Virus checking and reporting for computer database search results

An apparatus for generating search results, comprising:

• a program configured to process a search request by accessing a computer database in response to the search request to generate a result set that identifies a plurality of result records, accessing virus status information associated with at least a portion of the plurality of result records subsequent to generation of the result set, and generating a display representation of at least a portion of the result set based upon the virus status information, wherein the program is configured to generate the display representation by excluding from the display representation a first result record from the result set if virus status information associated with the first result record indicates that the first result record is not trusted to be a low risk for infection by a computer virus, and including in the display representation a second result record from the result set if virus status information associated with the second result record indicates that the second result record is trusted to be a low risk for infection by a computer virus;
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• a computer recordable medium storing the program.

An apparatus for generating search results, comprising:

• a program configured to process a search request by accessing a computer database in response to the search request to generate a result set that identifies a plurality of result records, accessing virus status information associated with at least a portion of the plurality of result records, and generating a display representation of at least a portion of the result set based upon the virus status information, wherein the program is configured to generate the display representation by highlighting display information associated with a selected result record from the result set in the display representation based upon a risk the selected result record is infected by a computer virus as determined by the virus status information associated with the selected result record;
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• a computer recordable medium storing the program.

An apparatus for generating search results, comprising:

• a program configured to process a search request by receiving a search request from a client, accessing a computer database in response thereto to obtain a result set therefrom that identifies a plurality of result records from the computer database that match the search request, and returning at least a portion of the result set to the client in response to the search request, wherein the program is further configured to, after obtaining the result set from the computer database and prior to returning the portion of the result set to the client, access virus status information associated with at least a portion of the plurality of result records in the result set and modify the result set based upon the accessed virus status information;
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• a computer recordable medium storing the program.

An apparatus for building a virus database, comprising:

• a program configured to collect virus status information generated by a plurality of remote parties and store the collected virus status information in a virus database, the virus status information generated by each of the plurality of remote parties associated with at least one file accessible by such remote party, and the virus status information associated with each file indicating whether such file is trusted to be a low risk for infection by a computer virus, wherein the program is further configured to respond to a request for virus status information for a requested file by accessing the virus database to retrieve any virus status information associated with such requested file, wherein the request is issued on behalf of a different party from that which generated the virus status information for the requested file;
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• a computer recordable medium storing the program.