Patent ID: 7007278

Claim:
A method for accessing a legacy computer application over an Internet, the method comprising: converting a proprietary screen definition to a converted user interface page in a pervasive computer Internet user agent format, the converting step further comprising: parsing the proprietary screen definition associated with the legacy computer application, wherein the proprietary screen definition is stored separately from the legacy computer application; mechanically mapping user interface elements of the proprietary screen definition to an extensible mark-up language (XML) based language that supports user interface elements; customizing the converted user interface page using a customize template that identifies user interface design patterns that reflect a presentation style of a user; and validating input fields of the converted user interface page; providing access to the legacy computer application responsive to a request from a client that is separate from a computer on which the legacy computer application resides, the client and the computer being connected by a server, the providing step further comprising: redirecting a raw output of the legacy computer application to a network publishing component; reformatting the raw output for publishing, wherein the reformatted raw output is stored in JavaBean data objects that are populated by a servlet which has received data to publish; updating dynamically the convened user interface pages using the reformatted raw output; sending the updated converted user interface pages to the client; and reformatting input data from the client using the network publishing component to a format of the legacy computer application; and making the reformatted raw output in the JavaBean data objects available for access, use and manipulation by another network based application; wherein the legacy computer application is not restructured and no code changes are made to programs of the legacy computer application, wherein the legacy computer application is non-modular, wherein the legacy computer application scamlessly interweaves with the network based application, and wherein a state of the legacy computer application is automatically preserved in a native environment after a transaction on the Internet is completed and a connection to the Internet is broken.