Dassault Systemes

Nicolas Esposito

Valentin Chartier

A method, system and apparatus for use in computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management. An efficient, non-centralized communications framework makes 'synchronous' collaborative design possible. Users are resident at workstations that are connected in a peer-to-peer arrangement. In a collaborative design session, the model is resident in memory at each workstation. Modifications are made at any workstation, and commands, which are interpreted at each workstation to effect the modifications, are transmitted over the network. In addition, cell descriptors may be used to identify one or more geometric cells of a model. The cell descriptors are in the form of scripts specifying constraints or filters for identifying cells. The constraints are based on characteristics of items in the model, or associations between items in a model, that are readily discernable to the user, and are therefore easily written and susceptible to easy distribution to other systems.

Collaborative design

Data objects replicated at multiple computers can be synchronized using synchronization messages exchanged over a network. The synchronization messages include a current operation parameter and a previous operation parameter that are processed to determine how and when the replicated data objects should be manipulated. The current operation parameter identifies an operation and associated data to be executed at a receiving computer to synchronize the receiving computer's data object. An execution stage parameter is also sent to identify a correct execution timing for the operation. The previous operation parameter identifies a preceding operation executed by the sending computer, an execution stage at which the preceding operation was executed, and the computer first originating the preceding operation (e.g., an identify of a third computer that first initiated the operation). Data in the synchronization message can also indicate a unique priority level of the sending computer with respect to the other computers.

Growing community of inventors

Suresnes, France

Nicolas Esposito