US 5,490,232 A · Computer-aided thought process simulation design system

Abstract

A computer-aided design system simulates the designer thought processes by the provision of a plurality of discrete unit programs provided respectively for individual design items, Each of the unit programs includes a thought process portion, a knowledge portion and a recognition portion. The thought process portion is for receiving an input instruction via an input device, executing logic operations in accordance with the input instruction to obtain logic results, and transferring the logic results to a related unit program. The related unit program receives the logic results and executes logic operations in accordance with the received logic results to obtain new logic results. The knowledge portion of each unit program is provided for storing the various logic results, and the recognition portion of each unit program is provided for identifying the related unit program which is related to the logic results obtained by executing the logic operations.

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Drawings

Claims18

Dependent claims

A computer-aided design system comprising:

an input device;
a display device;
and,
processing means including a plurality of discrete unit programs which are operatively independent from each other and which are provided respectively for discrete design items, each of the plurality of discrete unit programs including a thought process portion, a knowledge portion and a recognition portion, wherein said thought process portion of each unit program includes means for receiving at least one of an input instruction via said input device and logic results from another unit program, executing logic operations when received logic results are associated with said logic operations in accordance with the input instruction to obtain logic results and transferring the logic results to all of a plurality of related unit programs, wherein said knowledge portion of each unit program includes means for storing the logic results, and wherein said recognition portion of each unit program includes means for identifying the plurality of related unit programs which are related to the logic operations of said each unit program;
said processing means, responsive to an input user instruction, for processing a first discrete unit program associated with a user selected design item to cause the first discrete unit program to obtain first logic results and identify a plurality of related second discrete unit programs and transfer the first logic results to all of the related second discrete unit programs, processing all of the related second discrete unit programs to determine at least one related second discrete unit program which is for executing logic operations associated with the transferred first logic results, and for then activating in succession the at least one related second discrete unit program having logic operations associated with the transferred first logic results and any subsequent related discrete unit programs identified during processing of a preceding discrete unit program.

2 more elements

A computer-aided design method comprising preparing and incorporating into a computer system a plurality of discrete unit programs which are operatively independent from each other, wherein each of the programs is provided in association with a respective design item and each includes a thought process portion, a knowledge portion, and a recognition portion, wherein the thought process portion of each unit program is prepared for receiving at least one of an input instruction via an input device of the computer system and logic results from another unit program, executing logic operations when received logic results are associated with said logic operations in accordance with the input instruction to obtain logic results and transferring the logic results to a plurality of related unit programs, wherein the knowledge portion of each unit program is prepared for storing the logic results, and wherein the recognition portion of each unit program is prepared for identifying the plurality of related unit programs which are related to the logic operations of said each unit program, and

wherein, responsive to an input user instruction, a first discrete unit program associated with a user selected design item is processed to cause the first discrete unit program to obtain first logic results and identify a plurality of related second discrete unit programs and transfer the first logic results to all the related second discrete unit programs, all of the related second discrete unit programs are processed to determine at least one related second discrete unit program which is for executing logic operations associated with the transferred first logic results, and then in succession the at least one related second discrete unit program having logic operations associated with the transferred first logic results and any subsequent related discrete unit programs identified during processing of a preceding discrete unit program are processed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description4,073 words

Summary801 words

#A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to a computer-aided design system, and more particularly, to a computer-aided design system which supports in an interactive basis the creative and expressive activities of a designer.

Brief description of the drawings9 figures

#FIG. 1 schematic illustration of the design process of a designer;

#FIG. 2 is a conceptual view depicting a unit program in accordance with the system of the present invention;

#FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting an apparatus of the present invention;

Detailed description3,122 words

#An embodiment of the computer-aided thought process simulation design system in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

#Referring initially to FIG. 2, the design system of the present invention is made up of a plurality of unit programs 1 which are respectively prepared for individual design items. For example, considering the case of a building design, a large number of unit programs 1 are individually prepared for various design items, such as a floor design, a pillar design, etc..

#Each unit program 1 is made up of a thought process portion 1a, a knowledge portion 1b, and a recognition portion 1c.

Facts

Application

08/223,324Filed 5 Apr 1994 · continuation in part

Priority

JP 2-28811525 Oct 1990

Granted

6 Feb 1996

Term ended

6 Feb 2013

Estimated · how

Pre-1995 term; greater of 17 years from grant or 20 years from filing when eligible. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification2 codes

G06F 30/00
Computer-aided design [cad]
G06F
Computing and data processing

Computer-aided thought process simulation design system

Life of this patent

Computer-aided thought process simulation design system

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims18

Description4,073 words

Drawings

Classification2 codes

Life of this patent

Description4,073 words