Patent ID: 6920624

Claim:
A method of converting a data set describing a printed circuit board into a format recognizable by vision software, the data set comprising data elements representing various shapes, some of which overlap thereby forming a continuous composite shape, the method comprising: (a) finding a first data element representing a first shape that intersects with a second shape represented by a second data element; (b) merging the first and second data elements; and (c) exporting the merged element as a single data elements, wherein the step (a) further comprises: (a)(i) dividing a layer of the printed circuit board into a plurality of regions: (a)(ii) identifying one data element as an active element: (a)(iii) identifying a region in which the shape represented by the active element is situated; and (a)(iv) within the identified region, finding all other shapes intersecting the shape represented by the active element.