ORGANIZING NETWORK-STORED CONTENT ITEMS INTO SHARED GROUPS

• US 20140122471A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Houston, Drew, Beckmann, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,892,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/731
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for adding users to groups of content items organized into events based on a common attribute. An example system configured to practice the method can receive, from a client device, content items uploaded to a synced online content management system, wherein the content items are associated with an account of a first user. The system can cluster at least some of the content items as an event, wherein the event is associated with a common attribute, and identify a second user satisfying a minimum similarity threshold for the event based on the common attribute. The system can provide a suggestion to share the event with the second user. Upon receiving a confirmation of the suggestion, the system can make content items clustered in the event available to the second user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein processor-executable instructions for causing the processor to;

receive, from a client device, content items uploaded to a synced online content management system, wherein the content items are associated with an account of a first user;

cluster at least some of the content items having a common attribute as an event;

identify a second user satisfying a minimum similarity threshold for the event based on the common attribute;

provide a suggestion to the first user to share the event with the second user; and

make content items clustered in the event available to the second user when the first user accepts the suggestion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing the processor to:

provide the suggestion to the first user in association with a content item import operation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing the processor to:

determine a probable label for the event based on an analysis of content items clustered in the event; and

include the probable label with the suggestion.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing the processor to:

determine a plurality of probable labels for the event based on an analysis of content items clustered in the event;

present the plurality of probable labels to the first user and the second user;

receive selections from the first user and the second user from the probable labels; and

based on the selections, assign one of the probable labels to the event.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing the processor to:

present to the second user a list of content items associated with the event;

receive from the second user an indication of additional content items from a second account of the second user; and

include the additional content items in the event.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing the processor to:

receive additional content items from the first user;

identify that the additional content items are within a threshold similarity to the event;

cluster the additional content items into the event; and

notify the second user of the additional content items.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing the processor to:

mark the event as closed to adding more content items after elapsing of a predetermined amount of time since a last content item was added to the event.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the after a threshold amount of time has passed since a last content item was added to the event,

present a view of the content items organized by event.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, from a client device, content items uploaded to a synced online content management system, wherein the content items are associated with an account of a first user;

clustering, by a processor, at least some of the content items having a common attribute as an event;

identifying, by a processor, a second user satisfying a minimum similarity threshold for the event based on the common attribute;

providing, by a processor, a suggestion to the first user to share the event with the second user; and

enabling, by a processor, content items clustered in the event to be available to the second user when the first user accepts the suggestion.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing, by a processor, the suggestion to the second user upon approval by the first user.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by a processor, a probable label for the event based on an analysis of images clustered in the event and on the common attribute; and

including, by a processor, the probable label when transmitting the confirmation.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by a processor, a plurality of probable labels for the event based on an analysis of images clustered in the event and on the common attribute;

presenting, by a processor, the plurality of probable labels to the second user;

receiving, by a processor, from the second user a selection of one of the probable labels; and

including, by a processor, the probable label when transmitting the confirmation.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

presenting, by a processor, to the second user a list of images associated with an account of the second user that are within the minimum threshold similarity;

receiving, by a processor, from the second user a selection from the list of images; and

contributing, by a processor, images to the event based on the selection.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

processing, by a processor, additional images in an account of the second user that are generated after transmitting the confirmation;

identifying, by a processor, that the additional images are within a threshold similarity to the event; and

contributing, by a processor, the additional images to the event.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

after a threshold amount of time has passed since a last image was added to the event, marking the event as closed to adding more images.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

presenting to the second user a view of the images organized by event.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein processor-executable instructions for causing a processor to:

receive, from a client device, images uploaded to a synced online content management system, wherein the images are associated with an account of a first user;

cluster at least some of the images having a common attribute as an event;

identify a second user satisfying a minimum similarity threshold for the event based on the common attribute;

provide a suggestion to share the event with the second user; and

make images clustered in the event available to the second user when the first user accepts the suggestion.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing a processor to:

provide the suggestion to the first user in association with an image import operation.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing a processor to:

determine a probable label for the event based on an analysis of images clustered in the event; and

include the probable label with the suggestion.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further contains instructions for causing the processor to:

determine a plurality of probable labels for the event based on an analysis of images clustered in the event;

present the plurality of probable labels to the first user and the second user;

receive selections from the first user and the second user from the probable labels; and

assigning at least one of the selected probable labels to the event.