Collection folder for collecting and publishing file submissions

• US 10,628,595 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Mindy, Piyush, Pranav, Senderek, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US16/160,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20190050584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 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. 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. Once collected, the collector can publish the files thereby allowing the submitters access to the published files.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

generating, by a content management system, a link corresponding to a collection folder associated with a collector;

distributing, by the content management system, the link corresponding to the collection folder to client devices associated with submitters;

storing, by the content management system, a plurality of files in the collection folder in response to receiving the plurality of files from the client devices based on each of the submitters accessing the link;

associating access rights with the submitters, the access rights allowing the submitters to access their own files in the collection folder while prohibiting the submitters from accessing other files in the collection folder from other submitters; and

in response to receiving a publishing command from a collector client device associated with the collector, providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises associating updated access rights with the submitters to allow the submitters to access their own files in the collection folder and the other files in the collection folder from other submitters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises:

moving the plurality of files in the collection folder to a shared folder; and

granting the submitters access to the shared folder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises publishing the files to a publicly available website in response to receiving the publishing command from the collector client device associated with the collector.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a public URL for the publicly available website; and

providing, by the content management system, the public URL to the client devices associated with the submitters.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing the public URL to additional client devices associated with additional users that did not submit files to the collection folder.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the publishing command, curating content within the plurality of files stored in the collection folder prior to providing the submitters access the other files from the other submitters.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a content type corresponding to the plurality of files stored in the collection folder; and

wherein curating the content within the plurality of files is based on the content type corresponding to the plurality of files.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein curating the content within the plurality of files comprises organizing the content into a predefined format based on a content type of the content within the plurality of files.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

generate a link corresponding to a collection folder associated with a collector;

distribute the link corresponding to the collection folder to client devices associated with submitters;

store a plurality of files in the collection folder in response to receiving the plurality of files from the client devices based on each of the submitters accessing the link;

associate access rights with the submitters, the access rights allowing the submitters to access their own files in the collection folder while prohibiting the submitters from accessing other files in the collection folder from other submitters; and

in response to receiving a publishing command from a collector client device associated with the collector, provide the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises associating updated access rights with the submitters to allow the submitters to access their own files in the collection folder and the other files in the collection folder from other submitters.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises:

moving the plurality of files in the collection folder to a shared folder; and

granting the submitters access to the shared folder.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises publishing the files to a publicly available website in response to receiving the publishing command from the collector client device associated with the collector.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

generate a public URL for the publicly available website;

provide the public URL to the client devices associated with the submitters; and

provide the public URL to additional client devices associated with additional users that did not submit files to the collection folder.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to curate content within the plurality of files stored in the collection folder prior to providing the submitters access the other files from the other submitters.

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

generate a link corresponding to a collection folder associated with a collector;

distribute the link corresponding to the collection folder to client devices associated with submitters;

store a plurality of files in the collection folder in response to receiving the plurality of files from the client devices based on each of the submitters accessing the link;

associate access rights with the submitters, the access rights allowing the submitters to access their own files in the collection folder while prohibiting the submitters from accessing other files in the collection folder from other submitters; and

in response to receiving a publishing command from a collector client device associated with the collector, provide the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises associating updated access rights with the submitters to allow the submitters to access their own files in the collection folder and the other files in the collection folder from other submitters.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises:

moving the plurality of files in the collection folder to a shared folder; and

granting the submitters access to the shared folder.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein providing the submitters access to their own files and the other files from the other submitters comprises publishing the files to a publicly available website in response to receiving the publishing command from the collector client device associated with the collector.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to curate content within the plurality of files stored in the collection folder prior to providing the submitters access the other files from the other submitters.