GENERATING AND SHARING METADATA FOR INDEXING SYNCHRONIZED CONTENT ITEMS

• US 20150149407A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Dabney, Todd, Underwood, George Milton IV, Abbott, Graham
• Granted Patent: US 10,303,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• 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 16/1824 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generate and share metadata for indexing synchronized content items. A server generates metadata for indexing synchronized content items and manages sharing of the metadata with client devices in accordance with user preferences that may be embodied in metadata generation and sharing management rules. For example, a content item stored at the server has been designated to be synchronized across at least a first client. The server generates metadata for indexing the content item and sends the metadata to at least a second client.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating and sharing metadata for indexing a synchronized content item, the method comprising:

storing a content item file that is synchronized between a server and at least a first client device; and

generating metadata for indexing the content item file and sending the generated metadata to at least a second client device, according to at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generated metadata comprises one or more keywords pertaining to the content item file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the one or more keywords is a stemmed and/or lemmatized form of a word.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file was created or modified at a client device specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file was created or modified by a user specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is of a content item type specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file has a name with a portion specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is shared by one user with at least one other user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the metadata to the second client device comprises sending the metadata to the second client device based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is synchronized with the second client device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the metadata to the second client device comprises sending the metadata to the second client device based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is shared with a user the second client device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the content item file to at least the second client device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the content item file is not stored at the first client device.

13. A computer server comprising:

a data store for storing a content item file that is synchronized between the server and at least a first client device;

an interface module for receiving a request from the first client device to share at least the content item file with a particular user;

a metadata generation module for generating metadata for indexing the content item, according to at least one metadata generation rule; and

a sharing module for sending the generated metadata to at least a second client device, according to at least one metadata sharing rule;

wherein the second client device is associated with the particular user.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the metadata generation module is further configured to generate the metadata for indexing the content item file based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is shared with the particular user.

15. The server of claim 13, wherein the sharing module is further configured to send the generated metadata to at least the second client device based on a determination that the second client device is associated with the particular user.

16. The server of claim 13, wherein the sharing module is further configured to send the content item file to at least the second client device.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having executable computer program instructions embodied therein that when executed perform a method for generating and sharing metadata for indexing a synchronized content item, the method comprising:

storing a content item file at a server that is synchronized between the server and at least a first client device; and

generating metadata for indexing the content item file and sending the generated metadata to at least a second client device, according to at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein generated metadata comprises one or more keywords pertaining to the content item file.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the one or more keywords is a stemmed and/or lemmatized form of a word.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file was created or modified at a client device specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

21. The media of claim 17, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file was created or modified by a user specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

22. The media of claim 17, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is of a content item type specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

23. The media of claim 17, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file has a name with a portion specified by the at least one metadata generation and sharing management rule.

24. The media of claim 17, wherein generating the metadata comprises generating the metadata based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is shared by one user with at least one other user.

25. The media of claim 17, wherein sending the metadata to the second client device comprises sending the metadata to the second client device based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is synchronized with the second client device.

26. The media of claim 17, wherein sending the metadata to the second client device comprises sending the metadata to the second client device based at least in part on a determination that the content item file is shared with a user the second client device.

27. The media of claim 17, the method further comprising:

sending the content item file to at least the second client device.

28. The media of claim 17, wherein the content item file is not stored at the first client device.