Workflow function of content management system enforced by client device

• US 10,706,013 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2019
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Xu, Tony, Grey, Kevin, Vorobev, Sergei, Liu, Haichen, Eisner, Stephen, Harris, Alexandra, Lucchesi, Blake, Sheikh, Waqas, Ausburn, Royce, Athanasiou, Panagiotis, Johnston, Zach, Jayasankar, Narmada, Valloppillil, Vinod
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US16/370,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20190324948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• 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 16/1734 Details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• 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: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for providing workflow controls to shared content items stored on client devices, and enforcing content item check outs or content item locks for shared content items stored and accessed on client devices. The present technology further includes automatically locking a shared content item that is edited on a client device so that other team members cannot modify the content item. Accordingly, the present technology improves upon existing systems that provide workflow controls such as file check-in and checkout functionality by permitting users to access content items directly from the file system of their client device, and by providing automatic checkout and check-in functionality.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions effective to cause a content management system to:

receive a communication from a first client device associated with a first user account, the communication pertaining to a shared content item and including one or more indications that one or more workflow controls should be enabled for the shared content item, wherein the one or more workflow controls correspond to an ordered queue associated with an arranged workflow for reviewing the shared content item by two or more user accounts of the content management system; and

enable at least one workflow control on the content management system for a second user account and disable the at least one workflow control for the first user account based on the ordered queue.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the content management system to:

synchronize workflow control metadata between the content management system with all client devices associated with user accounts having access to the shared content item including a second client device associated with the second user account, wherein each client device determines edit permissions based on the workflow control metadata.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the first client device and the second client device enforce the edit permissions when off-line based on the workflow control metadata.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions to receive the communication from the first client device associated with the first user account include instructions to:

receive a synchronization communication of edits to the shared content item by the first user account, and wherein the edits within the synchronization communication trigger the one or more workflow controls.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the instructions cause the content management system to:

receive a second communication indicating that the shared content item has been closed at the first client device associated with the first user account;

determine that the shared content item should be automatically checked-in; and

send a third communication to the second client device to remove the one or more workflow controls.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the content management system has a second shared content item stored in a file system of the first client device and being under management of the content management system, and wherein the instructions cause the content management system to:

send a synchronization communication indicating that the second shared content item is under a workflow control initiated by the second user account; and

change edit permissions for the second shared content item for the first user account.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions cause the content management system to:

change an appearance of an icon representing the second shared content item to indicate that the second shared content item is checked out by the second user account.

8. A method comprising:

enabling workflow functionality for a shared content item at a content management system, wherein at least a portion of the shared content item is synchronized between the content management system and client devices including a first client device associated with a first user account and a second client device associated with a second user account;

sending a first synchronization communication to the first client device and the second client device indicating that the shared content item is subscribed to a workflow service, wherein the workflow service corresponds to an ordered queue associated with an arranged workflow of for reviewing the shared content item by two or more user accounts of the content management system;

receiving a communication from the first client device indicating that the shared content item is checked out by the first user account; and

sending a second synchronization communication to the second client device indicating that the shared content item is checked out by the first user account, whereby the shared content item becomes a read-only content item for the second user account.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

receiving a message from the first user account associated with either the communication from the first client device indicating that the shared content item is checked out, or a second communication from the first client device indicating that the shared content item is no longer checked out, wherein the message provides context to the shared content item check out; and

sending the message to the second client device associated with the second user account.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising:

receiving data indicating an option selected by the second user account to receive a notification when the shared content item is no longer the read-only content item for the second user account.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the enabling the workflow functionality results in a workflow contextual menu being enabled for the content item on the shared content management system and on the first client device and the second client device.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising:

in a web interface to the content management system, presenting a first icon for the shared content item that shows the shared content item as being editable when the first user account is signed in to the web interface, and presenting a second icon for the shared content item that shows the shared content item as being read-only when the second user account is signed in to the web interface.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least the portion of the shared content item that is synchronized with the first client device and the second client device is a stub of the shared content item, the stub of the shared content item containing a link to download complete contents of the shared content item from the content management system.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the check out of the shared content item by the first user account is for a period of time;

and

after an expiration of the period of time, automatically checking-in the shared content item.

15. A content management system for synchronizing at least a portion of a shared content item between the content management system and client devices including a first client device associated with a first user account and a second client device associated with a second user account, the content management system comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions and cause the content management system to;

send a first synchronization communication to the first client device and the second client device indicating that the shared content item is subscribed to a workflow service wherein the workflow service corresponds to an ordered queue associated with an arranged workflow of for reviewing the shared content item by two or more user accounts of the content management system;

receive a communication from the first client device indicating that the shared content item is checked out by the first user account; and

send a second synchronization communication to the second client device indicating that the shared content item is checked out by the first user account, whereby the shared content item becomes a read-only content item for the second user account.

16. The content management system of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the content management system to:

after receipt of an input from the first user account or the second user account, enable workflow functionality for the shared content item.

17. The content management system of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the content management system to:

receive a second communication indicating that the shared content item has been closed at the first client device associated with the first user account;

determine that the shared content item should be automatically checked-in; and

send a third communication to the second client device to remove the workflow functionality.

18. The content management system of claim 15, comprising:

receive a message from the first user account associated with either the communication from the first client device indicating that the shared content item is checked out, or a fourth communication from the first client device indicated that the shared content item is no longer checked out, wherein the message provides context to the shared content item check out; and

send the message to the second client device associated with the second user account.

19. The content management system of claim 15, wherein the check out of the shared content item by the first user account is for a period of time;

and

after an expiration of the period of time, automatically checking-in the shared content item.

20. The content management system of claim 15, comprising:

in a web interface to the content management system, present a first icon for the shared content item that shows the shared content item as being editable when the first user account is signed in to the web interface, and presenting a second icon for the shared content item that shows the shared content item as being read-only when the second user account is signed in to the web interface.