Re: How to encode a product family?

A Product Group / Product Family / Brand are different than a Category.

I agree with Jarno that Schema.org should provide more clear examples (and
more of them!) when it concerns Products / Brands / Categories in
Schema.org.

Looking at this page as a novel example as to what happens in Jarno's World:

http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/categories/power/uninterruptible-power-supply-ups-/_/N-13quq79

You can see that APC has different products in different categories...and
can see where they have some Product Families (this is sometimes synonymous
with terms Product Line or Product Series)

Using APC's webpage as a quick example you can quickly identify these areas
(forget the breadcrumbs for now)
Categories:
  Computer and Peripheral
  Network and Server
  Data Center and Facility 3 Phase
  Special Applications
  UPS Management
  UPS Replacement Batteries

Product Series / Brand / Family / or Group
  Back-UPS
  Smart-UPS
  Symmetra
  PowerChute

As a refresher for all, and lest we forget the errors of the past....

1. A Product Series / Brand / Family / or Group is where Marketers come
into play (not standards bodies) and where they deal with things like
Branding, Naming conventions, etc. like
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_naming

2. Categories is where Standards Bodies like GS1, Government, etc have
something to say here since particular Categories impact taxation, laws,
export controls, data exchange protocols, etc.

Schema.org can improve by giving extra examples of what I have described
above.

Martin, I would not create a Product Family or Product Line...but instead
just broaden the defninition of Brand.  Its what Marketers do already
anyway... its just that some Website Developers may not be exposed to that
or have that knowledge. :)  Hi Jarno !

Thad
+ThadGuidry <https://www.google.com/+ThadGuidry>