David Ralph Preston

Title: David Ralph Preston: Manufacturing Systems and Data Revision Management

Introduction

David Ralph Preston is an inventor associated with Los Gatos, California. His work includes systems for updating manufacturing databases and managing revisions of linked data, with a focus on keeping operations running while information changes. He is credited with 3 patents and has worked at Camstar Systems, Inc. and American Telecorp.

Latest Patents

Preston’s patent, “System and Method for Live Update of a Manufacturing System,” describes updating a manufacturing database and related software at remote sites from a central location. The system can introduce new tables, files, executable programs, and modeling schemas, allowing manufacturing processes to be modified or adapted for new product lines. It notifies remote users before an update, lets them complete work in progress, and temporarily prevents new transactions while maintaining application-server connections. A rollback copy preserves the option to restore the prior version, while scheduling updates for convenient times helps minimize downtime.

His patent, “System and Method for Implementing Revision Management of Linked Data Entities and User Dependent Terminology,” addresses how linked records respond to revisions. When creating a referencing record, users can choose either a specific version of the referenced record or the version designated as the current “revision of record.” This approach avoids manually updating every referencing record when linked information changes. The patent also describes displaying terminology according to a user’s configured preferences, language, and terminology set, with default values used when no customized or translated term is available.

Career Highlights

Preston’s listed career includes work at Camstar Systems, Inc. and American Telecorp. His patent work reflects an interest in practical software systems for manufacturing operations, data consistency, and user-specific terminology.

Collaborations

His listed coworkers include Brian Scott Gordon and Philippe J. Chouraki.

Conclusion

David Ralph Preston’s inventions focus on maintaining continuity in manufacturing systems and managing changing data reliably, combining operational updates with flexible revision control.