Software and hardware component audit and inventory management system

• US 7,548,878 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2001
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: Assetmetrix Inc.
• Inventors: O'Halloran, Steve, Norrie, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUCHANAN, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US09/886,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20010056386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,917 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2289 by configuration test
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

A system for computer device component audit and inventory management operates in a data network and includes an inventory agent installed on a target computer device for detecting and compiling software and hardware inventory data associated with the target device. An inventory-commence message is deployed through an electronic message handling system, operable on the data network, which requests inventory data from the inventory agent which then compiles the inventory data into executable language statements for incorporation into a host database accessible by a client. Multiple reports may be generated regarding the inventory data. Fees may not be charged for aggregate inventory data. The system provides a client with the ability to remotely request, compile, analyze and report inventory data from target devices that do not necessarily have access to the data network at the time of the inventory request.

Claims

1. A component audit and inventory management system comprising:

a receiver, on a target device, including means for receiving an inventory-commence message from a client computer over a data network in response to a request from the client computer to a host unit for accessing hardware and software inventory data on the target device, said inventory-commence message being generated by the host unit and being sent to the client computer, said target device being remote with respect to and not connected to the client computer, said target device being only intermittently accessible on its own to the data network, wherein the target device, the client computer, and the host unit are separate devices from one another and are remote with respect to one another;

a detector, on the target device, including means for collecting the hardware and software inventory data relating to hardware and software installed on the target device in response to commands included in the inventory-commence message;

a transmitter, on the target device, including means for transmitting from the target device to the host unit of the component audit and inventory management system, through the data network, an inventory data message including the inventory data associated with the target device, wherein the client computer initiates access to the host unit for accessing the hardware and software inventory data of the target device; and

an inventory agent comprising executable code for communicating with the receiver, detector, and transmitter.

2. An inventory agent as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver includes means for comparing the identity of an inventory-commence message with an identity of the inventory agent.

3. An inventory agent as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inventory agent includes means for terminating the inventory data collection if the identity of the inventory-commence message is not associated with the identity of the inventory agent.

4. An inventory agent as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inventory-commence message is an electronic mail message retrievable by the target device when it connects to the data network.

5. An inventory agent as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inventory-commence message receipt, inventory data collection, and inventory data message transmission are transparent to a user of the target device.

6. An inventory agent as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collected inventory data is saved directly to a file in executable language statements for incorporation into a database.

7. An inventory agent as claimed in claim 6, wherein the executable language statements include Structured Query Language (SQL) statements.