Method and apparatus for configuring systems
US5515524A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 29, 1993 |
| Grant date | May 7, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 29, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2111/04
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
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.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.