Patent ID: 7171670

Claim:
An object-oriented method of collecting information regarding a plurality of target applications in an application unit, comprising: notifying a monitoring device, by a first one of the plurality of target applications, through an interface, of an identification of the first one of the plurality of target applications; requesting the monitoring device, by the first one of the plurality of target applications, through the interface, to start monitoring usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications; storing, by the monitoring device, information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications; and requesting the monitoring device, by the first one of the plurality of target applications, through the interface, to send the stored information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications to a first predetermined destination, wherein the step of requesting the monitoring device, by the first one of the plurality of target applications, through the interface, to send information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications to a first predetermined destination further includes: requesting the monitoring device, by the first one of the plurality of target applications, through the interface, to format the data corresponding to the information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications according to a first predetermined format; and requesting the monitoring device, by the first one of the plurality of target applications, through the interface, to send the data corresponding to the information regarding monitored usage of the first one of the plurality of target applications to the first predetermined destination through a first predetermined communication protocol.