Patent ID: 7321896

Claim:
A component management system comprising: a storage unit storing hardware and firmware related electronic information components as a hardware and firmware component knowledge database, each hardware and firmware related electronic information component being electronic information generated during processes including design, development, manufacture, and inspection, of a product, wherein the hardware and firmware related electronic information components include at least one of a drawing of a hardware constituting the product, a firmware, a program, a specification, and a contract for the product, as the electronic information, wherein said hardware and firmware related electronic information components as a variety of electronic information generated during the processes including the design, development, manufacture, and inspection of the product constitute a hierarchical structure in which the hardware and firmware related electronic information components are stored according to a numbering system common to both hardware and firmware electronic information components and added to each hardware and firmware electronic information component, wherein said storage unit stores meta-information according to Extensible Markup Language (XML) data expressing the hierarchical structure of the hardware and firmware related electronic information components, and wherein said hardware and firmware related electronic information components constituting said product are at a same management level; a server which manages the hardware and firmware component knowledge database stored in said storage unit; and at least one client, which is connected to said server via a network, and accesses a a desired hardware and firmware related electronic information component from said hardware and firmware related electronic information components constituting the hierarchical structure based on the meta information.