Patent ID: 8082252

Claim:
A method for creating searchable files on a computer network, the method performed by a processor comprising: accepting signals provided by a file creator via a user input device to create a file, the created file having a plurality of sections; accepting signals provided by the file creator via the user input device to assign a value for at least one dimension to each section of the created file; storing the plurality of sections of the created file in a retrievable form; and providing different users access to the plurality of sections of the created file based on the value for the at least one dimension assigned to each section of the created file by: identifying a first user value for at least one dimension to which a first user is associated, the first user value indicating a first community with which the first user is associated; for a first section of the created file, comparing the first user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the first section of the created file; conditionally providing the first user access to the first section of the created file, based on the comparison of the first user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the first section of the created file; for a second section of the created file, comparing the first user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the second section of the created file; conditionally providing the first user access to the second section of the created file, based on the comparison of the first user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the second section of the created file; identifying a second user value for at least one dimension to which a second user is associated, the second user value indicating a second community with which the second user is associated; for the first section of the created file, comparing the second user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the first section of the created file; conditionally providing the second user access to the first section of the created file, based on the comparison of the second user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the first section of the created file; for the second section of the created file, comparing the second user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the second section of the created file; and conditionally providing the second user access to the second section of the created file, based on the comparison of the second user value to the value for the at least one dimension assigned to the second section of the created file.