Knowledge Content Objects and a Knowledge Content Carrier

The exchange of semantically rich digital content over distributed applications facilitates knowledge exchanges in mixed human / machine environments as envisaged by scenarios within the scope of Ambient Intelligence and Semantic Web. For this class of domain, we introduce a semantically annotated data structure (KCO) and a distributed, layered protocol-based system architecture (KCCA, KCTP) that is designed for loosely coupled, semantically rich content applications. We relate this to requirements of commercial companies for sharing, exchanging and trading knowledge and content. Characteristics of the distributed system architecture are outlined. The argument is that by defining a reasonable set of semantics for manipulating the content objects in question, one offers a stage at which a market of providers and consumers can develop and is facilitated.