US 5,515,269 A · Method of producing a bill of material for a configured product

Abstract

This invention provides a method utilizing component-to-attribute relationships resulting in a bill of materials documenting the specific structure of the configuration of an end product. Attributes and their values together with option attributes which describe the end product are input to a database. A check is made to determine if dependent attributes are required to further define the end product. A check is then made to determine if incompatible attribute combinations exist. Components are selected to satisfy the specific structure of the configuration of the end product. Part numbers and nomenclature are created to identify the configuration just created. A bill of materials is created to document the specific structure of the end product together with price/cost of the end product.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A method employing a computer and database techniques and utilizing component-to-attribute relationships resulting in a bill of materials documenting the specific structure of the configuration of an end product which has been ordered, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a database of files which define the scope and variety of end products which may be configured in terms of attributes and attribute values;
(b) inputting into the computer via an input device attributes and their values which are required to describe the end product being configured;
(c) searching the database to verify the attributes and their values against previously determined valid attributes and their values;
(d) selecting from the database components to satisfy the specific structure of the configuration of the end product;
(e) searching the required components database and the results of step (d) to verify that all required component types have been selected to create a complete end product;
(f) generating a list of required component types not selected in step (e) if a complete end product has not been created;
and
(g) generating a bill of materials and nomenclature for the end product.

5 more elements

generating a database of files which define the scope and variety of end products which may be configured in terms of attributes and attribute values;
inputting into the computer via an input device attributes and their values which are required to describe the end product being configured;
searching the database to verify the attributes and their values against previously determined valid attributes and their values;
inputting into the computer via the input device option attributes and their values which define any optional features required for the end product;
searching the database to verify the option attributes and their values against previously determined valid option attributes and their values;
accessing the database to determine if dependent attributes are required to be input to further define the end product;
accessing the database to determine if inferred attributes are found if dependent attributes are required;
inputting into the computer via the input device dependent attributes and their values if inferred attributes are not found;
searching the database to verify the dependent attributes and their values against previously determined valid dependent attributes and their values;
accessing the database to determine if incompatible attribute combinations exist;
displaying to an output device the incompatible attributes and their values together with the reason for incompatibility when incompatible attribute combinations exist;
and
correcting via the input device the attributes and their values if correction is possible.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of producing a bill of material for a configured product

Life of this patent

Method of producing a bill of material for a configured product

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims34