US 5,708,798 A · Method and apparatus for configuring systems

Abstract

The present invention employs a generative approach for configuring systems such that a system may be configured based on component or resource requests, or input in the form of need. The present invention provides a constraint-based configuration system using a structural model hierarchy. The structural aspects of the model provide the ability to define a model element as being contained in, or by, another model element. In addition, the structural model provides the ability to identify logical datatype and physical interconnections between elements and establish connections between elements. To configure a system, the present invention accepts input in the form of requests (e.g., component or resource) or needs, such as an expression of a need for a desktop computer system to be used in a CAD (i.e., computer-aided design) environment. Using this information, the present invention configures a system by identifying the resource and component needs, constraints imposed on or by the resources or components identified, and the structural aspects of the system.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method of defining a structural model hierarchy in a computer system comprising the steps of:

defining component, composite, container, port, and connector base classes;
defining derived classes that are derived from said base classes
defining leaf descendants that descend from said base and derived classes;
defining a composite hierarchy substructure such that a first model element that is part of said second model element that is descended from said composite base class is defined to be a "child of" said second model element;
defining a container hierarchy substructure such that a first model element that is contained within a second model element that is descended from said container base class is defined to be "contained by" said second model element;
and
defining a port relationship substructure such that a first model element that connects to a second model element that is descended from said port base class is defined to "connect with" said second model element.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for configuring systems

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for configuring systems

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6