Geometric search engine

A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform a method to provide information associated with an existent geometric structure having a geometry that is similar to a geometry of a source geometric structure, the method comprising:

• providing a searchable data structure of stored non-invertible encoded files of geometries of existent geometric structures, each encoded file comprising a stored set of coefficients that are a non-invertible representation of a geometry of an existent geometric structure stored in a digitized three-dimensional (3D) file format;
• encoding a source file of the 3D file format to generate a compare set of coefficients that are a non-invertible representation of geometry of a source geometric structure stored in the source file, wherein the encoding comprises using a same encoding algorithm used to encode the encoded files of the searchable data structure, and further wherein the non-invertible representations are secure representations that prevent derivation of the geometries of the source and existent geometric structures;
• and
• searching the searchable data structure by comparing the compare set of coefficients to the stored sets of coefficients of the searchable data structure and if the compare set of coefficients matches one or more of the stored sets of coefficients according to a threshold of similarity, providing a search result that provides information related to the one or more existent geometric structures represented by the one or more stored sets of coefficients which match.

A system to provide information associated with an existent geometric structure having a geometry that is similar to a geometry of a source geometric structure, the system comprising:

• a searchable data structure of stored non-invertible encoded files of geometries of existent geometric structures, each encoded file comprising a stored set of coefficients that are a non-invertible representation of a geometry of an existent geometric structure stored in a digitized three-dimensional (3D) file format;
• means for encoding a source file of the 3D file format to generate a compare set of coefficients that are a non-invertible representation of geometry of a source geometric structure stored in the source file, wherein the encoding comprises using a same encoding algorithm used to encode the encoded files of the searchable data structure, and further wherein the non-invertible representations are secure representations that prevent derivation of the geometries of the source and designed geometric structures;
• and
• a search engine to search the searchable data structure by comparing the compare set of coefficients to the stored sets of coefficients of the searchable data structure and if the compare set of coefficients matches one or more of the stored sets of coefficients according to a threshold of similarity, providing a search result that provides information related to the one or more existent geometric structures represented by the one or more stored sets of coefficients which match.

A computer-implemented method to provide information associated with an existent geometric structure having a geometry that is similar to a geometry of a source geometric structure, the method comprising:

• providing a searchable data structure of stored non-invertible encoded files of geometries of existent geometric structures, each encoded file comprising a stored set of coefficients that are a non-invertible representation of a geometry of an existent geometric structure stored in a digitized three-dimensional (3D) file format, wherein the non-invertible representations are secure representations that prevent derivation of the geometries of the existent geometric structures corresponding to the non-invertible representations;
• encoding a source file of the 3D file format to generate a compare set of coefficients that are a non-invertible representation of geometry of a source geometric structure stored in the source file, wherein the encoding comprises using a same encoding algorithm used to encode the encoded files of the searchable data structure, and wherein the compare set of coefficients are multipliers from a series expansion that represent a unique signature for the source geometric structure, the signature lacking encoded properties of the geometry of the source geometric structure;
• and
• searching the searchable data structure by comparing the compare set of coefficients to the stored sets of coefficients of the searchable data structure and if the compare set of coefficients matches one or more of the stored sets of coefficients according to a threshold of similarity, providing a search result that provides information related to the one or more existent geometric structures represented by the one or more stored sets of coefficients which match.