Patent ID: 8131883

Claim:
A user station comprising: a user interface; a processor; and an information transport component; wherein the processor is configured to execute the information transport component to enable access at the user station, via the user interface, to first fixed information content from a first portable storage medium together with first related remote information content from one or more remote information content sources such that the first fixed information content and the first related remote information content are presented by the user interface as a first single collection of information content, and to second fixed information content from a second portable storage medium together with second related remote information content from one or more remote information content sources such that the second fixed information content and the second related remote information content are presented by the user interface as a second single collection of information content, wherein the first portable storage medium and the second portable storage medium are provided by different independent publishers, wherein the first single collection of information and the second single collection of information are different: wherein the user interface is customized with respect to the first fixed information content in response to access of the first fixed information content and is customized with respect to the second fixed information content in response to access of the second fixed information content, wherein information transport component initiates connections to one or more remote information content sources in accordance with predefined transport tasks specified by the first portable storage medium and the second portable storage medium to retrieve the first and second related remote information content, and wherein the information transport component includes an application programming interface that is configured to provide a communication interface between the information transport component and the user interface as customized with respect to the first fixed information content and between the information transport component and the user interface as customized with respect to the second fixed information content.