Patent ID: 7058623

Claim:
A computer automated process for identification, management and retrieval of engineering drawings in digital format comprising the steps of: (i) analyzing graphical and textual digital data in a drawing using a central processing unit to identify individual engineering drawings, to identify a series of discrete boxes within each engineering drawing containing predefined keywords and to further identify any text contained within the drawing and within said discrete boxes; and (ii) storing a textual content in the discrete boxes in a memory means in a relational database, the textual content of the discrete boxes is stored by reference to the predefined keywords of each discrete box and wherein the individual engineering drawings are identified and retrieved by reference to the predefined keywords and the textual contents of the discrete boxes and the text contained within the individual engineering drawing; wherein all the graphical digital data is analyzed by the central processing unit to identify any horizontal two point straight line array or multiple line array longer than a predetermined figure; wherein the central processing unit then identifies all lines connecting two points of the horizontal two point straight line to establish a closed rectangular region; and wherein any closed rectangular region not bounded by a larger closed rectangular region is identified as the boundary of each individual engineering drawing.