Patent ID: 7167876

Claim:
A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer instructions and software components to configure an article of manufacture, the software components comprising: 1) at least one configuration definition that generically defines an assembly article having at least one component, the at least one configuration definition including: a) at least one item data structure that identifies a corresponding component of the assembly article; b) at least one variable data structure that stores input information from a configuring user; c) at least one formula to automatically calculate configuration information based on the input information stored in the at least one variable data structure; d) operating logic that permits the calculation of the at least one formula in relation to the at least one corresponding component of the assembly article, wherein the operating logic prompts the configuring user for the input information, and wherein the operating logic further renders generic properties from the configuration information; 2) a logic engine that executes the operating logic included in the at least one configuration definition to assist a configuring user to configure a specific assembly having generic properties; 3) a component catalog database that stores component information and corresponding specific component properties; and 4) a database engine that generates a query of the component catalog database based upon generic properties of the specific assembly specified by the configuring user, thereby identifying in the component catalog database at least one component having specific component properties that match to the generic properties of the specific assembly.