon, and displaying, for each of at least one selectable machine icon, an alphanumeric code adjacent that selectable machine icon, wherein the alphanumeric code identifies both a type of the machine represented by that selectable machine icon and the particular machine represented by that selectable machine icon, and providing each selectable machine icon with at least one graphic depicting the machine represented by that selectable machine icon, comprising, for each of at least one of the selectable machine icons, sequentially displaying a plurality of graphics depicting the represented machine within that selectable machine icon; and selectively displaying one of the at least one shop floor screen.