Comprehensive system for product management

Abstract

A comprehensive product management system for a product is provided. The system ( 10 ) includes discrete processes for planning ( 1000 ), engineering ( 2000 ), testing ( 3000 ), producing ( 4000 ), selling ( 6000 ), using ( 8000 ), and servicing ( 10000 ) a product comprising one or more components. It also includes a comprehensive relational database ( 30 ) containing information about the product, performance, sales, consumers, and markets, and system tools ( 20 ) for operating on the discrete processes.

1 . A comprehensive product management system for a product comprising one or more components, the system comprising discrete processes for planning, engineering, testing, producing, selling, using, and servicing a product, a comprehensive relational database containing information about the product, performance, sales, consumers, and markets, and system tools for operating on the discrete processes, wherein any process automatically interacts with the comprehensive database, and selectively interacts with the system tools. 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1  and further comprising at least one of the following: product planning cycle, IP management cycle, product engineering cycle, product testing cycle, concept testing cycle, product manufacturing cycle, product marketing cycle, product sales cycle, product installation cycle, product registration cycle, product usage cycle, product operation cycle, product enhancements cycle, product decommissioning cycle, product service cycle, and product diagnostic cycle. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product diagnostic cycle comprises at least one of: a PCB failure cycle, sequential component test cycle, software validation cycle, PCB output test cycle, PCB input test cycle, input device test cycle, output device test cycle, automated system test cycle, ad hoc test cycle, operator error cycle, and user instruct cycle. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product test cycle comprises at least one of: physical prototype test cycle, virtual prototype test cycle, and customer field test cycle. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product manufacturing cycle comprises at least one of product identification cycle, product communication cycle, and product virtual test cycle. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product marketing cycle comprises at least one of product idea cycle, product feature cycle, product pre-launch cycle, product launch cycle, and product post-launch cycle. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product sales cycle comprises at least one of: consumer solicitation cycle, consumer interaction cycle, consumer feedback cycle, warranty cycle, and product customization cycle. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product installation cycle comprises at least one of: resource hookup cycle, product registration cycle, and enable product usage cycle. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product registration cycle comprises at least one of: product identification cycle, customer identification cycle, product location cycle, user feedback cycle, warranty activation cycle, and resource registration cycle. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product operation cycle comprises at least one of: task input cycle, task decision cycle, task diagnosis cycle, task solution cycle, solution execution cycle, and solution audit cycle. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product enhancements cycle comprises at least one of: modification installation cycle, operation suspension cycle, and product configuration cycle. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the product de-commissioning cycle comprises at least one of: identification of de-commissioned product cycle, and product replacement cycle. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 2 , where in the product service cycle comprises at least one of: do it yourself service cycle, remote service cycle, local service cycle, active diagnosis cycle, and passive diagnosis cycle. 
     
     
         14 . A comprehensive product management system for a product comprising one or more components, the system comprising:
 discrete processes for planning, engineering, testing, producing, selling, using, and servicing a product,   a comprehensive relational database containing information about the product, performance, sales, consumers, and markets, and   system tools for operating on the discrete processes, wherein any process automatically interacts with the comprehensive database, and selectively interacts with the system tools.   
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 14  wherein at least a first plurality of the discrete processes provide experiential information to the database relating to plurality of products and at least a second plurality of discrete processes for a first product accesses information from the database provided by a different one of the discrete process relating to a second product as a basis for making a control decision for the first product. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 14  wherein the system tools comprise a configuration editor adapted to configure the product, a component editor adapted to configure at least one component of the product and a test editor adapted to enable a testable operation of at least one of the product and the component. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 14  wherein the database comprises at least one relational database containing at least one of:
 a catalogue of components potentially applicable to the product,   performance benchmark data,   consumer data, and   ROI data.   
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 14  wherein the performance benchmark data comprises at least one of:
 factory test and performance data,   consumer field test and performance data, and   laboratory test and performance data.   
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 14  wherein the customer data comprises at least one of:
 customer usage data,   sales floor data, and   customer profile data.   
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 14  further comprising at least one of a discrete processes for marketing, installation, product registration, product usage, user modification and decommissioning. 
     
     
         21 . The system according to  claim 14  wherein at least one of the discrete process comprises the steps of:
 locally inputting a task,   deciding where to route the decision making from a selection of at least local, user and remote   diagnosing the task,   selecting a decision,   executing the decision, and   auditing the decision.   
     
     
         22 . A comprehensive product management method for a product comprising one or more components, the method comprising the steps of
 planning the product while automatically interacting with a comprehensive relational database containing information about the product, performance, sales, consumers, and markets;   engineering the product while automatically interacting with the database;   testing the product while automatically interacting with the database;   producing the product while automatically interacting with the database;   selling the product while automatically interacting with the database;   operating the product while automatically interacting with the database; and   servicing the product while automatically interacting with the database.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22  further comprising at least one of:
 marketing the product, while automatically interacting with the database;   installing the product, while automatically interacting with the database;   registering the product, while automatically interacting with the database,   operating the product, while automatically interacting with the database;   modifying the product, while automatically interacting with the database; and   decommissioning the product, while automatically interacting with the database.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the operating of the product comprises at least one of:
 locally inputting a task,   deciding where to route the decision making from a selection of at least local decision making, user decision making and remote decision making,   diagnosing the task,   selecting a decision,   executing the decision, and   auditing the decision,   wherein remote decision making uses a comprehensive relational database containing information about the product, performance, sales, consumers, and markets, and system tools for operating on the discrete processes.   
     
     
         25 . A comprehensive product management method for a product comprising one or more components, the method comprising the steps of
 locally inputting a task selected from a testing task, an operating task, a servicing task servicing the product, marketing task and installation task, a registering task, a modifying task and a decommissioning task,   deciding where to route the decision making from a selection of at least local decision making, user decision making and remote decision making,   diagnosing the task,   selecting a decision,   executing the decision, and   auditing the decision,   wherein remote decision making uses the database and system tools to implement the diagnosing, selecting and auditing steps.