Patent ID: 7814049

Claim:
A computer system for managing composite documents in a multi-user mode, including: one or more server devices including: a processor device for processing document data; a document data display manager coupled to a display screen; and a document user rights manager coupled to the processor device, wherein, the processor device is configured to: generate an object model, including a plurality of classes, structured to include a content pointer, a level indicator, an access mechanism, a validation mechanism, and a validation indicator, and create and maintain in a data store a document in the form of a set of object model class instances, wherein, the display manager is configured to concurrently display on the display screen a tree diagram of the document, a plurality of zones for the document, and a plurality of tabs, each level of the tree diagram being identified according to a level indicator, each of the plurality of zones corresponding to a node of the tree diagram and further providing contents of the class instances existing in the corresponding node of the tree diagram, and a tab of the plurality of tabs corresponding to the plurality of zones being displayed, wherein, the processor is configured to only authorize access to the document according to access rights of a user concerned determined by the document user rights manager, wherein, if the document is accessed, the processor device is configured to only authorize validation of a zone displayed for the document according to validation rights of the user concerned, as determined by the document user rights manager, wherein, the display manager includes a first mechanism for concurrently modifying the display on the display screen of the zone and the display of the corresponding node in the tree diagram according to status of the validation of the zone, and a second mechanism, when all sibling nodes of a current node associated with a current zone are validated based on the level indicators of the nodes of the tree diagram, for validating a status of a parent of the current node of the tree display, wherein, when a head of the tree diagram is validated, the processor device is configured to authorize signature for an entirety of the document by a user having corresponding signature rights, the processor device being further configured to transmit the signed document to a computer device for display thereon.