Patent ID: 7809699
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of categorizing digital assets of a computer system, the method comprising: (a) receiving, by a filter manager, system input-output requests generated by an operating system executed by the computer system, the filter manager executing in a system space of the operating system; (b) outputting the system input-output requests to a mini-filter that passes a portion of the system input-output requests to an agent, wherein the portion of the system input-output requests identify a digital asset, and wherein the mini-filter and the agent both execute in a user space of the operating system; (c) receiving, by the agent, the portion of the system input-output requests identifying the digital asset; (d) applying, by the agent without intervention by an end-user of the computer system, categorization information to the identified digital asset, the categorization information based on the portion of the system input-output requests; and (e) storing the categorization information as part of an asset identification tag associated with the digital asset, wherein the computer system is a client computer system coupled to a central computing system by a network, and wherein the filter manager, the operating system, the mini-filter and the agent are software components all operating within the client computer system, and further comprising transmitting, by the client computer system, the asset identification tag to the central computing system for storage, and wherein the applying the categorization information comprises determining the categorization information based on an evaluating, by the mini-filter, of a hierarchical rule set, and further comprising resolving a conflict among rules of the hierarchical rule set in favor of either a highest ordered rule or a lowest ordered rule.