Patent ID: 7032006

Claim:
A distributed knowledge and process base providing multiple-user access via a plurality of client devices to data, processes, and services, said base comprising: a plurality of distributed object technology systems (DOTS) communicating over a network and providing multi-level privilege-based access to a plurality of users via client devices, each of the DOTS having: (a) a plurality of system elements including processes, data, and services to users; (b) system methods associated with all system elements enabling addition of new system elements and modification of the functionality and content of existing system elements; said system methods also enabling: (i) creation and modification of user roles defining default settings limiting access and available functions for the role; (ii) assignment of roles to users and groups of users; and (iii) selected overriding of the default settings for individual users and groups of users; and an access controller providing access to system elements with the DOTS, and generating access negotiation requests to other DOTS based on user and group privileges and system element properties, wherein the access negotiation request includes at least data describing a requestor; requested system element and its owner; and a list of access negotiation requests by the requested system element owner toward system elements owned by the requester.