SEAMLESS EDITING AND SAVING OF ONLINE CONTENT ITEMS USING APPLICATIONS

• US 20140229839A1
• Filed: 12/12/2013
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Lynch, Sean, Smith, Brian, Fushman, Ilya, Boning, Josiah
• Granted Patent: US 9,310,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

Abstract

A user viewing an online content item using an online content client application can, from within that application, launch an operating application to operate on the content item. The operating application can interact with the online content management provider to obtain a current copy of the content item and to save a modified content item back to the online content management service, e.g., if the user instructs the operating application to save the item. Interactions between the client application, the operating application and the online content management service can occur without requiring the user to manually initiate upload or download of any content items. Operations on an online content item can also be initiated from within an operating application.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a content item, the method comprising:

displaying on a user device, by a client app provided by an online content management service and executing on the user device, a representation of a first content item in association with a user-operable edit control, the first content item being a content item stored by the online content management service;

detecting, by the client app, that the user has operated the edit control;

displaying on the user device, by the client app, in response to detecting that the user has operated the edit control, a selection interface operable to select an editing app from a set of one or more available editing apps, wherein the selection interface includes a set of selectable icons corresponding to the available editing apps, the set of selectable icons arranged into a plurality of groups,

the plurality of groups including a first group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are installed on the user device and linked to the online content management service,

the plurality of groups further including at least one of;

a second group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are installed on the user device but not linked to the online content management service;

or

a third group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are recommended for use with content items having a same type as the first content item;

receiving, via the selection interface, a user selection of one of the available editing apps;

directing, by the client app, the user device to execute the selected editing app; and

providing to the editing app, by the client app, item-identifying information for the first content item, the item-identifying information being usable by the editing app to obtain the first content item from the online content management service and to save a modified version of the first content item to the online content management service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first content item has a first content type and wherein presenting the selection interface further includes identifying one or more editing apps usable to edit content items having the first content type, wherein only editing apps usable to edit content items having the first content type are included in the set of available editing apps.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein directing the user device to execute the selected editing app includes supplying, by the client app, a uniform resource locator (URL) that references a location of the editing app to a URL handler on the user device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein providing the item-identifying information includes appending an item identifier in a reference handler portion of the URL.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the item-identifying information is usable by the editing app to replace the first content item stored by the online content management service with the modified version of the first content item.

2. (canceled)

7. An electronic device comprising:

a data communication interface operable to communicate with an online content management service;

a user interface including a display and a user input device; and

a processing unit coupled to the data communication interface and the user interface, the processing unit configured to;

obtain, from the online content management service via the data communication interface, information about a first content item stored by the online content management service;

display a first interface image for an online content client app, the first interface image including a representation of the first content item and a first control operable by a user to initiate an operation using the first content item;

detect that the user has operated the first control;

display, in response to detecting that the user has operated the first control, a second interface image for the online content client app, the second interface image being usable by the user to select an operating app from a set of one or more available operating apps, wherein the second interface image includes a set of selectable icons corresponding to the available operating apps, the set of selectable icons arranged into a plurality of groups, the plurality of groups including;

a first group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are installed on the user device and linked to the online content management service,

a second group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are installed on the user device but not linked to the online content management service; and

a third group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are recommended for use with content items having a same type as the first content item;

detect that the user has selected one of the selectable icons;

launch the selected operating app responsive to the user selection; and

provide to the operating app item-identifying information for the first content item, the item-identifying information being usable by the operating app to obtain the first content item from the online content management service via the data communication interface and to save a modified version of the first content item to the online content management service via the data communication interface.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the processing unit is further configured such that in the event that a selectable icon from the second group of icons is selected, the processing unit communicates with the online content management service via the data communication interface to link the selected operating app to the online content management service.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein presenting the selection interface further includes presenting a control operable by the user to access an online app source from which an operating app is obtainable.

11. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the set of operating apps includes one or more of an editing app operable to edit the first content item, an ordering app operable to order products made using the first content item, or a signature app operable to digitally sign the first content item.

12. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein launching the selected operating app includes supplying, by the client app to an operating system, a uniform resource locator (URL) that references a location of the editing app to a URL handler on the user device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 wherein providing the item-identifying information includes appending, by the client app, an item identifier in a reference handler portion of the URL.

21. The method of claim 7 further comprising, in the event that the selected editing app corresponds to one of the icons in the second group:

prompting the user to link the selected editing app to the online content management service.

22. The method of claim 7 further comprising, in the event that the selected editing app corresponds to one of the icons in the third group:

installing the selected editing app on the client device.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein installing the selected editing app includes acquiring the selected editing app from an online app source.

8. (canceled)

14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed by a processing unit of a user device, cause the user device to execute a method comprising:

displaying on a user interface of the user device, a first interface image for a client app executing on the user device, the first interface image including a first control element operable by a user to initiate creation of a new content item;

detecting that the user has operated the first control;

presenting, in response to the detecting, a second interface image for the client app, the second interface image being usable by a user to select an operating app from a set of one or more available operating apps, wherein the second interface image includes a set of selectable icons corresponding to the available operating apps, the set of selectable icons arranged into a plurality of groups, the plurality of groups including;

a first group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are installed on the user device and linked to the online content management service;

a second group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are installed on the user device but not linked to the online content management service; and

a third group of selectable icons corresponding to apps that are recommended for use with content items having a same type as the first content item;

detecting that the user has selected one of the available operating apps;

presenting, in response to the user selection, a third interface image for the client app, the third interface image including a second control element operable by a user to specify a name and path to be used for storing the new content item by the online content management service;

directing the user device to execute the selected operating app; and

providing to the selected operating app, from the client app, an instruction to create a new item and item-identifying information for the new content item, the item-identifying information being usable by the operating app to save the new item to the online content management service.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the second interface image includes:

a first section configured to receive a user selection of a file type for the new content item; and

wherein the set of selectable icons is filtered based on the user selection of the file type to include only icons corresponding to operating apps that are capable of creating content items having the selected file type.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises:

communicating, responsive to user operation of the third control element, with the online content management service to create a placeholder content item to be stored by the online content management service and to obtain from the online content management service the item-identifying information, wherein the item-identifying information identifies the placeholder content item.

16. (canceled)

18-20. -20. (canceled)