Systems and methods for creating shared virtual spaces

• US 10,200,421 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Welinder, Nils Peter, Kleinpeter, Thomas, Wright, Thomas, Balakrishnan, Ramesh, Wen, Tina, Nayak, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Wasel, Mohamed A
• Application Number:
  US15/207,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• 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 67/1097 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 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for creating shared virtual spaces using a client device. For example, the disclosed systems receive a request from a user to share one or more digital content items with other users via a shared virtual space. The disclosed systems queue a request to send data to a content management system to create the shared virtual space. In some instances, the disclosed systems can determine that a connection between a user'"'"'s client device and the content management system is below a threshold connectivity, and then simulate an online experience for the user despite the poor connection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a request to share a first digital content item with a plurality of users via a shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users;

queuing a request to send data to create the shared virtual space;

determining that a connection between the client device and a content management system is below a threshold connectivity; and

creating, in response to receiving the share request and determining that the connection is below the threshold connectivity, a local virtual space that is not accessible to the plurality of users, the local virtual space comprising the first digital content item that references a local identifier assigned to the local virtual space, wherein the local virtual space simulates the shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users.

2. The method as recited by claim 1, further comprising determining that the connection between the client device and the content management system satisfies a threshold connectivity.

3. The method as recited by claim 2, further comprising providing, to the content management system, the data to create the shared virtual space in response to determining that the connection between the client device and the content management system satisfies the threshold connectivity.

4. The method as recited by claim 3, further comprising receiving, from the content management system, a global identifier indicating that the shared virtual space has been created by the content management system.

5. The method as recited by claim 4, further comprising referencing the first digital content item with the received global identifier.

6. The method as recited by claim 5, wherein referencing the first digital content item with the received global identifier comprises replacing a local identifier for the first digital content item with respect to the local virtual space with the received global identifier.

7. The method as recited by claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the client device, a request to share a second digital content item with the plurality of users via the shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users; and

wherein creating the local virtual space further comprises creating the local virtual space comprising the second digital content item that references the local identifier assigned to the local virtual space.

8. The method as recited by claim 7, further comprising:

detecting a first user interaction with respect to the first digital content item;

detecting a second user interaction with respect to the second digital content item; and

referencing each of the first user interaction and the second user interaction with the local identifier assigned to the local virtual space.

9. The method as recited by claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, at the client device via the connection with the content management system, a global identifier indicating that the shared virtual space has been created by the content management system; and

replacing each instance of the local identifier with respect to the first user interaction and the second user interaction with the received global identifier.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a request to share a plurality of digital content items with a plurality of users via a shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users;

queuing a request to send data to create the shared virtual space;

determining that a connection between the client device and a content management system is below a threshold connectivity; and

in response to determining that the connection is below the threshold connectivity, creating a local virtual space that is not accessible to the plurality of users, the local virtual space comprising the plurality of digital content items, each of the plurality of digital content items referencing a local identifier assigned to the local virtual space, wherein the local virtual space simulates the shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users.

11. The method as recited by claim 10, further comprising determining that the connection between the client device and the content management system subsequently satisfies a threshold connectivity.

12. The method as recited by claim 11, further comprising providing, to the content management system, the data to create the shared virtual space in response to determining that the connection between the client device and the content management system subsequently satisfies the threshold connectivity.

13. The method as recited by claim 12, further comprising receiving, from the content management system, a global identifier indicating that the shared virtual space has been created by the content management system.

14. The method as recited by claim 13, further comprising referencing each instance of the plurality of digital content items with the received global identifier.

15. The method as recited by claim 14, wherein referencing each instance of the plurality of digital content items with the received global identifier comprises replacing a local identifier for each instance of the plurality of digital content items with respect to the local virtual space with the received global identifier.

16. The method as recited by claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a user interaction with respect to at least one of the digital content items in the plurality of digital content items; and

referencing the user interaction with the local identifier assigned to the local virtual space.

17. The method as recited by claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, at the client device via the connection with the content management system, a global identifier indicating that the shared virtual space has been created by the content management system; and

replacing the local identifier referencing the user interaction with the received global identifier.

18. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory containing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive, at a client device, a request to share a first digital content item with a plurality of users via a shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users;

queue a request to send data to create the shared virtual space;

determine that a connection between the client device and a content management system is below a threshold connectivity;

create, in response to receiving the share request and determining that the connection is below the threshold connectivity, a local virtual space that is not accessible to the plurality of users, the local virtual space comprising the first digital content item that references a local identifier assigned to the local virtual space, wherein the local virtual space simulates the shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

queue the request to share the first digital content item with the plurality of users via the shared virtual space accessible to the plurality of users;

determining that the connection between the client device and the content management system satisfies the threshold connectivity; and

providing, to the content management system, the data to create the shared virtual space in response to determining that the connection between the client device and the content management system satisfies the threshold connectivity.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

receive, from the content management system, the global identifier indicating that the shared virtual space has been created by the content management system; and

prior to providing the request to share the first digital content item with the plurality of users, replacing the local identifier assigned to the local virtual space with the received global identifier.