[jQuery] $().someFunction(); -- The First Pair of Parentheses?

[jQuery] $().someFunction(); -- The First Pair of Parentheses?


QUESTION: What does the first pair of parentheses indicate in the
following statement:
    $().getBrowserInformation();
BACKGROUND: I have noticed that their presence or absence can make or
break JavaScript's acknowledgement of a method's existence on the one
hand, but seem entirely unnecessary under other circumstances.
Roddy