CA2977844A1 - A system comprising of computer software methods of extracting non-sensible information from computer aid design documents to generate an hierarchical structured dynamic parts catalog - Google Patents
A system comprising of computer software methods of extracting non-sensible information from computer aid design documents to generate an hierarchical structured dynamic parts catalog Download PDFInfo
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Abstract
A system comprising of the following methods.
A computer method to extract information from a computer aid design (CAD) documents. This extraction method may be assisted by a CAD software and may be associated to a filtering method to limit the information to be extracted. These methods may be implemented into the manufacturer IT network so no sensible information such as trade secrets leave its environment.
Once the information is extracted, it is push to a server and then to a database and a file repository.
Manufacturer service support users or customer users can log into a dynamic parts catalog through a user interface. This interface connects to a server to access the extracted CAD document information.
The interface displays the part/assembly with their associated data such as part numbers and visual representations in a structured hierarchical order based on the product tree structure of the CAD
documents.
A computer method to extract information from a computer aid design (CAD) documents. This extraction method may be assisted by a CAD software and may be associated to a filtering method to limit the information to be extracted. These methods may be implemented into the manufacturer IT network so no sensible information such as trade secrets leave its environment.
Once the information is extracted, it is push to a server and then to a database and a file repository.
Manufacturer service support users or customer users can log into a dynamic parts catalog through a user interface. This interface connects to a server to access the extracted CAD document information.
The interface displays the part/assembly with their associated data such as part numbers and visual representations in a structured hierarchical order based on the product tree structure of the CAD
documents.
Description
=
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of data processing from computer aid design documents, to protection of sensible information on CAD documents such as trade secrets and to technical documentation supporting customer in identifying replacement parts for their purchased device. More specifically, this invention pertains to a computer software methods of extracting non-sensible information from computer aid design documents to generate an hierarchical structured dynamic parts catalog.
= BACKGROUND
Many companies and people are using Computer Aid Design (CAD) software to assist them in creating their products. Software like Autocad, Inventor, Solid Edge, Solid Works, Pro Engineer and Catia are considered as CAD Software. The CAD software can create a virtual representation of the future product that can be later manufactured.
With a CAD software, CAD documents can be created (like .xlsx document can be created with Microsoft Excel software). From the multiple type of CAD documents, some of them can be considered as part, assembly or drawing. An assembly can contain multiple parts and sub-assemblies. Those sub-assembly can also contain multiple parts and sub-assemblies. By combining all those assembly levels, this creates a hierarchical structured product tree.
A product can be as simple as a single part or complex as a full manufacturing plant having thousands of parts and assemblies within multiple production lines. Each part and assembly may be associated with one or more drawing. Drawing can assist the manufacturer in the manufacturing or assembling of the parts and assemblies.
Each part, assembly and drawing CAD document may contain data information like part number, part revision, part description, drawing view position, ...). They also contain a visual representation of the part, assembly or drawing.
These CAD documents may also contain sensible information like manufacturer trade secrets on how to create the products. Manufacturers usually don't want to share these or have them leaving their IT
network.
A product that gets manufactured can be purchased by a customer. During the product life where the customer uses the product, parts or assemblies may need to be replaced because of wear, break, preventive maintenance or other reasons. the customer then need to know how to identify the part or assembly that needs to be replaced.
This information is usually made accessible by creating a parts catalog where the customer can search and find the information about the part or assembly including the part number.
Parts catalog usually contains illustrations of the parts/assemblies and information like the part/assembly number. They can take the form of a paper printed manual, an electronic file document or a web-based interface.
From simple to complex products with thousands of parts and assemblies, creating a parts catalog is a long and complex task to accomplish with a high risk of errors. A customer that needs to identify parts may sometimes be dealing with information that is erroneous or difficult to find. Parts catalog must also provide enough information to identify part/assembly without providing any sensible information like trade secrets.
There is therefore an unsatisfied need for a system that could generate a parts catalog faster with lower chances of errors where manufacturer sensible information is not made public.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies this need with a system comprising of a CAD
document computer-implemented information extraction method, a computer-implemented filtering method and a computer-implemented dynamic parts catalog system.
