System and method of a multi-functional managing user interface for accessing a cloud-based platform via mobile devices

• US 10,044,773 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Destagnol, Martin, Smith, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael Y
• Application Number:
  US14/166,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709205, 709212, 709213, 709217, 709248, 709204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17325 Synchronisation; Hardware support therefor intertask synchronisation G06F9/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for implementing an intuitive interface which can facilitate collaboration among the multiple users and collaborators as well as enable utilization of content in a shared space among multiple users in a more effective way. In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving updates regarding activities performed by a user and one or more collaborators on contents in a workspace. The method further comprises displaying, on an interactive user interface, lists of information based on the updates to facilitate interaction from the user with respect to the updates. An example of the lists of information can include an activity and, if one or more files are associated with the activity, thumbnails that represent previews of the one or more files. In some embodiments, the thumbnails can enable the user to interact with the files and/or the collaborators.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting, by a mobile device, an interactive user interface to a cloud-based collaboration platform including a plurality of workspaces;

receiving, by the mobile device, updates regarding activities performed on a plurality of work items stored in a particular workspace of the plurality of workspaces by collaborators affiliated with the particular workspace;

selecting, by the mobile device, updates from the received updates that are relevant to a user of the mobile device, the relevancy based on activity of the user in the cloud-based collaboration platform;

displaying, by the mobile device, in the interactive user interface, a visual feed stream of a plurality of interactive graphical elements based on the selected updates,

wherein each of the plurality of graphical elements in the visual feed stream include;

a description of an activity performed on a work item in the particular work space;

an identification of a collaborator that performed the activity on the work item; and

a thumbnail preview of the work item, wherein the thumbnail preview depicts actual content of the work item; and

wherein each of the plurality of graphical elements are displayed sequentially in the visual feed stream as the selected updates are received;

detecting, by the mobile device, a user interaction, via a particular interactive graphical element of the plurality of interactive graphical elements in the visual feed stream, with a thumbnail preview of a particular work item in the particular workspace; and

enabling, by the mobile device, a user to perform a plurality of actions on the particular work item, via the interactive user interface, responsive to detecting the user interaction with the thumbnail preview of the particular work item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnail preview enables the user at the mobile device to interact with the work item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnail preview is configured to be displayed in the interactive user interface of the mobile device based on a plurality of visualization criteria.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

detecting, by the mobile device, a size of a screen on which the interactive user interface is displayed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the thumbnail preview is to occupy larger than 20% of a height of the screen if the screen'"'"'s size is less than or equal to 7.25 inches when measured diagonally.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the thumbnail preview is to occupy larger than 10% but less than 20% of a height of the screen if the screen'"'"'s size is more than 7.25 inches when measured diagonally.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical elements are sorted based on the collaborator who performed the activity on the work item.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the graphical elements are further sorted based on a timestamp of the activity.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the mobile device, in the interactive user interface, the particular work item stored in the particular workspace; and

upon receiving a request for access to the particular work item, detecting, by the mobile device, a type of the particular work item before downloading the particular work item to the mobile device for access.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the mobile device, whether the particular work item is compatible with the mobile device; and

if the particular work item is incompatible, displaying, by the mobile device, an alert to the user before the downloading.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if the type of the particular work item is pictorial;

starting displaying, by the mobile device, the particular work item before downloading of the particular work item completes by displaying a lower resolution version of the particular work item first; and

gradually transitioning from the lower resolution version of the particular work item to a full resolution version of the particular work item as the downloading of the particular work item completes.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if the type of the particular work item is audio;

starting fetching, by the mobile device, metadata of the particular work item as soon as loading of the particular work item starts; and

displaying, by the mobile device, information related to the particular work item based on the metadata.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if the type of the particular work item is textual;

identifying, by the mobile device, whether the particular work item is a source code; and

coloring, by the mobile device, the source code based on a plurality of syntax highlighting rules.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if the type of the particular work item is a portable document format (PDF);

providing, by the mobile device, via the interactive user interface, a selectable element to adjust a brightness for the PDF file.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the user to perform the plurality of actions on the particular work item includes:

displaying a prompt to perform the plurality of actions on the particular work item.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the prompt includes an option to select more than one of the plurality of work items.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of actions include obtaining a link to the particular workspace for public access to the selected particular work item.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of actions include preparing the selected particular work item for an offline mode access.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of actions include at least one of:

(a) writing a note for the selected particular work item, wherein the note is to be stored in the particular workspace;

(b) uploading the particular work item to the particular workspace, if the selected particular work item is stored locally;

(c) downloading the particular work item from the particular workspace, if the selected particular work item is stored in the particular workspace; and

(d) sharing the selected particular work item via email to the collaborators.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the mobile device, an option to add the particular work item into a favorite list.

21. A mobile device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory unit having instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor, causes the mobile device to;

present an interactive user interface to a cloud-based collaboration platform including a plurality of workspaces;

receive updates regarding activities performed on a plurality of work items stored in a particular workspace of the plurality of workspaces by collaborators affiliated with the particular workspace;

select updates from the received updates that are relevant to a user of the mobile device, the relevancy based on activity of the user in the cloud-based collaboration platform;

display, in the interactive user interface, a visual feed stream of a plurality of interactive graphical elements based on the selected updates,

wherein each of the plurality of graphical elements include;

a description of an activity performed on a work item in the particular workspace;

an identification of a collaborator that performed the activity on the work item; and

a thumbnail preview of the work item, wherein the thumbnail preview depicts actual content of the work item; and

wherein each of the plurality of graphical elements are displayed sequentially in the visual feed stream as the selected updates are received;

detect a user interaction, via a particular interactive graphical element of the plurality of interactive graphical elements in the visual feed stream, with a thumbnail preview of a particular work item in the particular workspace; and

enable a user to perform a plurality of actions on the particular work item, via the interactive user interface, responsive to detecting the user interaction with the thumbnail preview of the particular work item.

22. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the thumbnail preview enables the user at the mobile device to interact with the work item.

23. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the thumbnail preview is configured to be displayed in the interactive user interface of the mobile device based on a plurality of visualization criteria.

24. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect a size of a screen on which the interactive user interface of the mobile device is displayed.

25. The mobile device of claim 24, wherein the thumbnail preview is to occupy larger than 20% of a height of the screen if the screen'"'"'s size is less than or equal to 7.25 inches when measured diagonally.

26. The mobile device of claim 24, wherein the thumbnail preview is to occupy larger than 10% but less than 20% of a height of the screen if the screen'"'"'s size is more than 7.25 inches when measured diagonally.

27. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display, in the interactive user interface of the mobile device, the particular work item stored in the particular workspace; and

upon receiving a request for access to the particular work item, detect a type of the particular work item before downloading the particular work item to the mobile device.