Abstract:
Legacy parts information is made accessible via a database employing hierarchical parts groupings, distribution codes, categories and plain language parts titles and or descriptions.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    This invention is generally related to the tracking of information regarding replacement parts, and particularly to the provision of replacement part information to assist in the identification and/or sales of replacement parts.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    The tracking of parts can be an extremely complex and time consuming activity for a company. This is particularly a problem for large manufacturing companies which may produce many thousands of different machines over the course of time, with each machine consisting of thousands of individual parts. The company may design and build these machines at a variety of different company locations. The company may manufacture some machines for a relatively short period of time, while other machines may be manufactured with, or without change, over an extended period of time. Typically, a company will, for contractual or other reasons, wish to supply replacement parts for some or all of the different machines it has sold. The company may make the replacement parts available only within the company, or may make the parts available to outside vendors and/or customers.  
           [0003]    Typically, the designers and engineers developing a machine will specify engineering parts lists, such as master parts lists or drawing lists. These lists may, or may not, be in computer-readable form. Over time, the engineering parts lists may evolve into manufacturing oriented parts lists or bill of material. Often, data is lost and/or significantly modified as the lists evolve. Typically, the lists will consistently carry through at least one identifier as they evolve. For example, a master parts list item number or drawing list line number, and/or a keyword, may be consistently represented between the original master parts list, drawing list or bill of material.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0004]    In one aspect, each of a number of unique parts for a first set of legacy machine parts information is identified by a respective part identifier, an entry is created in a computer searchable database corresponding to the part for each of the identified unique parts, and a category identifier is provided in the computer searchable database for each of the identified unique parts that identifies at least one machine subassembly to which the part belongs.  
           [0005]    In another aspect, each of a number of unique parts for a first set of legacy machine parts information is identified by a respective part identifier, an entry is created in a computer searchable database corresponding to the part for each of the identified unique parts, and a distribution code is provided in the computer searchable database for each of the identified unique parts that identifies at least one salable unit to which the part belongs.  
           [0006]    In yet another aspect, each of a number of unique parts for a first set of legacy machine parts information is identified by a respective part identifier, an entry is created in a computer searchable database corresponding to the part for each of the identified unique parts, and a plain language title is provided in the computer searchable database for each of the identified unique parts that identifies the part.  
           [0007]    In a further aspect, a database is provided of parts information computer searchable by plain language parts descriptions for a plurality of parts comprising one or more machines, and including a distribution code in the computer searchable database for each of the parts that identifies at least one salable unit to which the part belongs, and a user interface is provided for accessing the parts information by way of the plain language parts descriptions or a menu of categories for a broader display of salable parts and or assemblies.  
           [0008]    In yet a further aspect, a search request is received in the form of a plain language parts description, at least one machine part that corresponds to the received plain language parts description is automatically located in a computer searchable database of machine parts, and item information is transmitted for at least one salable item that includes the located machine part and at least one other machine part.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The size and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of elements, as drawn, are not intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements, and have been solely selected for their ease and recognition in the drawings.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing an environment in which an embodiment of the invention can operate, including a network coupling a number of client computing systems and a server computing system.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a high level system block diagram showing various hardware elements of the client computing systems of FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a bill of materials data structure, a translation data structure and a response data structure, each illustrated in table form.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of providing legacy parts information in a computer-searchable form.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of accessing parts information. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]    In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with computers, computer networks, data structures, databases and networks such as the Internet, have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the descriptions of the embodiments of the invention.  
         [0016]    Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is as “including but not limited to.” 
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows a parts identification and tracking system  10  including a number of client computing systems  12  and a server computing system  14  that communicate over a network, such as the World Wide Web portion of the Internet  18 . The client computing systems  12  each include a display  20 , screen  22 , cabinet  24 , keyboard  26  and mouse  28 . The mouse  28  can have one or more user selectable buttons for interacting with a graphical user interface (“GUI”) displayed on the screen  22 . The cabinet  24  includes a slot  30  for receiving computer-readable media, such as a CD-ROM disk  32 . Although the computer-readable media is represented as a CD-ROM disk  32 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  can employ other computer-readable media, including but not limited to, floppy disks, tape, flash memory, system memory, and hard drives.  