The computer-implemented extraction method can extract information from CAD
documents that were previously created with a CAD software. This method can be assisted or not by the CAD software API
depending on the type of information to extract. During the extraction, information like manufacturer trade secrets or sensible information are not collected.
The CAD document extraction method may be assisted by a computer-implemented filtering method to filter or limit the information to be extracted.
Extracted information from any CAD software is standardize thru a generic data meta model. Once the information is extracted, it is push to a server and then to a database or file repository. The links between CAD documents are kept into the database, therefore the full product tree structure of assemblies, parts and sub-assemblies is stored.
Both the extraction and filtering methods are modular and can be run inside or remote from the manufacturer IT network. If remote, the CAD documents would first be uploaded from the manufacturer IT network environment to a server prior to data extraction and filtering.
Manufacturer service support users or customer users can log into a computer-implemented dynamic parts catalog through a user interface with their login and password. This interface connects to a server to access the extracted CAD document information. The dynamic parts catalog provides a visual representation of the parts/assemblies and their associated data such as part numbers in a structured hierarchical order based on the product tree structure of the CAD documents.
The manufacturer service support users may have access to all products from all the manufacturer customers while the customer would only have access to the products that was purchased by him. User access may be filtered by multiple factors such as geographical position or customers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an assembly comprising of two parts and one sub-assembly.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing a full product tree comprising of multiple assemblies and parts.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of one part and one assembly and their associated drawings.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates a high-level architecture of the extraction and filtering methods being run inside the manufacturer IT network environment.
FIG. 5 same as FIG. 4 except extraction and filtering methods being run outside of the manufacturer IT
network.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a method of accessing a dynamic parts catalog.
FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the dynamic parts catalog interlace.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following definitions and explanations provide background information pertaining to the technical field of the present invention, and are intended to facilitate the understanding of the present invention without limiting its scope:
- Application programming interlace (API) is a set of subroutine definitions, protocols, and tools for building application software. In general terms, it is a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components - CAD: Computer Aid Design - CAD software: A computer systems to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design (Computer Aid Design Software). Software like Autocad, Inventor, Solid Edge, Solid Works, Pro Engineer and Catia are considered as CAD Software.
- CAD documents: Electronic files that can be created by a Cad Software. They can include but are not limited to parts, assemblies and drawings.
- Bill of material: A list of sub-components of an assembly or a list of materials of a part.
- CAD user: A person that can operate the Cad documents extraction method, the filtering method, the CAD software and the CAD documents.
- Cad documents extraction method: A computer method to extract information such as visual representation and data from a CAD document. This method can be assisted by a CAD software.
- Customer: A company or person that own .or use the manufactured product.
This customer may need to order parts or assemblies of the product when they wear or break.
- Customer location: The location where the manufactured products have been installed or are based.
Per example, it could be a customer manufacturing plant where machines were purchased from the manufacturer.
- Customer user: a dynamic parts catalog user that purchased a product from the manufacturer.
- Dynamic parts catalog: a parts catalog interface that can be access through a computer or electronic device such as a phone or tablet =
- Enterprise resource planning (ERP): the integrated management of core business processes, often in real-time and mediated by software and technology.
- Filtering Method: a computer method to filter or limit the information to extract from the CAD documents.
- IT (or Information technology): the application of computers to store, study, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data, or information, often in the context of a business or other enterprise.
- Metadata model: the analysis, construction and development of the frames, rules, constraints, models and theories applicable and useful for the modeling in a predefined class of problems. The class can be defined as a set of objects that share the same attributes, operations, relations, and semantics.
- Manufacturer: a person or company that makes products for sale.
- Manufactured product: the product that was created with the CAD software that was manufactured by a manufacturer.
- Manufacturer service support user: a dynamic parts catalog user working in the service support department of a product manufacturer.
- Parts manual interface: a book or computer interface where a customer can identify parts.
- Product: a product created with the assistance of a CAD software that can be manufactured by a manufacturer and can be sold to a customer.
- Product tree: An assembly and sub-assemblies hierarchical structure where all assemblies and parts are combined to create a finish product.
- Parts catalog: a document published by manufacturers which contains the illustrations, part numbers and other relevant data for their products or parts.
- Server: a computer or computer program that manages access to a centralized resource or service in a network.
