Parallel Electronic Design Automation: Shared Simultaneous Editing

Abstract

A method to simultaneously allow multiple users to edit in shared areas of a master design includes displaying the master design, allowing a first user to edit in a shared area of the design, while simultaneously allowing a second user to edit in a shared area of the design while preserving the integrity of the design.

1 . A method for simultaneous editing of at least a portion of a printed circuit board (PCB) design by multiple users, comprising: 
 transmitting the PCB design portion to first and second clients for graphical display at each of the clients, wherein the graphical displays at each of the first and second clients permit users at said clients to simultaneously view a representation of common PCB artwork corresponding to a common region of the PCB design;    transmitting, for display at each of the clients as a graphically-depicted subregion of the common region, a protection boundary associated with a PCB design object being edited at the first client; and    rejecting a request from the second client to edit a PCB design object within the graphically-depicted subregion.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the protection boundary comprises the PCB design object being edited at the first client.  
   
   
       3 . A server for receiving and processing requests to edit a printed circuit board (PCB) master design during an editing session throughout which each of first and second users may edit a PCB master design portion and view edits made to the same PCB master design portion by the other of the first and second users during the editing session, comprising: 
 a database for maintaining the master design;    connections to first and second clients; and    a processor configured to 
 transmit the PCB master design portion to first and second clients for graphical display at each of the clients, wherein the graphical displays at each of the first and second clients permit users at said clients to simultaneously view a representation of common PCB artwork corresponding to a common region of the PCB design,  
 transmit, for display at each of the clients as a graphically-depicted subregion of the common region, a protection boundary associated with a PCB design object being edited at the first client, and  
 reject a request from the second client to edit a PCB design object within the graphically-depicted subregion.  
   
   
   
       4 . The server of  claim 3 , wherein the protection boundary comprises the PCB design object being edited at the first client.  
   
   
       5 . A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising: 
 transmitting a printed circuit board (PCB) design portion to first and second clients for graphical display at each of the clients, wherein the graphical displays at each of the first and second clients permit users at said clients to simultaneously view a representation of common PCB artwork corresponding to a common region of the PCB design;    transmitting, for display at each of the clients as a graphically-depicted subregion of the common region, a protection boundary associated with a PCB design object being edited at the first client; and    rejecting a request from the second client to edit a PCB design object within the graphically-depicted subregion.    
   
   
       6 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 5 , wherein the protection boundary comprises the PCB design object being edited at the first client.