Patent ID: 6957260

Claim:
For a server system comprising a plurality of remote service providers accessible to a plurality of client systems through a network, a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media carrying computer executable instructions that implement a method of improving access to any of one or more services provided by the plurality of remote service providers, the method comprising steps for: at a log-in service, determining the validity of a log-in request received from a client system; at the log-in service determining the validity of the log-in request, generating a list of one or more services that can be accessed by the client system, wherein the list of one or more services comprises one or more available service providers for the list of one or more services so that if an available service provider for a requested service becomes unavailable, the client system can look to any other available service provider that is listed for the requested service; downloading to the client system the list of one or more services and the one or more available service providers for the list of one or more services so that the client system can use the downloaded list of one or more services in accessing the requested service; at the requested service, specifying one or more additional services and one or more corresponding service providers, previously unknown to the client, that are available for client access; and downloading, from the requested service, the identified one or more additional services and the one or more corresponding service providers to the client, such that the requested service introduces the one or more additional services to the client without involvement of the log-in service.