Patent Document ID: 7483913
Application ID: 11222337

Base Claim:
1. A computer-based design framework for collaborative design of a product comprising: a virtual database management system, which includes a processor and which receives data from a plurality of sources and creates a single database interface to said sources, wherein each of said plurality of sources represents a design team with one or more design team members provided access to said virtual database management system via a network, wherein the framework enables completion of multiple design tasks across architectural, functional and performance hierarchies of a complex design; program code associated with said virtual database management system for mapping various informational structures utilized by said sources to a common syntax, wherein the common syntax is an eXtensible Markup Language (XML); program code for providing platform-independent application and services exchange utilizing XML wrapped data, service, and application that is delivered to a client; additional logic associated with said virtual database management system that provides a set of publishing rules for extracting information on demand and publishing said extracted information in a format recognized by a requestor of said information; an Access Privilege Manager implemented with program code that: (a) monitors and controls access to said design framework by design teams, design team members, and other selected personnel, groups, and design automation tools; (b) maintains a control list of one or more authorization parameters from among users, user identification and passwords, a level of authorization for each user and group, a group to which each user belongs, specific group authority for access, and access authorization for one or more project administrators, wherein access to processes and designs within said framework is only granted to a user whose authorization and registered role supports said access; and (c) supports biometric security features for user-access to said framework; and a customer help at terminal (CHATSOC) function that provides an online collaboration and conferencing between design teams, design team members, and other personnel, wherein CHATSOC further provides outside assistance to a design team and design team member, wherein said outside assistance is selected from a compiled database of outside assistance personnel in response to a request for assistance by said design team or design team member, wherein a peer-to-peer connection is dynamically established when an outside assistance personnel accepts and acknowledges the request.

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Claim 2:
2. The computer-based design framework of claim 1 , wherein said program code for providing platform independent application and services exchange includes a universal description discovery and integration (UDDI) director for locating services and exchange data and service according to simple object access protocol (SOAP).