Patent ID: 7546372

Claim:
For communication between a plurality of user computers and a plurality of devices, the plurality of user computers being communicatively linked to a computer network, each of the plurality of devices being communicatively linked to a telephone system by a modem coupled to a telephone connection, each modem having a modem telephone number, each of the plurality of devices being not directly connected to the computer network, a method comprising: receiving a user identification of a first computer user who is using a first user computer communicatively linked to the computer network; verifying, from the provided user identification for the first computer user, that the first computer user is authorized and if so, establishing a first user-host communication link between the first user computer and a host computer via the computer network; determining a first set of the devices that the first computer user is authorized to access, the first set comprising a plurality, if not all, of the plurality of devices; using device access information, including the modem telephone number of each of the first set of the devices, from a directory located on a computer other than any of the plurality of user computers to direct a modem pool coupled to the telephone system to establish first host-device communication links via the telephone system with the first set of the devices, with the first host-device communication links being concurrent with the first user-host communication link and providing simultaneous access for the first user computer to the first set of devices via the first user-host communication link; receiving a user identification of a second computer user who is using a second user computer that is communicatively linked to the computer network; verifying, from the provided user identification for the second computer user, that the second computer user is authorized and if so, establishing a second user-host communication link between the second user computer and the host computer via the computer network, the second user-host communication link being coincident with the first user-host communication link; determining a second set of the devices that the second computer user is authorized to access, the second set comprising a plurality, if not all, of the plurality of devices; and using device access information, including the modem telephone number of each of the second set of the devices, from a directory located on a computer other than any of the plurality of user computers to direct the modem pool coupled to the telephone system to establish second host-device communication links via the telephone system with the second set of the devices, with the second host-device communication links being concurrent with the second user-host communication link and providing access for the second user computer to the second set of devices via the second user-host communication link, and the second host-device communication links being concurrent with the first host-device communication links.