Patent ID: 7117240

Claim:
A method for launching a web browser application on a user's computer, comprising the steps of: providing a browser application on the user's computer that is launchable in response to predetermined browser inputs being received by the user's computer, which predetermined browser inputs comprise a set of user computer inputs that are operable to be interfaced to outputs of one of a plurality of browser input computer peripherals, each of the plurality of browser input computer peripherals having a predetermined browser input functionality and purpose; providing a non-browser input that is not a portion of the set of predetermined browser inputs for generating an input signal that is not part of the set of computer inputs, and the non-browser input associated with a non-browser input computer peripheral having a non-browser input functionality and purpose; converting the non-browser input in an interface device to simulate as a simulated browser input to the user's computer one or more of the predetermined browser inputs as a simulated browser input to the user's computer, such that an input that is associated with one of the outputs of one of the browser input computer peripherals will be able to receive information from the non-browser input of the non-browser input computer peripheral just as if it had been generated by the one of the outputs of one of the browser input computer peripherals, such that the non-browser input functionality and purpose are changed to a browser input functionality and purpose associated with at least one of the browser input computer peripherals; and launching the web browser on the user's computer over a connection established with this simulated browser input and, in response thereto, accessing information on a network.