Patent ID: 7716244

Claim:
A method for selectively controlling access to data records entered into a database system of a computer system by a user and comprising the steps of: (a) establishing an ordered listing of individuals or organization levels of a plurality of related or unrelated organizations including government agencies, corporate entities, and the general public with which a user provides access to a data record entered by said user; (b) assigning in succession to said ordered listing of individuals and organization levels a share value addend wherein a value of each successive share value addend is twice a value of the previous share value addend; (c) establishing data record ownership of each data record upon entry of said data record into said computer system by associating said data record with an organization identified by the data entering user who enters said data record; (d) enabling said data entering user to select from said ordered listing of individuals or organization levels those individuals or organization levels with which said data entering user wants to provide access to said data record; (e) summing the share value addends associated with the selected individuals and organizations to obtain a share value sum and associating said share value sum with said data record; (f) providing potential access to said data records of said database system using an Internet user interface over a universal computer network; and (g) providing or denying access to each data record at a time access is requested based on the then current share value sum and the relationship between the data owner and the organization of the individual attempting access to the particular data record.