Patent ID: 7680554

Claim:
A computer implemented method in a data processing system within a manufacturing environment for associating objects in a manufacturing process, the computer implemented method comprising: determining by the data processing system whether one or more parts or subassemblies need to be installed in a manufacturing unit during a manufacturing process to build the manufacturing unit; responsive to determining that one or more parts or subassemblies need to be installed in the manufacturing unit, installing by the data processing system the one or more parts or subassemblies in the manufacturing unit; recording by the data processing system a time for when the one or more parts or subassemblies were installed in the manufacturing unit; locating entries for all parts and subassemblies associated with each of the one or more parts or subassemblies installed in the manufacturing unit within a database by the data processing system; creating an entry within the database by the data processing system that includes an installing event for each of the one or more parts or subassemblies installed in the manufacturing unit, the time of the installing event for each of the one or more parts or subassemblies installed in the manufacturing unit, and the entries for all the parts and the subassemblies associated with each of the one or more parts or subassemblies installed in the manufacturing unit; determining by the data processing system whether one or more previously installed parts or subassemblies need to be removed from the manufacturing unit during the manufacturing process to build the manufacturing unit; responsive to determining that one or more previously installed parts or subassemblies need to be removed from the manufacturing unit, removing by the data processing system the one or more previously installed parts or subassemblies from the manufacturing unit; recording by the data processing system a time for when the one or more previously installed parts or subassemblies were removed from the manufacturing unit; locating entries for all parts and subassemblies associated with each of the one or more previously installed parts or subassemblies removed from the manufacturing unit within a database by the data processing system; and creating an entry within the database by the data processing system that includes a removing event for each of the one or more previously installed parts or subassemblies removed from the manufacturing unit, the time of the removing event for each of the one or more parts or subassemblies installed in the manufacturing unit, and the entries for all the parts and the subassemblies associated with each of the one or more previously installed parts or subassemblies removed from the manufacturing unit.