File access with different file hosts

• US 10,042,851 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hoogerwerf, Scott D., Fields, David C., Gilmore, Michael J., Ebeling, Rolf A., Ball, Steven J., Mishra, Manav, Beam, Tyler K., Liao, Robert H., Karas, Benjamin J., Duignan, Matthew P., Harris, Jensen, White, Richard Jacob, Wong, Lyon, Davis, Dennis L.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/323,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20140325380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 715810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0292 using tables or multilevel address translation means G06F12/023 takes precedence; address translation in virtual memory systems G06F12/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• 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 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A file access request is received from an application. One or more file types for the file access request are identified, and one or more file hosts supporting files of the identified one or more file types are also identified. A user interface is displayed, the user interface including a hosted area. Within the hosted area, at least one of the one or more file hosts displays a portion of the user interface identifying one or more files of at least one file host that can be selected for retrieval, or one or more locations that can be selected to which the one or more files are saved.

Claims

1. One or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable to implement an application to perform operations comprising:

invoking an application programming interface (API) to request access to a file, the application invoking the API, in part, with a file access request that enables the API to;

identify a file type of the file for which access is requested;

identify one or more of a plurality of file hosts that supports files of the identified file type; and

cause a user interface to be displayed that includes a hosted area in which a portion of the user interface is customized for at least one of the one or more file hosts and allows the file to be accessed via the at least one file host, the user interface enabling the at least one file host to display the portion of the user interface that is customized for the at least one file host and configured to restrict the at least one file host to displaying the portion of the user interface within the hosted area.

2. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of file hosts include at least one file host that is an application that is different from the application invoking the API.

3. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise running the application in a restricted manner that prevents the application from interfering with one or more other applications, and prevents the one or more other applications from interfering with the application.

4. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more file hosts include one or more other applications of a service provider running on one or more devices other than a computing device at which the application invoking the API is run.

5. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 1, wherein the API is configured to:

cause identifiers of the one or more file hosts to be displayed in a file host identification portion of the user interface; and

cause which of the one or more file hosts that displays the portion of the user interface within the hosted area to change in response to receiving a user selection of one of the identifiers of the one or more file hosts.

6. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is unaware of a data model used by each of the one or more file hosts.

7. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the user interface enables user selection of one or more files of at least one of the one or more file hosts to be received; and

the API is configured to return the user selected one or more files to the application.

8. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more file hosts that are identified have registered to be file hosts.

9. The one or more hardware computer-readable storage devices or hardware computer-readable memories as recited in claim 8, wherein each of the one or more file hosts that have registered to be file hosts identified, as part of registering to be file hosts, one or more file types supported by the file host.

10. A device comprising:

one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to implement a file host to perform operations comprising;

registering to be a file host, the registering including identifying one or more file types that the file host supports for hosting; and

generating, responsive to identification of the file host as supporting a file type requested in a file access request, a portion of a user interface for display within a hosted area, the portion being customized by and for the file host and allowing a file of the requested type to be accessed from the file host, wherein display of the generated portion of the user interface is restricted to display within the hosted area.

11. A device as recited in claim 10, wherein the identification of the file host is made from one or more file hosts running on the device that include one or more applications.

12. A device as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more file hosts include one or more applications of a service provider running on one or more devices other than the device.

13. A device as recited in claim 10, wherein the generating includes generating identifiers of one or more locations of the file host where the file of the requested type can be saved, and the operations further comprise:

receiving an indication of a user selection of one of the one or more locations; and

receiving the file of the requested type to store at the user selected location of the file host.

14. A device as recited in claim 10, wherein the generating is performed without making an application, for which the user interface is displayed, aware that the file host is generating the portion of the user interface for display in the hosted area.

15. A device comprising:

one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving a file access request, wherein the file access request is received from a requesting application;

identifying, based on the file access request, one or more file types for the file access request;

identifying one or more applications supporting files of the identified one or more file types; and

displaying a user interface including a hosted area in which a portion of the user interface is customizable by and for each of the one or more applications and identifies one or more files of the applications that can be selected, the portion of the user interface in the hosted area changing to display the portion for a particular one of the one or more applications in response to receiving a user selection of an identifier of one of the one or more other applications.

16. A device as recited in claim 15, wherein the requesting application is unaware of which of the one or more applications the portion of the user interface in the hosted area is displayed for.

17. A device as recited in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a user selection of one or more files of at least one of the one or more applications.

18. A device as recited in claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise returning the user selected one or more files to an application from which the file access request was received.