Network-based specification and delivery of a measurement system

Abstract

System and method for online configuration of a device for a measurement system. The user accesses a server with a client computer over a network and specifies a task. If the user lacks the hardware to perform the task, hardware specifications are sent to a manufacturer, who sends the hardware to the user. The hardware may be re-configurable hardware (a programmable hardware element or processor/memory based device). Software products (programs and/or data) for configuring measurement system hardware (and/or software) to perform the task may be sent to the user. The hardware may be configured automatically or by the user. The software products may include programs usable by the measurement system to perform the task, configuration information for configuring the client computer or other measurement device, and/or hardware configuration program(s) for configuring a programmable hardware element. Thus, hardware and/or software specific to the user's application are be provided to the user.

1 . A method for specifying a measurement system, comprising: 
 receiving information from a user regarding a measurement system over a wide area network, wherein the information indicates at least one measurement device and at least one software product;    providing the at least one software product to the measurement system over the wide area network in response to said receiving information; and    providing the at least one measurement device to the user.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the information specifies desired measurement functionality;    the method further comprising automatically determining the at least one software product based on the received information specifying the desired measurement functionality.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 automatically determining the at least one measurement device based on the received information specifying the desired measurement functionality.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the measurement system comprises a client computer system, the method further comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display of the client computer system that comprises device icons, wherein each of the device icons represents a respective measurement device;    wherein said receiving information from the user regarding the measurement system comprises receiving user input selecting at least one device icon specifying inclusion of the at least one measurement device in the measurement system.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said displaying the GUI further comprises displaying a configuration diagram that iconically represents the measurement system, and wherein said receiving user input selecting at least one device icon specifying inclusion of the at least one measurement device in the measurement system comprises receiving user input to the configuration diagram.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said receiving user input selecting at least one device icon specifying inclusion of the at least one measurement device in the measurement system comprises receiving user input dragging and dropping the user-selected at least one device icon onto the configuration diagram.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the measurement system includes pre-existing one or more devices, and wherein the configuration diagram includes device icons corresponding to the pre-existing one or more devices, the method further comprising: 
 updating the configuration diagram to include the user-selected at least one device icon in response to said receiving user input to the configuration diagram.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the GUI further comprises one or more program icons, wherein at least one of the program icons represents a measurement program; and 
 wherein said receiving information from the user regarding the measurement system comprises receiving user input selecting at least one program icon specifying inclusion of the at least one measurement program in the measurement system, wherein the least one measurement program comprises the at least one software product.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the measurement system includes pre-existing one or more programs, and wherein the configuration diagram includes program icons corresponding to the pre-existing one or more programs, the method further comprising: 
 updating the configuration diagram to include the user-selected at least one program icon in response to said receiving user input to the configuration diagram.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said receiving user input selecting at least one program icon for inclusion of the respective at least one measurement program comprises receiving user input dragging and dropping the user-selected at least one program icon onto the configuration diagram.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 4 , 
 wherein the GUI comprises a configuration diagram of the measurement system; and    wherein said displaying includes displaying information representing the at least one measurement device and/or the at least one software product to the user as proposed hardware and/or software products for the measurement system.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , the method further comprising: 
 receiving user input to the GUI specifying purchase of said at least one measurement device and/or software product; and    modifying said information representing the at least one measurement device and/or the at least one software product to reflect said purchase.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the modified information representing the at least one measurement device and/or the at least one software product reflecting said purchase comprises a virtual device icon and/or a virtual software product icon, the method further comprising: 
 deploying said at least one measurement device and/or software product to the measurement system; and    modifying the display of said information representing the at least one measurement device and/or the at least one software product to reflect said deploying.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said modifying the display of said information representing said at least one measurement device and/or said at least one software product to reflect said deploying comprises: 
 animating the configuration diagram displayed on the client system to visually illustrate to the user the deployment of the at least one measurement device and/or the at least one software product to the measurement system.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said GUI iconically represents the measurement system, and wherein said receiving user input selecting at least one device icon specifying inclusion of the at least one measurement device in the measurement system comprises receiving user input to the GUI.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the measurement system comprises a client computer system, the method further comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display of the client computer system which iconically illustrates the measurement system;    receiving input to the GUI specifying purchase of said at least one measurement device and/or said at least one software product; and    displaying a virtual device icon and/or a virtual software product icon representing the purchased at least one measurement device and/or the at least one software product.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system;    wherein the client computer system is coupled to a server computer system over the network; and    wherein said providing the at least one software product to the measurement system comprises the server downloading the at least one software product to the client computer system over the network.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising: 
 the server determining if the user has the at least one measurement device;    wherein said sending the indicated at least one measurement device to the user comprises sending the indicated at least one measurement device to the user if the server determines that the user does not have the at least one measurement device.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said providing the at least one software product to the measurement system is performed after said providing the at least one measurement device to the user, and wherein said providing the at least one software product to the measurement system comprises: 
 the user installing the at least one measurement device on a client computer system;    the client computer system detecting the installed at least one measurement device and determining that said at least one software product is required by the at least one measurement device; and    the client computer system accessing a server computer to download the at least one software product over the wide area network.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one measurement device comprises a programmable hardware element. 
 wherein the at least one software product includes one or more hardware configuration programs which are usable to configure the programmable hardware element to perform a measurement function.    
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein at least one measurement device comprises a CPU and a memory; and 
 wherein the at least one software product includes a program file which operates to configure the at least one measurement device to perform a measurement function.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display of the client computer system which iconically illustrates the measurement system;    displaying one or more software product icons associated with the one or more software products; and    receiving user input to the GUI associating at least one software product icon with at least one device icon in response to user input, wherein the at least one software product icon corresponds to a first software product, wherein the at least one device icon corresponds to a first device, wherein said associating operates to configure the first device with the first software product.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 configuring the at least one measurement device with the at least one software product to produce at least one configured measurement device.    
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system; and    wherein said configuring the at least one measurement device with the at least one software product is performed by the client computer system.    
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system;    wherein the client computer system is coupled to a server computer system over the network; and    wherein said configuring the at least one measurement device with the at least one software product is performed by the server.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system; and    wherein the at least one software product includes application software which is executable by the client computer system.    
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system; and    wherein the at least one software product includes a graphical program which is executable by the client computer system.    
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system; and    wherein the at least one software product includes machine executable code which is executable by the client computer system.    
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system; and    wherein the at least one software product includes text based code which is compilable and executable, or interpretable, by the client computer system.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the at least one software product includes a self-executing program file.    
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the at least one measurement device comprises a programmable hardware element; and    wherein the at least one software product includes one or more hardware configuration programs which are usable to configure the programmable hardware element.    
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the at least one measurement device comprises a CPU and a memory; and    wherein the at least one software product includes a program file which is executable by the CPU to perform a measurement function.    
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said displaying the GUI further comprises displaying a configuration diagram that iconically represents the measurement system, wherein said displaying the configuration diagram comprises: 
 displaying one or more device icons corresponding to respective ones of the one or more measurement devices in the measurement system; and    displaying connections between the one or more device icons, wherein the displayed connections correspond to couplings between the one or more measurement devices.    
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system, the method further comprising: 
 prior to said providing the at least one measurement device to the user, providing a software program to the client system, wherein the software program comprises a simulation program which simulates operation of the at least one measurement device;  
   wherein the software program is executable by the client computer system to perform the function of the at least one measurement device in the performance of a measurement function by the measurement system; and    wherein use of the software program is discontinued when the at least one measurement device is deployed in the measurement system.    
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , the method further comprising: 
 displaying a configuration diagram on a display of the client computer system which iconically illustrates the measurement system, wherein said displaying comprises displaying one or more device icons corresponding to respective ones of one or more measurement devices in the measurement system and/or one or more software product icons corresponding to respective ones of the one or more software products in the measurement system;    wherein said displaying further comprises one or more of: 
 displaying a software program icon representing said simulation program, wherein after said at least one measurement device is deployed in the measurement system, the software program icon is replaced with a device icon representing the at least one measurement device; and  
 displaying a device icon representing said simulation program, wherein the device icon is modified to indicate that functions of the at least one measurement device are performed by the software program, wherein after said at least one measurement device is deployed in the measurement system, the modified device icon is replaced with a device icon representing the at least one measurement device.  
   
