Patent ID: 8190899

Claim:
A method of establishing a communications pipe between a PSD and a remote computer system over a network using a client as a host to said PSD, wherein said client and said remote computer system are in functional communications using a packet based communications protocol over said network, said method comprising: generating a request to access said PSD on said remote computer system, wherein said request is in a non-native protocol for communicating with said PSD and said request is generated by an API Level Program, converting on said remote computer system said request from said non-native protocol into a PSD protocol data unit format message using a first server data processing section, encapsulating on said remote computer system said PSD protocol data unit format message into said packet based communications protocol producing an encapsulated request message, using a second server data processing section, transmitting said encapsulated request message over said network using said packet based communications protocol, receiving by said client said encapsulated request message sent over said network, processing said encapsulated request message using a first data processing section to separate said PSD protocol data unit format message from said encapsulated request message, routing on said client said PSD protocol data unit format message through a hardware device port assigned to a PSD Interface independently of the origin and integrity of said encapsulated request message, wherein said PSD Interface is in processing communication with said PSD, receiving by said PSD said PSD protocol data unit format message through said PSD Interface and processing said PSD protocol data unit format message using a first internal PSD data processing section, generating a response message in APDU format by said PSD using a second internal PSD data processing section and transmitting said APDU format response message through said PSD Interface, receiving by said client said APDU format response message through said PSD Interface and encapsulating said APDU format response message into said packet based communications protocol producing an encapsulated response message, using a second data processing section, transmitting said encapsulated response message over said network using said packet based communications protocol, receiving said encapsulated response message sent over said network by said remote computer system, processing said encapsulated response message using a third server data processing section to separate said APDU response message from said encapsulated response message thus generating a desencapsulated APDU response message, and converting by said remote computer system said dcsencapsulated APDU response message into a response in a non-native protocol using a fourth server data processing section, and forwarding said response to at least one API Level Program.