Apparatus, system and method for design support

An information processing apparatus comprising:

• geometry data display means for displaying geometry data that is designed;
• generation means for generating reference relationship information that represents a reference relationship between said geometry data and a digital document on which the determination of said geometry data is based;
• and
• embedding and displaying means for embedding and displaying, in an element of said geometry data to be displayed, the linking information of said digital document that is to be referred to, based on said reference relationship information generated by said generation means.

An information processing apparatus comprising:

• design information display means for displaying design information used to design geometry data that constitutes a predetermined part or portion thereof;
• generation means for generating reference relationship information for said design information to be displayed and said geometry data designed in accordance with said design information;
• and
• embedding and displaying means for embedding and displaying, in said design information to be displayed by said design information display means, linking information that is based on said reference relationship information.

A design support system comprising:

• a digital document related module for storing a digital document that includes design information or background information used for a design operation;
• a geometry data related module for storing geometry data designed using said design operation;
• and
• a reference relationship related module for generating reference relationship information representing a correlation between a predetermined digital document stored by said digital document related module and predetermined geometry data stored by said geometry data related module.

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a computer to support a user's design operation, the computer program logic comprising:

• geometry data displaying means for enabling the computer to display geometry data that is designed;
• generation means for enabling the computer to generate reference relationship information that represents a reference relationship between said geometry data and a digital document on which the determination of said geometry data is based;
• and
• embedding and displaying means for enabling the computer to embed and display, in an element of said geometry data displayed by said geometry data displaying means, the linking information of a digital document that is a reference target, based on said reference relationship information generated by said generation means.

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a computer to support a user's design operation, the computer program logic comprising:

• digital document display means for enabling the computer to display digital document information used for designing geometry data that constitutes a predetermined part or portion thereof;
• generation means for enabling the computer to generate information for a reference relationship between said digital document information to be displayed by said digital document display means, and geometry data designed in accordance with said digital document information;
• and
• embedding and displaying means for enabling the computer to embed and display, in said digital document information to be displayed by said digital document display means, linking information that is based on said reference relationship information generated by said generation means.

A design support information display method comprising the steps of:

• storing information for a reference relationship between digital document information and geometry data;
• searching for reference relationship information that matches a digital document to be displayed;
• and
• displaying said digital document, while linking information to geometry data as a reference target is added to a predetermined position of the source digital document by employing said reference relationship information.

A design support information display method comprising the steps of:

• storing information for a reference relationship between digital document information and geometry data;
• searching for reference relationship information that matches geometry data to be displayed;
• and
• displaying said geometry data, while linking information to the digital document as a reference target is added to an element of the source geometry data by employing said reference relationship information.