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the measurement system includes a client computer system;    wherein said at least one software product comprises a hardware configuration program, the method further comprising: 
 prior to said providing the at least one software product to the measurement system, providing a software program to the client system, wherein the software program comprises a simulation program which simulates operation of the hardware configuration program;  
   wherein the software program is executable by the client computer system to perform the function of the hardware configuration program in the performance of a measurement function by the measurement system; and    wherein use of the software program is discontinued when the hardware configuration program is deployed in the measurement system.    
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 36 , the method further comprising: 
 displaying a configuration diagram on a display of the client computer system which iconically illustrates the measurement system, wherein said displaying comprises displaying one or more device icons corresponding to respective ones of one or more measurement devices in the measurement system and/or one or more software product icons corresponding to respective ones of the one or more software products in the measurement system;    wherein said displaying further comprises one or more of: 
 displaying a software program icon representing said simulation program, wherein after said at least one measurement device is deployed in the measurement system, the software program icon is replaced with a device icon representing the at least one measurement device; and  
 displaying a device icon representing said simulation program, wherein the device icon is modified to indicate that functions of the at least one measurement device are performed by the software program, wherein after said at least one measurement device is deployed in the measurement system, the modified device icon is replaced with a device icon representing the at least one measurement device.  
   
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving user input specifying payment information for said at least one measurement device and/or said at least one software product.    
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one software product comprises one or more of: 
 a software program;    configuration information, wherein the configuration information is useable to configure at least a portion of the measurement system to perform a measurement function; and    a hardware configuration program, wherein the hardware configuration program is useable to configure a programmable hardware element in the measurement system to perform at least a portion of the measurement function.    
   
   
       40 . A memory medium that stores program instructions for specifying a measurement system, wherein the program instructions are executable to perform: 
 receiving information from a user regarding a measurement system over a wide area network, wherein the information indicates at least one measurement device and at least one software product;    providing the at least one software product to the measurement system over the wide area network in response to said receiving information; and    storing information regarding the at least one measurement device, wherein the information is usable for sending the at least one measurement device to the user.    
   
   
       41 . A configuration server, comprising: 
 a processor; and    a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions which are operable to: 
 receive information from a user regarding a measurement system over a wide area network, wherein the information indicates at least one measurement device and at least one software product;  
 provide the at least one software product to the measurement system over the wide area network in response to said receiving information; and  
 store information regarding the at least one measurement device, wherein the information is usable for sending the at least one measurement device to the user.  
   
   
   
       42 . A system for specifying a measurement system, comprising: 
 a configuration server; and    a client computer system, coupled to the configuration server over a network;    wherein the client computer system is operable to: 
 receive information from a user regarding a measurement system, wherein the information indicates at least one measurement device and at least one software product; and  
 provide the information to the configuration server over the network;  
   wherein the configuration server is operable to: 
 receive the information indicating the at least one measurement device and at least one software product;  
 provide the at least one software product to the measurement system over the network in response to said determining; and  
 store information regarding the at least one measurement device, wherein the information is usable for sending the at least one measurement device to the user; and  
   wherein the at least one software product is useable to configure the at least one measurement device to perform at least a portion of a measurement function.