Patent ID: 7013327

Claim:
An apparatus for remotely controlling a host computer by a client comprising: a network; a client computer coupled to said network, said client computer having a monitor, a keyboard, and a pointing device, said client computer running a browser program displaying a browser window on said monitor and further being capable of running a client program that is delivered over said network in conjunction with said browser program; said client program being capable of transmitting event data over said netowrk, said event data including an input device event created by at least one of said keyboard and said pointing device; and a host computer coupled to said network and beig accessible by said client computer using said browser program and said client program, said host computer receiving said event data and placing said event data in an event queue of said host computer, said host program transmitting image updates to said client computer over said network to affect an image displayed in said browser window of said cliemt computer said image updates including at least a portion of a video buffer image within said host computer, whereby said client computer may control a host computer with said input device as if the input device were connected to said host computer, and whereby said client computer may display images on said monitor as if said monitor were connected to said host computer, such that said host computer becomes a mult- purpose, virtual machine of a user of said client computer; wherein said host computer is initially accessed by said client computer through a web page accessible through said network, and wherein said client computer and said host computer communicate directly after the respective addresses of said host computer and said client computer are known to each other.