Patent ID: 7099916

Claim:
A method, for use in a client system, for downloading from a file server a file and an associated virus-free certificate certifying that the file is virus-free, comprising the steps of: sending a request to a file server for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download from said file server, said request comprising one or a plurality of requirements for said virus-free certificate; determining whether a virus-free certificate satisfies said virus-free certificate requirements; and if no certificate satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements: receiving from the file server a list of available virus-free certificates, if a certificate is accepted by the client system; selecting from the list an available virus-free certificate for the file, and downloading the file and the selected virus-free certificate; otherwise, downloading the file and the associated virus-free certificate, said virus-free certificate comprising a file signature for certifying that the file is declared virus-free by a virus-free certificate authority.