Processing message attachments in shared folder backed integrated workspaces

• US 10,452,670 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Beausoleil, Sean, Pan, Matteus, Greze, Jean-Denis, DeVincenzi, Anthony, Johnson, Maxwell, Dubie, Jack, Dunn, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US14/726,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20160285890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709206-207, 709223-229, 709250, 709205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 : Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 : Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 : Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 : Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 : Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 : Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 : Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 : Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 : providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 : Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 : Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 : for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 : Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 : when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• 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

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for shared folder backed integrated workspaces. In some implementations, a content management system can provide a graphical user interface (GUI) that integrates communications and content management into a single user interface. The user interface can include mechanisms that allow a user to provide input to generate a new workspace. The user interface can provide a mechanism to allow a user to view conversations related to the workspace and/or content items associated with the workspace. The user interface can present representations of content items associated with the workspace and allow the user to provide input to generate, view, edit, and share content items associated with the workspace.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a content management system, a shared folder backed workspace that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in a shared folder and communicating with authorized users of the shared folder;

receiving, by the content management system, an e-mail message addressed to a workspace email list corresponding to the shared folder backed workspace, the e-mail message having a message body and an attached content item;

determining, by the content management system, that the email message has an attached content item;

storing, by the content management system, the attached content item in the shared folder;

generating, by the content management system, a link to the stored content item corresponding to the attached content item;

generating, by the content management system, a workspace graphical user interface that includes the message body and the link to the stored content item; and

presenting, at the workspace graphical user interface, a representation reflecting content of the stored content item without including a copy of the content item, the representation comprising a preview image of the stored content item that dynamically updates to reflect changes made to the stored content item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the workspace is associated with a plurality of authorized user accounts and wherein at least one of the authorized user accounts has a client device authorized to access the authorized user account, and further comprising:

after storing the attached content item, synchronizing the stored content item to the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the stored content item includes a preview image of the stored content item.

4. A method comprising:

generating, by a content management system, a shared folder backed workspace that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in a shared folder and communicating with authorized users of the shared folder;

generating a workspace graphical user interface representing the shared folder backed workspace including representations of the content items in the shared folder without including copies of the content items, each representation reflecting content of a corresponding content item, each representation comprising a preview image of the corresponding content item that dynamically updates to reflect changes made to the corresponding content item, a message stream for presenting workspace messages, and user interface elements for generating new workspace messages;

receiving a new workspace message, the workspace message including a link to a content item stored in the shared folder;

adding the new workspace message to the message stream;

generating an e-mail addressed to a mailing list associated with the shared folder, the e-mail including the workspace message and the link to the content item; and

sending the email to the mailing list.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the link provides access to a version of the content item corresponding to a time when the link was generated.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the link provides access to a version of the content item corresponding to a time when the link is accessed.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the link is associated with permissions that indicate who can access the content item and an expiration period indicating when the link will no longer be operational to provide access to the content item.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

generating, by a content management system, a shared folder backed workspace that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in a shared folder and communicating with authorized users of the shared folder;

receiving, by the content management system, an e-mail message addressed to a workspace email list corresponding to the shared folder backed workspace, the e-mail message having a message body and an attached content item;

storing, by the content management system, the attached content item in the shared folder;

generating, by the content management system, a link to the stored content item;

generating, by the content management system, a workspace graphical user interface that includes the message body and the link to the stored content item; and

presenting, at the workspace graphical user interface, a representation reflecting content of the stored content item without including a copy of the content item, the representation comprising a preview image of the stored content item that dynamically updates to reflect changes made to the stored content item.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the workspace is associated with a plurality of authorized user accounts and wherein at least one of the authorized user accounts has a client device authorized to access the authorized user account, and wherein the instructions cause:

after storing the attached content item, synchronizing the stored content item to the client device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the representation of the stored content item includes a preview image of the stored content item.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

generating, by a content management system, a workspace graphical user interface that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in a shared folder and communicating with authorized users of the shared folder, the workspace graphical user interface including representations of the content items in the shared folder without including copies of the content items, each representation reflecting content of a corresponding content item, each representation comprising a preview image of the corresponding content item that dynamically updates to reflect changes made to the corresponding content item, a message stream for presenting workspace messages, and user interface elements for generating new workspace messages;

receiving a new workspace message, the workspace message including a link to a content item stored in the shared folder;

adding the new workspace message to the message stream;

generating an e-mail addressed to a mailing list associated with the shared folder, the e-mail including the workspace message and the link to the content item; and

sending the email to the mailing list.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the link provides access to a version of the content item corresponding to a time when the link was generated.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the link provides access to a version of the content item corresponding to a time when the link is accessed.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the link is associated with permissions that indicates who can access the content item and an expiration period indicating when the link will no longer be operational to provide access to the content item.

15. A content management system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause;

generating, by a content management system, a shared folder backed workspace that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in a shared folder and communicating with authorized users of the shared folder;

receiving, by the content management system, an e-mail message addressed to a workspace email list corresponding to the shared folder backed workspace, the e-mail message having a message body and an attached content item;

storing, by the content management system, the attached content item in the shared folder;

generating, by the content management system, a workspace graphical user interface that includes a message having a link to the stored content item in the shared folder; and

presenting, at the workspace graphical user interface, a representation reflecting content of the stored content item without including a copy of the content item, the representation comprising a preview image of the stored content item that dynamically updates to reflect changes made to the stored content item.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the workspace is associated with a plurality of authorized user accounts and wherein at least one of the authorized user accounts has a client device authorized to access the authorized user account, and wherein the instructions cause:

after storing the attached content item, synchronizing the stored content item to the client device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the representation of the stored content item includes a preview image of the stored content item.

18. A content management system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause;

generating, by a content management system, a workspace graphical user interface that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in a shared folder and communicating with authorized users of the shared folder, the workspace graphical user interface including representations of the content items in the shared folder without including copies of the content items, each representation reflecting content of a corresponding content item, each representation comprising a preview image of the corresponding content item that dynamically updates to reflect changes made to the corresponding content item, a message stream for presenting workspace messages, and user interface elements for generating new workspace messages;

receiving a new workspace message, the workspace message including a link to a content item stored in the shared folder;

adding the new workspace message to the message stream;

generating an e-mail addressed to a mailing list associated with the shared folder, the e-mail including the workspace message and the link to the content item; and

sending the email to the mailing list.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the link provides access to a version of the content item corresponding to a time when the link was generated.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the link provides access to a version of the content item corresponding to a time when the link is accessed.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the link is associated with permissions that indicates who can access the content item and an expiration period indicating when the link will no longer be operational to provide access to the content item.