Patent ID: 7698274

Claim:
A method for managing a database that is accessible by at least three users, the method comprising: providing a document or other collection of information (collectively referred to as a “document”) for a database; for at least one subgroup of M users of the document (M≧3), numbered m=1, . . . , M, providing a portion of the database that is accessible only by members of the subgroup of M users; assigning a priority value p(m) for access to the document by each user number m, where no two users in the subgroup of M users have the same priority value; disallowing access to the collection of information by any user not a member of the subgroup of M users; receiving, from users number m′, m″ and m′″ in the subgroup of M users with p(m′)<p(m″)<p(m′″), a first change in the document proposed by the user m′ and a second change in the document proposed by the user m″; permitting the user m′ to enter the first change in the document, to provide a first-modified document; after a first selected timeout interval is completed, determined with reference to at least one of (i) a time the user m′ first began entering the first proposed change in the document and (ii) a time the user m′ last made an entry that contributes to the first change in the document, terminating further changes in the first-modified document, as modified by the user m′, and displaying the first-modified document, to the user m″, where the first change in the document is displayed in at least one of (a) a first color, (b) a first font and (c) a first font size that is distinguishable from at least a portion of the document that is not modified by the first change; visually displaying and permitting the user m″ to review and to accept, or to not accept, the first change proposed by the user m′ in the first-modified document, to provide a first-modified-and-reviewed document; permitting the user m″ to enter the second change in the first modified-and-reviewed document, to provide a second-modified document; after a second selected timeout interval is completed, determined with reference to at least one of (i) a time the user m″ first began entering the second proposed change in the document and (ii) a time the user m″ last made an entry that contributes to the second change in the document, terminating further changes in the second-modified document, as modified by the user m″, and displaying the second-modified document to the user m′″, where the second change in the document is displayed in at least one of (a) a second color, (b) a second font and (c) a second font size that is distinguishable from at least a portion of the document that is not modified in the first modified-and-reviewed document and is not modified by the second change; and visually displaying and permitting the user m′″ to review and to accept, or to not accept, the changes proposed in the second-modified-and-reviewed document.