Generating and sharing metadata for indexing synchronized content items

• US 10,303,658 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Abbott, Graham, Dabney, Todd, Underwood, IV, George Milton
• Primary Examiner(s): Kerzhner, Aleksandr
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheung, Eddy
• Application Number:
  US14/089,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,010 Days
• Field of Search: 707610, 707611, 707612
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generate and share metadata for indexing synchronized content items. A server generates metadata for indexing synchronized content items and manages sharing of the metadata with client devices in accordance with user preferences that may be embodied in metadata generation and sharing management rules. For example, a content item stored at the server has been designated to be synchronized across at least a first client. The server generates metadata for indexing the content item and sends the metadata to at least a second client.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating and sharing metadata for indexing a synchronized content item, the method, performed at a server system, comprising:

storing a content item that is synchronized between the server system and at least a first client device, the content item hosted with an online content management service that operates the server system;

receiving a request from the first client device to share the content item with a particular user of the online content management service;

wherein the request to share the content item with the particular user of the online content management service is either a request to share the content item with the particular user via a unique link to the content item or a request to share a collection of content items that includes the content item with the particular user;

based on a determination that the content item is shared with the particular user of the online content management service via a unique link or as part of a collection of content items, generating keyword metadata for indexing the content item in a keyword index, according to at least one metadata generation rule;

wherein the at least one metadata generation rule indicates that keyword metadata is to be generated for the content item if the content item is shared by one user of the online content management service with at least one other user of the online content management service via a unique link to the content item or as part of a collection of content item that includes the content item; and

automatically sending the generated keyword metadata to at least a second client device associated with the particular user thereby causing the keyword index at the second client device to index the content item by the generated keyword metadata, according to at least one metadata sharing rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generated keyword metadata comprises one or more keywords extracted from the content item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the one or more keywords is a stemmed and/or lemmatized form of a word.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item was created or modified at a client device specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item was created or modified by a user specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item is of a content item type specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item has a name with a portion specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item is shared by one user with at least one other user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the generated keyword metadata to the second client device comprises sending the generated keyword metadata to the second client device based at least in part on a determination that the content item is synchronized with the second client device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the content item to at least the second client device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the content item is not stored at the first client device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second client device sends to the server an acceptance of the request from the first client device to share the content item with the particular user, and the server informs the first client device of said acceptance.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the generated keyword metadata to the second client device is based at least in part on a determination that the content item is synchronized with the second client device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the generated keyword metadata to the second client device is based at least in part on a determination that the second client device is identified by the at least one metadata sharing management rule.

15. A computer server system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

one or more programs stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions configured for;

storing a content item that is synchronized between the server system and at least a first client device, the content item hosted with an online content management service that operates the server system;

receiving a request from the first client device to share the content item with a particular user of the online content management service;

wherein the request to share the content item with the particular user of the online content management service is either a request to share the content item with the particular user via a unique link to the content item or a request to share a collection of content items that includes the content item with the particular user;

based on a determination that the content item is shared with the particular user of the online content management service via a unique link or as part of a collection of content items, generating keyword metadata for indexing the content item in a keyword index, according to at least one metadata generation rule;

wherein the at least one metadata generation rule indicates that keyword metadata is to be generated for the content item if the content item is shared by one user of the online content management service with at least one other user of the online content management service via a unique link to the content item or as part of a collection of content item that includes the content item; and

automatically sending the generated keyword metadata to at least a second client device associated with the particular user thereby causing the keyword index at the second client device to index the content item by the generated keyword metadata, according to at least one metadata sharing rule.

16. The server system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured for generating the keyword metadata for indexing the content item based at least in part on a determination that the content item is shared with the particular user.

17. The server system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured for automatically sending the generated keyword metadata to at least the second client device based on a determination that the second client device is associated with the particular user.

18. The server system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured for sending the content item to at least the second client device.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having executable computer program instructions embodied therein that when executed perform a method for generating and sharing metadata for indexing a synchronized content item at a server system, the method comprising:

storing a content item that is synchronized between the server system and at least a first client device, the content item hosted with an online content management service that operates the server system;

receiving a request from the first client device to share the content item with a particular user of the online content management service;

wherein the request to share the content item with the particular user of the online content management service is either a request to share the content item with the particular user via a unique link to the content item or a request to share a collection of content items that includes the content item with the particular user;

based on a determination that the content item is shared with the particular user of the online content management service via a unique link or as part of a collection of content items, generating keyword metadata for indexing the content item in a keyword index, according to at least one metadata generation rule;

wherein the at least one metadata generation rule indicates that keyword metadata is to be generated for the content item if the content item is shared by one user of the online content management service with at least one other user of the online content management service via a unique link to the content item or as part of a collection of content item that includes the content item; and

automatically sending the generated keyword metadata to at least a second client device associated with the particular user thereby causing the keyword index at the second client device to index the content item by the generated keyword metadata, according to at least one metadata sharing rule.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein generated keyword metadata comprises one or more keywords extracted from the content item.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein the at least one of the one or more keywords is a stemmed and/or lemmatized form of a word.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item was created or modified at a client device specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

23. The media of claim 19, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item was created or modified by a user specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

24. The media of claim 19, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item is of a content item type specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

25. The media of claim 19, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item has a name with a portion specified by the at least one metadata generation rule.

26. The media of claim 19, wherein generating the keyword metadata comprises generating the keyword metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item is shared by one user with at least one other user.

27. The media of claim 19, wherein sending the generated keyword metadata to the second client device comprises sending the generated keyword metadata to the second client device based at least in part on a determination that the content item is synchronized with the second client device.

28. The media of claim 19, the method further comprising:

sending the content item to at least the second client device.

29. The media of claim 19, wherein the content item is not stored at the first client device.