Collection folder for collecting and publishing file submissions

• US 10,162,972 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Mindy, Piyush, Pranav, Senderek, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US14/961,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20160308947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/295 Named entity recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• 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 67/1078 Resource delivery mechanisms
• 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

Abstract

A content management system for collecting files from one or more submitters in a collection folder. A collector, who generates the collection folder, can invite one or more submitters to submit one or more files to the collection folder. The one or more submitters have limited rights to the collection folder. The limited rights can include uploading rights and prohibiting a submitter from viewing files that other submitters associated with the collection folder submitted. Thus, the collection folder is able to store files from the one or more submitters, but prevent them from viewing other'"'"'s submissions. Once collected, the collector can publish the files thereby allowing the submitters access to the published files.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

generating, by a content management system, a link to a designated collection folder for use in collecting one or more files for a collector from a plurality of submitters comprising a first submitter and other submitters;

distributing, by the content management system, the link to the designated collection folder to the first submitters and the other submitters;

based on the first submitter and the other submitters accessing the distributed link, storing, by the content management system, a first file from the first submitter and other files from the other submitters in the designated collection folder;

controlling access to the designated collection folder according to limited rights of the first submitter, wherein the limited rights comprise uploading rights that allow the first submitter to upload the first file to the designated collection folder and view the first file in the designated collection folder while prohibiting the first submitter from accessing the other files uploaded by the other submitters; and

in response to receiving a publishing command from the collector, changing the limited rights of the first submitter to the designated collection folder to full access rights of the first submitter in which the first submitter can view the first file submitted by the first submitter and the other files submitted by the other submitters.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the link to the designated collection folder in response to receiving a request from the collector and wherein storing the first file from the first submitter comprises:

generating, by the content management system, a unique filename for the first file, with the unique filename comprising a name for the request and an identifier for the first submitter; and

storing, by the content management system, the first file and associating the unique filename with the first file.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in conjunction with changing the limited rights of the first submitter to the full access rights, sending, by the content management system, an email message to the first submitter notifying the first submitter that the designated collection folder is fully accessible to the first submitter.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, by the content management system, making the generated link available to Internet search engines.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising receiving, by the content management system from the collector, a modification to the generated link making the modified generated link available to Internet search engines.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, controlling access to the designated collection folder according to limited rights of the other submitters, wherein the limited rights comprise uploading rights that allow the other submitters to upload the other files to the designated collection folder while prohibiting the other submitters from accessing the first file uploaded by the first submitter.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, in response to receiving the publishing command from the collector, changing the limited rights of the other submitters to the designated collection folder to full access rights of the other submitters in which the other submitters can view the first file submitted by the first submitter and the other files submitted by the other submitters.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a template layout based on file types within the designated collection folder;

providing, by the content management system, a selectable option to utilize the template layout for organizing the designated collection folder; and

in response to receiving a selection of the selectable option, organizing, by the content management system, the designated collection folder in accordance with the template layout.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first submitter does not have an account with the content management system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the content management system is a synchronized content management system.

11. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

generate a link to a designated collection folder for use in collecting one or more files for a collector from a plurality of submitters comprising a first submitter and other submitters;

distribute the link to the designated collection folder to the first submitter and the other submitters;

based on the first submitter and the other submitters accessing the distributed link, store a first file from the first submitter and other files from the other submitters in the designated collection folder; and

control access to the designated collection folder according to limited rights of the first submitter, wherein the limited rights comprise uploading rights that allow the first submitter to upload the first file to the designated collection folder and view the first file in the designated collection folder while prohibiting the first submitter from accessing the other files uploaded by the other submitters; and

in response to receiving a publishing command from the collector, changing the limited rights of the first submitter to the designated collection folder to full access rights in which the first submitter can view the first file submitted by the first submitter and the other files submitted by other submitters.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

generate the link to the designated collection folder in response to receiving a request from a collector; and

store the first file from the first submitter by;

generating a unique filename for the first file, with the unique filename comprising a name for the file request and an identifier for the first submitter; and

storing the first file and associating the unique filename with the first file.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the system to, upon changing the limited rights of the first submitter to the full access rights, sending an email message to the first submitter notifying the first submitter that the designated collection folder is fully accessible to the first submitter.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to make the generated link available to Internet search engines.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to receive from the collector, a modification to the generated link making the modified generated link available to Internet search engines.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to control access to the designated collection folder according to limited rights of the other submitters, wherein the limited rights comprise uploading rights that allow the other submitters to upload the other files to the designated collection folder while prohibiting the other submitters from accessing the first file uploaded by the first submitter.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising, instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to, in response to receiving the publishing command from the collector, change the limited rights of the other submitters to the designated collection folder to full access rights of the other submitters in which the other submitters can view the first file submitted by the first submitter and the other files submitted by the other submitters.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

select a template layout based on file types within the designated collection folder; and

organize the designated collection folder in accordance with the template layout.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the designated collection folder is generated by a content management system and the first submitter does not have an account with the content management system.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the content management system is a synchronized content management system.