US 6460050

Patent Analysis: US 6460050 B1

Date of Analysis: May 11, 2026

Summary

Title: Distributed content identification system

Assignee: As of the latest assignment records, the patent is assigned to Intellectual Ventures I LLC. The original assignee was listed as "Individual".

Inventors: Mark Raymond Pace, Brooks Cash Talley

Filing Date: December 22, 1999

Issue Date: October 1, 2002

Abstract:
A file content classification system includes a digital ID generator and an ID appearance database coupled to receive IDs from the ID generator. The system further includes a characteristic comparison routine identifying the file as having a characteristic based on ID appearance in the appearance database. In a further aspect, a method for identifying a characteristic of a data file comprises the steps of: generating a digital identifier for the data file and forwarding the identifier to a processing system; determining whether the forwarded identifier matches a characteristic of other identifiers; and processing the data file based on said step of determination.

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Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

US Patent 6460050 has five independent claims (1, 9, 16, 21, and 22). Below is a simplified explanation of each.

Claim 1: Describes a system for classifying files. This system is made up of multiple "agents" (software components) installed on different client computers. Each agent can create a unique digital ID for a file's content using a mathematical formula. These IDs are sent to a central server that has a database for storing them. The server then analyzes how often it sees a particular ID to determine a characteristic of the file (e.g., if it's spam) and sends this classification back to the client agents.

Claim 9: Outlines a method for identifying file characteristics. A central processing system receives unique file content IDs from multiple software agents running on different source computers. The processing system then checks if a received ID matches a known characteristic based on other IDs it has seen. Finally, it sends a notification of this characteristic back to at least one of the source computers that requested the analysis.

Claim 16: Details a method specifically for filtering email. A central computer receives a unique digital ID for an email's content from at least two different user computers. This central computer compares the ID against its database of other IDs to see if the email has a certain characteristic (like being spam). It then responds to a query from a user's computer, informing it whether that characteristic is present or not.

Claim 21: Focuses on a file classification system that operates between two computers over a network. The first computer (the client) has an agent that generates a file ID by calculating a value from at least two separate, non-adjacent parts of the file's data. The second computer (the server) has an agent and a database that receives these IDs and sends replies back. The client agent then takes action on the file based on the server's reply.

Claim 22: Describes a method for providing a service over the Internet. A central server collects data, specifically unique digital content IDs for various files, from multiple systems that have a client agent installed. The server then characterizes these files by comparing their IDs to the collection of other IDs in its database. Finally, the server sends a "substance identifier" back to the client agent, indicating whether a specific characteristic was found in the file.

Litigation Status

It is important to note that claims of US Patent 6460050 have been subject to significant legal scrutiny. In the case of Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corp., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed a district court's decision that the asserted claims of this patent are invalid because they are directed to an abstract idea and lack an inventive concept, rendering them ineligible for patent protection under 35 U.S.C. § 101. This legal precedent significantly impacts the enforceability of this patent.