- Trade secrets: a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, commercial method, or compilation of information not generally known or reasonably ascertainable by others by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers.
- Web: an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet.
One of the many functions of a CAD software is to modeled parts 100 and assemblies 105 (FIG. 1).
Once combined, they can create a new higher level assembly 110. These steps can be repeated until creating the full hierarchically structured product tree of FIG. 2 containing all the sub level parts 100 and assemblies 105.
Each part 100 or assembly 105 may be linked to one or more drawings as presented in FIG. 3. A part drawing 150 may be useful to instruct how to manufacture the part. An assembly drawing 155 may be useful to instruct how to assemble or weld the assembly 110.
The CAD documents 10 for parts 100 or assemblies 105 contains information such as part number, part description, part revision, bill of material, mass, color, file name. Cad documents 10 containing part drawing 150 or assembly drawing 155 contains drawing information such as sheet name, view name, view position, balloon content. Cad documents 10 also have visual representation of the parts, assemblies and drawing.
FIG 4. portrays the overall environment of how information is extracted from CAD document 10 in a situation where the extraction and filtering methods are process in the manufacturer IT network 8. This means that the CAD documents 10 are not leaving the manufacturer environment.
A computer-implemented extraction method 20 extracts data 36 and visual representation 37 from CAD
documents 10. Depending of the type of information, the extraction method 20 may be assisted or not by the CAD software 15 through its API. Some information from CAD documents 10 may not be extracted by the CAD document information extraction method 20 to protect trade secrets or other sensible information.
A filtering method 25 may assist the CAD document information extraction 20 in filtering and limiting the information that needs to be extracted. This method connects to the CAD
document information extraction method 20 and to the database 35 and file repository 40 through a server 30. This method can =
reduce the amount of data 36 and visual representation 37 that must be extracted. Per example, this filtering method 25 could detect if a CAD file was already inserted in the database or if specific conditions disabling partially or totally the need to extract the information.
Once extracted, the data 36 and visual representation 37 information are send to the server 30 from the CAD document information extraction method 20. They are standardized thru the same generic metadata model for any CAD software. The server 30 dispatch the data 36 into the database 35 and the visual representation 37 in the file repository 40. The database 35 data keep the cad documents 10 hierarchical links between parts 100 and assemblies 105 of the full product tree.
As per FIG. 5, the CAD document information extraction method 20 and the filtering method 25 are modular and each or both can be run in a remote IT network. In this situation, the CAD documents 10 from the manufacturer IT network 8 are uploaded to an upload user interface 82 and then to a cad upload server 85 that stores the CAD documents 10 into a CAD document repository 90.
Same as in FIG. 4, CAD documents 10 can then be processed by the CAD document information extraction method 20 and filtering method 25 but into a remote IT network 9 than can be located on a server.
A dynamic parts catalog 200 at FIG. 6 connects to a server 30 to access the data 36 from the database 35 and the visual representation 37 from the file repository 40. Users can connect to through the interface of the dynamic parts catalog 200 with a login and a password by a computer or an electronic device. Users can be a manufacturer service support user 210 that may have access to all its customers.
It could also be a customer user 215 with limited access to only the manufactured product that they purchased. User access may be filtered by multiple factors such as geographical position or customer company.
As per FIG. 7, the dynamic parts catalog interface displays data 36 and visual representation 37 previously extracted from the CAD documents 10. A user can identify parts 100 or assemblies 105 that would be required. Selecting a sub-assembly 105 would make the interface jump into this lower level assembly and thus following the hierarchical structure of the product tree.
This interface can also include a part ordering system 320 where parts can be selected, added to a cart and ordered. Previous customer orders could also be tracked by the interface.
EXAMPLE
An exemplary use of would be a machine manufacturer that design with a CAD
software its machines.
The manufacturer would use the CAD document information extraction method and the filtering method to extract the data and visual representation from the CAD documents and push them to the server and into the database and file repository. Its CAD document including the trade secrets would stay in the manufacturer IT network. Once the machine manufactured and sold to a customer.
