{
  "patent_number": "US 9516045",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How to Clean Files by Rebuilding Them Instead of Scanning Them",
  "original_title": "Resisting the spread of unwanted code and data",
  "summary": "A security method that stops malware by rebuilding files from scratch based on strict format rules, rather than looking for known viruses.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a file sanitization process that ignores the traditional 'detect and block' approach used by antivirus software. Instead of scanning for known malicious signatures, the system parses an incoming file to see if it matches a strict set of rules for its specific file type (like a PDF or Word doc). If the system finds data that doesn't fit the rules, it checks if that data is authorized; if so, it effectively 'rebuilds' the file from the ground up using only clean, verified data. This ensures the final output is a structurally perfect version of the original, leaving behind any hidden malicious code that might have been embedded in the non-conforming parts.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover traditional antivirus methods that rely on signature-based scanning of files.",
    "Does not cover systems that simply delete non-conforming data without attempting to regenerate a valid file.",
    "Does not cover methods that do not perform a structural parse of the file's internal data format."
  ],
  "filed": "2014-10-02",
  "granted": "2016-12-06",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Glasswall IP Ltd",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/glasswall-ip-ltd",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Nicholas John Scales",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/nicholas-john-scales"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 7,
  "tags": [
    "software",
    "ai_ml",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "A method or system of receiving an electronic file containing content data in a predetermined data format, the method comprising the steps of: receiving the electronic file, determining the data format, parsing the content data, to determine whether it conforms to the predetermined data format, and if the content data does conform to the predetermined data format, regenerating the parsed data to create a regenerated electronic file in the data format.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9516045/azure-active-directory",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9516045/azure-active-directory/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US9516045",
  "relatedPatents": []
}