         [0018]    The server computing system  14  includes a cabinet  24  having a slot  30  for receiving computer-readable media, such as a CD-ROM disk similar to the CD-ROM disk  32 . The server computing system  14  can optionally include a display, screen, keyboard, and/or mouse as described above. The server computing system  14  also includes a server database  34 . The server database  34  is shown as being external to the cabinet  24  for ease of representation in the drawings, although in many embodiments the server database  34  can be located within the cabinet  24 .  
         [0019]    The network  18  can take the form of any conventional network, such as one or more local area networks (“LANs”), wide area networks (“WANs”), and/or extranets, intranets, or the Internet.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 shows a system block diagram of the client computing systems  12  used in executing an illustrated embodiment of the present invention. As in FIG. 1, the client computing systems  12  each include the display  20 , keyboard  26  and mouse  28 . Additionally, each of the client computing systems  12  can include subsystems, such as a processor  36 , system memory  38 , fixed persistent memory  40 , media drive  42 , display adapter  44 , sound card  46 , speakers  48 , and network interface  50 . Arrows  52  represent the system bus architecture of the client computing systems  12 .  
         [0021]    The client computing systems  12  can take any of a variety of forms, such as a micro- or personal computer, a mini-computer, a workstation, or a palm-top or hand-held computing appliance. The processor  36  can take the form of any suitable microprocessor, for example, a Pentium II, Pentium III, Power PC 603 or Power PC 604 processor. The system memory  38  can take the form of random access memory (“RAM”) or other dynamic storage that temporarily stores instructions and data for execution by the processor  36 . The fixed persistent memory  40  can take the form of a hard drive or other nonvolatile computer-readable media. The media drive  42  can take the form of a CD-ROM reader, DVD reader, optical disk reader, floppy disk reader, or other similar device that reads instructions and/or data from computer-readable media.  
         [0022]    While not shown in detail, the server computing system  14  can have a similar structure to the client computing systems  12 , as shown in FIG. 2. In practice, the server computing system will typically take the form of a Web server, the details of which are commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The server computing system  14  employs database software, such as structured query language (“SQL”) software, to store and retrieve data within the server database  34 .  
         [0023]    The computing systems  12 ,  14  are illustrative of the numerous computing systems suitable for use with the present invention. Other suitable configurations of computing systems will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Other configurations can include additional subsystems, or fewer subsystems, as is suitable for the particular application. For example, a suitable computing system  12 ,  14  can include more than one processor  36  (i.e., a multiprocessor system) and/or a cache memory. The arrows  52  are illustrative of any interconnection scheme serving to link the subsystems. Other suitable interconnection schemes will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. For example, a local bus could be utilized to connect the processor  36  to the system memory  38  and the display adapter  34 .  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 shows a portion of a bill of material data structure  40  for a particular machine, such as a power turbine. The bill of material data structure  40  is illustrated as a bill of material table  42  including parts information for the various parts of the machine, although other formats may be suitable. The bill of material data structure  40  can take the form of an computer-readable file resulting directly from the design/manufacturing process, or can be an computer-readable file populated from a prior existing set of legacy data, such as by typing or scanning data from a paper bill of material.  
         [0025]    The bill of material table  42  includes a number of rows  44  corresponding to the individual parts and/or groups of parts forming the machine. The bill of material table  42  includes a number of columns for detailing information regarding each of the parts. For example, a “unit identifier” column  46  (“Unit Num”) contains an identifier such as a serial number for a unit to which the corresponding part belongs. The unit identifier can, for example, identify a model of machine. A “parent” column  48  (“MPL items”) identifies a assembly or sub-assembly to which the part belongs, if any. For example, a joint vent tube is a component of a connection joint insulation and hardware assembly. A “parent part description” column  50  (“Parent part desc”) provides a brief textual description of the assembly or sub-assembly. Often, the designers and engineers create the brief textual description, and intend the description only for internal use. Thus, the brief textual description is typically cryptic, employing jargon such as abbreviations and acronyms that are not readily understood by those who are not intimately familiar with the machine. For example, the textual description for a connection joint insulation and hardware sub-assembly may be “B7K-JOINT INSUL &amp; HDWR.” 
