USB socket communication

We have several UR5e systems communicating with Mahr gage amplifier box’s RS232 ports using Moxa Nport serial/ethernet adapters to an ethernet switch tied to the robot control’s ethernet connection.
We open a socket and issue socket_send and socket_read commands and all is well.

The newer Mahr boxes come with a USB port.

Can I connect to one of the robot’s USB ports and open a socket that way, or do I need to use a USB-ethernet adapter, or is there another strategy that works for these situations?

I now have one of the new Mahr boxes which needs to communicate with a UR3e controller.
As I mentioned in my first post, the older systems send & receive commands through socket_send() and socket_read() script commands, via serial-ethernet adapters.

I’m assuming I can go directly into a USB port in the robot, but I’m not sure what the script commands would be.

I can talk to the gage with my PC using Hyperterminal or puTTY - what would be the equivalent communication process with the UR?

Or do I just use a cheap USB-Ethernet adapter and go with the same old strategy?