Patent ID: 6941374

Claim:
A method for enabling a first consumer device to access services of a remote second device, comprising the steps of: enabling establishment of a link between the first consumer device and the remote second device via multiple intermediate servers, the first consumer device and the remote second device each configured to have communication capabilities allowing communications only with local devices, by establishing a first communicative connection between the first consumer device and a first intermediate server that is local to the first consumer device; and establishing a second communicative connection between the first intermediate server and a second intermediate server that is remote from the first server and that is local to the second device; and establishing a third communicative connection between the second intermediate server and the second device; and wherein the link includes the first, second and third communicative connections, and wherein communications from the first consumer device to the remote second device are forwarded along the link by the first and second intermediate servers in a manner transparent to the first consumer device; under control of the first consumer device, requesting from the first intermediate server a listing of services available via the first intermediate server; receiving from the first intermediate server a listing of multiple available services; and after receiving the listing of multiple available services, requesting from the first intermediate server one of the multiple available services, the requested service available to be provided by the remote second device; and after the first intermediate server forwards an indication of the requested service to the remote second device via the established link, performing the requested service at the remote second device.