         [0026]    A “child part identifier” column  52  (“child part”) contains an identifier such as a serial number identifying the part to which the row corresponds. A “child part description” column  54  (“child part desc”) includes a brief textual description of the part. Again, the legacy textual description is likely to employ jargon such as abbreviations and acronyms that are not readily understood by those who are not intimately familiar with the machine. For each of the parts, a “quantity description” column  56  (“quantity”) identifies the number of the corresponding parts for the machine, assembly and/or sub-assembly. A “unit of measure” column  58  (“UM”) identifies the units of measure in which the quantity is specified. For example, the unit of measurement can be “each” (“EA”) referring to each individual part. An “MPL item number” column  60  (“MLI”) contains a part identifier from the original master parts list. In many cases, the part identifier is the only piece of part information that is not lost or changed as the master parts list evolves into the bill of materials. A “distribution code” column  62  (“code”) identifies a distribution code for the part. A “category identifier” column  64  (“category”) identifies a category to which the part belongs. For example, a part may form a portion of a stator (“S”) of a turbine.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 also shows a portion of a translation data structure  66  for company&#39;s machines. The translation data structure  66  is illustrated as a translation table  68  including parts information for the various parts, assemblies and/or sub-assemblies. The parts identification and tracking system  10  generates the translation data structure from the bill of materials data structure  40 , with or without human assistance. A single translation data structure  66  can store all the parts information for one or more machines. Thus, the company can make available a single parts listing for each of its products.  
         [0028]    The translation table  68  includes a number of rows  70  corresponding to each of the individual parts and/or groups of parts. The translation table  68  also includes a number of columns for detailing information regarding each of the parts. Several of these columns are similar to the columns from the bill of material table  42 . For example, an “MPL item number” column (“MLI”)  72  is similar to the “MPL item number” column  60  of the bill of material table  42 , containing the part identifier from the original master parts list. A “distribution code” column  74  (“code”) is similar to the “distribution code” column  62  of the bill of materials table  42 , containing a distribution code for the part. A “category identifier” column  76  (“category”) is similar to the “category identifier” column  64  of the bill of materials table  42 , containing an identifier corresponding to the category to which the part belongs. Additionally, the translation table  68  includes a “title” column  78  (“title”), containing a title for the part. The translation table  68  also includes a “plain language title” column  80  (“Extranet Title if different from title”) containing a plain language version of the title or description of the part. The plain language version of the title or description is written to clearly identify the part to those who would likely be searching for the part, such as a technician or repair person.  
         [0029]    The parts identification and tracking system  10  employs a user interface (“UI”) for allowing users, such as technicians and repair persons, to identify and/or order replacement parts. The parts identification and tracking system  10  implements the UI functionality in software which can reside on the server computing system  14  and/or the client computing system  12 . For example, the UI can take the form of a Web site having one or more Web pages hosted on the server computing system  14 . The Web pages are transmitted to the client computing systems  12  in response to requests placed by Web browsers executing on the client computing systems  12 . Alternatively, the UI can take the form of one or more screens stored in the memory  38  of the client computing system  12 , or the server computing system  14 .  
         [0030]    In response to a user query made via the UI, the server computing system  14  makes one or more database quires of the bill of materials data structure  40  and the translation data structure  66  to generate a response providing requested parts information. The response can take the form of a response data structure  82 . The response data structure  82  is illustrated as a response table  84 , although other formats may be suitable.  
         [0031]    The response table  84  includes a number of rows  86  corresponding to parts and groups of parts satisfying the parameters of the user query. The response table  84  also includes a number of columns for detailing information regarding each of the parts. For example, a “title” column  88  (“Title”) includes a title for the part or group of parts. A “part number” column  90  (“Part #”) includes the corresponding identifier from the “parent” column  48  or “child part identifier” column  52  of the bill of material table  42 . A “bill of material quantity” column  92  (“BOM qty”) includes the corresponding number of parts from the “quantity description” column  56  of the bill of material table  42 .  
