Patent ID: 7379539

Claim:
A method of operating an agent to obtain information for a user from a Web site, wherein the method is for use with a manager, the method comprising the steps of: the agent receiving a start request across an interface to establish a session; in response to receiving said request, the agent sending across the interface an acknowledgement to establish the session; during the established session, the agent entering a loop, including the steps of the agent receiving a request across the interface from a user for information, obtaining information from a Web site, sending the obtained information to the user, and monitoring for an end of session signal across the interface from the user; the agent receiving across the interface from the user an end request to end the session; and in response to receiving said end request, the agent ending the session; and wherein: the user and the manager are on a first side of the Internet; the agent is on a second side of the Internet, said second side being opposite said first side; the step of the agent receiving the request for information includes the step of the agent receiving the request for information from the user via the manager; the step of the agent sending an acknowledgement to establish the session includes the step of the agent sending said acknowledgement to the manager; and the step of the agent sending the obtained information to the user includes the step of the agent sending the obtained information to the user via the manager.