Method and system for providing memory-based device emulation

An information processing system having a user computer in communication with a remote service computer having access to a database identifying information available to the service computer, comprising:

• a memory for storing instruction sequences by which the system is processed, the memory having at least one readable emulated storage location;
• and
• a processor coupled to said memory, the processor executes the stored instruction sequences;
• wherein the stored instruction sequences cause the processor to:
• (a) detect, using an access monitor program, an access by an application program to at least one readable hardware storage element in the user computer;
• (b) transfer, using the access monitor program, the access to the at least one readable hardware storage element to an access to the at least one readable emulated storage location, where said at least one readable emulated storage location is separate from said at least one readable hardware storage element;
• (c) process an instruction sequence corresponding to the access by the application program to the at least one readable hardware storage element, to establish a communications link between the user computer and the service computer;
• (d) transferring, when the access is a read request, data from the readable emulated storage location to a predetermined location on the user computer from which the application program accesses the data;
• and (e) present at the user computer, information available to the user computer.

An information processing system having a user computer in communication with a remote service computer, the system comprising:

• a memory for storing instruction sequences by which the system is processed;
• and
• a processor coupled to said memory, the processor executes the stored instruction sequences to:
• allocate space in the memory for an emulated read-only memory;
• detect, using an access monitor program;
• an access by an application program to at least one readable hardware storage element in the user computer;
• transfer the access to the at least one readable hardware storage element to said emulated read-only memory;
• establish a communications link between the user computer and the service computer;
• transferring, when the access is a read request, data from the emulated read-only memory to a predetermined location on the user computer from which the application program accesses the data;
• and
• present at the user computer, information available to the user computer.

In a computer system having a user computer in communication with a remote service computer, the method comprising:

• allocating space in a memory of the user computer for an emulated read-only memory;
• detecting, using an access monitor program, an access by an application program to at least one readable hardware storage element in the user computer;
• transferring the access to the at least one readable hardware storage element to an access to the emulated read-only memory;
• transferring, when the access is a read request, data from the emulated read-only memory to a predetermined location on the user computer from which the application program accesses the data;
• allocating space in said memory to store the data transferred from the emulated read-only memory due to the read request by the application program;
• establishing a communications link between the user computer and the service computer;
• and
• presenting at the user computer, information available to the user computer.

A computer program product, comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer program code embodied therein for accessing at least one readable storage in a processor-based system, the computer program product having:
• (a) computer readable program code embodied in an access monitor program, for detecting an access by the application program to at least one readable hardware storage element;
• (b) computer readable program code embodied in the access monitor program for transferring the access to the at least one readable hardware storage element to an access to at least one readable emulated storage location, where said at least one readable emulated storage location is separate from said at least one readable hardware storage element;
• (c) computer readable program code for processing an instruction sequence corresponding to the access by the application program to the at least one readable hardware storage element;
• (d) transferring, when the access by the application program is a read request, data from the readable emulated storage location to a predetermined location from which the application program accesses the data;
• (e) computer readable program code for establishing a communications link between the user computer and the service computer;
• and
• (f) computer readable program code for presenting at the user computer, information available to the user computer.