This customer would log in the part catalog user interface to identify a broken part on its purchased machine and order a new one. The manufacturer service support user could also use the interface to have access to all the machine sold in the past for any of their customers.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of data processing from computer aid design documents, to protection of sensible information on CAD documents such as trade secrets and to technical documentation supporting customer in identifying replacement parts for their purchased device. More specifically, this invention pertains to a computer software methods of extracting non-sensible information from computer aid design documents to generate an hierarchical structured dynamic parts catalog.
= BACKGROUND
Many companies and people are using Computer Aid Design (CAD) software to assist them in creating their products. Software like Autocad, Inventor, Solid Edge, Solid Works, Pro Engineer and Catia are considered as CAD Software. The CAD software can create a virtual representation of the future product that can be later manufactured.
With a CAD software, CAD documents can be created (like .xlsx document can be created with Microsoft Excel software). From the multiple type of CAD documents, some of them can be considered as part, assembly or drawing. An assembly can contain multiple parts and sub-assemblies. Those sub-assembly can also contain multiple parts and sub-assemblies. By combining all those assembly levels, this creates a hierarchical structured product tree.
A product can be as simple as a single part or complex as a full manufacturing plant having thousands of parts and assemblies within multiple production lines. Each part and assembly may be associated with one or more drawing. Drawing can assist the manufacturer in the manufacturing or assembling of the parts and assemblies.
Each part, assembly and drawing CAD document may contain data information like part number, part revision, part description, drawing view position, ...). They also contain a visual representation of the part, assembly or drawing.
These CAD documents may also contain sensible information like manufacturer trade secrets on how to create the products. Manufacturers usually don't want to share these or have them leaving their IT
network.
A product that gets manufactured can be purchased by a customer. During the product life where the customer uses the product, parts or assemblies may need to be replaced because of wear, break, preventive maintenance or other reasons. the customer then need to know how to identify the part or assembly that needs to be replaced.
This information is usually made accessible by creating a parts catalog where the customer can search and find the information about the part or assembly including the part number.
Parts catalog usually contains illustrations of the parts/assemblies and information like the part/assembly number. They can take the form of a paper printed manual, an electronic file document or a web-based interface.
From simple to complex products with thousands of parts and assemblies, creating a parts catalog is a long and complex task to accomplish with a high risk of errors. A customer that needs to identify parts may sometimes be dealing with information that is erroneous or difficult to find. Parts catalog must also provide enough information to identify part/assembly without providing any sensible information like trade secrets.
There is therefore an unsatisfied need for a system that could generate a parts catalog faster with lower chances of errors where manufacturer sensible information is not made public.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies this need with a system comprising of a CAD
document computer-implemented information extraction method, a computer-implemented filtering method and a computer-implemented dynamic parts catalog system.
The computer-implemented extraction method can extract information from CAD
documents that were previously created with a CAD software. This method can be assisted or not by the CAD software API
depending on the type of information to extract. During the extraction, information like manufacturer trade secrets or sensible information are not collected.
The CAD document extraction method may be assisted by a computer-implemented filtering method to filter or limit the information to be extracted.
Extracted information from any CAD software is standardize thru a generic data meta model. Once the information is extracted, it is push to a server and then to a database or file repository. The links between CAD documents are kept into the database, therefore the full product tree structure of assemblies, parts and sub-assemblies is stored.
Both the extraction and filtering methods are modular and can be run inside or remote from the manufacturer IT network. If remote, the CAD documents would first be uploaded from the manufacturer IT network environment to a server prior to data extraction and filtering.
Manufacturer service support users or customer users can log into a computer-implemented dynamic parts catalog through a user interface with their login and password. This interface connects to a server to access the extracted CAD document information. The dynamic parts catalog provides a visual representation of the parts/assemblies and their associated data such as part numbers in a structured hierarchical order based on the product tree structure of the CAD documents.
The manufacturer service support users may have access to all products from all the manufacturer customers while the customer would only have access to the products that was purchased by him. User access may be filtered by multiple factors such as geographical position or customers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an assembly comprising of two parts and one sub-assembly.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing a full product tree comprising of multiple assemblies and parts.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of one part and one assembly and their associated drawings.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates a high-level architecture of the extraction and filtering methods being run inside the manufacturer IT network environment.
FIG. 5 same as FIG. 4 except extraction and filtering methods being run outside of the manufacturer IT
network.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a method of accessing a dynamic parts catalog.
FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the dynamic parts catalog interlace.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following definitions and explanations provide background information pertaining to the technical field of the present invention, and are intended to facilitate the understanding of the present invention without limiting its scope:
- Application programming interlace (API) is a set of subroutine definitions, protocols, and tools for building application software. In general terms, it is a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components - CAD: Computer Aid Design - CAD software: A computer systems to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design (Computer Aid Design Software). Software like Autocad, Inventor, Solid Edge, Solid Works, Pro Engineer and Catia are considered as CAD Software.
- CAD documents: Electronic files that can be created by a Cad Software. They can include but are not limited to parts, assemblies and drawings.
- Bill of material: A list of sub-components of an assembly or a list of materials of a part.
- CAD user: A person that can operate the Cad documents extraction method, the filtering method, the CAD software and the CAD documents.
- Cad documents extraction method: A computer method to extract information such as visual representation and data from a CAD document. This method can be assisted by a CAD software.
- Customer: A company or person that own .or use the manufactured product.
This customer may need to order parts or assemblies of the product when they wear or break.
- Customer location: The location where the manufactured products have been installed or are based.
Per example, it could be a customer manufacturing plant where machines were purchased from the manufacturer.
- Customer user: a dynamic parts catalog user that purchased a product from the manufacturer.
- Dynamic parts catalog: a parts catalog interface that can be access through a computer or electronic device such as a phone or tablet =
- Enterprise resource planning (ERP): the integrated management of core business processes, often in real-time and mediated by software and technology.
- Filtering Method: a computer method to filter or limit the information to extract from the CAD documents.
- IT (or Information technology): the application of computers to store, study, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data, or information, often in the context of a business or other enterprise.
- Metadata model: the analysis, construction and development of the frames, rules, constraints, models and theories applicable and useful for the modeling in a predefined class of problems. The class can be defined as a set of objects that share the same attributes, operations, relations, and semantics.
- Manufacturer: a person or company that makes products for sale.
- Manufactured product: the product that was created with the CAD software that was manufactured by a manufacturer.
- Manufacturer service support user: a dynamic parts catalog user working in the service support department of a product manufacturer.
- Parts manual interface: a book or computer interface where a customer can identify parts.
- Product: a product created with the assistance of a CAD software that can be manufactured by a manufacturer and can be sold to a customer.
- Product tree: An assembly and sub-assemblies hierarchical structure where all assemblies and parts are combined to create a finish product.
- Parts catalog: a document published by manufacturers which contains the illustrations, part numbers and other relevant data for their products or parts.
- Server: a computer or computer program that manages access to a centralized resource or service in a network.
- Trade secrets: a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, commercial method, or compilation of information not generally known or reasonably ascertainable by others by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers.
- Web: an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet.
One of the many functions of a CAD software is to modeled parts 100 and assemblies 105 (FIG. 1).
Once combined, they can create a new higher level assembly 110. These steps can be repeated until creating the full hierarchically structured product tree of FIG. 2 containing all the sub level parts 100 and assemblies 105.
Each part 100 or assembly 105 may be linked to one or more drawings as presented in FIG. 3. A part drawing 150 may be useful to instruct how to manufacture the part. An assembly drawing 155 may be useful to instruct how to assemble or weld the assembly 110.
The CAD documents 10 for parts 100 or assemblies 105 contains information such as part number, part description, part revision, bill of material, mass, color, file name. Cad documents 10 containing part drawing 150 or assembly drawing 155 contains drawing information such as sheet name, view name, view position, balloon content. Cad documents 10 also have visual representation of the parts, assemblies and drawing.
FIG 4. portrays the overall environment of how information is extracted from CAD document 10 in a situation where the extraction and filtering methods are process in the manufacturer IT network 8. This means that the CAD documents 10 are not leaving the manufacturer environment.
A computer-implemented extraction method 20 extracts data 36 and visual representation 37 from CAD
documents 10. Depending of the type of information, the extraction method 20 may be assisted or not by the CAD software 15 through its API. Some information from CAD documents 10 may not be extracted by the CAD document information extraction method 20 to protect trade secrets or other sensible information.
