Abstract: An interactive computer configuration system is an aid for a sales person or a customer to make it easy to grasp and configure a huge configuration problem. The user interacts with the computer system and makes many choices successively, and a configuration engine checks each choice for validity. The configuration engine comprises a configuration model defining mutual predefined relations between the selectable elements and comprises programs for validating a set of choices against said configuration model. The invention relates to the situation where a requested choice made by the user corresponds to an invalid configuration instance. According to the invention, the user is allowed to insist on this choice and an alternative investigation system according to the invention will present to the user a number of relevant proposals for undoing choices made previously so that a valid configuration instance can be obtained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of configuring a set of object values in a computer. At least one object value of the set of object values is user-chosen from a number of object values. Each object has at least one possible object value. Each object value is determined or undetermined. Each of the determined object values is assigned to a value. Some or all of these object values is included in the set of object values. The object values are constrained by a rule base defining a number of relationships between the objects or the object values. The method uses at least one interruptable algorithm adapted to deduce knowledge about the undetermined object values. This knowledge indicates whether a user selection of a part of or all of the individual undetermined object values are possible or not. The algorithm(s) includes at least one readout point.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of configuring a set of objects in a computer, each object having at least one possible value, each value being determined or undetermined, and at least one of said object values being accessible to a user for assigning at least one value to be determined or undetermined, said values being constrained by a rule base defining a number of relationships between the values. The undetermined object values are searched in order to find at least one first subset of values, said first subset and a subset of determined values defining at least one first possible configuration of object values satisfying the rule base if said first subset exists, said search being initiated when at least one value of an object is changed or said search being initiated upon a user request.