Patent ID: 7698742

Claim:
A computer implemented method for scanning exclusively locked files comprising: providing a computing device; providing a memory system associated with the computing device, the memory system including instructions associated with an operating system, the operating system being associated with the computing device; providing an anti-virus scanning application, the anti-virus scanning application including anti-virus scanning application computer device instructions, at least part of the anti-virus scanning application computer device instructions being stored in the memory system associated with the computing device, the anti-virus scanning application being implemented by the computing device, said anti-virus scanning application requesting access to an exclusively locked file in the memory system associated with the computing device and said anti-virus scanning application being denied access to said exclusively locked file by an operating system of a the computer device; providing a kernel mode driver to said anti-virus scanning application; searching an application table of said operating system associated with said computing device implementing said anti-virus scanning application for an exclusively locked handle associated with said exclusively locked file using said kernel mode driver; identifying an exclusively locked handle associated with said exclusively locked file; copying said exclusively locked handle associated with said exclusively locked file; and adding said copy of said exclusively locked handle associated with said exclusively locked file to a handle list of said anti-virus scanning application.