Method and apparatus for a file sharing synchronization system

• US 10,423,604 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Strong, Jack Benjamin, Thomas, Gibu
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khoshnoodi, Fariborz
• Application Number:
  US14/873,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 707706, 707709
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1767 Concurrency control, e.g. optimistic or pessimistic approaches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided for managing and sharing picture files. In one embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises providing a server platform and providing a datastore on the server platform for maintaining full resolution copies of the files shared between a plurality of sharing clients. A synchronization engine is provided on the server platform and is configured to send real-time updates to a plurality of sharing clients when at least one of the sharing clients updates or changes one of said files. A web interface may also be provided that allows a user to access files in the datastore through the use of a web browser.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a data object, the method comprising:

maintaining, by a synchronization server, a copy of the data object;

synchronizing the copy of the data object maintained by the synchronization server with a first client device associated with a first user and a second client device associated with a second user;

receiving, by the synchronization server, a first notification from the first client device, wherein the first notification indicates a change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user;

receiving, by the synchronization server, a second notification from the second client device, wherein the second notification indicates a change to the data object made on the second client device by the second user, the first notification and the second notification comprising changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device;

updating the copy of the data object on the synchronization server based on the first notification and the second notification; and

sending, to the second client device while the second user is editing a local version of the data object on the second client device, a notification of the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by way of the second client device while the second user is editing the local version of the data object on the second client device, a prompt to accept or reject the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first notification comprises a save event associated with the data object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a web interface to access the data object on the synchronization server via a web browser.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device are to metadata of the data object; and

in response to determining that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device are to the metadata of the data object, automatically merging the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device comprise a change to a first field of the data object made on the first client device and a change to a second field of the data object made on the second client device; and

updating the copy of the data object on the synchronization server to include both the change to the first field of the data object made on the first client device and the change to the second field of the data object made on the second client device.

7. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause a synchronization server to;

maintain a copy of a data object;

synchronize the copy of the data object with a first client device associated with a first user and a second client device associated with a second user;

receive a first notification from the first client device, wherein the first notification indicates a change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user;

receive a second notification from the second client device, wherein the second notification indicates a change to the data object made on the second client device by the second user, the first notification and the second notification comprising changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device;

update the copy of the data object based on the first notification and the second notification; and

send, to the second client device while the second user is editing a local version of the data object on the second client device, a notification of the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the synchronization server to provide, by way of the second client device while the second user is editing the local version of the data object on the second client device, a prompt to accept or reject the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first notification is associated with a save event on the first client device.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to provide a web interface to access the data object via a web browser.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the synchronization server to:

determine that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device are to metadata of the data object; and

in response to determining that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device are to the metadata of the data object, automatically merge the changes.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the synchronization server to:

determine that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device comprise a change to a first field of the data object made on the first client device and a change to a second field of the data object made on the second client device; and

update the copy of the data object to include both the change to the first field of the data object made on the first client device and the change to the second field of the data object made on the second client device.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the notification of the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user comprises instructions for modifying the local version of the data object on the second client device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the notification further includes a new copy of the data object, the new copy reflecting the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the instructions for modifying the local version of the data object include at least one of a delete command, a modify command, or a create command.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a synchronization server to:

maintain a copy of a data object;

synchronize the copy of the data object with a first client device associated with a first user and a second client device associated with a second user;

receive a first notification from the first client device, wherein the first notification indicates a change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user;

receive a second notification from the second client device, wherein the second notification indicates a change to the data object made on the second client device by the second user, the first notification and the second notification comprising changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device;

update the copy of the data object based on the first notification and the second notification; and

send, to the second client device while the second user is editing a local version of the data object on the second client device, a notification of the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the synchronization server to provide, by way of the second client device while the second user is editing the local version of the data object on the second client device, a prompt to accept or reject the change to the data object made on the first client device by the first user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first notification is associated with a save event on the first client device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause a content management system to provide a web interface to access the data object via a web browser.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the synchronization server to:

determine that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device are to metadata of the data object; and

in response to determining that the changes made simultaneously by the first user on the first client device and by the second user on the second client device are to the metadata of the data object, automatically merge the changes.