Technologies for integrating cloud content items across platforms

• US 10,664,319 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2019
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Kaplan, Joshua, Terk, Jason, Yeung, Stan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US16/582,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20200142750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 244 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 16/182 Distributed 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1015 to users
• 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 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 : Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

Systems and methods for integrating cloud-based and cloud-backed content items with a content management system are provided. In some examples, a method can include receiving a request to access a smart pointer on a content management system, the smart pointer including a representation of a content item on a cloud provider, wherein content and features of the content item are accessible through an online application associated with the cloud provider, the content item comprising a cloud-based or cloud-backed content item. The method can include, in response to the smart pointer being invoked, sending, from a cloud integration element of an application to the cloud provider, a request for the content of the content item; receiving, at the cloud integration element, from the cloud provider, the content of the content item; and presenting, at the application, the content as part of a rendered instance of the smart pointer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first request to access a smart pointer stored at a content management system, the smart pointer comprising a representation of a content item stored at a cloud content provider, wherein content and features of the content item are designed for access through a native online application associated with the cloud content provider, the content item comprising a cloud-based content item or a cloud-backed content item;

in response to the smart pointer being invoked, sending, from a local application to the cloud content provider, a second request for the content and features of the content item;

receiving, at the local application and from the cloud content provider, the content of the content item and metadata for enabling the features of the content item; and

in response to receiving the content of the content item and the metadata, providing, by the local application, the content and features of the content item as part of a rendered instance of the smart pointer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request comprises at least one of (1) authentication information associated with the content management system, (2) a unique identifier associated with at least one of the smart pointer or the content item, or (3) access permissions configured at the content management system for the smart pointer, wherein the smart pointer is stored at a user account that is registered at the content management system and associated with the local application, and wherein the content item is stored at the cloud content provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud content provider comprises a third-party cloud service that is separate from the content management system, wherein the local application is different from the native online application associated with the cloud content provider and lacks native support for at least one of the content of the content item or one or more of the features associated with the content item, the local application presenting the content of the content item as part of the rendered instance of the smart pointer without translating the content prior to presenting the content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the content of the content item as part of the rendered instance of the smart pointer comprises providing access and support to the features associated with the content item through at least one of the smart pointer, the local application, or the content management system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the features comprise one or more collaboration functionalities, the one or more collaboration functionalities comprising functionality for at least one of active commenting on the content of the content item, bi-directional communication between user accounts working on the content item, or accessing user activity associated with user accounts working on the content item.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, using the local application, a filesystem operation on the smart pointer; and

propagating, from the local application to the cloud content provider, one or more changes associated with the filesystem operation, the one or more changes comprising at least one of a modification of the content item stored on the cloud content provider, a modification of a copy of the content of the content item that is stored on the cloud content provider, or a modification of metadata that is associated with the content item and stored on the cloud content provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises a first comment added to the content item, the method further comprising:

presenting, on the local application, the first comment with the rendered instance of the smart pointer;

receiving, by the local application, a second comment added to the rendered instance of the smart pointer from a client device associated with the local application; and

propagating, from the local application to the cloud content provider, the second comment to the content item stored on the cloud content provider.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the cloud content provider, data associated with the content item stored on the cloud content provider, the data comprising one or more portions of the content of the content item;

in response to a search request, searching indexed data on a user account registered at the content management system for the one or more portions of the content, the user account containing a plurality of content items stored on the content management system, and the indexed data comprising the data associated with the content item; and

presenting a search result at the local application on a client device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a preview of the content item or an indication of user activity associated with the content item, the user activity comprising one or more interactions between one or more user accounts and the content item, the method further comprising:

presenting, at the local application, at least one of the preview of the content item and the user activity associated with the content item, the user activity being presented within at least one of the rendered instance of the smart pointer, an activity feed, or a notification message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the content management system, one or more additional features supported by the content management system and providing additional functionality to the smart pointer, the one or more additional features comprising at least one of access permissions, organization settings associated with the one or more user accounts registered at the content management system, or sharing features.

11. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to;

receive, from an application, a first request to access a smart pointer stored at a content management system, the smart pointer comprising a representation of a content item stored at a cloud content provider, wherein content and features of the content item are designed for access through a native online application associated with the cloud content provider, the content item comprising a cloud-based content item or a cloud-backed content item;

in response to the smart pointer being invoked, send, from a local application to the cloud content provider, a second request for the content and features of the content item;

receive, at the local application and from the cloud content provider, the content of the content item and metadata for enabling the features of the content item; and

in response to receiving the content of the content item and the metadata, provide, by the local application, the content and features of the content item as part of a rendered instance of the smart pointer, the features being provided based on the metadata.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the second request comprises at least one of (1) authentication information, (2) a unique identifier associated with at least one of the smart pointer or the content item, or (3) access permissions configured at the content management system for the smart pointer, wherein the smart pointer is stored at a user account registered on the content management system and the content is stored at the cloud content provider, wherein the local application is different from the native online application and lacks native support for at least one of the content or features of the content item, the local application presenting the content as part of the rendered instance of the smart pointer without translating the content prior to presentation of the content.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein presenting the content of the content item comprises providing access and support to the features associated with the content item through at least one of the smart pointer, the local application, or the content management system, wherein the features comprise one or more collaboration functionalities comprising at least one of active commenting on the content of the content item, bi-directional communication between user accounts working on the content item, or accessing user activity associated with user accounts working on the content item.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:

perform, using the application, a filesystem operation on the smart pointer; and

propagate, from the local application to the cloud content provider, one or more changes associated with the filesystem operation performed on the smart pointer, the one or more changes comprising at least one of a modification of the content item stored on the cloud content provider, a modification of the content of the content item, or a modification of metadata associated with the content item.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the metadata comprises a first comment added to the content item, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium stores additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:

based on the metadata, present, by the local application, the first comment with the rendered instance of the smart pointer;

receive, by the local application, a second comment added to the rendered instance of the smart pointer from the computing device; and

propagate, from the local application to the cloud content provider, the second comment to the content item stored on the cloud content provider.

16. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium stores additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:

receive, from the cloud content provider, data associated with the content item stored on the cloud content provider, the data comprising one or more portions of the content of the content item;

in response to a search request associated with the data, searching indexed data on a user account registered at the content management system for the one or more portions of the content, the user account containing a plurality of content items stored on the content management system, wherein the indexed data comprises the data associated with the content item; and

present a search result at the local application.

17. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a preview of the content item or an indication of user activity associated with the content item, the user activity comprising one or more interactions between one or more user accounts and the content item, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium stores additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:

based on the metadata, present, by the local application, at least one of the preview of the content item or the user activity associated with the content item, the user activity being presented within at least one of the rendered instance of the smart pointer, an activity feed, or a notification message.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a first request to access a smart pointer stored at a content management system, the smart pointer comprising a representation of a content item stored at a cloud content provider, wherein content and features of the content item are designed for access through a native online application associated with the cloud content provider, the content item comprising a cloud-based content item or a cloud-backed content item;

in response to the smart pointer being invoked, send, from a local application to the cloud content provider, a second request for the content and features of the content item;

receive, at the local application and from the cloud content provider, the content of the content item and metadata for enabling the features of the content item; and

in response to receiving the content of the content item and the metadata, provide, by the local application, the content and features of the content item as part of a rendered instance of the smart pointer.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second request comprises at least one of (1) authentication information, (2) a unique identifier associated with at least one of the smart pointer or the content item, or (3) access permissions configured for the smart pointer, wherein the smart pointer is stored at a user account on the content management system and the content is stored at the cloud content provider, wherein the local application is different from the native online application and lacks native support for at least one of the content of the content item or one or more of the features associated with the content item.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein providing the content and features of the content item comprises providing access and support to the features through at least one of the smart pointer, the local application, or the content management system, the local application presenting the content of the content item as part of the rendered instance of the smart pointer without translating the content prior to presentation.