Method and planning tool operable to retrieve additional information from an external source
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsStefan List, Josef Poertner-Von Der Marwitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for planning an automation process and a planning tool (10) run on a computer (14) for the selection of automation components represented by data records (20), such as automation components suitable for the control and/or monitoring of a technical process for automation. The automation components (20) are selected using display screen-supported selection dialogs of the planning tool (10). Additional information is automatically retrieved for a selected automation component (20), such as technical documentation, driver updates, pricing or ordering information, from a data pool (26) located on a source (22) external to the computer (14).
Claims21
A planning tool run on a computer, comprising:
- screen-supported selection dialogs providing a user with an ability to select automation components,
- wherein a source external to the computer stores additional information, and the planning tool is configured to automatically retrieve the additional information for a selected automation component.
A computerized method for planning an automated technical process, the method comprising:
- selecting by a user automation components for the technical process via selection dialogs displayed on a computer of the user;
- requesting by the user additional information for at least one of the selected automation components;
- automatically transmitting to a remote source the request along with a unique identifier for the at least one selected automation component;
- automatically locating the additional information relating to the at least one selected automation component according to the unique identifier;
- transmitting to the user computer the located additional information;
- and
- providing the user with the transmitted additional information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.