Patent ID: 6922719

Claim:
A communications system for providing bi-directional electronic communications between users at client computers on a computer network and a global communications network, the electronic communications including both the reception and transmission of data, the system comprising: a satellite receiver operating to receive download data from the global communications network; a plurality of client computers on a computer network each of said client computers including first network hardware and first network software for communication with the computer network, each of said client computers also including application software for communications with the information provider; a server computer, including second network hardware and second network software for communications with the computer network, in electronic communication with said satellite receiver and in electronic communication with the computer network, said server computer operating to receive the download data from said satellite receiver and operating to route the download data to said plurality of client computers for use by the application software on each of said client computers, irrespective of said client computers' operating systems such that said server computer does not require the same operating system for each of said client computers, via the computer network; and said computer network connected to said plurality of client computers and connected to said server computer whereby said server computer provides routing for the download data to said plurality of client computers; and a communications device, said communications device being in electronic communications with said server computer, upload data being provided to said communications device via said server computer, and said upload data being sent to the global communications network via said communications device.