Patent ID: 6959339

Claim:
A method of accessing data at a server computer from a client computer connected to the server computer via a network, the data being stored on a data storage device connected to the server computer, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, at the server computer, a request for data from the client computer in the form of a universal resource locator (URL) command, the URL command including a file identifier for identifying a file containing the requested data and a file format for the file, wherein the client computer can access the file having the file format; determining, at the server computer, whether the file identifier is valid; if the file identifier is determined to be valid, retrieving, at the server computer, the requested data from the data storage device in response to the request for data from the client computer; after retrieving the requested data from the data storage device, determining, at the server computer, whether the client computer can access the retrieved data in its retrieved form; if it is determined that the client computer cannot access the retrieved data in its retrieved form, automatically converting, at the server, the retrieved data into converted data that the client computer can access; and returning a locator to the client computer for locating the converted data.