A filtering method 25 may assist the CAD document information extraction 20 in filtering and limiting the information that needs to be extracted. This method connects to the CAD
document information extraction method 20 and to the database 35 and file repository 40 through a server 30. This method can =
reduce the amount of data 36 and visual representation 37 that must be extracted. Per example, this filtering method 25 could detect if a CAD file was already inserted in the database or if specific conditions disabling partially or totally the need to extract the information.
Once extracted, the data 36 and visual representation 37 information are send to the server 30 from the CAD document information extraction method 20. They are standardized thru the same generic metadata model for any CAD software. The server 30 dispatch the data 36 into the database 35 and the visual representation 37 in the file repository 40. The database 35 data keep the cad documents 10 hierarchical links between parts 100 and assemblies 105 of the full product tree.
As per FIG. 5, the CAD document information extraction method 20 and the filtering method 25 are modular and each or both can be run in a remote IT network. In this situation, the CAD documents 10 from the manufacturer IT network 8 are uploaded to an upload user interface 82 and then to a cad upload server 85 that stores the CAD documents 10 into a CAD document repository 90.
Same as in FIG. 4, CAD documents 10 can then be processed by the CAD document information extraction method 20 and filtering method 25 but into a remote IT network 9 than can be located on a server.
A dynamic parts catalog 200 at FIG. 6 connects to a server 30 to access the data 36 from the database 35 and the visual representation 37 from the file repository 40. Users can connect to through the interface of the dynamic parts catalog 200 with a login and a password by a computer or an electronic device. Users can be a manufacturer service support user 210 that may have access to all its customers.
It could also be a customer user 215 with limited access to only the manufactured product that they purchased. User access may be filtered by multiple factors such as geographical position or customer company.
As per FIG. 7, the dynamic parts catalog interface displays data 36 and visual representation 37 previously extracted from the CAD documents 10. A user can identify parts 100 or assemblies 105 that would be required. Selecting a sub-assembly 105 would make the interface jump into this lower level assembly and thus following the hierarchical structure of the product tree.
This interface can also include a part ordering system 320 where parts can be selected, added to a cart and ordered. Previous customer orders could also be tracked by the interface.
EXAMPLE
An exemplary use of would be a machine manufacturer that design with a CAD
software its machines.
The manufacturer would use the CAD document information extraction method and the filtering method to extract the data and visual representation from the CAD documents and push them to the server and into the database and file repository. Its CAD document including the trade secrets would stay in the manufacturer IT network. Once the machine manufactured and sold to a customer.
This customer would log in the part catalog user interface to identify a broken part on its purchased machine and order a new one. The manufacturer service support user could also use the interface to have access to all the machine sold in the past for any of their customers.
Claims (12)
1. A system that extract information from Computer Aid Design (CAD) documents and generates a hierarchical structured parts catalog, the system comprising:
- extracting information from CAD documents with a modular computer-implemented extraction method;
- filtering the need to extract entirely, partially on not the information from CAD documents with a modular computer-implemented filtering method;
- pushing the extracted information to a server where data and visual representations are stored in a database or file repository;
- connecting to a server from the user interface of a computer-implemented dynamic parts catalog system to visualize the data and visual representations extracted from the CAD
documents.
- extracting information from CAD documents with a modular computer-implemented extraction method;
- filtering the need to extract entirely, partially on not the information from CAD documents with a modular computer-implemented filtering method;
- pushing the extracted information to a server where data and visual representations are stored in a database or file repository;
- connecting to a server from the user interface of a computer-implemented dynamic parts catalog system to visualize the data and visual representations extracted from the CAD
documents.
2. The method according to clam 1, where a modular computer-implemented method of extracting CAD
information from CAD documents, the method comprising:
- extracting data from CAD documents, with the assistance or not of a CAD
software API, including extracting hierarchical links between parts and assemblies;
- extracting visual representations of the part or assembly inside the CAD
document with the assistance or not of a CAD software;
- transforming the collected data from any CAD software into a generic metadata model.
- uploading the collected information to a server that stores the data and the visual representations in a database or a file repository;
information from CAD documents, the method comprising:
- extracting data from CAD documents, with the assistance or not of a CAD
software API, including extracting hierarchical links between parts and assemblies;
- extracting visual representations of the part or assembly inside the CAD
document with the assistance or not of a CAD software;
- transforming the collected data from any CAD software into a generic metadata model.
