Patent Document ID: 10037403
Application ID: 14153374
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A system for selecting a part that most closely matches a desired part from a plurality of part models, such that the system comprises: a memory that comprises a database that comprises the plurality of part models for existing parts; a user interface configured to receive input of a number of search parameters for the desired part; a processor unit; and product management software configured for execution by the processor unit and specially programed to: retrieve part models from the database for existing parts based on the number of search parameters, the processor unit specially programed to: define, for each of retrieved part models, a prism that comprises a volume that completely contains a volume of a part corresponding to the each of the retrieved part models; receive acceptable deviations for each parameter of the number of search parameters, such that the acceptable deviations define a scaled part that comprises a maximum volume boundary for the desired part and a minimum volume boundary for the desired part; select candidate parts from the retrieved part models, such that the candidate parts each comprise a total volume that lies between a total volume of the maximum volume boundary and a total volume of the minimum volume boundary; eliminate, responsive to a shape analysis, a candidate part from the candidate parts based at least upon a portion of the minimum volume boundary for the desired part lying outside the candidate part, such that the shape analysis comprises: a first Boolean logic subtraction of a shape, comprising the maximum volume boundary, of the desired part, from a shape of the candidate part; and a second Boolean logic subtraction of the shape of the candidate part from a shape, comprising the minimum volume boundary, of the desired part; and display, on a display system, an assembly model that comprises a three-dimensional view of remaining candidate parts that comprises the retrieved part models arranged in positions relative to each other, such that the display comprises the candidate parts in the three-dimensional view displayed in a side-by-side configuration along a global axis in an order, based on a number of characteristics of each prism, configured to identify a part model that most closely matches the desired part.