Patent ID: 6983267

Claim:
An information, operating or monitoring system for a real device having real subcomponents, the system comprising: a data processing device, comprising a software model including virtual components, wherein the software model represents the real device, and wherein the virtual components are linked to each other in correspondence to relationships of or within the real device; and a display for displaying views associated with the virtual components; wherein at least one of the virtual components and the views include access data for accessing at least one of local information data and global information data, which are associated with the virtual components, wherein the virtual components comprise a virtual device and virtual subcomponents, which represent the real device and the real subcomponents, respectively, wherein the virtual device and the virtual subcomponents are designed as at least one of data and data processing programs, wherein the virtual device and the virtual subcomponents are linked to each other in correspondence to at least one of operational relationships, physical relationships, and technical relationships of or within the real device, and wherein technologically different ones of the virtual subcomponents are assigned to the virtual device, wherein technologically structured subordinate components are assigned to each of the virtual subcomponents, and wherein the access data are structured for navigating a user through the virtual device, through the technologically different virtual subcomponents, and through the subordinate components.