Collection folder for collecting file submissions using email

• US 10,204,230 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Mindy, Piyush, Pranav
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US14/961,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20160308807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 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 using email. 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.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a content management system from a collector device, a request to generate a collection link for use in collecting one or more files from a plurality of submitter devices, the plurality of submitter devices comprising a client device associated with a subscribing user having a first user account with the content management system and another client device associated with a non-subscribing user not having a user account with the content management system;

in response to receiving the request, providing, by the content management system, one or more prompts requesting information from the collector device,

receiving, by the content management system, information responding to the one or more prompts;

generating, by the content management system, a designated collection folder and a link to the designated collection folder using at least some of the information; and

providing, by the content management system, the generated link in an email message to each of the plurality of submitter devices based on at least some of the information,

wherein providing the generated link to each of the plurality of submitter devices grants limited rights to the designated collection folder to the plurality of submitter devices, the limited rights permitting a first submitter device to upload digital content to the collection folder and view the digital content uploaded by the first submitter device while prohibiting a second submitter device from viewing the digital content uploaded by the first submitter device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more prompts are rendered in one or more user interfaces of the collector device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information responding to the one or more prompts comprises:

a name for a file request;

a designation of a folder as the designated collection folder to store one or more files received from one or more submitter devices from the plurality of submitter devices; and

an email address for each of a plurality of submitter users associated with the plurality of submitter devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information responding to the one or more prompts further comprises a message from the collector device to the plurality of submitter devices, and wherein the method further comprises distributing, by the content management system, the message along with the generated link to the one or more submitter devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the content management system, a reply email message from the first submitter device in response to the email message including the generated link, the reply email message containing at least one file attached to the reply email message; and

storing, by the content management system, the at least one file in the designated collection folder in a second user account associated with the collector device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein storing the at least one file comprises:

generating, by the content management system, a unique filename for the at least one file attached to the reply email message, wherein the filename includes a name for a file request and information identifying a user of the first submitter device; and

storing, by the content management system, the at least one file and associating the unique filename with the at least one file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the limited rights to the designated collection folder permit the first submitter device viewing rights to view at least one file uploaded by the first submitter device in addition to one or more files designated by the collector device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a deactivation command from the collector device to deactivate the collection folder; and

in response to receiving the deactivation command, deactivating, by the content management system, the collection folder by prohibiting the plurality of submitter devices from accessing the collection folder.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first submitter device is not associated with the subscribing user having the first user account with the content management system.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

receive, from a collector device, a request to generate a collection link for use in collecting one or more files from a plurality of submitter devices, the plurality of submitter devices comprising a client device associated with a subscribing user having first user account with a content management system and another client device associated with a non-subscribing user not having a user account with the content management system;

in response to receiving the request, provide one or more prompts requesting information from the collector device;

receive information responding to the one or more prompts;

generate a designated collection folder and a link to the designated collection folder using at least some of the information; and

provide the generated link in an email message to each of the plurality of submitter devices based on at least some of the information,

wherein providing the generated link to each of the plurality of submitter devices grants limited rights to the designated collection folder to the plurality of submitter devices, the limited rights permitting a first submitter device to upload digital content to the collection folder and view the digital content uploaded by the first submitter device while prohibiting a second submitter device from viewing the digital content uploaded by the first submitter device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more prompts are rendered in one or more user interfaces of the collector device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the information responding to the one or more prompts comprises:

a name for a file request;

a designation of a folder as the designated collection folder to store one or more files received from one or more submitter devices from the plurality of submitter devices; and

an email address for each of a plurality of submitter users associated with the plurality of submitter devices.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the information received in response to the one or more prompts further comprises a message from the collector device to the plurality of submitter devices, and further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to distribute the message along with the generated link to the one or more submitter devices.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive a reply email message from the first submitter device in response to the email message including the generated link, the reply email message containing at least one file attached to the reply email message; and

store the at least one file in the designated collection folder in a second user account associated with the collector device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein storing the at least one file comprises:

generating a unique filename for the at least one file, wherein the filename includes a name for a file request and information identifying a user of the first submitter device; and

storing the at least one file and associating the unique filename with the at least one file.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the limited rights to the designated collection folder permit the first submitter device viewing rights to view at least one file uploaded by the first submitter device in addition to one or more files designated by the collector device.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive a deactivation command from the collector device to deactivate the collection folder; and

in response to receiving the deactivation command, deactivate the collection folder by prohibiting the plurality of submitter devices from accessing the collection folder.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first submitter device is not associated with the subscribing user having the first user account with the content management system.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer system to:

receive, from a collector device, a request to generate a collection link for use in collecting one or more files from a plurality of submitter devices, the plurality of submitter devices comprising a client device associated with a subscribing user having first user account with a content management system and another client device associated with a non-subscribing user not having a user account with the content management system;

in response to receiving the request, provide one or more prompts requesting information from the collector device;

receive information responding to the one or more prompts;

generate a designated collection folder and a link to the designated collection folder using at least some of the information; and

provide the generated link in an email message to each of the plurality of submitter devices based on at least some of the information,

wherein providing the generated link to each of the plurality of submitter devices grants limited rights to the designated collection folder to the plurality of submitter devices, the limited rights permitting a first submitter device to upload digital content to the collection folder and view the digital content uploaded by the first submitter device while prohibiting a second submitter device from viewing the digital content uploaded by the first submitter device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to:

receive a reply email message from the first submitter device in response to the email message including the generated link, the reply email message containing at least one file attached to the reply email message; and

store the at least one file in the designated collection folder in a second user account associated with the collector device.