Patent ID: 7921202

Claim:
A method for enabling a transaction between a consumer and a provider in communication over a network, in the event of unavailability of the provider, the method comprising: using a device to enable a consumer to send a plurality of requests request for information over a network to a provider; using said provider to provide information in accordance with said requests for information to said consumer; using a network agent to monitor communications between the consumer and said network provider occurring on said network and to capture and store, in a database, at least one parameter indicative of a specific type of information being requested, for each said request for information from said consumer directed to said provider, and to capture and store, in said database, each said quantity of information being provided by said provider to said consumer in response to each one of said plurality of information requests request; wherein said at least one parameter relates to metadata; and said metadata is correlated to said one of said stored quantities of information being transmitted by said provider; in the event said provider is unable to respond to a subsequent request for one of said quantities of information from said consumer, sensing said failure by said provider to respond to said subsequent request and identifying one of said stored parameters, in said database, that matches or is closely related to a detected parameter for said subsequent request for one of said quantities of information, stored within said database, that is being requested by said consumer, and transmitting said one of said stored quantities of information from said database, to said consumer; and storing each said information request and its associated said at least one parameter in said database in a matter that is transparent to said consumer while uninterrupted communications between said provider and said consumer are occurring.