Patent ID: 7792834

Claim:
An information retrieval system comprising: a computer; at least one data communication network communicating with at least two sub-domains, being physically distributed spaces; a plurality of units of information accessible via said data communication network; each sub-domain comprising one or more rendering units for outputting said units of information to a user; at least one user activated unit by means of which a user defined pointer relating to a sub-domain is established by a user; at least one sub-domain selector for establishment under control by said user of an association between at least one selected sub-domain and said user defined pointer for subsequent rendering in said selected sub-domain of the units of information being rendered in the sub-domain related to the user defined pointer at the time of the establishment of said user defined pointer and an access control means for controlling the access of at least two users to the system, the access control means being adapted to receive unique identification data from a user and based thereon selectively allow the user to have access to at least parts of the system, wherein the access control means selectively allows the rendering of units of information in a specific sub-domain, the access control means further comprises, for at least some of the sub-domains of the system, a defined hierarchy of users, the access control system being adapted to allow said rendering only in case said sub-domain is not in use for rendering units of information by another user having a superior hierarchy position, and said user defined pointer further comprises concurrent ambience settings of said sub-domain, and wherein the ambience settings of the selected sub-domain concurrent with the rendering of said units of information in the selected sub-domain correspond to the ambience settings of the user defined pointer.