Patent ID: 7567850

Claim:
A method for generating a parts catalog of a product from three dimensional data and a parts list of the product, wherein the parts catalog comprises the parts list listing at least a name of a part and a reference numeral/symbol of the part, and a disassembled illustration of the product wherein the part in the part list is illustrated in a disassembled state with its reference numeral/symbol; said three dimensional data comprising assembly structure information of the product; and the parts list being a list of parts or partially assembled parts of the product and wherein a user creates said parts list; the method comprising the steps of (a) assigning reference numeral/symbols to said parts and partially assembled parts in the parts list; (b) building a disassembly algorithm based on said parts list; and (c) generating disassembly illustrations from said three dimensional data based on said disassembly algorithm, wherein maximal disassembled states in the disassembly illustrations are the parts and partially assembled parts assigned with said reference numeral/symbols, and displaying said reference numeral/symbol for each of the parts and partially assembled parts in the disassembly illustrations; wherein the parts list includes disassembly definition information comprising a tree structure consisting of a node and leave said node being a process and said leave being a part or a partially assembled part, wherein said node comprises a basic process and optionally an intermediate process performed in said basic process, and wherein a partially assembled part consists of parts to be disassembled or assembled in the intermediate process.