Systems and methods for facilitating communication between users of a content management service

• US 10,198,140 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Kirigin, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Keaton, Sherrod L
• Application Number:
  US13/723,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 715758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status

Abstract

Computer systems and methods, according to various embodiments, allow users with shared access to a shared file or folder to communicate with one another via online chat. In particular embodiments, the system is configured to facilitate a chat session among all users that have shared access to a particular file or folder in response to a particular user selecting a “chat” button (or other suitable chat initiation element) associated with the shared file or folder. After a chat session is complete, the system may archive the chat session for later viewing and use.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor, wherein the computer system is configured to;

store a particular file or folder by a synchronized content management system, the particular file or folder being shared amongst a first account of the synchronized content management system and at least one other account of the synchronized content management system, the shared file managed by the synchronized content management system, which provides a respective copy of the particular file or folder to each of the first account and the at least one other account and the synchronized content management system synchronizes the shared file or folder with a first copy of the shared file or folder stored at a first user device using a first client side application and at least one second copy of the shared file or folder stored at an at least one second user device using an at least one second client side application, wherein the shared file or folder is managed by the synchronized content management system, which synchronizes the first copy and the at least one second copy of the shared file or folder to each of the first account and the at least one other account;

receive, from the first client side application associated with the first account the synchronized content management system, a request to initiate communication with users of the synchronized content management system;

determine, based on the particular file or folder having been shared with a user account of the synchronized content management system, a set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file or folder; and

in response to determining the set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file or folder, initiating communication between the first client side application associated with the first account of the synchronized content management system and any of the set of all chat-authorized users via a chat session.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured for identifying all available chat-authorized users currently accessing the synchronized content management system and initiating communication among any of the available chat-authorized users.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the set of all chat-authorized users includes a plurality of chat-authorized users.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the step of initiating communication between any of the set of all chat-authorized users comprises initiating a chat session only between a set of all available chat-authorized users.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the step of initiating communication between any of the set of all chat-authorized users further comprises providing a chat interface to each of the set of all available chat-authorized users.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

archive the chat session; and

selectively make the archived chat session available for viewing by the set of all chat-authorized users.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the request to initiate communication comprises selection of a display element associated with the particular file or folder.

19. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first client side application associated with the synchronized content management system stores a first respective copy of the particular file or folder and the at least one other account stores at least one other respective copy of the particular file or folder;

and

the synchronized content management system synchronizes the first respective copy with the at least one other respective copy.

20. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the set of all chat-authorized users access the chat session via a second client side application associated with the at least one other account of the synchronized content management system.

21. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising the synchronized content management system monitoring a local folder on the first user device with the first client side application, wherein the first client side application recognizes changes in the first copy of the shared file or folder and the first client side application synchronizes the changes to the shared file or folder with the particular file or folder stored in the synchronized content management system.

8. A computer-implemented method for facilitating communication between users of a particular shared file or folder, the method comprising the steps of:

storing by a memory in a synchronized content management system, a particular file or folder, the particular file or folder being shared amongst a first account of the synchronized content management system and at least one other account of the synchronized content management system, the shared file or folder managed by the synchronized content management system, which provides a respective copy of the particular file or folder to each of the first account and the at least one other account and the synchronized content management system synchronizing the shared file or folder with a first copy of the shared file or folder stored at a first user device using a first client side application and at least one second copy of the shared file or folder stored at an at least one second user device using an at least one second client side application, wherein the shared file is managed by the synchronized content management system, which synchronizes the first copy and the at least one second copy of the shared file or folder to each of the first account and the at least one other account;

receiving by a processor, from the first client side application associated with the synchronized content management system, a request to initiate communication between users of the synchronized content management system;

determining by a processor, based on permission to access the particular file or folder shared between the first client side application and users of the synchronized content management system, a set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file or folder; and

in response to determining the set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file or folder, substantially automatically initiating communication between any of the set of all chat-authorized users via a chat session utilizing at least the first client side application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the synchronized content management system is further configured for identifying all available chat-authorized users currently accessing the synchronized content management system among any of the available chat-authorized users.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the set of all chat-authorized users includes a plurality of chat-authorized users.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the synchronized content management system is further configured for:

archiving the chat session; and

selectively making the archived chat session available for viewing by the set of all chat-authorized users.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of initiating communication between any of the set of all chat-authorized users comprises initiating a chat session only between a set of available chat-authorized users.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of initiating communication between any of the set of all chat-authorized users comprises providing a chat interface to each of the set of available chat-authorized users.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the request to initiate communication comprises selection of a display element associated with the particular file or folder.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions to:

with respect to a particular file stored in a data store, receive a request to initiate a chat session among users of a synchronized content management system from a first client side application associated with the synchronized content management system, the particular file being shared amongst a first account of the synchronized content management system and at least one other account of the synchronized content management system, the shared file managed by the synchronized content management system, which provides a respective copy of the particular file to each of the first account and the at least one other account and the synchronized content management system synchronizes the shared file with a first copy of the shared file stored at a first user device using the first client side application and at least one second copy of the shared file stored at an at least one second user device using an at least one second client side application, wherein the shared file is managed by the synchronized content management system, which synchronizes the first copy and the at least one second copy of the shared file to each of the first account and the at least one other account;

with respect to the particular file stored in a data store, determine a set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file stored in the data store, based on permission to access the particular file shared between users of a synchronized content management system;

identify, from information stored in the data store and based on the set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file stored in the data store, all available chat-authorized users currently accessing the synchronized content management system; and

initiate a chat session between all available chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file stored in the data store.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving the request to initiate a chat session among all available chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular file stored in the data store comprises receiving an indication that an available chat-authorized user, from a client side application associated with the synchronized content management system, has selected a selection element associated with the particular file.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions to:

receive a request from a first client side application associated with a synchronized content management system, to initiate a chat session for a particular folder among users of the synchronized content management system, the particular folder being shared amongst a first account of the synchronized content management system and at least one other account of the synchronized content management system, the shared folder managed by the synchronized content management system, which provides a respective copy of the particular folder to each of the first account and the at least one other account and the synchronized content management system synchronizes the shared folder with a first copy of the shared folder stored at a first user device using the first client side application and at least one second copy of the shared folder stored at an at least one second user device using an at least one second client side application, wherein the shared folder is managed by the synchronized content management system, which synchronizes the first copy and the at least one second copy of the shared folder to each of the first account and the at least one other account;

determine a set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular folder, based on permission to access the particular folder shared between users of the synchronized content management system;

identify all available chat-authorized users currently accessing the synchronized content management system from the set of all chat-authorized users with shared access to the particular folder; and

after identifying all available chat-authorized users currently accessing the content management system, facilitating a chat session between all available chat-authorized users currently accessing the content management system with a client side application associated with the synchronized content management system and having shared access to the particular folder.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the step of receiving the request to initiate a chat session for a particular folder among users of the synchronized content management system comprises receiving an indication that a user has selected a selection element associated with the particular folder.