System and method for synchronizing data objects in a cloud based social networking environment

• US 10,051,055 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Micucci, Michael, Fischer, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US15/836,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20180103096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 249 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for synchronizing and sharing a file. A set of access privileges is configured within a cloud collaboration site to define a sharing configuration to allow sharing of the file between a group of computing devices comprising a first computing device and one or more second computing devices. A sync client automatically creates a sync folder on the first computing device that is used for storing files added to the sync folder. When a file is updated at the first computing device and added to the sync folder, the updated file is automatically synchronized at the cloud collaboration site so that the updates are accessible by the one or more second computing devices. The updated file is automatically pushed from the cloud collaboration site to the one or more second computing devices to share the updated file in accordance with the sharing configuration.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing and sharing a file, the method comprising:

configuring a set of access privileges, within a cloud collaboration site, to define a sharing configuration to allow sharing of the file between a group of computing devices comprising a first computing device and one or more second computing devices;

automatically creating, via a sync client of the first computing device, a sync folder on the first computing device, wherein the sync folder is used for storing files added to the sync folder;

updating a file at the first computing device;

automatically synchronizing the updated file at the cloud collaboration site upon adding the updated file to the sync folder so that the updates are accessible by the one or more second computing devices; and

automatically pushing the updated file from the cloud collaboration site to the one or more second computing devices to share the updated file in accordance with the sharing configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated file comprises content updated by a user of the first computing device, and wherein automatically synchronizing comprises:

automatically synchronizing the updated file at the cloud collaboration site in response to saving the updated file at the first computing device without requiring the user to take any additional action at the first computing device to keep the content of the updated file synchronized.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated file comprises content updated by a user of the first computing device, and wherein automatically synchronizing comprises:

automatically synchronizing the updated file at the cloud collaboration site in real-time in response to saving the updated file at the first computing device without requiring the user at the first computing device to take any action to manually synchronize the content of the updated file.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification to the one or more second computing devices to indicate that the file has been updated and that the updated file has been synchronized with the cloud collaboration site such that users of the one or more second computing devices are notified that the file has been updated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the file at the first computing device, comprises:

updating the file offline at the first computing device,

wherein the file is a local version at the first computing device and wherein updates to the file are automatically uploaded to the cloud collaboration site and automatically synchronized with a corresponding version of the file at the cloud collaboration site to keep the corresponding version of the file at the cloud collaboration site synchronized with the local version of the file,

wherein the cloud collaboration site is implemented at a server system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein updates to the corresponding version of the file at the cloud collaboration site are automatically synchronized with the local version of the file at the first computing device to keep the local version of the file synchronized with the corresponding version of the file at the cloud collaboration site.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically pushing the updated file from the cloud collaboration site to the one or more second computing devices, comprises:

sending the updated file to the one or more second computing devices via email.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring a set of access privileges comprises:

setting access controls for a group of users, within the cloud collaboration site, to define the sharing configuration to allow the group of computing devices of the group of users to share the access privileges to the file over a secure connection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is associated with a first person, wherein each of the one or more second computing devices are associated with people who have access to the file, wherein the first person selects the people who have access to the file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the set of access privileges, comprises:

configuring social networking affiliations via a social network profile to configure the set of access privileges, within the cloud collaboration site, to define the sharing configuration that controls access to the file to allow sharing of the file between the group of computing devices.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing the sync client on the first computing device, wherein the sync folder is automatically created upon installing the sync client on the first computing device, and

wherein the sync client comprises a cross-platform application configured to function across various platforms including Windows™ and

Mac™

operating systems.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the file comprises one of:

a document and a presentation.

13. An online cloud collaboration server system, comprising:

a processor that is configured to;

configure a set of access privileges to define a sharing configuration to allow sharing of a file between a group of computing devices comprising a first computing device and one or more second computing devices, wherein the first computing device includes a sync client and a sync folder used for storing files added to the sync folder;

automatically synchronize an updated file with a cloud-based database upon adding the updated file to the sync folder so that updates made to the updated file are accessible by the one or more second computing devices; and

automatically push the updated file to the one or more second computing devices to share the updated file in accordance with the sharing configuration.

14. The online cloud collaboration server system of claim 13, wherein the updated file comprises content updated by a user, and wherein the sync client executed at the first computing device is further configured to:

automatically synchronize the updated file with the cloud-based database in response to saving the updated file at the first computing device without requiring the user to take any additional action at the first computing device to keep the content of the updated file synchronized.

15. The online cloud collaboration server system of claim 13, wherein the updated file comprises content updated by a user, and wherein the sync client executed at the first computing device is further configured to:

automatically synchronize the updated file at the cloud collaboration site in real-time in response to saving the updated file at the first computing device without requiring the user at the first computing device to take any action to manually synchronize the content of the updated file synchronized.

16. The online cloud collaboration server system of claim 13, wherein the online cloud collaboration server system is further configured to:

send a notification to the one or more second computing devices to indicate that the file has been updated and that the updated file has been synchronized at the cloud-based database such that users of the second computing devices are notified that the file has been updated.

17. The online cloud collaboration server system of claim 13, wherein the file is a local version that is updated offline at the first computing device, and wherein updates to the file are automatically uploaded to the cloud collaboration server system and automatically synchronized with a corresponding version of the file at the cloud-based database to keep the corresponding version of the file at the cloud-based database synchronized with the local version of the file.

18. The online cloud collaboration server system of claim 13, wherein the online cloud collaboration server system is configured to set access controls for a group of users to define the sharing configuration to allow the group of computing devices of the group of users to share the access privileges to the file over a secure connection.

19. The online cloud collaboration server system of claim 13, wherein the first computing device is associated with a first person, wherein each of the one or more second computing devices are associated with people who have access to the file, wherein the first person selects the people who have access to the file.

20. The online cloud collaboration server system of claim 13, wherein the online cloud collaboration server system is configured to configure social networking affiliations of a social network profile to configure the set of access privileges to define the sharing configuration that controls access to the file to allow sharing of the file between the group of computing devices.

21. An online cloud collaboration system for synchronizing and sharing a file among a group of computing devices that are communicatively coupled to the online cloud collaboration system, the online cloud collaboration system comprising:

a cloud-based database configured to store files; and

an online cloud collaboration server that is configured to;

configure a set of access privileges to define a sharing configuration to allow sharing of a file between the group of computing devices comprising a first computing device and one or more second computing devices, wherein the first computing device includes a sync client and a sync folder used for storing files added to the sync folder;

automatically synchronize an updated file with the cloud-based database upon adding the updated file to the sync folder so that updates made to the updated file are accessible by the one or more second computing devices; and

automatically push the updated file to the one or more second computing devices to share the updated file in accordance with the sharing configuration.