Patent ID: 7062705

Claim:
A method of forming electronic documents, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: storing a plurality of information types for describing categories of information that are capable of being used in electronic documents; storing a plurality of document types, each document type comprising a unique set of information types of the plurality of information types; storing a plurality of units of information, each unit of information associated with an information type of the plurality of information types, wherein each unit of information of the plurality of units of information includes any of any form of markup text, an application program, a Web service, a query for a database, a vector graphic, an image, audio data, video data, and other binary data; and producing a document based on integrating a particular document type comprising a particular set of information types, wherein the particular document type includes first data indicating a first information type of the particular set of information types as a primary information type, a first set of units of information, each unit of information of the first set associated with a corresponding information type in the particular set of information types, wherein each unit of information of the first set is among the plurality of units of information, and one or more n-ary relationships that express the particular document type and the first set of units of information, wherein said step of producing the document is not performed until the first set of units of information includes a first unit of information associated with the first information type.