         [0032]    An “assembly” column  94  identifies whether the corresponding row identifies an individual part or a group of parts (e.g., assembly, sub-assembly). For example, if a row such as row  96  includes a checkbox  98  in the “assembly” column  94 , the row  96  corresponds to a group of parts. Otherwise, the row  86  corresponds to an individual part. The user can select the checkbox  98  to view the individual parts of the group of parts. A check  100  in the checkbox  98  provides a visual indication that the user has selected the checkbox  98 . A notation “Part Break down” in row  102  indicates that the parts that follow belong to the group of parts.  
         [0033]    Some or all of the information from the response data structure  82  can be provided to the user, for example via the display  20  of the client computing system  12 . The plain language title  80  provided in the translation table  68  allows people unfamiliar with the precise naming convention employed by designers of the machine to successfully search the parts information.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4 shows a method  104  of providing legacy parts information in a computer-searchable form, that begins at a start step  106 . The method  104  may employ legacy parts information in electronic form, or may require the conversion of legacy parts information from paper form to electronic form, for example by keying or scanning. In particular, FIG. 4 shows the creation of the translation data structure  66  of FIG. 3.  
         [0035]    In step  108 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  identifies a part using a part identifier. For example, the parts identification and tracking system  10  can employ the MPL item number from the “MPL item number” column  60  of the bill of material table  42  (FIG. 3). In step  110 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  creates an entry in the computer-searchable database  34  (FIG. 1) corresponding to the part.  
         [0036]    In step  112 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  provides a category identifier in the computer-searchable database  34 . The category identifier identifies a category to which the part belongs, if any. For example, the parts identification and tracking system  10  can employ the category identifier from the “category identifier” column  64  of the bill of material table  42  (FIG. 3). This allows a user to quickly identify a needed part based on the part&#39;s functionality within a system or subsystem. For example, all stator related parts can be rapidly identified.  
         [0037]    In step  114 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  provides a distribution code the computer-searchable database  34 . The distribution code can identify a salable part or group of parts as a salable unit, filtering out non-salable items from the machine parts list or bill of material such as raw material, manufacturing operations, manufacturing processes and strategic parts not intended to be sold as stand alone parts. For example, the parts identification and tracking system  10  can employ “distribution code” column  62  of the bill of materials table  42  (FIG. 3). This is particularly useful where the parts are intended to be sold via electronic commerce. The parts identification and tracking system  10  can ensure that the user only selects parts in predefined packages. This results in the user receiving all of the parts necessary for a particular repair or rehabilitation job. This also permits the company to pre-package parts, which can later be easily and quickly shipped upon request.  
         [0038]    In step  116 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  provides a plain language title and/or description in the computer-searchable database  34 . The plain language title can be entered by a human, or the parts identification and tracking system  10  can automatically generate the plain language title/description by automatically substituting plain language words for previously defined jargon such as abbreviations and acronyms.  
         [0039]    In step  118 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  determines if all of the parts for the machine have been entered into the translation data structure  66 . If last part has been entered, the method  104  terminates at an end step  120 . If not, control returns to step  108  for creating an entry in the translation data structure  66  for the next part.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 5 shows a method  122  of accessing parts information, that starts at step  124 . In step  126 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  receives a search request in the form of a plain language parts description. For example, a user can submit a plain language description of the part to the server computing system via the keyboard and/or mouse of the client computing system. In step  128 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  automatically locates at least one machine part that corresponds to the received plain language parts description. For example, the server computing system  14  can employ a database query of the “plain language title” column  80  of the translation table  68  (FIG. 3). In step  130 , the parts identification and tracking system  10  transmits part information to the user for a corresponding salable part. For example, the server computing system  14  can transmit parts information as Web page to the client computing system  12 . The method  122  terminates at end step  132 .  
         [0041]    Although specific embodiments, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will be recognized by those skilled in the relevant art. The teachings provided herein of the invention can be applied to other parts tracking and distribution systems, not necessarily the exemplary machine parts tracking and distribution system generally described above. For example, the teachings can be employed with a tracking and identification system for products other than machines. The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The system can employ communications channels other than the Internet, for example LANs, or WANs. Additionally, or alternatively, the described methods can omit some steps, can add other steps, and can execute the steps in other orders to achieve the advantages of the invention.  
         [0042]    These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, but should be construed to include all computers, networks and distribution systems that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is to be determined entirely by the following claims.