Integrated system for designing product packaging

摘要

A distributed system having a central server, one or more remote supplier nodes, one or more remote manufacturer nodes, and one or more remote client nodes that communicate with one another via the Internet. The server maintains a centralized component database containing information corresponding to the components sold by the suppliers that are potentially used in the manufacturer of packages. The server also maintains a centralized process database containing information corresponding to the manufacturing processes performed by the manufacturers that are potentially used in the manufacturer of packages. Each supplier and manufacturer is responsible for accessing the server via the Internet to store/update the information maintained in the appropriate database for its components/processes. Each client accesses the server via the Internet to provide a set of desired attributes for a proposed package. In response, the server compares the set of desired attributes with the information in its databases to generate and communicate back to the client a packaging solution that bests meets the client's goals.