Patent ID: 8166038
Filing Date: 2012-04-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. In an electronic system, a method of providing access to digital assets, the method comprising: gathering metadata based on a scan of the digital assets, the gathered metadata including metadata entries, each metadata entry identifying a particular digital asset and a particular set of digital asset properties of that particular digital asset; after gathering the metadata, storing the digital assets in encrypted form within a digital asset repository of the electronic system, the digital asset repository operating as a protected source of the digital assets; and updating a metadata database of the electronic system based on the metadata entries, the metadata database being distinct from the digital asset repository; wherein, while the digital assets are stored in the digital asset repository in encrypted form, specific digital assets within the digital asset repository are identifiable in response to a database search of the metadata database, the database search using digital asset properties as searching criteria; wherein the electronic system includes a client device and a server device; wherein gathering the metadata based on the scan of the digital assets includes (i) scanning original versions of the digital assets on the client device, the original version of the digital assets being in non-encrypted form, and (ii) generating, as the metadata entries, a set of scan results on the client device based on scanning the original versions of the digital assets; wherein updating the metadata database of the electronic system based on the metadata entries includes (i) communicating the set of scan results from the client device to the server device through a network, and (ii) modifying the metadata database based on the set of scan results from the client device, the metadata database residing on the server device; wherein scanning the original versions of the digital assets on the client device includes: wherein the client device is constructed and arranged to periodically send a scanning rule update request to the server device; and wherein obtaining the set of scanning rules from the server device includes: