Patent Document ID: 10121177
Application ID: 14704636
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer implemented method for processing a search request for part numbers of a configurable product, the method comprising: displaying a user interface configured to receive a user input search request for the part numbers of the configurable product; receiving, via the user interface, the user input search request defining one or more configurable properties of the configurable product; analyzing the user input search request to determine entities present in a database matching the one or more configurable properties of the user input search request, the database storing a plurality of virtual families, each virtual family of the plurality of virtual families including a plurality of independent groups, each independent group defining (1) at least one configurable property of the configurable product and (2) part number positions of the part number corresponding to the configurable properties in the independent group, each independent group of the plurality of independent groups including part number positions of the part number for characters, number and/or symbols that do not depend on characters, number and/or symbols at part number positions of other independent groups of the plurality of independent groups, and at least one configurable property of the configurable product is included in independent groups of at least two virtual families; determining virtual families stored in the database including the entities matching the one or more configurable properties of the user input search request, wherein at least two of the determined virtual families include independent groups with a common configurable property; based on the determined virtual families including the entities, calculating total number of matching products; determining the part numbers of the configurable product matching the user input search request, wherein the part numbers are determined based on allowed characters, number and/or symbols for the part number positions defined in the independent groups of the virtual families determined to include the entities matching the one or more configurable properties of the user input search request; and displaying, in the user interface, a list of part numbers determined to match the user input search request.