Patent ID: 8392291

Claim:
A method for automated structuring of data representing a system of tangible items, comprising: receiving, at a data processing system, first item information describing a first tangible item in the system; receiving, at the data processing system, first item position information describing a position of the first tangible item; receiving, at the data processing system, second item information describing a second tangible item of the system; receiving, at the data processing system, second item position information describing a position of the second tangible item; using the data processing system to automatically characterize a component/subcomponent relationship between the first tangible item and the second tangible item based at least in part upon the first item position information and the second item position information, wherein characterizing the component/subcomponent relationship comprises the data processing system identifying a third item and a fourth item having a previously characterized component/subcomponent relationship; and using the data processing system to associate the first item information and the second item information to reflect the component/subcomponent relationship between the first tangible item and the second tangible item, wherein associating the first item information and the second item information comprises the data processing system copying an association between third item information and fourth item information that reflects the previously characterized component/subcomponent relationship to associate the first item information and the second item information, wherein the associating of the first item information and the second item information transforms a collection of data to reflect the component/subcomponent relationship between the first tangible item and the second tangible item.