- uploading the collected information to a server that stores the data and the visual representations in a database or a file repository;
3. The extraction method according to clam 2, where extracting visual representations from CAD
documents may include transforming the collected data from any CAD software into a generic metadata model consisting but not limited to:
- removing trade secrets or any sensible information from CAD documents;
- removing unnecessary information from CAD documents;
- standardizing the extracted data into a generic metadata model.
- rendering the visualisation of the parts, assemblies or drawings;
documents may include transforming the collected data from any CAD software into a generic metadata model consisting but not limited to:
- removing trade secrets or any sensible information from CAD documents;
- removing unnecessary information from CAD documents;
- standardizing the extracted data into a generic metadata model.
- rendering the visualisation of the parts, assemblies or drawings;
4. The method according to clam 1, where modular computer-implemented method of filtering the need to collect entirely, partially or not the CAD file data or visual representations, the method comprising but not limited to:
- detecting parts, assemblies or drawing that have been already inserted in the past.
- detecting parts, assemblies or drawing specific conditions.
- detecting manufacturer data extraction preferences.
- sending the filtering schema to the computer-implemented extraction method.
- detecting parts, assemblies or drawing that have been already inserted in the past.
- detecting parts, assemblies or drawing specific conditions.
- detecting manufacturer data extraction preferences.
- sending the filtering schema to the computer-implemented extraction method.
5. The system according to clam 1, a computer-implemented dynamic parts catalog system, the system compromising:
- connecting to a secured user interface with a login and a password where this interface can be on a local desktop, a website or an application.;
- receiving data and visual representations from a server where the data and visual representations were previously extracted from the CAD documents;
- presenting parts and assemblies in a structural hierarchical order based on the parts and assemblies hierarchical order of the CAD documents;
- adding parts and assemblies to a shopping cart for ordering purposes.
- connecting to a secured user interface with a login and a password where this interface can be on a local desktop, a website or an application.;
- receiving data and visual representations from a server where the data and visual representations were previously extracted from the CAD documents;
- presenting parts and assemblies in a structural hierarchical order based on the parts and assemblies hierarchical order of the CAD documents;
- adding parts and assemblies to a shopping cart for ordering purposes.
6. The modular CAD extraction method according to clam 2, where information extraction may be accomplished on the client-side IT network where the CAD documents would not leave this IT network or on a remote server network where CAD documents would have previously been uploaded;
7. The modular filtering method according to clam 4, where filtering can be accomplished on the client-side IT network where the CAD documents would not leave this network or on a remote server network where CAD documents would have previously been uploaded;
8. The method according to clam 2, where extracting CAD document information is not limited to a single CAD software.
9. The method according to clam 4, where collected part, assembly or drawing data such as but not limited to drawing balloons, drawing views, drawings bill of material, may be used in the dynamic part catalog system interface as clickable or selectable dynamic items.
10. The method according to clam 2, where data extracted from parts or assemblies are considering different part numbering systems or enterprise resource planning (ERP) to avoid issues with identical part numbers.
11. The methods according to claim 2 and 4, where both the extraction and the filtering methods may be combined into one method or interface.
12. The system according to clam 1, where the file repository may contain any type of computer files that can be displayed in the dynamic parts catalog.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2977844A CA2977844A1 (en) | 2017-08-31 | 2017-08-31 | A system comprising of computer software methods of extracting non-sensible information from computer aid design documents to generate an hierarchical structured dynamic parts catalog |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2977844A CA2977844A1 (en) | 2017-08-31 | 2017-08-31 | A system comprising of computer software methods of extracting non-sensible information from computer aid design documents to generate an hierarchical structured dynamic parts catalog |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2977844A1 true CA2977844A1 (en) | 2019-02-28 |
Family
ID=65519447
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2977844A Abandoned CA2977844A1 (en) | 2017-08-31 | 2017-08-31 | A system comprising of computer software methods of extracting non-sensible information from computer aid design documents to generate an hierarchical structured dynamic parts catalog |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2977844A1 (en) |
-
2017
- 2017-08-31 CA CA2977844A patent/CA2977844A1/en not_active Abandoned
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