Synchronized organization directory with team member folders

• US 10,037,339 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Kleinpeter, Thomas, Xu, Tony, Albert, Akos, Bunger, Nils, Jau, Sam, Woods, Conor, Staley, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Stevens, Robert
• Application Number:
  US15/857,712
• Time in Patent Office: 214 Days
• Field of Search: 707610
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/152 using file content signatures, e.g. hash values
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/156 Query results presentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 : Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/18 : File system types
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/184 : implemented as replicated file system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 : Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/185 : Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof details of archiving G06F16/11
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 : Database cache management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 : Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 : Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 : Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 : Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 : Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 : using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 : Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 : Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 : Security improvement
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• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 : in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0623 : in relation to content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0629 : Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 : Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 : Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 : Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 : Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 : using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 : for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 : using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures

Abstract

The present technology pertains to a organization directory hosted by a synchronized content management system. The corporate directory can provide access to user accounts for all members of the organization to all content items in the organization directory on the respective file systems of the members'"'"' client devices. Members can reach any content item at the same path as other members relative to the organization directory root on their respective client device. In some embodiments novel access permissions are granted to maintain path consistency.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, when executed the instructions are effective to cause a content management system to:

store an association between a plurality of user accounts and an organization directory;

maintain the organization directory as a root directory, where each of the plurality of user accounts have rights to at least read the organization directory; and

maintain a member folder for each of the plurality of user accounts, each member folder being mounted within the organization directory, wherein each of the plurality of user accounts has edit privileges to their member folder, and each of the plurality of user accounts cannot view member folders for other user accounts.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 comprising instructions to cause the content management system to:

synchronize the organization directory with a copy of at least portions of the organization directory stored on respective client devices for each of the plurality of the user accounts.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2 comprising instructions to cause the content management system to:

synchronize the member folder for each of the plurality user accounts with a copy of the respective member folder stored on the respective client device for each of the plurality of the user accounts, wherein the respective member folder appears as a subdirectory to the organization directory on a file system of the respective client device.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, comprising instructions to cause the content management system to:

manage access rights within the organization directory to a team-shared folder mounted with the organization directory, the team-shared folder being a confidential folder that is only accessible to a first group of user accounts from the plurality of user accounts, and the team-shared folder is visible, but not accessible, by user accounts other than the first group of user accounts.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, comprising instructions to cause the content management system to:

manage access rights within the organization directory to a team-shared folder mounted within the organization directory, the team-shared folder being a confidential folder that is only accessible to a first group of user accounts from the plurality of user accounts, the team-shared folder including a plurality of content items including a folder,

wherein the specific user account from the plurality of user accounts other than the first group of user accounts has at least read access to the folder, and as a result of the at least read access to the folder, the specific user account has traversal rights to any folders in the path of the folder, whereby the specific user account can navigate through any folders in the path to the folder, but not see any content items within any folders other than the folder to which the specific user has at least read access.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the organization directory is synchronized such that a path to a content item within the organization directory, relative to the root directory, is consistent on the respective client devices for each of the plurality of the user accounts.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, comprising instructions to cause the content management system to:

manage access rights within the organization directory to a team-shared folder mounted within the organization directory and at least one subfolder within the team-shared folder, wherein a user account from the plurality of user accounts has greater access permissions to the at least one subfolder than the team-shared folder that contains it.

8. A method performed by a synchronized content management system comprising:

storing an association between a plurality of user accounts and an organization directory;

maintaining the organization directory as a root directory, where each of the plurality of user accounts have rights to at least read the organization directory; and

maintaining a member folder for each of the plurality of user accounts, each member folder being mounted within the organization directory, wherein each of the plurality of user accounts has edit privileges to their member folder, and each of the plurality of user accounts cannot view member folders for other user accounts.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising:

synchronizing the organization directory with a copy of at least portions of the organization directory stored on respective client devices for each of the plurality of the user accounts.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising:

synchronizing the member folder for each of the plurality user accounts with a copy of the respective member folder stored on the respective client device for each of the plurality of the user accounts, wherein the respective member folder appears as a subdirectory to the organization directory on a file system of the respective client device.

11. The method of claim 9 comprising:

managing access rights within the organization directory to a team-shared folder mounted with the organization directory, the team-shared folder being a confidential folder that is only accessible to a first group of user accounts from the plurality of user accounts, and the team-shared folder is visible, but not accessible, by user accounts other than the first group of user accounts.

12. The method of claim 9 comprising:

managing access rights within the organization directory to a team-shared folder mounted with the organization directory, the team-shared folder being a confidential folder that is only accessible to a first group of user accounts from the plurality of user accounts, the team-shared folder including a plurality of content items including a folder,

wherein the specific user account from the plurality of user accounts other than the first group of user accounts has at least read access to the folder, and as a result of the at least read access to the folder the specific user account has traversal rights to any folders in the path of the folder, whereby the specific user account can navigate through any folders in the path to the folder, but not see any content items within any folders other than the folder to which the specific user has at least read access.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the organization directory is synchronized such that a path to a content item with the organization directory, relative to the root directory, is consistent on the respective client devices for each of the plurality of the user accounts.

14. The method of claim 9 comprising:

managing access rights within the organization directory to a team-shared folder mounted within the organization directory and at least one subfolder within the team-shared folder, wherein a user account from the plurality of user accounts has greater access permissions to the at least one subfolder than the team-shared folder that contains it.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least portions of the organization directory include on-demand content items that appear as if they are stored on the respective client devices, but must be downloaded from the content management system upon request.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least portions of the organization directory includes only content items to which the respective client devices for each of the plurality of account has access privileges.

17. A content management system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory having instructions stored thereon, that when executed the instructions are effective to cause the at least one processor to;

maintain an organization directory as a root directory, where a user accounts has rights to at least read the organization directory; and

maintain a first member folder for the user account, the first member folder being mounted within the organization directory, wherein the user account has edit privileges to the first member folder;

maintain a second member folder for a second user account, the second member folder being mounted within the organization directory, wherein the user account cannot view the second member folder;

maintain a team-shared folder mounted with the organization directory, wherein the user account has at least view-name-only access to the team-shared folder; and

synchronize the organization directory with a client device having access to the first user account to include copy of at least the team-shared folder, and the first member folder including its contents, while excluding the second member folder from synchronization.

18. The system of claim 17, comprising instructions to cause the content management system to:

manage access rights to the team-shared folder, the team-shared folder being a confidential folder that is only accessible to a first group of user accounts, the first group of user accounts excludes the first user account, and wherein the first use account has view-name-only access to the team-shared folder wherein the team-shared folder is visible, but not accessible, to the first user account.

19. The system of claim 17, comprising instructions to cause the content management system to:

manage access rights within the organization directory to the team-shared folder mounted within the organization directory, the team-shared folder being a confidential folder wherein only a first group of user accounts has read or write access, the first group of user accounts excludes the first user account, the team-shared folder including a plurality of content items including at least one sub-folder,

wherein the first user account from the plurality of user accounts other than the first group of user accounts has explicitly been granted access to the at least one sub-folder, and as a result of the explicitly granted access, the first user account has traversal rights to the team-shared folder, whereby the first user account can navigate through the team-shared folder, but not see any content items within the folder other than the sub-folder.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the organization directory is synchronized such that a path to a content item within the organization directory, relative to the root directory, is consistent for the first user account and the second user account.