Susan Crim Mcclendon

US Patent:

6625619, Sep 23, 2003

Filed:

Mar 15, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/809466

Inventors:

Susan McClendon - Atlanta GA
John R. Witherspoon - Roswell GA
Robert Paul Dean - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Building Systems Design, Inc. - Atlanta GA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

7071041, 707 3

Abstract:

The present invention provides systems and methods for identifying and organizing assembly project item information in such a way that item data sets can be readily defined and recorded, quickly searched and compared, and accurately transmitted among software applications and translated into the form needed without the need for human intervention or interpretation. A typical environment will include a common taxonomy to provide standardize communication. The taxonomy uses a common set of terms including element names representing items and item categories and criteria associated with given elements. A common data structure is used to store criteria across disparate elements. The taxonomy is typically organized hierarchically, and many embodiments use a hierarchical criteria interface to view, select and insert element information. One such embodiment encompasses a virtual product library wherein disparate item information developers can index relevant item information according to the taxonomy and submit the generated indexes to the virtual product library for searching and procuring by relevant user communities. In another embodiment, disparate assembly project related applications can be used to select and specify items related to a given assembly project.